Opulent Cottage

Fall In Love With Texas Blog Tour

Welcome to the Fall In Love With Texas blog tour! If you're visiting for the first time, welcome! I'm Andrea, and my husband and I live in a 1926 Tudor-style cottage in a historic neighborhood in Dallas. You can read a little more about us here.

Our home has changed quite a bit the last few years. It's taken me a while, but as my style has evolved I have lightened and brightened our decor. This year's fall decor is lighter and brighter too, and I'm loving the fresh feeling it adds to this wonderful season.

 

A botanical print from The Graphics Fairy was my inspiration for fall decor this year. Its accents of pink and green fit perfectly in our living room that I redid for last year's One Room Challenge. (You can also visit each of my previous reveals with the links on my right sidebar.) The pretty floral painting from Home Goods, with its background of moody colors, feels fallish to me. I spruced up a berry wreath with a few glittery gold leaves to brighten it.

 

Our TV armoire, painted Glidden's Deep Sapphire Blue, sets off the gorgeous orange vase that I scored at Ross. (You can see a closeup of the vase here.) I'm still loving our bright plaid silk pillows, even though I never thought I would leave them out year-round. The vibrant colors just make me so happy. The top of the cabinet looks a little bare, but I finally got tired of having to stand on the coffee table to turn the sound bar on and off, so I took most of the ginger jars down :)

 

The side table got dressed up with a simple basket of pumpkins and some candles I painted stripes onto.

 

I'll tell you though, it was hot the day I painted these, and my candles nearly melted out there! They're all a little warped now hahaha. The color is Rustoleum's John Deere Green. Yep, tractor paint in an opulent cottage lol. It's just about the most perfect shade of green ever! It really brightened up this formerly dark basket, too.

 

Across the room, a few touches of fall orange peek out from behind some pretty florals in this chinoiserie vase. 

 

Some fall florals made it into the hallway, also. This vintage telephone niche is original to our sweet old home!

 

In our sitting room, a lantern painted with Rustoleum's Rustic Orange is filled with a chinoiserie pumpkin. These little pumpkins are so popular now. Of course I went the budget friendly route and made mine, and just mod podged a dollar store pumpkin with a Caspari napkin :)

 

I truly hope that you have enjoyed these little peeks into our home! I'm so thankful for your visit, and especially thankful to Katie for organizing this fun blog tour! It's no small feat to pull 18 bloggers together and get everyone organized Here's the lineup of Texas bloggers you can visit for more fall inspiration --

 

Monday  

Let's Add Sprinkles

My Thrift Store Addiction

French Ethereal

Decor To Adore

 

Tuesday 

First Day of Home

County Road 407

Kitty's Cozy Kitchen 

Ash Tree Cottage

 

 

Wednesday  

The Aspiring Home
Sweet Nothings
Monica Wants It

 

Thursday 

Opulent Cottage
Bluesky At Home
Hyacinths For The Soul
Botanic Blue
My Heart Lives Here
Poofing The Pillows
White Spray Paint

 

If you would like to follow along you can find me on Bloglovin' here, on Facebook here, and on Instagram here. See you soon, and Happy Fall Y'all! xoxo

  

Hello Fall!!

Hi everyone! Long time no see. How are you?!

I'll post a few photos from past fall decor while we chat and get caught up :)

Fall Patio Decor

 

Fall In Love With Texas 2016

 

We have been busy busy bees around here! We have a shiny new business that we started back in May. The blog has taken a back seat to the red tape that goes along with a startup company, along with a few extra work hours :) But it's fall, and the temps are finally dropping in north Texas! There's no better reason to toss a few decorations up to celebrate.

Fall Harvest Basket

 

Our Cozy, Colorful Front Porch

 

I was kindly asked by my friend Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles to take part in her Fall In Love With Texas Blog Tour! I'll be back on Thursday with a few new things to share with y'all. In the meantime, you can click on the photo below to be taken to Katie's blog and see the lineup for the week.

 

See you Thursday! xoxo!

A Meowey Halloween Display

Happy Halloween, friends! Can anyone believe it's the end of October?? Yikes, where does the time go?!

Before we all go into a panic about how many days we have until Christmas, I thought I would share the Halloween display in our sitting room. Our kitties came out to play this year! I was happy to stay inside and work on this since it's a stifling 88 degrees in Dallas today. Mother Nature, can we get a little fall weather please?! 

Enough chatter and on to the photos. We all wish you a fun, safe, and meowy Halloween!!

 

You can see more of our Halloween kitties here and here.

Thank you for coming by! xoxoxo!!

A Texas Bloggers Fall Home Tour

Welcome to day five of the Fall In Love With Texas Home Tour!! 

If you're visiting for the first time, let me introduce myself! I'm Andrea, a crafter, gardener, and gourmet cook, living in and loving our 1926 Tudor  Revival cottage. It's a whopping 1,200 square feet, and we make the most of every inch! 

This week 20 bloggers are showcasing bits and pieces of our homes decorated for fall. On Monday I showed our back porch dressed up for the early season, if you missed it you can see it here. Today I'm sharing our colorful kitchen! Warning: no neutrals here, and you may need your sunglasses to get through this post ;) I'm craving lots of bright, happy color this year. It may be due to the late arrival of fall color in North Texas, which often doesn't happen until almost Christmas!

The kitchen in our diminutive home is a small galley style, but it's not lacking in color or personality! We are all avid cooks and make great use of this small space. You can read about the transformation of our cabinets here, a choice that I still celebrate  every day. And this fall I can't seem to get enough of red, orange and blue and white! I really didn't change much, but added a dose of fall color with berries, mini pumpkins, and some faux fall leaves. 

 

These shelves took the place of a space-hogging pantry, and are always a favorite spot to decorate for each season.

 

The counter displays are a happy mix of orange, red, yellow, blue and white!

 

The adjoining sitting area/breakfast nook is still my favorite spot in the house! I affectionately call it the Empty Nesters' Lounge, but the whole family enjoys this space, also. This cozy spot features our home's original shiplap, which we uncovered for last year's One Room Challenge. You can read about the transformation here. It is hands down one of the best projects we have ever done for creating a comfortable lifestyle in our little house. My treasured painting, done by my grandmother, is the crown jewel of the room, and the inspiration behind  all of the color in our home.

 

Last fall I took this ginger jar photo on my phone and uploaded it to Waterlogue, then had it printed at Walgreen's. If you haven't tried the Waterlogue app, it's a great way to create inexpensive, personal art. A few dollar store stems are tucked into some dried eucalyptus, so easy! The cute mugs are from HomeGoods. 

 

Can you spot the chandelier sparkles in the background? They make my morning happy :)

 

If you follow me on Instagram, you have already seen my chinoiserie pumpkin. It's actually just a dollar store pumpkin, painted white, then ModPodged with a gorgeous Caspari napkin! Easiest DIY ever :)

 

I can't wait to actually need this blanket due to cool weather, but until then, I'm enjoying moving it around in every room of the house :)

 

And this girl wasted no time getting comfy :)

 

You can find links to other fall posts on my right sidebar, and here are a few more fall posts you may like:

Fall In the Foyer

A Special Fall Mantel

Fall Mix Tablescape

Fall Greetings Pillow

Fall Tablescape on the Patio

At the end of this fun week, I just can't thank Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles enough, for organizing this tour! It takes a ton of work to put one of these together, and I'm so grateful to her for doing this. It's been a wonderful week of camaraderie with these other Texas ladies! 

Fall In Love With Texas Blog Tour Schedule 

 

Monday:  

Let's Add Sprinkles / Decor to Adore/ Southern DayDreams/ Bluesky Kitchen

 

Tuesday:

Poofing The Pillows/At Home With Jemma/ The B Farm/ Botanic Bleu

 

Wednesday:

Sweet Nothings/ Ash Tree Cottage/ Fern Creek Cottage/ My Heart Lives Here/ Timeless Treasures

 

Thursday:  

Hyacinths For The Soul/ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen/ The Dedicated House/ Brookhollow Lane

Friday:
White Spray Paint/ Opulent Cottage/ Lilacs and Longhorns 

 

Thank you for visiting! I would love to hear what you think about our fall kitchen! If you would like to see more, please follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Bloglovin.

xo, Andrea

Joining:

Thoughts of Home on Thursday at Poofing the Pillows

 

Our Fall Back Patio, and a Texas Bloggers Fall Tour!

Hello Friends! Is anyone else as happy as I am that fall has arrived?!! Not to boot summer out the door, but some cooler temps are always welcome here in the Great Hot State of Texas :)

I'm excited to tell y'all that I'll be part of the Fall in Love With Texas Blog Tour, hosted by Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles! 

 

I thought I would give you a sneak peek today, and I'll be back on Friday with some more of our home, decorated for fall. At the end of this post you'll find a list of all the participants, listed by the day they are sharing their fall inspiration.

For now, please come by and sit with me on our back patio, decorated for fall!

 

You might remember that we gave this area a refresh last spring for One Room Challenge (you can find the reveal here). As I had hoped, we enjoyed being out here quite a bit this summer! I was happy to give this space some fall color, knowing we will soon be spending cool, crisp evenings outside. An outdoor rug from World Market was the inspiration for my fall theme. The second I saw it, I knew it would be perfect to give the brick patio a splash of fall-ness.

 

The throw was a discount find at Ross, and I whipped up a few pillows with fabric from the remnant bin at JoAnn's. The cat pillow was a lucky find at Ikea, and believe me when I say I can't wait to use it in some Halloween decor! Because kitties :)

 

How happy are these sweet pumpkins? It will be at least a month (or more!) before we see some fall color here in North Texas, so some faux leaves are standing in for now.

 

A few more photos --

 

Speaking of kitties, now you all can see why I really needed that throw out here . . . say hello to Lila, otherwise known as Miss Muddypaws ;)

 

 

Fall In Love With Texas Blog Tour Schedule

 

 

Monday: 

 

Let's Add Sprinkles / Decor to Adore/ Southern DayDreams/ Bluesky Kitchen

 

Tuesday:

 

Poofing The Pillows/At Home With Jemma/ The B Farm/ Botanic Bleu

 

Wednesday:

 

Sweet Nothings/ Ash Tree Cottage/ Fern Creek Cottage/ My Heart Lives Here/ Timeless Treasures

 

Thursday: 

 

Hyacinths For The Soul/ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen/ The Dedicated House/ Brookhollow Lane

Friday:

White Spray Paint/ Opulent Cottage/ Lilacs and Longhorns 

 

 

Thanks for your visit today, friends! I hope you'll join us for the tour! I guarantee that you'll fall in love with Texas, too :) 

xoxo, Andrea

Joining: 

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.

Fall in the Foyer

The word "foyer" conjures images of grand entry rooms with sweeping staircases and shiny marble floors, doesn't it? Well, our tiny front foyer doesn't come close to that description, but what we lack in size and grandeur, we make up for with color  and charm. Come on in!

Most homes in our 1920s neighborhood were not built with a partitioned entry, so we feel lucky to have it.  This little room is a mere 5 by 7 feet! It has gone through some major changes this past year. Gone are the yellow walls and red chest, and this pretty cabinet is standing in until it moves to a different spot in the house. I'll admit that I might have totally panicked questioned my decision when I painted the walls this bright white, but as soon as I realized that it opened up new possibilities for furniture and art, I was all in.

 

The cabinet gives us extra storage and a place to create seasonal vignettes. The happy green (Behr's Thyme) makes me swoon every time I walk in the house. 

 

These beautiful vintage frames were one of my first yard sale purchases after we bought our home. They have been all over the house throughout the years! In a fit of color-craving last summer I added these crazy prints, which are actually gift wrap from World Market. Of course, then, the gilded bust got a colorful scarf, sconces were painted a cheerful pink, and topped off with punchy gingham shades with beaded poms. It was definitely a "go big or go home" moment, and I'm still smiling at the results. 

 

It's nice to have a small bench in here to sit and take our boots off! Scarves, a denim jacket, and cowboy hat are ready to grab and go. 

 

Thank you all so much for coming by to visit! I'm still fall-i-fying, be back soon with more!

Joining:

Kim's Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Share Your Style.

 

Fall Home Tour 2015: Our Cozy, Colorful Cottage Porch

  

 

Hello friends, and welcome to our Cottage Porch! If you're coming by from the Fall Home Tour and new to Opulent Cottage, let me introduce myself! I'm Andrea, wife of 28 years to Maurie and mom of 21 years to our daughter Abby. We live in a tiny cottage built in 1926, in the midst of the largest concentration of Tudor Revival cottages in the US (you can read more here). Living just 1.5 miles north of downtown Dallas, we are true city dwellers. Maurie and I were both born in the midwest, but now we love being Texans.

I also LOVE decorating for fall! After our scorching summers here in North Texas, we truly welcome fall with open arms. The arrival of cooler mornings and nights, pumpkins and mums, and the promise of fall-colored trees has me giddy with anticipation. 

One of our very favorite places to enjoy the change of seasons is on our front porch. Welcoming front porches are a common architectural feature in our neighborhood, and we have continued the tradition of front porch sitting as a way of life. 

 

Some cozy throws are ready for chilly evenings, and cheerful pillows brighten our bench with fall colors. 

 

This beautiful wreath of dried florals is still as lovely as ever after several years! I pack it away carefully each year to preserve it and it has been in every room of the house! I attached it to a twig wreath this year to give it a little more heft.

 

A lucky yard sale score, this vintage metal stand has a new bright color. I used my very favorite paint, Rustoleum 2X Ultra Cover, which has never let me down. A quick couple of coats was all it took to take this from black to this gorgeous color, which is Marigold.

 

And of course, since this is Texas, we have hibiscus flowers along with fall leaves, lol.

 

 

The potting bench that we *roadside rescued* is home to an ever-changing display of plants and decor. (You can see a previous fall display here.) I love looking out my kitchen window to see a pretty vignette, and maybe a visiting cat or two :)

 

A few faux fall leaves are standing in until the real ones make their appearance, which in North Texas can sometimes be almost Christmastime.

 

 

All I need to do is light some candles and this area is company-ready, or maybe date-night ready, also! These yummy candles are a new favorite, and instantly bring the aura of fall.

 

Of course it was only a matter of time before one of our neighborhood kitties came to check out the fall decor.

 

I'm sure he's thinking that we put this rug there just for him :)

 

As a last look, here is my view from inside our kitchen.

 

 

I hope you are inspired to add a bit of fall color to your own front porch! Have you decorated for fall yet this year, do tell!! If you are looking for more fall goodness, you can go here, and here, to find a collection of my favorite posts from past seasons. You can also read about this year's Fall Living Room here.

Shop this look:

  Birch Votive Holders / Burt's Bees Soy Candle / Vintage Style Lantern (similar)    Red Polka Dot Bowls (on sale for $8.47!)         Vintage Floral Tole Tray (Etsy search) Plaid throw blanket similar here & here / Orange Pillow (similar) / White Wood Bench     Dried Florals Wreath (similar)

Thank you so much for coming by, and I hope you have a chance to visit the other amazing blogs on the tour, also!

Thursday

My Life From Home

Garden Matter

Meegan Makes

Shelstring

Friday

Our Good Life

Casa Watkins

Opulent Cottage

Sondra Lyn at Home

Saturday

Graceful Order

One More Time Events

Roots North and South

Sunday

Fern Creek Cottage

Love My Simple Home 

Poofy Cheeks

Monday

Poofing The Pillows

Sew A Fine Seam

What's Ur Home Story

 

I'm joining:

The Scoop

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Share Your Style at Northern Nesting

p.s. This post contains some affiliate links, which means that if you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive a small commission. Thank you!

 

 

A Big Texas Welcome

Happy first day of fall! If you're stopping by from POPSUGAR and MSN Lifestyle, welcome! I am thrilled to have my Fall Greetings pillow featured, you can find the link to the project again here. 

 

Please make yourself at home and look around, there's a tab at the top where you can search by category, and a link to search my blog on the right sidebar. You'll find projects galore, vignettes, holidays and lots of colorful inspiration. Our home is going through some changes currently, but one thing that will never change is my love of color!

 

My love of color is only rivaled by my love of Texas. 

 

Although cooking is right up there, also. 

 

I'm currently decorating madly for a fall home tour next week, I hope you'll come by! You can subscribe at the top of this page, and also follow along on Bloglovin'.

 

Enjoy your visit, and please email me with any questions you may have! 

Joining:

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Martina at Northern Nesting for Share Your Style.

 

More Flashbacks of Fall

As promised, here are a few oldies but goodies from the archives! I hope these bring you some happy fall inspiration.

This Fall Harvest Basket was the easiest centerpiece to put together!

 

You all know I love a good vignette, and this one was colorful and festive for fall.

 

One of my favorite mantels ever included my treasured painting from my grandmother --

 

This table was put together for Thanksgiving, but the vibrant colors would be gorgeous all throughout the fall season.

 

Thank you for coming by! I'm joining:

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

Martina at Northern Nesting for Share Your Style

 

 

Fall Decor "Lite"

Fall is finally in the air here in Dallas, Texas! We have been enjoying some lovely cool breezes on early mornings and late nights. We still have plenty of warm days in store, though, so I can't bring myself to pull out the faux fur throws and the woolly pillows just yet. For an early fall "lite" theme, I settled on a light-hearted mix of greens and reds with a splash of blue and white in our living room. Just a few small things made our living room feel like it's ready to welcome the season!

 

Last month I swooned over some pretty curtains at Debbiedoo's, made from tablecloths found at Walmart! I instantly loved the floral mix of bright blues, vibrant reds, mossy greens and deep yellow, and shamelessly copied her, using the fabric for some pillows instead. (You can find the tablecloths online here.) Also, I'll be talking about the green pillows next week, found at our fabulous Ross.

 

Adding just a few fall florals also brought some seasonal color to this corner. These were all leftovers from my stash, which I store in bins in our attic to reuse every year. It's like Christmas when I pull them out to see what I have to remix into new arrangements :)

 

Some dried leaves from the front yard and windowpane jute ribbon added a fall touch to the white urn. You can read about my Pottery Barn knock-off pears here. 

 

I got a small start on our mantel, too. A few cotton boll stems always evoke a sense of fall! These keep the light feel in our room, along with some rusty-red berries from the dollar store. The cotton stems were a bargain in Canton at only $6! You can also find nice, full ones like these at Craft Outlet.com here for just $6.25.

 

I hope you are inspired to put together a "lite" fall display, even if it's too hot for pumpkins where you are! I'm headed back to the sewing machine to whip up a few more pillows for our sofa, which I'll share soon. 

xoxo, Andrea

p.s. You want to know a secret? That's not a throw blanket on our chair, but a knitted fringe shawl! Who knew? :)

 

Joining Kim for Wow Us Wednesday.

Share Your Style at The Essence of Home