hello october

Hello weekend and HELLO October… my favorite month! Why? Well for starters, it’s my birthday month! It’s also a month of transitions… cooler weather, warmer clothes, and a full-on cozier vibe going on in every aspect of home life. Major hygge mode!

What do you have planned for this month? You know this October’s gonna whiz by, and before we know it, Halloween will be staring us in the face.

It's so fun to take a brisk walk in the fresh Autumn air and look at how mother nature is changing our environment. Even in southern California, some of the Fall leaves have been starting to liven up the trees, especially the liquidambars. Walking through the neighborhood each day, I'm beginning to see more and more pumpkins on pretty porches. And don’t get me started on those adorable chunky sweaters I’ve been seeing!

One of my favorite things about entering in to this month, (because I love to eat) is a roasting a chicken in the oven, and the mouth-watering aroma that fills the house. It naturally says “Welcome home. Mom just made dinner” …with love!” No words needed, just that wonderful, familiar smell that my family loves.

I usually don’t turn on my oven during the summer months, but now that the weather has cooled, I find every excuse to bake something yummy or roast an organic chicken, with potatoes!  

And, that’s what’s on the menu for tonight!

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:  Heather Stillufsen

a festive October table

This festive October table has been in the works for about a week or so in my dining room. It was temporarily put on hold with all the excitement of our fall tea party at Pelican Courtyard, where I had to bring a carload of tableware to style. 

I actually used these same white porcelain chargers for this table that I used over at the tea party set-up. In fact, I had an amazing day of thrifting with my good friend Laura yesterday, and I found eight more of these charger plates, and they were marked half-off at only six bucks! 

Laura and I found a bounty of goodies, some of which I’ll share with you very soon. She spotted an amazing black and white hand-embroidered table runner for me that will be so perfect on my Halloween table at the end of the month! 

Paired with black and white transferware, I think it’ll make for an elegantly spooky table! In fact, I did pick up two more black and white transferware plates yesterday that have a slightly haunted motif on them. I can’t wait to show you! 

So now back to this table...         

I used a beachy blue and white throw to pick up the colors of all the Serena & Lily pillows in that room and the blue plates on the wall. I’m using the large chargers as dinner plates because they’re not that huge, and they hold a nice amount of food. 

The blue and white salad plates have a muted tone to them and look great with the tablecloth. I’ll try to get a better photo today, but I shot these in the early evening yesterday, and the sunlight was fleeting. 

The inspiration for this table was the contrast of these mini orange pumpkins with the blue. I don’t use a lot of orange during the fall anymore, but these little guys are so cheery!

Geometric patterned napkins in orange play off nicely with the pumpkins and add a much needed boost of color. The soup tureen will soon be filled with a delicious soup that I plan on making today. I'm not sure if it'll be butternut squash soup or maybe a creamy potato and broccoli soup. I'm up for trying something new.

   

By the way, that curly cue wicker chair at the end of the table was a recent estate sale find. It’s so darling and sort of like a tiny peacock chair!

I think just about everything on the table is vintage, except for the Serena & Lily placemats and the wreath from Home Goods. 

So, this is our table for the weekend, and we'll see if I can extend it into next week, but you know me... I'm always ready to work on a new tablescape! 😏

ciao! fabiana 

  

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falling for pumpkins

It's nearly October, my favorite month and that's really got me pumped! Yes, from now until Halloween it's going to be pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins!

Don't worry, I'll share other stuff too, but for now I'm slightly obsessed. I do love the little white pumpkins because they're so easy to add to just about any look.

The floral above is from Bouquet Box. I arranged these flowers last week and they're still going strong and smell amazing! The only flowers that didn't last were the three red poppies, but that to be expected.

 

Wild and unruly pinky lavender Japanese anemones from the garden fill this newly found vintage ironstone pitcher. A little bit of brown transferware is always a favorite look for fall. 

I look forward to these autumn blooming Japanese Anemones all year long, and they're just going wild in the back garden. 

Cute little pumpkins are a must in just about every room. 

 

I tend to love the more muted colors for fall and add a pop of color with the mums. I’ll share details of this beautiful fringed throw soon. It isn’t officially released until October. 

Fall table setting can be so easy if you have the right seasonal accents. Believe it or not, all these little pumpkins and gourds are real, and I just purchased them this weekend at Armstrong's Garden Center. 

A wooden cake pedestal works perfectly as the base. I then layered in some interesting pumpkins and gourds, softened the look with a few Heavenly Bamboo leaf cuttings from the garden, and for a whimsical touch nestled a few mums in between everything. Cheery and fun for our weeknight dinners!

 

The secret is to mix in some simple tableware for an effortless look.

Today’s dining room mood… I can’t get enough of these peachy-orange Cinderella pumpkins mixed in with the beautiful white pumpkins and green-tinged gourds. The colors are so soft and ethereal, and such a great alternative to traditional bright orange pumpkins.

Late afternoon in the breakfast room... the September sun dazzles like no other! I've paired my chunky linen runner with a whole assortment of new pumpkins.

 

I recently found 3 huge boxes of vintage candles at a yard sale, and much to my surprise, there were several orange beeswax candles... so perfect here.

 

Patterned napkins from August Table are the perfect backdrop for the little white "Baby Boo" pumpkins at each place setting, and the amber goblets glow in the September sunlight.

That’s not all… I’m working on several other new fall and year-round tablescapes this week, and I can’t wait to share them with you all.

 

In fact, I’ve got some more new vintage glassware to style with along with lots of pretty tablecloths and napkins. I hope you’ll check back in with me soon!

ciao! fabiana

 

 

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subtle and soft October decor

 

I'm not one for very spooky décor during Halloween, so this soft and subtle selection of pumpkins makes me so happy! The addition of a few more understated elements round out my Halloween mantel.

These realistic feather butterflies 🦋are from Amazon and are the perfect touch to add a little "flight of fancy" to our family room mantel. 

Mercury glass votives add a little shine to the mix, and the dried mop-head hydrangeas offer the perfect shade of lichen green, don't ya think? 

 

It's well into October, and I almost forgot to pull out my favorite pumpkin plates. 

Since they're gray, we're going for a more subdued look heading into the weekend with the help of table linens from August Table and this fun acorn flatware by Vagabond House.

This is such a pretty pinecone pattern in gray called "Juniper", and check it out here in blue, style for fall.

 

A few foraged flowers and leaves from the garden fill out this basket with the 3 store-bought hydrangeas that have surprisingly lasted all week!

 

Right now, I’m currently working on another soft and subtle look for the table that also includes a favorite fall recipe.

 

I’ll be sharing it on November 2^nd with a group of talented bloggers also sharing their newest tablescapes and recipes for November and Thanksgiving. I hope to see you here again real soon.

ciao! fabiana

 

 

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