Too Soon?

Last week, temperatures fell pretty drastically.  Actually, it's probably more accurate to say that the horrible humidity finally gave way...making it feel like the temperatures had dropped pretty drastically.  I don't think I was alone in feeling like fall had finally arrived!  I excitedly sported jeans instead of my summer uniform of sundresses, picked up a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, and when I spotted some beautiful mums on a random trip to our Farmer's Market, I figured it was time to take the plunge and start the fall decorating.
I had in my mind a metallic look for our fall mantle...bronzes, golds, and glitter (cause who doesn't love some glitter!).  So I basically used what he had used in past fall mantles, but bought a can of gold spray paint and a can of bronze to transform the look totally.

And since you probably don't remember our fall mantle from last year (I didn't even remember it!), here's what it looked like:

how blah is that?!?

For a close-up version of my metallicized mantle, here are our pinecones (left brown last year) all jazzed up in gold/bronze goodness:

I did create this totally free art addition to the mantle by spray painting a frame gold and then doing a simple leaf rubbing in bronze paint.  To do it, I just grabbed a leaf out of the yard, coated the veiny side with paint, and then placed it down (on the cardboard that comes in the frame), and gently rolled over it.  I was kind of excited at the result!

Outside of paint and glitter, my only purchase for our mantle was a few bags of Dollar Store fall fruit...which of course I spray painted and glittered all up!

Per usual, our mantle was the main recipient of a fall spruce up, but I did put a few other touches around the house, like these spray painted (are you surprised?!?) branches on our tv console coupled with a vine pumpkin I had picked up at Target a few years back:

And a cinnamon stick votive I whipped up (that I don't think I'm actually digging, but I figured I'd show you anyway)

Oh, and of course those mums that kick started my whole fall decorating spree...along with the wreath I had made last year:

pardon the sidewalk chalk names...
that has become one of Colton's favorite games!

Considering Fall officially starts this week, I'm thinking I'm not totally out of line in getting all this stuff out, right?