I have been dragging my feet about getting my house decorated for fall, until yesterday.
Over the last 6 months, I have been feeling a little anxious about the unknown. I know many of you are probably feeling something similar. It was getting me down and I lost my energy. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to decorate the house for the fall – my favorite time of year! YIKES!!!!
Yesterday for the first time in a while, I felt a spark of energy return. The pandemic and all that is not right in the world seemed to melt away. It was a nice feeling.
What happened yesterday to get me into my fall decorating groove?
Football!
The house felt cozy and fall-like because Sunday NFL football was on.
Even with no fans in the stands, the recorded crowd cheers in the background made it seem like all was normal in the world. I may not care about watching the game, but hearing football on in the house is one of the best sounds of the fall season.
The sounds of the game on is part of the whole fall decorating a cozy home package for me. Fall weekends and Thanksgiving Day without a football game on is just not fall or Thanksgiving.
While Ed began his day long game watching, the first game inspired me to draw a fall design on the chalkboard wall in my kitchen, while I listened in the background.
I like to draw and letter, but never really have the time to do more of it. A few years ago I painted the narrow wall between my living room and kitchen with black chalkboard paint to create a creative wall where I could have fun creating drawings, signs, quotes and more throughout the seasons.
I created the wall not just for me, but when we have friends and family over. If I leave the wall blank, many pick up the chalk to start writing their names or to show off their drawing skills.
Recently, when my 18-month old granddaughter was visiting, she found a piece of chalk and scribbled on the wall at her height. You better believe I loved seeing those little scribbles and didn’t erase them for a long time after she left.
Anyway – this fall with the world in such a state, I have taken a step back in recent months to find the quiet place in my head. Drawing is one way I can concentrate on something that brings me joy. With football on the TV as the soundtrack, it got me into my fall groove.
I wrote a post about all my chalkboard drawing tips when I first started blogging and even was a contributor to a how-to lettering book, More Creative Lettering.
But for learning tips and techniques on all things chalkboard drawing, my go-to book is The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering. I like the subtitle the best…. Create & Develop Your Own Style. 🙂
I bought this book a few years ago so I could get better at drawing and lettering on chalkboards. With each board I have created, step by step I have picked up techniques and tips to up my skills. Finding joy, not perfection, is my goal.
Step by step is how you make anything happen especially when it is learning to do something at which you want to get better. Each step will bring you closer to your goal – no matter if it is learning to decorate your home, to knit a sweater, become a master carpenter, or draw and letter like an artist on a chalkboard.
The process is the same no matter what it is you want to do better….taking one step at a time.
Finding inspiration is always one way to start if you are feeling stuck. I found just the inspiration I needed in the chalkboard step-by-step lessons in the book. I used one of the author’s designs as the base of my fall chalkboard design.
When it comes to decorating a house or room, learning one step at a time and putting what you learn into play to see how it looks or works and then building upon it is the way to go.
With each step, your confidence builds and you are no longer afraid to experiment with colors and styles.
When decorating, each step keeps building upon the last as you become better at rearranging furniture and accessories according to the principles of design, adding new items, displaying accessories in groups, etc. and then taking the most important step – editing out until you like what you see.
Step by step is how you will get to your goal. If your goal is to make your home the best it can be for the life you want to live in it, then keep at it.
Over the years I have gotten better at lettering, but my drawings will never be perfect which is fine with me. I don’t do them for that reason. I created the drawing to bring me joy and the fact that I love pumpkins this time of year.
Seeing the wall every day will put a smile on my face.
This post is more about doing what brings you joy at home this fall, than just sharing a beautifully decorated room. I seek meaning and connection to everything I use in my house to make it the best place for both Ed and me.
Since fall is my favorite time of year, I am so happy that I got my groove back as I want to make sure I get the house decorated for fall this year just right.
What do you enjoy doing or seeing in your home at this time of year?
For you, that smile-making item may not be a chalkboard, but I am sure there is something that will bring you the best part of home. That is the three C’s: Comfort – Cozy – Contentment = BLISS. 🙂
Figure out what makes you smile in your home and then add it or more of it.
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