The air was crisp enough to pull out an extra quilt for the bed, break out a scarf and swing by Starbucks for an oh-so-delicious hot apple cider.

I also had a few lazy mornings of magazine reading over breakfast.

The first of the holiday catalogs arrived!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal – yummy and makes the house smell amazing!

Friday night after a great dinner with a dear friend, I returned home to a power outage. A freak storm had brought crazy winds and rain to the area, and it took our power along with it. The result? Candle burning, blankets and reading by flashlight…I can’t say I was so disappointed…

I did get out and about Saturday though, and cherished the opportunity to wear some of my fall clothes (I had to restrain myself from piling on too many layers in excitement).

I hit up one of my favorite antique stores, South Front Antiques, and almost squealed (ok, so I kind of did) when I found myself all alone in a room – a whole room! – of antique shutters.

I didn’t take a picture of this wonderful room because of the previously mentioned squealing, but here’s a picture of the almost-as-cool elevator shaft from the third floor. This building is itself an antique and so fun to explore.

Just one of the cool things at South Front Antiques

Back to the shutters…after a while of perusing, and talking to the owner about the origins of several, I settled upon two very different styles that caught my eye when I first entered the room.

Here’s one…it’s from the 1890s, probably from a house on either Pontiac or Vance in downtown Memphis. The old wood has aged beautifully.

I’ll share this week how I’m going to incorporate both shutters in at home. And yes, staring at them smiling is part of how they will be incorporated.

How was your weekend? What did you do that felt like fall?

Kirsten Dunst attends the New York premiere of her movie Bachelorette dressed in Stella McCartney. Look familiar?

We’ve all heard that some people start to look like their significant others, or even their pets, after years together, but how about their houses?

Do you dress like your home? By that, I mean, do you decorate your place with the same style – colors, patterns, etc. – as you decorate yourself with your wardrobe, accessories, etc.?

For me, I’d say yes. I tend to gravitate toward a romantic fashion style, as my friend Penelope would say, and I think the same is true for my home. I like found objects combined with classic pieces in both my closet and my decor.

My friend Kirsten (I can say that because I’m pretty sure she doesn’t read this blog) has already demonstrated dressing like home by dressing like MY home at the New York premiere of her new movie. It’s a little Sound of Music in that the the fabric is very retro home fabric, but in the same breath I’m kind of digging it, in a Moonrise Kingdom sort of way. What do you think?

As I thought more about the similarities between my closet and my home, I pulled a few comparisons (using some clothes I actually have and and others similar to clothing I have, all via Polyvore).

Maybe that’s why I like my house so much; I want to wear it!

What about you…do you dress like your house?

You’re a grown up when new plates make you a little giddy. Oh, and you don’t know what channel MTV is.

But this is about the plate thing.

Look! Pretty!

See those lovely scalloped edges peeking out in that stack o’plates? Those were an early birthday gift for myself, purchased this weekend at anthropologie.

Here’s a closeup:

They remind me of doilies, but the gray color keeps them from being too precious.

I snagged them on sale (don’t you just want to live in that little sale room at the back of the store?) and used my 15 percent off birthday savings card for even more of a discount.

Note: I tend to use the “birthday gift” excuse for anything pretty I purchase in the month of August. Does anyone else do that?

Here’s a shot of dinner on the new plate:

It’s a goat cheese, spinach and asparagus flatbread on naan bread. I know I should leave the food photography to my talented friend Amanda, but I wanted you to see the plate in action (and also know that naan bread pizza is Ah-Mazing).

So that’s the story  of the new pretty plates. What have you bought lately that puts a smile on your face?

It was all I could do not to marry him on the spot.

The fabrics will soon become my bedroom curtains and bedskirt and I haven’t stopped squealing since I saw them.

Curtains on the left, bedskirt on the right. Squeee!

I have always been a bit “safe” when it came to curtains and fabric choices overall. But with this new place, something’s changed. I finally realized, what am I being safe for? I should do what I want…this home is my home and it should reflect me!

So pattern it is and I am stoked to get started.

I found both fabrics at fabric.com, a wonderful online resource for thousands of styles. It’s a bit overwhelming, actually, but worth the search.

I had never ordered fabric online before and was a bit hesitant, but after exhausting the local fabric shops (choices ranged from grandma to great-grandma), I bit the bullet. And with free shipping and returns, it wasn’t much of a bullet to bite.

However, I don’t think these babies are going anywhere. Upon delivery, I marched them straight into the bedroom and they look great. The patterns just seem to work together. Hopefully, that will remain the case when all is finished.

As for the actual projects, stay tuned. I’ll be posting step-by-step instructions for making your own DIY curtains and DIY bedskirt.

Those blog cards? Boom!

These are the work of Etsy shop ipaper and they make me super happy. I was on the hunt for some blog cards to use at the Haven Conference (eek! it’s so close!) and and since this little blog is not yet at the point of a custom logo or feel, these fit the bill. I’m loving the whimsy.

Oh, and the guy delivering all this goodness? He was the UPS guy and he actually was really cute. I don’t have a picture of him. Perhaps I’ll need to order more fabric…

Have a happy weekend!

PS. I don’t work for fabric.com nor am I paid to sing its praises. I’m just a fan!

Um, yeah right.

First on my decor to-do list? A living room rug.

The living room has so far gone from looking like this on moving day:

To this:

I have most of the boxes cleared out, and I’m ready to make the space a little bit cozier with a fabulous rug.

Common decorating wisdom is that an area rug should be large enough that the front legs of each piece of furniture sit on top of it, like this:

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via Youa on Pinterest

That’d be an 8 x 10 rug in this space.

The room above is big enough to sport the traditional layout and still show off the hardwood floors, but my little room is not.

Since I’m not into completely covering up these lovely floors, I’m going with a 5 x 8 area rug.

I’m a rebel!

A 5 x 8 rug will leave a little gap of hardwood between the couch and the rug, and a nice border of hardwood around the rest of the room, kind of like this:

Source: pinterestgreatdeals.com via Keitha on Pinterest

Although, the rug won’t be patterned, the couch won’t be slip-covered and no creepy guy paintings are allowed.

How big do you think a room should be? If you’re trying to lay out a room/rug combo, check out this Apartment Therapy post on different styles.

Update: I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger just yet, but when I saw West Elm’s rugs were all 15 percent off right now, I just had to act. I’ll share the pictures of the updated living room as soon as the rug arrives (hopefully, it works!).

Yes, they are almost identical.

This style coffee table is the Kardashian of the decor world right now.

You can’t flip a page of House Beautiful or click through a Houzz gallery without seeing it.

It’s not a bad looking table, but honestly, not my style. I’m fond of the reclaimed wood effect on top, not so much a fan of the metallic base. I think some of its mass appeal may lie in the fact that it’d be a fairly easy DIY.

And, once again, it’s probably its mass appeal that turns me away.

What do you think? Yay or nay?

For the yays out there, here are a few similar tables (click on the image for more information).

I think a table like this would be gorgeous in an artsy work space or a cool loft, but probably wouldn’t work with the yellow couch.

For the nays, like me, what don’t you like about it? Do you have a coffee table and, if so, what does it look like?

If you can’t tell, I’m on the hunt for a coffee table. It lives in my head right now. Hopefully we’ll meet soon!

It’s time to be formally introduced.

Couch, the Internet. The Internet, my couch.

It’s snuck into the background of a few photos, like this one

and this one.

However, this is its blog debut. Let’s get y’all acquainted.

The fabric has yellow, gold, green and gray tones running through it, in a loose floral pattern, and the the back cushions are all beautifully tufted (oh how I love tufting). It definitely reads yellow from a distance.

Now for the kicker…

I found this couch at a Salvation Army Family Store for $200!

I have bought a lot of furniture in my relatively short furniture buying life and this just might be my favorite (I can’t choose, I love them all so much…).

The couch was manufactured in furniture mecca High Point, North Carolina in 1972 by Young’s Furniture Company. After a little Googling, I found out the company was started in 1946, but sadly, went out of business a few years ago.

And in a little cherry on top of the vintage furniture sundae, the original delivery tag is still attached, noting the February 2, 1972 delivery date of the couch to a furniture shop on K Street in Washington, D.C.

Just to put the “vintage” in “vintage couch” into perspective, Washington, D.C. looked like this in 1972:

Photo Credit: Dorothy Marder (I think I have those sunglasses.)

And, the Watergate complex break-in, which led to scandal and the eventual resignation of President Nixon, happened in June of that year.

So I’m not saying my couch had a place in the Watergate scandal, but I’m not denying it either…

Anyhoo, I can’t wait to build my new living room around this quirky little (possibly historic) sofa. I’m already planning on pulling out the gray tones, to balance the retro with some modern touches. The pattern once scared me, but now I think it will be a great foundation for a fun, sunny room.

Oh, and did I mention it’s uber comfortable? I know, second fiddle on a decor blog, but totally important since it’s my one and only couch.

So, that’s that. You’re now properly introduced to my friend, the groovy yellow couch.

Question for you: Have you ever found a great piece of vintage furniture? Do you wonder about the past lives of your antique or second-hand pieces?

I’m headed down to Tupelo, Mississippi.

Source: Tupelo.net (I kind of want that shirt.)

Get excited, people!

No? Okay, let me tell you why this is exciting news.

1.  I’m going to see the Avett Brothers play. I could stop there and this would be a great weekend. But wait…there’s more!

Source: Bluegrass Today

2.  Tupelo is known as “The Upholstered Furniture Capital of the World.” Given I literally had a dream about the perfect upholstered couch last night (very true), this is extremely exciting.

3.  Tupelo’s Antiques Trail boasts more than 60 homegrown antique stores. Y’all. If there’s one thing the South knows how to do right (besides ridiculously fattening food, music and front porches), it’s antique stores. Oh, the treasures.

This is the only "shop" photo I could find and it looks to be from about 1987. You get the idea. Souce: Tupelo.net

4.  Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis Presley, so kitschy Elvis memorabilia (and groovy snapshots like the one above) abound.

Cute boys with guitars, upholstered furniture, antiques, Elvis and a mini road trip?

Kind of the perfect storm of a weekend, if you ask me.

Have a happy weekend!

Here’s what else is currently making me happy:

This coffee table: It’s my white whale. I snapped this picture from an old issue of Domino that sadly didn’t list the shopping information. It’s exactly the kind of table I want for my living room, so I’m on the hunt. I’m even toying with the idea of using a mirror or frame as the base and connecting some legs….we’ll see. (If you know who made this table, let me know!)

Source: dwell.com via Katie on Pinterest

We’ve discussed my love for list making. You would think that bit of Type A would would translate into planning for home decor.

It doesn’t.

I’m not someone who knows where every piece of furniture is going to go before I move into a place. I don’t even know what furniture I’ll use and which I won’t.

Here is my process:

Every free moment lately has been spent scouring Pinterest, home blogs and my beloved back copies of Domino (can these count as home decor?) for inspiration for my new home. And let me tell you…in my head so far, the place is a knock out.

Color scheme here, room layout here – I’m pinning my little heart out to build what I hope to be the feel for my new place. And that’s kind of the extent of my planning process. Sure, I’ve got room measurements and I’ll test fabrics against each other when I get to that point, but that’s about it.

I’m not a blueprint or even a mood board girl. I’ve tried to be – there are some amazing tools out there. If you’re a planner, check out Young House Love’s favorite online tools.

I’m kind of a live in the space and decorate until it feels right kind of girl. I want my home to make me smile when I walk in, and I just don’t think I can plan that. Instead, I comb through fabrics, furniture, rugs and everything else online, pin what I’m attracted to, and then step back to see what they have in common. Then I get to arranging (and DIYing).

Weird? Probably. Inefficient? Definitely. But oh so fun. I guess so much of the rest of my life is planned, that I cherish being a little freewheeling when it comes to my surroundings.

Freewheeling in an organized fashion, of course. I’m still Katie.

So what’s your home decor style? Are a you a room planner? Do you pick everything at once? Or does it fall in place over time?