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DECORATING A SMALL HOUSE FOR HALLOWEEN

October 12, 2020
pumpkins and front door

8 months out of the year I have absolutely no interest in holiday decorations.  But come September and October and suddenly I get the itch to add, add, add decorations and make the place look FESTIVE!  It’s like all of a sudden the weather changes and I want to surround myself with cozy textures, fall colors, and pumpkins.

And it doesn’t stop there.  

Fall decorations morph into Halloween with the addition of more pumpkins, skulls, and crows.  Halloween slides into Thanksgiving with the removal of all things orange and scary.  Then comes Christmas where everything gets put away and the house gets filled with red, gold, silver, and evergreen. 

All this shifting can become messy and stressful.  It adds clutter and fills up horizontal surfaces which can make a small home feel even smaller.  But decorating for the holidays brings me joy and my kids absolutely love it, so I’ve figured out how to make it work for us and our small house.

To help manage the influx of stuff and not go crazy, I have a few tips that can help anyone quickly and painlessly add fall and Halloween touches to a small house. 

(1)  Decorate for the season, not just a holiday

Use decorations that can span the season, not just a holiday.  Most of my fall decorations stay up from September to the end of November.  I try to stick to simple color palates of browns, blacks, creams, and whites.  Carved wood candlesticks anchor the mantel and bring a cozy wood texture to the living room.  Neutral ceramic and metal pumpkins scream fall and feel appropriate through Thanksgiving.  

Fall mantel

By decorating for the season, I maximize the enjoyment I get for the effort I put in.  It also makes it easy to ‘add’ decorations for Halloween.  During October, I keep the same fall base, but also layer on orange pumpkins and some spooky things, like bats, crows, and spiders.  Once Halloween is over, I can simply remove the holiday-specific decor and return to the neutral fall base until December.  

(2)  Use items that are consumable, compostable, or recyclable

For fall, fresh pumpkins, squash, and gourds are the BEST.  Not only are they widely available this time of year, but they come in a huge range of colors and sizes and can fit any decor style.  You can even CHANGE your style each year since they last only a season.  And when the season is over, they can go straight to the compost bin.  Nothing has to be stored from year to year!

Fall porch with pumpkins

Fresh, or artfully dead, flowers and greens can be gathered from your yard or neighborhood and used in vases.  Black-Eyed Susans drop their yellow petals to reveal black centers that make for very Halloween-like flower arrangements.

Fall decor for built ins

Wine bottles and glasses can also be used to bring a fall touch and – bonus – you can drink the wine!  And recycle the bottle.  🙂

fall front door

And let’s not forget about the versatility of sticks.  Widely available and free, they can be used just about anywhere.  Outside with pumpkins on a porch, inside mixed with other decorations and even a wreath for your door. 

This year I attempted a DIY stick wreath for my door.  It looks AWESOME covered with black spray paint, but the thing is pretty rickety and held together with hot glue and twist ties….ha.   It will not last more than one season.  But again, it cost $0 and will go into the trash once Halloween is over. 

(3)  Shop your house

Walk around your house and shop for seasonal pieces that work with your color palate.  You never know what you might find that would be the perfect accompaniment to your fall decorations.  Candles, fruit, wine bottles, glassware, vases, books, pillows, blankets, etc. are all fair game. 

halloween decor built ins

This year I incorporated black and white books, candlesticks, and vases I already had on hand.  Shuffling things I already owned gave me a new look for $0.

(4)  Focus on just a few key areas

You don’t need to cover every inch of your house in orange and black.  In fact, in a small house, you just don’t have that many surfaces that you can decorate.  I often run out of places where I can safely put out decorations, so I really try to focus on making a few key areas feel special.  The front porch, the mantle, and the built-ins are where I focused my efforts this year.  If I can make those look special, then it feels like the whole house is festive. 

crow halloween decor

halloween bookshelves

crows

Multiples make a big impact.  For example, this year I bought a few extra crows to add to my collection.  They are fairly small and store easily, but when they are grouped together, they make a big impact!  One crow is nice, but 8 crows are scary.  

halloween crow decorations

crows

(5) Be unexpected

Have any leftover decorations?  Look for unexpected places to bring a bit of humor or fun.  This year I was racking my brain for a place that I could display my rubber hanging bats and had a lightbulb moment – the bathroom!  I don’t know why I never thought of it before, but they hang perfectly on the newly painted black shelves. 

halloween bats in bathroom

It’s definitely a surprise for any visitor who needs to use our bathroom!

What I don’t do

While Halloween is one of my absolute favorite holidays to decorate for, I’ve really pared down and streamlined my decor over the last decade.  What have I eliminated?  I no longer have Halloween mugs since I just didn’t use them enough to justify storing them.  I’ve eliminated some of the larger light up outdoor decor, serving plates, plastic pumpkins, and large wicker pumpkins that were hard to store. 

What I have kept are items I truly love that bring me joy every year when the storage bin comes out of the garage.  If you love something, you can always make room for it, even in a small house. 

Happy decorating!

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Hi! I’m Lisa and I dig smallish homes. I believe they bring families together and provide a constraint on the accumulation of stuff. I’m obsessed with rethinking room design and storage solutions in order to live the life I want in the house I have. I hope you stay a while!
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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!

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Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I’ve literally just crossed the last thing off my to-do list.  All the planning, shopping and prep work is done and I’m ready to enjoy the next few days.  If you need me I’ll be eating a gingerbread cookie (or two) while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Before I go, I wanted to share a few pictures of our minimalist holiday decorations in our living room/ dining room. 

This year we tried something different and cut our own mountain grown tree and I’m LOVING the change.  Even though it’s real skinny, it has the nicest placement of branches and is truly a beautiful tree.

The delicate branches can’t hold heavy lights or ornaments, so I reused the white crocheted snowflakes  and matte black balls from last year, along with a single string of copper LED lights.  So simple, so easy, but still beautiful.  Just what I needed this year.

Wishing you a very happy holiday!
The crows are back! The best decorations are the o The crows are back!
The best decorations are the ones you are  EXCITED to see each year. The ones you instantly pull from the box and start placing in your home. They don’t need to be fancy, or new each year. They just need to bring joy to you and your family. ✨❤️
Surprise! We bought a new home!  And sold our ho Surprise!

We bought a new home!  And sold our home!  It’s been a whirlwind and I’m exhausted.

We are incredibly lucky to have bought our neighbor’s home FSBO.  It’s larger than our current home by ~700 square feet and is a split entry home with most of the living space upstairs and a bonus family room/bedroom in the basement.  

While the rooms (and closets!) are still small, there are more of them.  There will be room for office space for both my husband and myself, a bit more storage, and even a laundry room/mudroom (woo hoo! No more garage laundry for me!)

So what do you think? Do I need to change my name from smallishhome to sortofmidsizehome?  No matter what, I’ll continue to share how I maximize storage in small spaces, because, well, that’s my life and my passion!  

Be sure to check out my stories for a walk through of the new house.  Don’t miss the avocado green tub and original 1960’s kitchen cabinets. So many projects ahead of us!
Hey there! It’s been a while! I’ve had a lot Hey there! It’s been a while!

I’ve had a lot on my plate personally these last few weeks and have had to drop all social media as a way to stay sane and focused on the path ahead.  I love this community, but I just couldn’t give it the time it deserved, so I took a break.  Hopefully you understand. 

I’m trying to ramp back up but could use your help.  What spaces are you having trouble organizing?  What kind of videos would you like to see?  I appreciate each and every one of you and love hearing your suggestions.  It’s what keeps me going when I start to feel stuck!
⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K. I’m in sho ⁣I woke up today and saw it - 10K.  I’m in shock. ⠀
⠀
I’m so grateful for each and every one of you who chose to follow my account and watch me organize my smallish home. ⠀
⠀
My goal has always been to share my love of organization and design - while hopefully inspiring others to show their own home some love. ⠀
⠀
No matter how small or large your space may be, I hope you are able to walk away with a few ideas of ways to maximize the space you have.⠀
⠀
In the meantime, I’ll keep working space by space in my own home, adding functionality and order that fits the needs of my family and the space that I have.⠀
⠀
I’d love to know what you would all like to see more of - let me know in the comments what you’d like to see me tackle next!⠀
⠀
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#10k #10kfollowers #organizationmotivation #motivation #simplifylife #simplify #organizedmom #organizing #homeorganization #declutter #diyorganizer #diyorganization #smallhomeliving #getorganized #stayorganized #letsgetorganized  #tidyhome #mysmallishhome #lessismore
⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do ⁣It’s a rainy Monday here and all I want to do is drink mugs of hot tea nonstop.  But tea can be a tricky item to store!⠀
⠀
When it’s in the box, you never know how many tea bags are left.  But take them out of the box and they slide all over the shelf!⠀
⠀
Using some sort of small, clear, lidded container keeps the bags together and helps you see when it’s time to restock.  Bonus points if the containers can stack, allowing you to store multiple varieties in a small space. ⠀
⠀
These containers are from Target, but any food storage container will work. Even the cheap plastic food storage containers from the grocery store. ⠀
⠀
What is your favorite variety of tea?  I’m a big fan of English Breakfast if I need a little caffeine boost (which I’m definitely in need of today!)
⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t g ⁣Do you ever have weeks where you just can’t get back on track?⠀
⠀
Where you feel tired, and all you see is work that needs to get done?⠀
⠀
It can be hard to figure out where to start.⠀
⠀
I’ve been struggling to get myself moving the last few weeks after experiencing a family emergency that knocked the wind out of my sails. ⠀
⠀
But I know it’s time to turn things around.  Here are my go-to steps for getting back on track: ⠀
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1️⃣Get those machines working for me.  I always get the dishwasher running and then start a load of laundry.  It makes me feel productive and gets the momentum going for the rest of the day.⠀
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2️⃣Grab a pen and a notebook, plus either a glass of water or a cup of coffee, and sit down.⠀
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3️⃣Take everything in my head and write it down.  Everything that needs to be done, everything that needs to be bought, every card that needs to be written, bills that need to be paid, people I need to message back.  I write it down so it isn’t in my head.⠀
 ⠀
4️⃣Circle one thing that I can do now and finish.  Maybe I only have 10 minutes, but in those 10 minutes I can pick up a room, put away laundry, or go through a stack of paperwork.  Anything that will make progress on my list but Isn’t too big of a project that I can’t finish.⠀
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5️⃣Once I’ve done just one thing, I try to reward myself with some sort of self care.  It can be anything that makes me feel good - going for a walk, stopping in at a store, looking at a magazine, or maybe just scrolling on my phone for a few minutes.⠀
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6️⃣Then, I look back at my list and prioritize in order of importance.  I’ll choose the task with the highest priority and start working down. ⠀
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While this process works, it sometimes takes a few days.  I just keep repeating it over and over until things start clicking again. ⠀
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Getting outside helps too.  Fresh air and movement seem to do a world of good.⠀
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How have you been feeling lately?  Are you crushing that to-do list or are you feeling like you need like 3 clones of yourself in order to get it all done?⠀
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Photo by @callimechemphotography

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