Soon we will be saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall. Fall is that time of year when the air starts getting crisper and the leaves change, begin to fall and often times dance down the streets. We tend to break out the lightweight sweters, go to football games, start making soups and chilis, etc. Well one place that I love to focus my attention on in the fall is my home. I call it feathering my nest, because I am creating a cozy place for my family to enjoy. Starting in my bedroom, I like to replace the cream colored Matelasse coverlet on my bed with a comforter that is much thicker, weighted and cozy. I also change out my window treatments to match. I like to toss a throw onto the corner of the bed to easily grab when I am reading a book and need a little warmth. 
In the bathroom, yes, I go there too. I like to replace my melon and lightly scented handsoap with something in vanilla, or a fall inspired scent. I also switch out my shower curtain, valance and rug. 
In the living room, I like to toss a throw over the arm of the sofa and keep a couple more nicely folded and tucked away for the whole family. We love it! Then I add fall scented candles to my many holders and they get lit nearly every evening when we are able to be at home for a few hours. It makes the house smell delicious. I also add nice cozy throw pillows to the chairs and sofa. To spice up my gold colored silk draperies, I use various tiebacks. Sometimes a berried garland or a rope and tassel, depending on what I choose. The dining room gets a centerpiec of candles on a pretty platter or a fall themed arrangement that I create. The kitchen gets burgundy, gold and/or olive green dish towels. I like to even take the nesting to my front porch. I sweep it clean of all of the leaves, place a throw over the settee arm and fall scented candles and runners on the outdoor dining and coffee tables. I will also put out a beautiful autumn flag to welcome our guests. I like to place mums on either side of the doorway and a few pumpkins of different sizes.
What makes you feel all warm and cozy at home? Wish I had a fireplace. I miss our old house for that alone.
When I think about my favorite things about summer, these things come to mind; snorkeling, lounging on the beach, hunting for seashells and sea glass by the seashore, sailing, fireflies, cookouts, the sound of june bugs, fishing, grasshoppers, dragonflies, fresh fruits and vegetables right out of the garden or from a roadside stand, fresh cut flowers, sunshine, shade, watermelon, vacations, porch swings, badminton, baseball 
These lovely yellow cottages beckon me. They are sunny and happy looking. I would love to build one someday. It would be a cozy place to get away to or to retire in, don't you think? I would love to be near the beach and have a beautiful garden with a white picket fence and a gate at the entrance under an arbor. Then Chance, our maltese could run in the wind with his little legs hopping along. My grandchildren will want to come and visit so they can swing on the wooden swing hanging from a rather large old oak tree. Yes...I am dreaming, but today was a gray day so I need to cheer myself up. Hope I made you smile while I was at it. What would you envision for your perfect retreat? 
Old meets new. Much like my the furnishings in my home. It is fun to be able to incorporate a piece of the past with those of the present. Here there are vintage photos, an antique skeleton key, aged ephemera along with other newer fun elements all to create a cohesive feel. I am addicted to vintage letters, photos, linens and mixing bowls. They all make me feel cozy. Call me crazy but you can adopt a family member simply by picking up a vintage photo. Alot of them look far better than my real relatives. lol Just kidding. :) I love to see how nicely people once wrote. The penmanship was exquisite. It is curious how we have managed to depart from that. Vintage linens are so soft and have been lovingly kept in pristine condition, obviously by people unlike myself. To me not much is too precious to be used everyday. And as for the mixing bowls, they make me think of a warm cozy kitchen.
