Pepper Design Blog

A Simple Fall Get-Together

It’s the perfect time of year for a sweet fall outdoor celebration. It’s beginning to crisp up elsewhere in the States but here in San Diego the weather is still offering it’s sunny, cloud-less skies in the first week of November.

This pumpkin brunch by City Cradle Design is a cozy and simple way to celebrate autumn with friends. Mmmmmm. And I’m definitely inspired to purchase rattan floor cushions ASAP!

The details are great – from the hanging cakes in the trees to the scooped out pumpkins filled with pancakes and handmade, heart-shaped toppers. And replacing the standard water bottle labels with lace (see above) is an idea I’d love to steal for a tea party or shower. Victoria offers all of the little DIY projects at her site.

The paper flags in the trees would be a neat decoration to leave up from September through Christmas and sharing a meal out on the grass (again on those great cushions) sounds like a fun way to dine any time of the year (maybe even for Thanksgiving?).

Ahhh sweet fall inspiration. Isn’t this the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning in November?

{Floral Inspiration} for a Pink & Sage Dessert Buffet

Every once in a while you come across one of those ooh & ahhh images that causes you to pause, stare and ogle for a good while. When Chris over at Celebrations at Home shared this beautiful Petites Bouchees Dessert Bar a while back I immediately filed it away into the ogling brain folder.

How wonderful are the colors? That’s what I think draws me in most to this display. Rosey reds and sage greens (with a bit of yellow mixed in) is one of my very favorite combinations. The floral details are pretty wonderful, too!

I love the idea of using wallpaper as a backdrop for the table. I’ve hung fabric (even my duvet cover) behind tables in the past for that extra ‘pop’ – but wallpapering a piece of plywood sounds like it might be genius.

And a photo of a few more florals…. yum. One of the neatest day classes I’ve attended was a fondant flower making class – the little guys above are super easy and they make the cupcakes so professional looking.

This is the perfect theme for a bridal shower, baby shower or even a wedding!

Time for Fall Decorating – A Few Inspirational Finds

So the weather is finally feeling a bit autumn-ish around here and while we’re half way through fall I’m just beginning to put up decorations for the season.

I love this time of year! There’s nothing like hot cider, over-sized scarves and pumpkin patches to make my month.

Needing a bit of new inspiration, I headed to my usual virtual hot spots (Martha, BHG, Southern Living, HGTV and even Pottery Barn online vignettes) and thought I’d share my favorites.

I’m all about bringing the outdoors in with natural elements such as fall veggies (gourds, pumpkins and the like) and big branches. You might remember my ‘favorite trends’ post on branches here – but these ideas (above and below images) are just as magical. Plus, these branch examples will last well into winter since most are already dried and dead or faux.

Other inspiring ideas:
1. Filling extra vases, bowls and cake stands with fall leaves, pine cones, gourds, seeds (dried pumpkin, split pea, yellow rice, etc make great vase fillers) and even corks popped from the holidays
2. Hanging orange paper lanterns (extra points if they have black construction paper cut out jack-o-lantern faces on them) in both indoor and outdoor spaces
3. Using pumpkins for more purposes than carving – I love the simple house number paint job the above pumpkins received or the ornament versions hanging from branches (manzanita would be sturdy enough to support them)
4. Wrapping die cut shapes or faux fall leaves around candles or candle holders with twine (real dried leaves would be a fire hazard)

Now I’ll get back to decorating… can’t wait to find more ideas and to begin working on the above!