Wood block Halloween decor
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: Indoor/Outdoor #Décor

This might seem like a strange theme this week, but between Halloween and Autumn (or Spring) decorations, I thought it would be fun to see what everyone else sees. I like to surround myself with the colors and signs of the season. As the holidays approach, seems like indoor and outdoor décor is all around us in some form or another.

Porch Decor
Welcome to my festive front porch

In the first image you see, I bought these decorations from the Fall Festival local vendors and picked up a few pumpkins. I need a bigger porch! On the back of the Harvest sign is a Christmas-inspired theme. Double-duty–I like it!

Marsha’s Writers Quotes Wednesdays Writers Choice theme this week is resilience or fortitude. What has this got to do with decorating? Glad you asked!

“Resilience is the capacity of a system, enterprise, or person to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances.”

Andrew Zolli

If you’ve followed my blog for the last year, you know about our move to the Pacific Northwest (Spokane, Washington) from Northern California. When you stage a home, you sadly put away any decorations, so we packed 99% of it and moved three-quarters of our stuff to Spokane and placed it in storage. (Yes, we are still unpacking).

“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” – Fred Rogers

My fabulous re-decorated fireplace ala Joanna Gaines style

I used to be limited to décor in my former house, choosing to decorate around the fireplace mantel. I still have each and every piece shown in the picture (and more)!

One year ago this week, I tested positive for covid while feverishly putting the final touches on our home to ready it for sale.

Luckily my bout with covid was mild and we were back on our feet making final arrangements for the move. 2020 was crazy in many respects, proving resilience and fortitude are needed when buying and selling real estate and moving during a pandemic.

“Facing the pandemic, it’s not what happened (that) matters, it is how we respond.”
― Napz Cherub Pellazo

Indoor Décor

You will see that with a larger home, more time on my hands, and not being able to decorate last Autumn and Winter, I have made up the difference.

Autumn-Inspired

I found this vintage wall sconce at a thrift store in GreenBluff Farms area. A little DIY by adding no-flame candles and Autumn festivity. After Thanksgiving, to make it a seasonal decoration, I will add green and red garland.

This bowl of bird-like gourds seemed to fit well on my living room coffee table.

Autumn Gourds
Bird-like gourds grace my living room table

“Decorate your home. It gives the illusion that your life is more interesting than it really is.” —Charles M. Schulz

  • Basket of pumpkins
    Basket of pumpkins
  • Orange and White Autumn Arrangement
    Orange and White
  • Cozy blanket Autumn Decor
    Cozy Comfort

Halloween-Inspired

The skull in the first image was a specialty bottle of tequila. I picked up this adorable wood block trio from a local vendor while volunteering at the Fall Festival.

  • harvest and black skull
    Día de los Muertos Skull
  • Wood block Haloween decor
    Hand-made by local vendor

Décor Out and About

I frequently get inspired by indoor décor from others: restaurants, family and neighbors. The toy image is a Painnt-filtered version of my SIL’s Christmas village from two years ago.

  • German Steins Display
    At Das Stein Haus German Restaurant
  • Miniature Christmas Toys
    The island of misfit toys?

Nature’s Decorations

No matter the season, nature does a fabulous job of decorating our outdoor spaces. Autumn is at its peak here in Northeastern Washington. Storm winds and rain are expected all weekend to inevitably blow the leaves from the trees. Good thing I did my leaf-seeking all this week and can post those images for a few more weeks!

On my former university campus in Sacramento, groundskeepers use fallen ginkgo tree leaves to decorate.

Campus Decor For Fall

Some neighbors don’t have to rely on store-bought decorations with nature providing most of the them.

I wonder if these folks know how gorgeous their home looks from across the lake?

Autumn Lake Reflections

Do you decorate your homes or work spaces for each season?

“An empty room is a story waiting to happen, and you’re the author.” Charlotte Moss

Photo Challenges This Week

This week, I am linking with the challenges of these talented bloggers and photographers:

Marsha’s WQWWC Fortitude or Resilience
Dawn’s Festival of Leaves
Jude’s Life in Color: Orange
Cee’s Flower of the Day
Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday
Becky B’s Past Squares

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

  • Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
  • Title your blog post a little differently than mine.
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post. I also recommend adding your post’s URL into the comments.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Use hashtag #SundayStills for sharing on social media.

BLOGGERS’ IN THE PINK LINKS

Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are the last week’s links from 34(!) bloggers who shared their favorite photos in pink that honor breast cancer awareness month.

Always Write

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

Blog of Hammad Rais

Bushboy’s World

Cath’s Camera

Cee’s Photo Challenges

The Day After

Deb’s World Image shared on Instagram

Easin’ Along Image shared in comments

Equipoise Life

Geriatrix Foto Gallery

Graham’s Island

Heaven’s Sunshine

Hugh’s Views and News Image in Comments

Jacquie Biggar Author

Kamerapromenader

Life Lessons

Loving Life

Musin’ with Susan

Natalie the Explorer

Now At Home

Philosophy Through Photography

Photos By Jez

Picture This

Retirementally Challenged

Retirement Reflections image on Instagram

Stevie Turner

Shutters on the World

NEW Soul N Spirit

This is Another Story

Travel With Me

Women Living Well After 50

Woolly Muses

Working on Exploring

Every week I look forward to reading your Sunday Stills posts and enjoying your fabulous photos and other creative ideas! Next week, we’ll celebrate Halloween and the theme of “eerie.”

Autumn Bitmoji

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116 comments

  1. Hi Terri
    What a great theme for autumn – or spring on the other side!
    Your Schulz quote about decoration was fun and decor can really speak to us- whether that be loud or quiet or somewhere in between.
    It can transform and enrich – and sometimes it can be overdone and maybe feel gaudy / but hey / we all ha e different tastes and different life seasons and stages. Lastly / that quote for the Wednesday challenge was amazing and fit so well:
    “Resilience is the capacity of a system, enterprise, or person to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances

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    • So very true, Kirstin! Ae you getting an extended Fall too? We almost fell over from joy yesterday as we drove to Spokane Valley. People have said they’ve never seen a fall like this in years. Must be a result of the extended warm day. Enjoy!

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  5. I’ve been lazy about decorating for Halloween, but your post is inspirational! I might get out my old wedding dress and stick it on the front lawn topped with a pumpkin head!
    Great quote from Schulz. I’ll have to get on that, wouldn’t want anyone to think my life is dull 🙂

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  6. My mom used to absolutely love decorating and did so for every possible season and holiday. I think perhaps because she went so crazy for it I went the opposite way and go for very clean, simple decor. My one indulgence is Christmas when I put up a wreath and a small tree with fake gifts under it LOL. But as much as I keep my home fairly clear of decoration, I absolutely love seeing others’ interpretations so I loved your post this week! Every year at Christmas my family (7 of us) would load up in the car and drive around to see all the decorations. Such a fond memory for me – thanks for the reminder!

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    • Thanks so much, Tina! I do try to keep my decor tasteful and not cluttered looking, so I get that you prefer simplicity. My Christmases have been too simple for too long so this year, I am going all out. I used to love when my family would take us Balboa Park in San Diego to see the nativity scenes, Rudolph and Santa and all the amazing lights. I’m sure that was a special memory for you.

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  7. You do Halloween much more intensely than we do, in fact when I was growing up it wasn’t really a thing other than a carved pumpkin with a candle inside. We were too caught up with Bonfire night! I don’t decorate my home(s) at all. It’s just something I have never done, perhaps being somewhat of a nomad has to do with it. I do like how Americans decorate their porches and outside space though, and who can not love those fabulous autumn colours! One of my favourite holidays was to New England in the autumn, leaf peeping.

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  9. Terri,
    Great stuff! My favorite picture is the Ginko leaf design. Creative people doing creative things always inspire me. My contribution is a decorated planter that Helen found at a Thrift Shop. Have a great week! Joe

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      • Thanks Terri. I was gifted that beautiful cake center piece as a retirement gift from a doc/nurse husband/wife team I worked with lots and it is always the center of the display. I love to change it up as the seasons change. The table itself also makes me happy when I look at it. Just wish I could have people around it more often. Bernie

        Liked by 1 person

  13. I worked in the operating room so decor at work wasn’t a thing of course. At home I do a moderate amount – usually featured around the dining room table which is big and can handle it. My outside decorations need resilience as the wind regularly does a number on them. Rocks feature heavily in my outside decor for that reason. Thanks for hosting.

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  15. beautiful in and out, I love how people change their decor for the different seasons. Not something I have ever done, but I do love to see it. And I do take a few items to our rented place in Portugal to help make it more us every time we go out!

    Those lake views are gorgeous 😀

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  22. Wow, Terri you really do go all out with decorating for the themes/holidays don’t you? It all looks brilliant and I love your creativity. It’s not that popular her in Aus but some people decorate their gardens for Halloween and Christmas. I feel like I didn’t do enough in my post where I shared my granddaughter playing with her dolls house!!

    Inside decor of a special house – #SundayStills

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    • Thank you, Debbie! I haven’t had the room to decorate before and now that I do, I go all out because I love the Autumn so much! Your post was perfect and I needed to brag, like my quote from Charles Schulz says about showing how interesting my life is, LOLL!

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    • Isn’t that quote a crack up, Janis? There were a few other ginkgo designs on campus. The trees don’t grow naturally there but Sac State has a ton of different trees and the staff and arborists know how to take good care of them! Great to see your link again this week!

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  27. Hi Terri, your decorating and the rest of your pictures are inspiring. I have not done as much as I’d like to for this season because I can’t find my decorations from CA. They might be packed and they might have been sold. I have one little wagon with fake orange flowers. However, I have gone on some walks and you’ve seen some of my photos. I’m scattering them throughout my posts all week. It is gorgeous here, and I haven’t done a great job photographing leaves like you have. Here is the first of the links I’m going to post to your decor post this week. https://alwayswrite.blog/2021/10/24/becky-bs-past-squares/

    Have a great week. Call me sometime. I miss you. 🙂

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  33. You have a great eye for this sort of thing, I can see. Apart from at Christmas (and I refuse to post about Christmas when we’re still in October!) seasonal decor just isn’t a thing here so I’m not sure what I can contribute this week. I may be back if inspiration strikes but if not, rest assured that I’ve read and enjoyed your post 🙂

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    • Thank you, and no worries, Sarah. It has been interesting to read comments from folks in UK and Australia about seasonal décor not being a thing like it is in the US. I learned something new about world! Christmas can wait til after Thanksgiving for sure!

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  36. Both your indoor and outdoor decor photos look professional. You could stage houses as a second career! I don’t have that gift though I sometimes try. If I can find anything to fit the theme I’ll be back later this week! 🙂

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  38. I really like your decorating skills Terri – you have captured the season perfectly from inside to those gourds and decor on your front porch with your last name on the mat to boot. That picture across the lake with the colorful leaves and reflections is just amazing. I like the Charles Schultz’ quotation – I smiled when I read it.

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  50. In answer to your question – no, we only decorate the house for Christmas, Terri, although I do have a few Halloween lights that I stick in a vase for the week up to Halloween. They’re battery-operated, so no need to worry about having to plug them into the mains.

    Your decorations are spectacular. I can tell from them just how much you enjoy decorating for the seasons. Halloween isn’t as big a holiday here in the UK as it is in your part of the world, so I don’t see much evidence of it outside people’s front doors or gardens. But come Christmas, it’s a different story. I’m still waiting to spot the first decorated Christmas tree inside somebodies front window or outside their front door. Once Halloween is over, it won’t be long.

    I had no idea you caught Covid last year. So sorry to hear about it.

    Here’s my entry for this week.

    Sadly, not my home, but the sitting room of a country hotel we stayed at for a few nights last month. It was very cosy.

    I hope you’re having a super week.

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    • It is so interesting to read that many folks in UK and beyond don’t do much seasonal decorating other than Christmas, Hugh. You can imagine how crazy Christmas décor is in the US if we get excited about autumn and Halloween. Your image of the inn is lovely, minimal décor but extremely tasteful and serene! Yep, I got covid last year. Very mild, but my senses of taste and smell are still muted after a year. Some days I don’t get that aftertaste of chocolate which is just criminal in my mind 😉
      I’ll be looking forward to Christmas decor (and yours!) right after our Thanksgiving! I’m so excited for our first Christmas in our new home that I plan to have TWO Christmas trees! Yay!

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      • Dare I tell you that our Christmas tree was delivered yesterday. However, it won’t come into the house until the first week of December. It’s a potted tree, so it needs to stay in the garden until then. I’ve been known to have five Christmas trees in the house and still buy new tree and room decorations every year. I just can’t help myself.

        It’s strange what you say about seasonal decorating because many retail websites encourage us Brits to decorate for the season, but I’ve yet to see anyone who does (other than for Christmas). Most homes have the same decor apart from in December and early January.

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      • I’m right there with ya, Hugh! After 11 years of NO Christmas trees in the house, this year, I will have two. Both artificial and possibly due to us taking a winter road trip–don’t want to come home to dead trees! Funny, we grabbed the small one from a hardware store yesterday. It stays in the box until Nov 26 (day after US Thanksgiving)! We thought of a small potted one this year–maybe next Christmas. 5 trees sounds so cool–I know Christmas is YOUR thing!

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  51. I love how you walked us through the transition to and from your homes as well as how you transition through the seasons. Of course I love nature’s contribution as you so fabulously brought us. And how cool of the landscaper using the gingko leaves. I would love to try that. I certainly would be a simply (or challenging) pleasure as the wind will allow a new canvas frequently. Very nice. Donna

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