Making my house a home

As every good mom knows sometimes its hard to make a house feel like a home when you are on a tight budget and sometimes its hard to even decorate your home when on a tight budget.  That's the beauty of being mom- we are hardwired to be creative.

As the school year begins and we all get back into our routines whether you homeschool or you utilize the public school system- there is always a routine to be had.  Its like our own "Happy New Year".  There is something about the school year that allows us to feel like its a good time to change something that isn't working in our life.  The kids all go back to school, the leaves begin to change and the weather begins to cool down.  So how do you freshen up your home?

I sat for a while and had this very question.  Its almost too early to bring out all of the Autumn decorations, yet the house looks boring and bare.  I generally have different types of decorations out from October through April, so that means from May through September my house is just my house.  It almost feels stark and like someplace to just rest our head.  As I pondered the question of how to liven my home up and give us something else to look at besides the same 4 walls I discovered that September is a perfect month to redecorate!  But what theme could I go with?  Apples?  Pencils?  Rulers?  Then it dawned on me, decorate for back to school! 

Some of the most prominent things for back to school make some of the cutest decorations!  So on the search I went.  I found a cute sign, a cute little painted chalkboard and a recycled painted glass jar.  Now generally I don't pay very much for my little decorations but in all fairness this was all out of birthday money that I had received, so there was nothing out of the budget for me to do this.

How cute is this!?

I absolutely love the primitive sign with the apples on it and it's definitely a reminder for us to remember how blessed we are.  Some of the easiest things to decorate for back to school is pencils, apples, and rulers.

This jar originally had a candle holder in but I decided to take it out and put a bunch of un-sharpened pencils into it for a more nostalgic look.

Then I found this cute little hand painted chalk board that added that little bit of extra touch.  I only paid $1.50 for it!

So as we prepare for another week of school after a long weekend, we will be joyfully looking at the new decorations in the house.  It's that extra little bit that makes the home feel warm and festive.  I have a few other ideas but I have to find the things at the right price.  Next in my sights for my living room is a set of 3 books with the old leather strap, an old ruler, and an antique set of glasses.

Happy decorating!

For more homemaking tips check out one of my favorite resources at Raising Homemakers!