Pretty Fall Colors

So, my degree is in Interior Design. I spent four years designing hypothetical spaces in school then four months designing real spaces at a design firm before the economy took a nose dive. I am now in the corporate world doing corporate things with very little artistic outlet. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I am VERY thankful that I am able to pay the bills even though life doesn't look like "The plan".

However... I yearn for a creative outlet. My recent interest in cake decorating has been fun and I really love the cool things I am learning. I also find culinary art to be really fulfilling. Making an amazing dessert or savory dinner satisfies that need to create. But, I have to say, I still get the itch to design living spaces! Consequently, various rooms in my apartment get redone from time to time. I kind of wonder about the timing because it is very odd. Last year, I got sick for about a week and the next week I redid my bathroom. Coincidently, last week I was sick all week and then I got a sudden burst of energy and redid my kitchen this week. I wonder if I react against the inactivity of being sick or something. Weird.

Anyway, so I repainted my kitchen cabinets and the walls in my kitchen and dining room. Before you go looking at the pictures I will tell you that my favorite season is Fall and I live in Southern California that doesn't really have much of a Fall (or any season, for that matter). It is quite sad, really. I find that my home decor is pretty much all Fall colors: golds, greens, browns and orange. I suppose I am trying to simulate seasons that I am not actually experiencing. So my kitchen and dining room now look very much like a Fall day. I kind of love it!

Here is my kitchen before:

And here is my kitchen after:

Here is my dining room before:

And here is my dining room after:

I am REALLY happy with how it turned out. The cabinets now match all the rest of the wood in my house and pulls everything together. It also just feels warmer. I am all about warm and cozy right now. Gearing up for the holidays (I know... already!) Speaking of, here are two more "Fall things" that are totally awesome:

Trader Joes mini pumpkin bouquets. My favorite thing about October - LOVE THEM!!!

And this delightful recipe I found on Pinterest to make my house smell amazing!

one orange

1/2 cup cranberries

1 Tbs. whole cloves

3 sticks of cinnamon 

a pinch of grated nutmeg 

Quarter the orange.  Put all the ingredients into a crock pot or a saucepan.  Fill pan with water.  Place on the stove on the smallest burner, on the lowest setting.  Refill water as needed.

This stuff is awesome. My house looks and smells like Fall should. Now if only the leaves would actually change...