I understand some of the country is having extremely cold weather.  But here in Phoenix, we are experiencing ideal fall temperatures.  The air conditioners are officially off and windows are open.  It’s time to remove the outdoor furniture covers and spend time outside for the next several months.

One of the entertaining spaces at Bella Terra is the back terrace. This was added during our extensive historical renovation, replacing a small landing and steps down to the pool.

Connected to the new kitchen addition, the back terrace can be accessed from the interior of the house through the kitchen, library and family room.  It’s the perfect place for entertaining under cover.

The area is split into two functions.  There is seating around the fireplace.  All upholstery is Sunbrella fabric. The furniture was purchased several years ago from Crate and Barrel.  We cover the furniture during the summer months and it has held up nicely over time.

The outdoor rugs are a relatively new purchase from the Rug Studio.  These indoor/outdoor rugs are so affordable and can be cleaned with a garden hose. I love the pop of color and whimsy they add to the space.

The other half of the terrace is home to a large table with 10 chairs.  The BBQ and sink is nearby.

The back terrace overlooks the pool.   Space heaters were added to the ceiling and are used frequently during the winter months.

The repeating arches is an abundant architectural feature of our 1910 historical home.

I gathered some flower clippings from the yard and used my favorite faux bois outdoor containers from the Painted Fox.

Of course, what is a photo shoot without my faithful companions.Sox is curled up on a chair below and Cooper, our Anatolian shepherd is in a few of the photos above.

I hope you are enjoying the cooler temperatures and I look forward to the start of our entertaining season!

I’ve had a few requests to share pictures of the guest cottage interior.

To read about the restoration of the guest cottage, you can visit my Terra Tour section of this website or click here for the Guest Cottage overview.

The guest cottage sits on the secluded and quiet northwest corner of our property.

The guest cottage is approximately 576 square feet. Below is the living room done in neutral tones with soft blue accents.

The peonies are from The Enchanted Home.  Sofa, loveseat and side chair are all upholstered in Sumbrella fabric.

The coffee table was a $35 find at a 2nd hand store. All the accent pillows are from Pottery Barn.

The bedroom headboard is from an 1897 Victorian house I owned in Alameda, California.  The previous owner left it in one of the bedrooms and it has moved with me ever since.  Lampshades and pillowcases are from Pottery Barn.  The matelasse coverlet and sheets are from J.C. Penney.

The full bathroom has a stackable washer/dryer and plenty of storage. The mirror over the sink is from an old dresser and the wall lamps were added to the frame.

The kitchen is fully equipped with a gas stove, refrigerator, dishes, pots and pans and silverware.

The journey to the guest cottage is a bit magical as the walkway is through an arch of vines. Not only do our guests enjoy their privacy, but we do as well.

I hope you’ve enjoyed peeking into the guest cottage!

I know some people are not fond of Halloween, but I have such great childhood memories going trick or treating with my siblings in our small Connecticut town.  There was a cemetery across the street from our Dutch Colonial house. We would run by it really fast imagining all sorts of ghoulish things, squealing the whole way clutching our pillow cases full of candy.

Mom would paint faces on pumpkins and adorn them with straw hats.  There was always a cornstalk wrapped around the lantern post.  She would make our costumes and I am sure many of them would be considered politically incorrect today~~like me as a hobo and my sister as Aunt Jemima!

My parents made all holidays extra special~~even with very little, Mom managed to make each one magical.

Naturally, I wanted to do the same for my children.  Each year, we bring out the black crows, owls, skulls and chemistry bottles and decorate the dining room mantle.

In the living room, the deep mantle serves as the perfect place to put our family-made ceramic pumpkins.

The battery operated frosted glass witches are tucked into the centerpiece on the table.

The kitchen pastry rack is filled with holiday candy and pumpkins.

Several years ago, I purchased these fabric pumpkins at a charity event.

Halloween would not be complete with Mr. Bones.

Or the mummies…..

The same holiday pillows come out every year.

The querky pumpkin ladies are scattered throughout the house.

A Halloween ribboned wreath completes the front door.

Do you have a favorite memory or costume?

Wishing you a safe and Happy Halloween and a boo-tiful day!!

I love the longevity of fall decorating~~you can start in September, adjust it a bit for Halloween and keep it until Thanksgiving.

With a few small touches, the house feels like autumn. It helps that we’ve been enjoying such gorgeous cool mornings and evenings. Don’t you just love the light lately? The yard looks so surreal.

We have a few leaves falling, but our true autumn occurs closer to Thanksgiving.  But I will take what I can, as I love this time of year….as does my constant companion, Sox.

I brought a bit of the outdoors into the dining room this year.  The handblown green glass jug was purchased during my summer visit to Camps and Cottages. Mollie English, the owner, gave me the idea to fill it with branches of fall leaves and she was spot on.

I like to change the art with the seasons.  This original oil painting on masonite by Lynn Winans (1897-1982) was  a wonderful find in an antique store in Pinetop, Arizona.  It’s 40″ x 20″ size is perfect on an art stand. Mr. Winans was a California artist and is known for his plein-air landscapes and seascapes. The colors are so appropriate for this time of year.

Another, rather simple, idea (I’m not even sure anyone in my family notices this), is that I change out the shades to the lamps that sit on the petticoat table in the entry. In the spring, I use a light blue color; for the fall, I add these gold silk ones.

I purchased them from Ballard Designs as they have a very large selection and are affordably priced.  A few pumpkins, gourds or apples are added to complete the decorations in the entry.

Behind the entry table, is a raised panel secured by a brass clasp. There is a rope and pulley operated section that slides down beneath the floor.  The door to the right of the table is the powder room. This secret panel provides access to the powder room’s plumbing. Rather clever thinking back in 1912, and it is great access to storage space under the stairs.

My kitchen….it really needs a painting update but the existing colors seems to work during this time of year.  Fall towels hang on the oven handle and candied corn fills my glass jar.

My favorite, newly purchased candle, Rosy Rings Spicy Apple (from Camps and Cottages) resides on the kitchen counter.

Hanging on the red front door is a basket full of mums, leaves and Chinese lanterns.

We recently discovered a GREAT pumpkin farm/patch in Snowflake, Arizona at Willis Family Farms.  It reminded me of pumpkin patches back east~~there was such a variety of pumpkins, gourds and corn.

During my last trip to Whitfill Nursery (you know how much I love Whitfill), I discovered these fabulous zinc pumpkin cut-outs on wooden stands.

So, with the inspiration of Patty Taylor, who selects all the unique items in the Garden Shop at Whitfill Nursery, I decided to do this combination on our front porch.

It doesn’t take a lot of money or creativity to add a touch of fall decorating to your home.  I would love to hear what you have done and how you are welcoming this wonderful season.

As you know, I have been on a cleaning, sorting and organizing whirlwind.  Starting at one end of the house, my goal is to go through every drawer, closet, dresser and attack it with the mindset as if I am moving in 2 weeks. Expired makeup, business suits with shoulder pads, miscellaneous paperwork – GONE!

The master closet and bathroom are behind me and I just finished the master bedroom. I haven’t cleaned out my nightstand in many years.

It’s such a luxury to have fresh cut flowers in any room, but having them by the bed, seems extra special….bringing a bit of the nature indoors.

But I am also fine with a good quality artificial flower, like these peonies from The Enchanted Home. To see a previous post about these artificial flowers, click here.

The decadent picture frame was a wedding gift from a friend~~it’s a collage of old pearls, jewelry, and a cupid and is truly one of a kind. Not sure my husband is very fond of it, but I think it’s fun.  Wouldn’t this be a great DIY project with an abundance of costume jewelry?

Within reach, I keep a candle, books I may be reading, a water bottle, and a small Limoges box that holds a set of rosary beads.  There’s a great story behind the Limoges box.  My husband and I won a trip (charity raffle) in 2001 to fly to London, England, take the Venice-Simplon-Orient Express train to Southhampton, England and then board Cunard’s Queen Elisabeth ship for a 10-day transAtlantic cruise.  Up to this point, I had never won anything…lucky, lucky me!!!  This beautiful keepsake box is from our exquisite train ride on the Orient Express.

The jeweled frog is just something fun.  It’s a small box and I don’t really use it for anything, but I’m rather fond of it.

In the top drawer closest to my side of the bed, you will find Kiehl’s hand cream, Essie apricot cuticle oil, Smith’s Rosebud salve, a nail file, my glasses, a few flashlights (as we are always losing power), and multiple power cords for my iPhone and Kindle, and my headphones. The ceramic prayer book holds a few more of my rosary collection. The pottery plate I received as a gift on a business trip with my husband to Chile, South America.

Smith’s Rosebud salve is so good for chapped lips, extra dry skin or to help minor burns.  It smells good and the tin looks so retro to me. My cuticles tend to get dry in the climate here and the apricot oil does the trick.

Lastly, I just discovered this amazing app called “Calm“.  If you have difficulty either falling asleep or staying asleep, you may want to try this. Each night before I go to sleep, I listen to a Sleep Story.  There is a large selection of stories that are read aloud for adults.  I cannot tell you how much fun it is to settle in and listen to a story.  I have not, to date, stayed awake long enough to hear the entire thing.  Their narrators have such smooth, reassuring voices that lull you to sleep.  They also have selections for meditations to reduce anxiety, sleep better and feel happier for all ages (even a College Collection).  I can’t say enough about this app.  It truly is something that I look forward to each day. It’s my new latest toy!!!

So, what is on your nightstand or bedside table?

Okay. I admit that I am one of those people who loves (loved) those huge armoires that housed the television and associated paraphernalia.  When my husband and I got married, I realized that he was the type of person who wanted a television in every room.  I, on the other hand, rarely watched television.  So we agreed that he could have as many sets as he wanted as long as I didn’t see them.

Well, over time, the screens got larger and larger and suddenly, t.v. armoires became dinosaurs and out of style (as evidence by the one still sitting in my basement).  So as we graduated to a larger viewing screen, my expensive armoire that fit beautifully in my family room, was now obsolete.

Have you ever owned something that you may have spent too much money on and then, in good conscience, you cannot discard, donate or get rid of it?  So what to do with the enormous (truly it is) piece of furniture that, even though I got it on sale, was a costly piece for this Connecticut Yankee?

I convinced my husband that I could repurpose it and to this day, I am not sure how two strong guys managed to carry it up our 100- year old staircase to our upstairs hall.

As with most t.v. armoires, there was a large hole cut in the back to accommodate the back of the set (remember the bulky, thick sets?)

After covering the back with a black/white checked fabric and adding a few plywood shelves, the armoire was transformed to a linen closet.  Over time, I had managed to cram every blanket, sheet, pillow and miscellaneous holiday things in it.  How does one collect so much stuff?

In the ongoing effort to sort, clean and organize, I finally tackled the t.v. cabinet turned linen closet. What a mess!

The doors fold back allowing the entire unit to open up.  In the bottom portion, is an over abundance of sheets and pillow cases.

I pulled everything out and sorted all the contents into 3 piles~~donate, discard and keep.

I thought I would paint the shelves black to match the rest, but you know how that goes….Maybe someday I can add a black painted trim piece on the front of the shelf . I didn’t realize how sad the shelves looked until I took these photos!

I finally discarded frayed and stained sheets and donated baby blankets and linens from old interior design projects.

I even sorted and labeled the sheets by size….and put the winter/holiday items together-flannel sheets and decorative blankets and pillows.

Ta-Da! The end result….a far less cluttered, more organized, linen armoire. The plywood shelves still need a facelift, but oh well.

Another organizational project completed….it feels so good.