The holidays are practically here and I've been in denial. Suddenly the weather is starting to cool down and all the stores have pumpkins out front. 

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It's almost impossible for me and my kids to pass these by and we've amassed quite a collection of mini (and not-so-mini) pumpkins over the past week or two. So I was thrilled when Glade® invited me to share a few of my fall decorating tips with you (hoarding justified!). It actually worked out perfectly because I had recently been thinking that that little stretch of hallway by the mudroom is a great place to display holiday decor. I was able to transform the space with a few small projects (like stripping the shelves!) and styling with inexpensive finds (including the newly designed Glade® Sense and Spray® Automatic Freshener). Now my home looks and smells like it's ready for autumn. Here's how I did it:

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The shelves used to be painted a really dark brown and the walls were a mid-tone gold color and it felt just a little too dark. 

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I used stripper gel to remove the two or three layers of paint, which came off pretty easily and left  behind a primed pine beam. 

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So far I haven't done much with the wood after taking off the paint. I like how the light wood feels brighter and more airy, but I'm not sure I love the distressed look. 

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It's fine for now though (kind of works with the fall theme, right?). And either way I won't do too much to the shelves because they'll likely be removed in the big kitchen remodel down the road. A darker gray wash would be easy and pretty though.

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So, as for the decorating, I decided to go to Goodwill to see what they had in the way of vintage wares in golden, warm tones. It was a total jackpot thrifting day. I think most of these were from the same home - they all had a similar look. (you can see more of my finds from that day here).

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I also stopped into Homegoods to grab a few baskets for the floor. Homegoods is the best place to buy storage baskets.

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The cute herringbone pattern one is the perfect size for about a month's worth of magazines - anything bigger would just allow for an unwieldy reading pile, and who needs that?

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The taller basket will be used for umbrellas maybe, once we actually find the box with the umbrellas (!). I spray painted the basket gold, because everything is better gold. (with the exception of fingers).

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And speaking of gold/brass, Homegoods is selling a lot of brass things right now - really cool trays and accessories like this brass-inlay dominos box set.

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I mixed my new and old finds together on the shelves and put lots of pumpkins out and some books too. I think it's a good idea to not fill every square inch of shelf space or else it can start to feel like a store display.

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I love that piece of pottery here on the left.

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I also think it's a good idea to go pretty neutral with the colors on a display shelf. And if something is more colorful, try to group it with items in a similar color family.

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Can you spot the freshener below? I love how it just blends in with the decor.

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It's the newly designed Sense and Spray® Automatic Freshener by Glade® that sprays every time you walk by.  You set it to spray no more than every 15, 20 or 30 minutes, so it works perfectly in high-traffic areas just like in this hallway by our mudroom. The scent travels all around this side of the house.

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You can choose different scents (and in fact, there's a whole line of great, new fragrances), but my hands-down favorite is their Lavender and Vanilla. It smells really good and it's a more complex scent than you normally find with air fresheners. This is a bit of a side note, but isn't it weird how houses/families have a smell? I'm always wondering if our house has a smell that I'm just used to - the idea stresses me out a little bit to be honest. I think scent is a big part of the experiencing of a home and it is a huge relief for me when visitors comment that our house smells nice. And just like putting out the pumpkins, choosing a warm, inviting scent is the perfect, simple way to welcome guests and to celebrate the season. I just popped in the Cashmere Woods scent yesterday to get the warm, woodsy smell happening, and now it really feels like October! :)

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And it was downright genius of the makers of Glade® to design such a pretty diffuser. How far we have come from the days of those scent cone eye sores!

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So, tell me, have you started decorating for the holidays yet? Too soon? :) Our old neighbor had a rule where as soon as she saw Halloween stuff in stores she felt she could start listening to CHRISTMAS MUSIC. That is a level of holiday commitment unknown to me! 

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This post was brought to you in collaboration with Glade®  Check out their variety of new fragrances here. Thank you for supporting LGN sponsors.

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