Fall Cottage Style Shop & Decorate with Me! Autumn Tea Tray

Hello, friend! Aren't you thrilled fall is finally here?! For some reason that crisp morning air is invigorating & motivates me to purge, clean, and decorate! As you know, I adore the English country cottage style and want to incorporate some old, or vintage, style pieces into our home this fall. Welcome autumn with me as we shop, and decorate in the English country cottage style ~ on a budget! Today we have a special treat: I'm on the lookout for a large ironstone platter, transferware serving dishes, cozy throw blankets & pillows for the living room, and I still have a few spots open for lamps... Let's go treasure hunting! https://youtu.be/RkS1WtNDXOQ When hunting for housewares, furniture, clothing, or just about anything we need, my first stop is a local second-hand shop. Often you can find that exact, or similar items at a fraction of the price charged at traditional box stores ~ or antique stores. Besides, the mystery of the hunt is tremendous fun! The first thing that caught my eye in the glassware section was this set of brown and cream transferware. Turns out it was fine Staffordshire ware made in England. The hand engraved pattern is called Indian Tree. I loved the colors, the size and shape, as well as the fluted edges. For $7 this platter will serve us well and look lovely featured on the antique hutch.

$5 Goodwill Challenge Treasures!

Here are the items I found to meet the second-hand home décor challenge hosted by Hilary on her YouTube channel "Old World Home".

• Vintage Duck print: $2.53
• Amish needlepoint: $1.57
• Apple tin: $ .67
• Basket: $ .25

My total came to $5.02! I hope you all don't mind that I came in two cents over the challenge. I felt these pieces would not only look lovely in our cottage style décor this fall, but would be useful afterwards. After the fall season, the little round basket will hold loose bagged spices that are currently roaming around in the baking cabinet ~ practical & adorable! The duck print will go in Matt's English study/library, and the needlepoint will find a home in the laundry room. The apple tin... well, I use tins all over the house for storage so I'm sure it will find a place! Other items on my list for fall décor and hosting this year included a large ironstone platter, transferware serving pieces, baskets, plus there are still a few open spots for lamps about the house. As you see here, we discovered these treasures while we were treasure hunting! 

• Ironstone platter: $7.00
• Transferware bowl: $7.00
• Transferware pitcher: $5.00
• Metal accent lamp: $5
• Oak splint baskets: $3 ~ $4 each

The platter can be used for fall and winter seasons, while the other pieces can be used year-round. This is a benefit of choosing classic, traditional décor pieces ~ they are more or less timeless! By the way, you may have noticed that the metal lamp wasn't featured in the video... Stay posted, this little lamp is spreading it's cozy fall light in our cottage décor in another area of our home I plan to share soon! The colors in the platter perfectly tie in with the warm copper of our antique kettle! Now let's decorate the hutch and see how our "new" pieces fit in with our current mix! This time, as we create a cottage style autumn hutch, I thought you might enjoy a simple outline on how to achieve a balanced look decorating open shelves. As always, I begin with the largest pieces first. These pieces could be considered the "bones" as they provide the structure to your design. If you are interested in the Spode Woodland animal dishes you can find them linked in the video description box. Next, the medium sized pieces are layered on. These pieces provide shape, identifying the direction and limits to your creation. This step focuses on visual balance. Check your layout for an even distribution of height, visual weight, and color. Lastly, sprinkle in the smallest accent items. These not only fill in the bare spots, but they further define and intensify your style. 

1. Structure: largest pieces - the bones
2. Shape: medium pieces - direction & limits
3. Style: smallest pieces - fill out & defining style!

Finally, let's tackle the top of the hutch. If left empty this area seems to stare blankly, taking away from the decorated hutch. For the "bones" to stabilize the vignette I added the antique ammunition crate we bought this summer from a flea market on our anniversary trip. I love it when pieces like this come with sweet memories! Next, as the medium piece, I layered on the vintage duck print we thrifted earlier. This piece of art is the focal point to this grouping. To finish the look a couple smaller pieces help merge the larger pieces and enhance the cottage style. Both the transferware pitcher and clock were thrifted last year. The cottage boll picks add a natural, relaxed touch. All done! Let's step back to survey our handiwork! To further soften the vignette on top of the hutch and tie in with the rest of the hutch I added a velvet pumpkin ~ after all it is fall time!

English Cottage Style Autumn Hutch 2021

Creating this collection with you has been such fun! From our last hutch styling this summer I really enjoyed how the separate vignettes looked and decided to go with that same layout for fall. What do you like best about the hutch this time? What tips do you have for decorating open shelves? Now that we've finished decorating the hutch let's enjoy a cup of tea from our autumn tea tray!  You will recognize the Amish needlepoint and apple tin from our shopping trip. The needlepoint sets the tone for our autumn tea tray with a small town story about a man named Ezra Plug who owned a tackle shop... So charming! The vibrant colors and intricate detail make this one of my favorite pieces of art. The apple tin, and Java coffee tin are housing our teas. This fall I'm enjoying Twining's Earl Grey in the mornings. It is a traditional, full bodied black English tea. In the evening the spicy decaf Chai tea by Stash is lovely by the fire with a good book...  And what is tea without shortbread cookies?! For a something new, I tried Walker's shortbread cookies from Scotland. If you're wondering... they were phenomenal & didn't last overnight! No surprise, they're made with real butter...  To get the teas and shortbread for yourself, you will find links in the video description box... Careful: you might get addicted! To anchor the tray vignette and add more color and texture I layered a thrifted curtain valance under the tray. This added touch seems to fill out the grouping and acts almost like a miniature table cloth ~ so inviting!  Thank you for joining me today as we gathered treasures second-hand, and decorated for the autumn season in the English country cottage style! I enjoyed every moment down to the last drop of tea!   Matt & I will be taking some time off to disconnect from social media and enjoy some time together in this glorious fall season. I'll see you when we return! Until then, take care, and 

Happy Fall,

Rachel