SWITCH - Back to School decor time!

i LOVE the idea of Back to School time.  school supplies, new clothes and meeting the teacher are all high on my list of memory makers.  at our house, it is another opportunity to SWITCH out the decor and get in the mood for fall.  i focus on a color palette of red, black and white and add in some yellow where i can.  year round, i am obsessed with letters, numbers, and vintage toys so this SWITCH just gives me an excuse to add MORE.  and apples, you cannot forget the apples!

an inexpensive glass lidded jar is my "go to" every SWITCH.  Back to School time finds it filled with wicker balls, vintage alphabet blocks, vending machine bouncy balls and a handful of red apples.

a new month and new calendar on our CHALKBOARD! our daughter did a great job drawing it out and adding the colors she wanted to it.  welcome SEPTEMBER!

i LOVE this over sized red gingham runner i got for a great price @ pottery barn.  the red and white checks are playful and contract with the dark wood.

texture and scale are key to a harmonious tables cape.  my walmart wine bucket filled with willow branches from my parents' stay in colorado contrasts to the bisque finish of the cake stand and its clear glass cloche'. balancing it off is a roll of rough upholstery webbing we got for pennies while on a trip to see my parents in california.  

a dollar section wire basket looks more expensive when tied with a chunky burlap ribbon and filled with crisp, red apples.

every SWITCH, i change out all of the candles, napkins, tissue boxes and soap holders.  i decided to spare you all of those pics!  here is the SWITCH on the silver tray from restoration hardware we received as an anniversary gift from my folks.  reinforcing the kraft color of the burlap on the dining table to this small vignette reinforces the Back to School color palette.  the big red metal jack is from pottery barn kids. everyone thought they were odd when we got them in, so that meant i got it for super cheap!

these vintage-look exercise pins from pottery barn were my first purchase from them.  i bought these over 15 years ago when i moved into the house we still live in.  have had them out every since!  a kerr jar full of willow branch crayons is an added surprise.  

our side table gets a Back to School update with a change of vases and the addition of a 'lil red wagon from pottery barn kids.  

the fireplace mantel my hubby redid gets a blast of red from a tuscan style vase filed with over-sized straw flowers.  the two apples are hand carved wood.  

our daughter is 12 now, but every time i suggest we pack up her basket of toys on the hearth, she tells me "not yet."  the PIX STIX, rubix cube and red wooden marionette doll were mine when i was a girl.  

this basket full of vintage games are all from my childhood in MICHIGAN.   my parents kept all these games for over 20 years and moved them lovingly from state to state.  the best part? none of the pieces are missing so when my daughter and i play them, it's like being a kid all over again!

every Back to School SWITCH includes an ode to that year's grade.  this time 7th grade.  i use my kitchen window as the canvas and added apple decals and stick-on scrapbook letters.  the numbers over my sink are from home depot and  are clipped onto a stretch of twine.  total cost? under $15  for the entire numbers garland. 

inexpensive jars from IKEA got some numbers added to them for fun.  jar 3 stays the same, filled with dog cookies for our puppies.  the other jars' contents get changed out with each SWITCH.  

this SWITCH is less about the decorating and more about the memories it conjures.  a keepsake from every grade makes its way to our fridge..... 

and this one, perhaps my favorite of all, marks the end of 1st grade from a special teacher.