We Like BIG LOTS And We Cannot Lie

*This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ICantEven #BigLots #CollectiveBias.

I’m excited about today because we get to show you a few updates… mini make-overs, if you will… and you don’t even have to wait through the tedious “and this is how we did this step of the process” posts. Just a few good ‘ole fashioned Befores and Afters. Hooray!

I should back up though… here’s how it all started. Big Lots reached out to us, asking if we’d participate in little shopping spree and room makeover. Um, YEAH. So we took a little trip to Big Lots with bright eyes and expectant hearts and the rest is history. 🙂 I challenged myself to select items that could be used in more than one way for decoration purposes… specifically as home decor, but also put together to create a table setting. Here’s what we came up with!

We went for the fall theme with a few fun accent pieces. After all, it’s the beginning of October (WHAT?!) and fall is here so we may as well embrace it! The first bit of house I went about updating is our foyer and one of the corners of our family room. This is what it usually looks like.

And with a bit of fall flair and a mirror change up…

I love it! The autumn garland is a perfect way to bring in some of those fall hues and Big Lots had TONS of fall decorations to choose from. I love that this particular garland is a mix of leaves, berries, flowers, and pine cones.

You know how some garland can be pretty sparse? This one is FULL of pieces and color and I really love having those hues winding up the staircase.

The mirrors… oh, the mirrors… you know how I feel about a mirror in general. But these ones are so pretty and provide more of a punch of contrast than our last ones did. I liked them in the store, but I really like them hanging up. Again, Big Lots had so many wall hangings, frames, art, mirrors, and clocks to choose from. We actually had a black set in our hands before we saw this dark, weathered gray trio hiding behind everything!

On the tray, you can see that my love of all things fall got the best of me as I snagged another pumpkin to take home. I’ve been looking for a twiggy, more neutral pumpkin and Big Lots had a whole shelf! Paired with a few leaves and a candle (this one was a deep blue to pair with those fun ikat pillows, but they had many colors and scents to choose from… we got a couple), this turned out to be quite the cozy reading corner!

Oh, and before I show you how these elements translate into a table setting, let me give you a quick peek behind the door…

In the corner cabinet, I brought in some oranges (are you sensing the same blue/orange trend that I am lately in this house??) and golds to contrast against that dark navy. I grabbed a set of small orange bowls from the kitchen aisle at Big Lots (there were SO many colors to pick from!) and two of those patterned candle holders.

You’ll be able to see them better in a few minutes when we put them to work on the kitchen table, but I just wanted to show you that sometimes kitchen things can be used in other areas of your house and home decor items can be used to decorate your dining room table! With that, let’s get to that fall table spread… here’s what I came up with:

Recognize some of those items? You can see the garland, the pumpkin, the candle holders, bowls… it all comes together to form a festive table setting. Sometimes I get intimidated when I see a really beautiful layout and think, “there’s no way I could ever create that!”. Don’t be weary of this one- it was SO EASY to put together and I’ll show you how so you can do one for your own dining room table at home!

First, start with your base. All I did was lay one of the strands of garland across the table and add the two candle holders, leaving space in the middle for a centerpiece.

To add some height and give our twiggy pumpkin center stage, I just grabbed a glass cake stand, topped it with a tree slice (I have no idea what else to call it… mine came from a thrift store, but you can find them in craft stores!), and added the pumpkin on top. Once it’s tucked in between the leaves on the garland, you can’t even tell that we did a little “ad libbing”!

Round off the look by adding a few pumpkins to the mix… if you incorporate a few different colors, it will add some dimension to your look.

Finally, I finished things off with the place setting- a simple dark, woven charger, white plate, orange bowl (thanks, Big Lots!), some silverware, and a napkin. Oh, and glasses for drinks.

And there you have it- a beautiful, fall table setting!

I really love all the things I was able to find at Big Lots– they had a great selection at a great value. Next time you’re out shopping, pay them a visit! You never know what you might find to put on your next dining room table or wind around your staircase (styles and assortment vary by store). Thanks for helping us to “fall-ify” our house, Big Lots!