Despite not wanting to let go of the summer this year, I'm finally getting in the mood for Fall.  The air is cooling off and I'm just starting to see a hint of leaves changing color on the trees which of course excites me as a photographer.  The other thing that definitely helped inspire me for Autumn was a little shopping fun last weekend.  Besides any shade of blue, my other favorite color is orange so I knew with all the Fall decor in the stores, I'd have a lot to oooh and aaah over.  I hit Home Goods, Kirklands and Michaels...can life get any better for a gal who loves to decorate?  :)  I can never hit just one store, I have to make my rounds!  lol  As you can see from my pictures above, I came home with a couple new seasonal accessories that I am SO happy about.

The top picture is my new Pre-Lit Gourd from Michaels.  Isn't it cute?  I turn on the battery-operated light at night to bring our family room some cozy Fall ambiance.  I wanted to link you to this cutie on Michaels web site but unfortunately I don't see it there.  I noticed some similar pre-lit pumpkins on Kirlands web site here so I'll link you to those in case you'd like something similar for your home.  The gourd from Michaels comes in two sizes...this size that I have and a taller one.  They also have pre-lit pumpkins on the shelf next to these.  I stood there in the isle for at least 15 minutes going back and forth between the pumpkin and the gourd, such decisions!

The second pic above is my new sparkly pumpkin from Kirklands, I love it!  I love the orange color and the way the sequins catch the light in our sun-filled room during the day...so pretty.  These were available in a few different colors but of course I had to snag the orange one.  Unfortunately I don't see this pumpkin on the Kirklands website either.  :(  Not sure what the deal is with these sites...I guess sometimes you can find more in the store than online.  If you want these cuties, I would just go to the stores to check it out...I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

I also picked up a pretty Autumn wreath from HomeGoods and another cute shiny pumpkin from Kirklands but I'll save those for another Fall post here.

I'm definitely not done making my rounds for Fall decor.  We bought a new house last year and moved in in mid November.  We were so busy unpacking and getting settled I had zero time to decorate so this Autumn season is very special to me!  We're going to have the family over for Thanksgiving too so I've got to get this place looking good!

Posting this today is inspiring me to put together an Autumn moodboard for you which will include one of my Fall nature prints...stay tuned! 

Carolyn  :)

In addition to my photography I also love decorating.  I'm always coming up with ideas and coordinated looks for rooms & spaces in my mind.  I think it's about time I share some of this with all of you instead of keeping my ideas to myself...why not spread the decor-love around, right?!  I see style boards like this all the time online, I'm always oohing and aahing over them on Pinterest.  If other people can do it, then I guess I can too!  Of course for my first moodboard, I had to start with a coastal theme since I love shooting the beach and ocean so much.  :)

The inspiration for this modern coastal look comes from my ocean print, "What Lies Over the Horizon," (seen above, top left).  To kick my creative juices into high-gear, I first created a calming blue color scheme based on the ocean image which you can see directly below the print.  I then hopped here and there online finding these stylish decor items that I felt would coordinate well with the color palette.  I'm including a list of where you can find these pretty items below.  Hope this inspires your beachy decorating projects a bit, let me know what you think in the comments! 

1. "What Lies Over the Horizon" Ocean Print - Carolyn Cochrane

2. "No. 10 Sea Coral" - Watercolor print by Kelly Bermudez

3. Resin Seahorse Figurine - Urban Trends on WayFair

4. Shore White Cottage Mirror - Caron's Beach House

5. Sea Glass Bell Lamp in Light Blue - Caron's Beach House

6. Fallon Slate Blue Area Rug - by Jill Rosenwald Rugs

7. Distressed Beach Sign Wall Plaque - by Stupell Industries on Wayfair

8. Personalized Beach House Pillow - by CoverLove on Etsy

9. Coastal Shutter Bed - Pottery Barn

10. Concentric Coffee Table - Z Gallerie

I have SO many flower pictures from this past spring that I still need to edit.  Here's a new floral set that I recently finished in pretty purple and pink tones.  If you've been following my work for a while you're probably not surprised to see more dogwoods, I LOVE them...my favorite blooming tree in spring.  They're so poetic and romantic-looking to me. 

I'm on Instagram now and having a blast there so far...let's connect!  Follow me here on Instagram.

Carolyn  :) 

Here's a brand new print I took a few days ago while enjoying some summer fun at the pool with my nephews.  There is nothing more beautiful and calming to me than clear water sparkling in the sun... I couldn't stop looking at it as we were swimming! 

I'm calling this new photograph, "Poolside."  Hope this brings a bit of calm to your day!  See this print on my shop here:  "Poolside - Water Photography"

Carolyn  :)

Hey friends!  As most of you know, I love creating art and expressing myself with color.  I love combining colors, thinking of new color schemes to use in my prints and am fascinated with the way color can affect our mood... I'm a total color-holic!  I haven't talked about this much yet on my blog but I also love to decorate and I know a lot of you do too! 

To help inspire your decorating projects (and mine!), I'll be posting new coordinated color schemes inspired by my photography here on the blog on a regular basis.  I hope you enjoy the palettes as much as I enjoy creating them!  Use them as a jumping off point for your own creativity... for your decor projects, diy art projects or whenever else you need a beautiful, color-coordinated look!

This first color scheme above is based on my nature print, "Ivy."  I LOVE the muted plum and green tones together...mmm...so modern and moody, isn't it?  If I had't chosen blue for our new home, I would SO paint some of my accent walls this muted purple, then accent with green wall art with modern white frames and mats.  How does this color scheme inspire you?

Feel free to share this color palette with your friends on Pinterest!

Wanna see more?... 

To get my FREE Inspiring Color Schemes PDF, go here.

Until next time!

Carolyn  :)