Melinda Jernigan: family

I am wife to my best friend, a mother to 9 beautiful adult children, and creator of beautiful jewelry. This time of year I long for the cooler weather, changing colors, and making memories with family in our home. Our home is a haven, a refuge, and a place you can come to after a hard day or weekend of travel and just relax and be yourself. The word hospitality contains the word hospital in it and that is what I see our home to be... a place of hope, healing, and restoration. To decorate the changing seasons throughout our home is one of my favorite things to do. Fresh decor and color sets the tone and is a way I can use my creativity and design style to make my family and guests feel welcome as well as bring a bit of the colors and feel of fall throughout each room in our home.
The entrance to your home sets the tone. It is still too hot (102 degrees F today but will be in the perfect 70's by this weekend) to fill my porch planted boxes so I will show you what our foyer looks like.

I covered the round table that tucks under our front staircase in the foyer with floral and fruit fall colored fabric round tablecloth I made, used a vintage lace runner, placed a wicker cornucopia filled with silk and dried flowers fruits and nuts, beautiful soft golden candles with silk ribbons and leaves on verdigris green metal candle sticks, a resin angel art piece, and a gift book that has HOME in the title.

This is view of the entry with similar tall candlesticks always in a trio with candles that are changed each season, I love our deep red walls and the large mirror which is a great way to enlarge a space. The wall art is simple with a beautiful clock and painted wood art that were both gifts. I bring in color and use silk and realistic looking vines and fall fruits.

In our dining room I use this barn wood side table and vintage lace to add some drama and a really feeling of home. I made the large wreath myself a few years ago just using a large garland from Hobby Lobby at end of season clearance and some added sprigs of fall fruit and vegetables hot glued and wired onto a large grapevine wreath. the quilted framed piece is a keepsake made by my mother, and Flitz and Floyd porcelian vase I filled with silk leaves and fall flowers.

Our dining room table is large with three leaves to seat 12. I usually only keep 2 leaves in because it has to be angled when fully loaded. The table runner I sewed is reversible with spring patterned decorator fabric on one side and a neutral green on the side shown. The tall silver Southern Living candlestick are a staple which are fun to change and decorate and well as the silver large bowl (also Southern Living) that I create coordinating centerpieces for each season. For fall I use again the silk garland cut up and add the extra touches with my grandmother's porcelain figurines, and beautiful Fitz and Floyd candle holder.

Our home has 3 fireplaces and a wood burning stove so I love to decorate the mantels each season. Beautiful current pictures of our family with warm shades or golden butter yellow on our kitchen walls are a perfect combination for my collection of yellow ceramic pottery and the fruit ceramic design was a school project from one of my children. The pretty rooster and hen prints stay up all year except at Christmas.

This is another quilted runner my lovely crafty friend, Karen, made for me. We have a great square table in our kitchen which seats 10. We love to sit here the best so many times we add chairs so we can just all be together. I love the light in this space. Our daughter created these wooden candle holders as her centerpieces for each table at her wedding last October. We used trees off of our own acreage. They were her party favors for her guests. So fun and pretty. Wished you could come and share a cup of coffee with me. My favorite place in our home.
I hope you enjoyed this little peak into my home and my sense of style and decor with inspire you to decorate and create a seasonal style in your own home that will give you, your family , and guests a touch of warmth, comfort, and healing.

Okay, I know...it has been almost a month since my last blog. We have been so busy. Our baby girl, Raina Joy, has graduated from Muskogee High School. She is the 7th of our 9 children. My twins, Asa and Ezra will be graduating next year. Wow time flies by.

I wanted to share some of the pictures from our celebration! We dressed our best. My jacket and Peter Nygard Embroidered Belted black cotton dress were from Dillards. Raina had the cutest black dress with black tulle peaking out from the hem. Dennis looked great as usual with black slacks, tan jacket and grey knit shirt.


Proud mom and dad!

We decorated the table using Raina's design sense using hot pink and creme for the theme.

Table Decorations

The pink paper lanterns were from Hobby Lobby. The silver candlesticks were from Southern Living. Special touches of black tulle and creme ribbon under the pink candles matches Raina's dress and theme. I used my mother's vintage embroidered table cloth. My daughter, Glory Thompson, made her famous Red Velvet Cake Balls


Graduation March

Let the party get started!

Pretty pink lanterns

Our friends helped us get the house ready for the party while we were at graduation. They only pass out a certain number of tickets per child...large families have to ask around for extras.
						More Pretty cakes photos