Decorating Accents... 
Autumn is “fall’ing into place…..

Kids are shopping for back to school stuff.  A sure sign that fall is on the way. 

As Labor Day approaches, thoughts of yearly, regular routines come into play, and picking up activities that we’ve put off or dropped for the summer start coming to mind.  Life tends to feel more structured from the easy going days of summer and we move our life a little more indoors with the cooler temperatures that start to appear as Mother Nature prepares for her last burst of beauty before winter sets in.

As we start to spend more time indoors, our homes become much more of a focal point in our minds and lives. The following considerations should come into play in preparing our homes for fall:

• Before moving inside, remember to put an attractive fall flag outside along with some yellow, maroon and orange mums.  Corn stalks around light posts or porch posts with big pumpkins at the base let your neighbors know that you’ve caught the fall feeling or how about a bale of hay on your porch with a scarecrow to welcome guests. Many people put orange ribbon bows around cornstalks as this provides a touch of color. I prefer the rustic look, however – and my husband loves the idea of not having bows in front of his house – so I tie them with pieces of old rope or leather.  On your front door put a spray of Mother Nature’s finery – several intertwined branches of colorful leaves tied in leather.
  

• Indoors, it’s time to rearrange your rooms to accommodate guests for the holidays, put up your heavier drapes, and put out your fall accessories, as you no longer have to worry about the summer sun coming in. Not sure how to rearrange your room or tired of having the same arrangement every year? Give me a call.  You can have a new room in three to four hours!
  

• Every room should reflect the colors of nature that are seen out the window.  Splashes of brown, oranges, and golds should catch the eye as you enter each room. A pumpkin on a dresser, a scarecrow perched on a rocker, or an autumn painting on a mantle can do it.  If you want to be more decorative for the season, however, try an autumn arrangement on your hearth.  An old apple picking basket or any basket that has a harvest feel placed on its side and creatively filled with pumpkins and gourds with sprays of colorful leaves, bittersweet, and nuts will beautify your hearth and compliment the glow of the first warming fires of the season.
  

• Let’s not forget Halloween!  This is a fun occasion to decorate for – and the tricker treaters – of all ages – love it!  If you’ve already put out your fall decorations in the front of your home, simply add some purchased spider webs that you can spread on your bushes, shrubs and small trees and add orange lights if you like.  Paint a jack-o-lantern face on your pumpkins and cover that scarecrow on your porch with a sheet and make him a ghost for the occasion.  Inside, place candy corn in the candy dish along with stenciled ghosts and skeletons on mirrors. Place a small black cat next to or add black bows and bare branches to autumn arrangements. All these Halloween decorations are easy to do and easy to remove.  For the pumpkins, simply turn them around so that the face does not show.  I love pumpkins because they do double duty!
  

• Thanksgiving is when the full bloom of autumn’s glory should be in your home.  The fullness of the harvest should now add to and compliment the fall decorations you already have in place.  A cornucopia of real, small sized fruits and vegetables along with cut mums disbursed throughout the arrangement should take center stage on your Thanksgiving table.  A pilgrim here and there around your home also provides the holiday spirit.  An old wooden bowl of gold, red and green apples with nuts could enhance the table in the hall upstairs or your coffee table.  As you gather with family, and as we gather as a nation to give thanks, this is the time to put out your best china, crystal and silverware. Giving thanks is no time to skimp!  A decorative fall runner and place mats add to the table with lots of lit fragrant candles throughout your room and home.  Don’t forget pleasant, conversation, and mood inducing dinner or -“turkey eating”- music during the meal.  I always take a break between the meal and desert.  This gives me a chance to clear the table at a leisurely pace, get the coffee brewing, and prepare the final touches on the desert so it will look as yummy as possible!
  

• Need help in setting a great Thanksgiving dining table and/or an attractive buffet tablescape, I’ll be glad to help.  Using your china, crystal, silver, and fall items, I’ll help you have a festive room for the occasion. Or, if you want and need specific autumn decorating ideas for unique areas in your home, give me a call. 
  

• Decorating does not have to be daunting – it’s just a phone call away!

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