Fall Decor 2014

Now that fall has arrived, it's time to share some of what I have been up to. Grab a mug of cider and come on in!

Front Porch

This is the extent of my outdoor decorating.  I just don't do a whole lot outside.  For one thing, we live inside :D, so we don't see any of it unless we are coming or going.  For another, everything gets wet, blown around and full of bugs.  

.....Not to mention the family of chipmunks that steal from me.  I am convinced that their den is quite nicely decorated by now, but that's another story.....

So I have this little pumpkin from the garden and a wreath on the door.  I think that is just enough ;)

My Wreaths

The top left is the front door wreath that I made last year.  The rest are hanging at the center of my big windows.  The two red-orange foliage wreaths  are in the living/ dining rooms and the green-orange foliage is in the kitchen.  

I purchased these wreaths at the florist I used to work for a couple of years ago.  When they came in they were priced at $25.  I played the waiting game and managed to snag them at $5 each on clearance.

You could take a foliage wreath like those pictured here and do all kinds of things with it. Pumpkins, fall flowers, ribbon, the choices are endless!  However I choose to leave these plain.  That is because I also have little skeleton wreaths as part of my Halloween decor.  In a couple of weeks when I get out my Halloween, I'll layer the smaller wreaths right on top of these.

A little fall in the kitchen.

A couple of printed dishtowels and a pumpkin cookie cutter at the window help set the tone.  Usually I have a few of my glass jars on the counters in here as well, but right now the extra space is full of baby food, baby food and more baby food!

Dining Table

The place mats I found for .25 each.  There were only two, so I use them in the center of the table as opposed to having them at each place setting.

My milk glass pedestal is filled with faux gourds and is accompanied by a ceramic pumpkin that I found for $1.

I'm not sure what kind of foliage I have in the cylinder vase, but I love the shape and coloring.  I added some buckeyes to weigh the vase down both physically and visually.  Physically they keep the vase from tipping over, and visually it makes more sense.

What do I mean by that?  Well, when decorating it helps to keep in mind how things work in nature.

  For example, when designing flowers in a vase, the buds (or smaller flowers) should be at the top/ edges of the piece with the larger, more developed flowers closer to the center, as that is how plants actually grow.  (A tree is larger and more sturdy at the trunk with smaller branches and leaves at the top).  

Likewise, things don't typically float in nature.  If the large foliage bush was in the cylinder vase alone, it would look top-heavy and incorrect.  The buckeyes add visual weight to the piece making it less confusing and easier for the eye to take in.

So can you ever get away with making something look like it's floating or upside down?  Absolutely!  It just has to be a well executed design in which the atypical placement is part of wow factor.  You can do it, give it a try!

Trifle Bowls Filled With Pumpkins

More pumpkins inside of the cake stands.  

These glass jars filled with miniature green hued gourds and pine cones.  I think the pine cones actually came with something to do with Christmas...potpourri maybe? I already had enough pine cones for that holiday and decided to put them with my fall items.  You would never know they smell like Christmas ;)

Here you can see jars filled with mums, miniature pumpkins and corn cobs and fall berries.  Of course there are more pumpkins!

Faux pumpkins, botanical filled jars and a jar of scarecrows.  Baby Girl loves to play with these scarecrows!  I always make sure to leave it on a shelf that she can reach ;)

Ok, ok, one last picture of things inside of glass!  Here I have more pumpkins, seeded balls, buckeyes, more miniature gourds and a jar of pears.  

Pears are not typically what you think of when you think fall, but the color of these works perfectly.  This is a good example of how things can be used unexpectedly.  Do  you like the item?  Is it the right color or shape?  Then try it, have fun!

My (Formerly) Beaded Pumpkins

When I first put these out, they were heavily beaded.....Then Little Man found them ;)  I came back to a little pile of beads on the shelf.  I'm sure he had lots of fun!

I don't bring anything into the house that can't be played with.   I put out all of these new, fun holiday things every 6-8 weeks, and of course the kiddos want to play with them.  I don't mind a bit.  In fact, that is one of the reasons why I love treasure hunting so much.  When I find things for .25, .50 or $1, who cares if they get 'loved' to death.  It is more important to me that my babies have lots of fun and make good memories.  I think that's much better than living in a museum, and the people living in this house are more important than the objects anyway.

.....I have even been known to allow Baby Girl to use some of my milk glass for her tea parties...gasp!  :D

Curious about 'treasure hunting'?  The blog has taken off this week in both France and Romania, so some of my newer readers may be a bit confused.  You can visit my first treasure hunting post here, or simply click on the treasure hunting tab at the top of the page.  Happy reading!

The Dining Room

Here you can see most everything together.  The only thing not shown are the framed photos I added in afterward.  Family photos in the fall leaves and punkin patch give the room a personal touch.

I hope you enjoyed the fall tour.  Pretty soon it will be time for Halloween and then Thanksgiving, so stay tuned.  Thanks for reading!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014