I hope I’m not alone. I LOVE TO NEST particularly in the fall and winter months. Fall is one of those seasons that brings me such joy!

My mom loves decorating for the fall, too. She’s been collecting adorable autumn decorations over the years.

My mother’s and my birthday falls within the month of October. In fact TODAY is my birthday!

I also met my hubby in October. It was a chilly October evening when my good childhood friend Rex came by. I had made a cake. He brought Mike with him and the rest is history. I guess you could say I won my hubby’s heart through his stomach!

Besides decorating, fall has meant so much to our family:

apple and pumpkin picking

HAYRIDES

autumn gatherings

planting mums

CARVING PUMPKINS

chili cookoffs

collecting leaves and pine cones

walking through the colorful woods

snuggling under blankets

admiring the beautiful foliage that only fall can bring

visits to the farmers’ market

ROLLING IN LEAVES

football games

pjs on early

perfect sunrises and sunsets

Here’s a tour of some of the areas in our home that we enjoy decorating. I never spend much money and utilize pieces I already have. I’ll show you my tricks…

What better way to welcome your friends and family than with your front door…it’s the first thing people see!

 

I love the brightly colored wreaths on the doors. They not only look pretty on the outside, but with the autumn sun’s help, cast a lovely orange glow inside our home. To keep my wreaths in good condition, I save the bags that my quilts and comforters came in. I place the wreaths inside and use tissue paper to keep them from getting damaged. (Thanks to my mom for that great tip!) Many comforter bags also have handles which make storing and hanging very easy.

Sitting just beneath our slate signs are my favorite Cinderella pumpkins. This year I decided to create a topiary of sorts with three of my favorite colors. Using greenery found in our yard was inexpensive and can be changed as needed.

One of my favorite things about my front door are these two slate plaques.

They are very special to me. My boys and I painted our name and “home sweet home” on them when we bought our first home in 1999. That home at Rombout Ridge in Poughkeepsie, New York caught on fire in 2000. The only things left from that home are these two signs which still greet our guests year long.

Our two rockers on our porch call out, “Come sit and stay a while…”

Heading indoors

Years ago my mom and dad gave me this metal wheelbarrow that welcomes each of our guests.

I have enjoyed decorating it with the seasons and I particularly like the autumn colors in it. Parchment paper is curled up into large balls and placed in the bottom of the wheelbarrow to raise up the height of the objects.

I also love using fabric for runners. It’s super easy, quick and inexpensive. Table runners can easily be changed throughout the seasons. Sitting on this table in our foyer under my favorite rooster lamp is a plaid flannel runner. I actually turned it upside down because I prefer the muted color of the fabric on the bottom.

One of the things I love most is cooking for others (in case you haven’t figured THAT out yet!). Hosting dinners and other gatherings brings me so much joy! We recently had our friends the Adams over to break bread with us. It was a chilly very wet fall evening (just how we like it) and John and Glenda came over to enjoy a Harvest Salad, French Meat Pie, with sides of mashed potatoes and roasted green beans with our family. And for dessert Individual Apple Cakes topped with vanilla bean ice cream hit the spot!

 

I love using the carnival glasses my parents gave me on a fall table.  I also used brown, orange and gold napkins. I love my glass pumpkin cookie jar which I have used to store candy corn and cookies in. After recently washing the cookie jar, the top slipped out of my hand and yup, you guessed, shattered into large pieces.

Instead of getting rid of my beloved cookie jar, I filled it with pretty orange flowers for a lovely centerpiece.  A pitcher of sweet chai iced tea with slices of oranges completed the table decorations.

  1. I love heading to the craft store each year to pick out a new fall decoration. One of my favorites items are the two pumpkins. The other side of each pumpkin says “be grateful” and “Happy Thanksgiving” so I simply turn them around in November. Bet you didn’t know I was so smart!
  2. I love using brown coffee beans and an unscented candle. The brown and tan works lovely with the placemats my parents gave me one year. Another tip is to the separate napkins from placemats in another area. Here I’ve used the matching fall napkins across the table on my breakfast area.

3. Solid pillows (in this case dark brown) can be easily changed throughout the seasons. These were only seven dollars each – not bad, eh?

4. My favorite afghan thrown over my favorite leather wing chair invites me to come and enjoy a book in chilly evenings by the fire.

5. I love using greenery from my yard. It’s beautiful and FREE! On my mantle sits Indian corn, gourds of all colors, shapes and sizes, a pumpkin plate and a photograph of my boys at Biltmore Lake during the fall.

6. Wait! Now don’t forget about your bathroom! Pumpkin spiced hand soap and hand cream show guests how much you love them. Hand towels with a brown embroidered letter (J for Johnson) hang in our guest bathroom and guest paper towels are stored in a pretty holder.

Offering pretty paper guest towels not only adds color and a seasonal touch, but also decreases the chances of sickness too. I love adding a little touch of nature so I’ve hung this pretty ceramic acorn on a dark basket filled with tree and pussy willow branches.

7. And lastly, how I adore fresh eucalyptus leaves! The smell that eucalyptus adds to your home is very lovely. I simply placed them in a basket that I change from season to season. I added a few artificial berries for color and texture and a little garden sign that says, “Bloom where you are planted!”

My mom has been busy decorating during her favorite season, too!

 

Happy Nesting, Friends!

xo Elise