Fall Decorations

I love Fall!  It is my favorite season.  I love the cool weather, the colors and all the things that mean fall:  pumpkins, acorns, pine cones, leaves, etc...  I especially love decorating with all the said fall things. 

So, I thought I'd share how I decorate for fall.

My table centerpiece.

My apothecary jars.

I like to use the real thing anytime I can!

The corner of my TV cabinet.

My decorations consist of:

     Leaves - Artificial, taken off a leaf garland.

     Pumpkins & Gourds - Hobby Lobby 50% off sale.

     Pine Cones - Collected from various yards.

     Acorns - Gathered from my parents woods.

     Corn - "Borrowed" from my Friend's pig feed.

     Pumpkin Seeds - Saved from pumpkin carving.

Decorating Tips:

     Leaves:  If you want to decorate with leaves, it is usually cheaper to buy leaf garlands and pull the leaves off, than it is to buy packages of loose leaves.  Make sure that the leaves are attached so that you can easily pull them off.  I usually scatter them under the decorations.  It helps keep pine cones and other items from scratching my wood furniture.  Also use them under candles or pumpkins on top of candle holders(see the TV cabinet picture.)

     Pumpkins & Gourds:  I use real pumpkins outside, but inside, I like to use fake pumpkins.  I like the Styrofoam ones.  They are lighter and won't break easily.  I stack them.  Put them in apothecary jars.  I also like replacing candles on tall candle holders with pumpkins.

     Pumpkin Seeds:  At the end of the season when my pumpkins begin to disintegrate I usually dig the seeds out of them before I throw them away.  They need to be washed and then baked for 2 hours at 250 degrees before they can be used.  This dries them out so that you can store them and use them the next year.  The seeds can be used in many ways.  They can be strung for a garland, used in apothecary jars, or just scattered about.

     Pine Cones & Acorns:  I usually just pick these items up anytime I'm somewhere where they can be easily found.  You can gently wash them if they are excessively dirty, but usually just brush them off and they are ready to go.  Be careful with the acorns because their tops can fall off.  Use them as vase fillers or just scatter about as well.  The bigger pine cones can also be displayed on top of large candle holders.

     Corn:  I got my corn from a friend that feeds it to their pigs.  If you don't know anyone who uses it as feed, you can purchase some at your local feed store.  Can be used in the same was as the pumpkin seeds.