Fall Decorations

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, October 7th, 2011

Last week my husband and I and our two youngest children went camping in a state park with a couple hundred other homeschoolers.  Our disabled child, who hates change, stayed home with her 21 and 22 year old sisters.  While we were gone, one of the girls decided to get out our fall decorations.

So after a week at camp, I came home to a fairly clean house, a fire in the woodstove, fresh apple butter in the crockpot, scented candles around the house- and no fall decorations.

Instead I learned the sad news that even though all our fall decorations were packed in a plastic tote and sealed shut, they have been destroyed by some sort of nasty small creature- a weevil, suggests Jenny, who discovered the depredations, and was so sad she just put the lid back on and put them in the garage. There are a couple of losses that make me truly sad- a lovely wooden pumpkin purchased in the Philippines some 25 years ago and which all our children remember filling with nuts and candy this time of year, a dilapidated and utterly inauthentic table top teepee created by my two eldest children.

How bad was it?

Three kinds/colors of mold, mildew, or spores.

I am told this is what the surviving contents of the tote of fall decorations looked like, most of the stuff  was essentially a lumpy puddle of goop.

But, on the other hand, this is an excuse to go to thrift shops and look for more fall stuff. Just a couple weeks ago I was admiring some, and scolded myself that I didn't need anymore, we had plenty. Now we have none, and it's like starting out all over again. There is some excitement there.

Of course, first, it should be an opportunity to use what's in my hand.=)  Here are some things in my hands:

Baskets-

Pumpkins-

volunteer gourds growing in the compost pile-

We combined the three and it looks very pretty.

Yarn in fall colors wound in balls and stored in open baskets

Acorns in glass jars

My Indian Summer story framed, and happily NOT stored with the moldy mess.

Scarves in fall shades, draped over shelves and end tables

Bowls of apples

You may have seen my glitter bird ornaments.  You can adapt it to make beautiful fall leaves. Make the outline of a leaf shape, glue yarn or twine on that outline, fill in the yarn with glue, add drops of red and yellow and run a q-tip through to make fall colors. Let dry a few days.

Fall tablecloths- I've used sheets, thin bedcovers, and large curtains for tablecloths.  A set of curtains is what I'm using now.

pods picked on the waysides and hedgerows.  Spray paint them oranges, yellows, and greens if you like.

Find books with illustrations compatible with fall and set them around- coffee table, bathroom shelf, in a plate rack.

I could cut out some fall leaves from autumnal fabric, soak them in starch and water, spread them on the wall (to be removed later with a squirt bottle).

Printable coloring pages from the internet.

What are some of your 'what's in your hand' decorating suggestions?

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Topics: misc.

3 Responses to “Fall Decorations”

Roxie Says:
October 7th, 2011 at 12:10 pm

I love pine cones and acorns. I collect these when I can and put them into my clear glass containers.

Linda Says:
October 8th, 2011 at 3:39 pm

I collect pine cones and leaves(decoupoage the leaves) I use a styrofoam ring and create fall wreathers using the pine cones & leaves, it looks very pretty!
I also crochet so there are 2 huge wicker baskets, 1 in the living room, 1 in my office always filled with balls on yarn and my current project stuffed in there, makes the house look really homey.

I have a vintage glass bowl that is always filled with apples on my kitchen table.

I put scented waxed pine cones(hand dip myself) in a small basket set on the coffee table in the living rm, it fills the room with a cinnamon apple scent, very nice!

Janet Says:
October 10th, 2011 at 4:06 pm

I would try scrubbing the 25 year old pumpkin soaking and repainting it as well.

 

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