Fall Decorating Ideas - a festive Thanksgiving

As soon as September 1 rolls around I'm ready for fall. The colors. The sounds. The smells. It really is my favorite season. And as much as I love Christmas decorations, I might even like Fall Decorating even more. Who cares that the weather has been fickle. Warm then cold. Then warm again. I can embrace all of autumn in my boots OR my flip flops. But there is something so incredibly comforting about driving up to my home, seeing my front porch and then walking in to the feeling of fall. Because fall totally has a feeling. Does it not.

I can embrace all of autumn in my boots OR my flip flops.

Here is my tiny decorating home tour to give you some inspiration. I know there are people embracing Christmas trees and all things December. But I want to say, WAIT! Thanksgiving is a few weeks away. Give your guests the gift of autumn. THEN go all out green and glitter and whatever it is that makes you Christmas happy. But just wait a little bit longer. Okay? This is my fall decorating the easy on a budget sort of way. My front porch. It just makes me happy. What I added. A few wooden detailed items from Hobby Lobby. As always using their sales and my 40% off coupon. The leaf garlands and pretend berries almost all came from the Dollar Store. The fall pillow was in the dollar section at Target. $5. My biggest expense was the pumpkins. I love the odd shapes and colors. Adds for dimension and interest. I've had the wreath forever. I believe it was purchased at Sam's Club or Costco. The pails and metal containers were either picked up at thrift stores or post season clearance...that is the best time to gather for next year. Golden Retriever? That's our Willow, she turns 3 tomorrow! It's amazing how much interest you can get with the leaf garland. Just wrap and stack and layer. Viola! Instant gorgeous. All those fun baby pumpkins are stacked in the silver pail...I stuffed the bottom of all my metals with rocks so A. they don't tip over in the wind. and B. I don't need as much filler. By placing this pumpkin candle holder "thing" on a board and adding some leaf garland I have instant POP on my white table. The wooden lantern was my biggest expense...but it was 40% off at Hobby Lobby. I filled the bottom with a bag of fall filler and added a candle, which I do, in fact, light in the evenings. So cozy and cute. Look how simple this cute bench is. A few pumpkins. Some fake leaves. Next year I totally want to get a skeleton to pose on here for Halloween! My mantle. The glass hurricanes are always there, I just change out the fillers. The old picture frame I picked up years ago from someones trash. Yes, I might be that person. Again, add some leaf garland - this was from Hobby Lobby, a bit nicer than my dollar store find. And I'm a big fan of grapevine anything. I love the texture. These pieces will take on a completely different look next month for my Christmas mantle. Trust me. Also, because I LOVE candles, but sometimes forget to blow them out - I bought these pretend votive candles at Amazon. They last forever. The coffee table has my awesome pear and apple a score from KROGER, yup, Kroger. The tray was a gift from my mother-in-law years ago, I just filled it with more fake leaves and autumn filler. Add candles and candy corn (my personal fav) and it makes for the perfect statement piece. This sofa table sits in front of my porch window. The leaf tray I just switch out fillers every season. Shells in summer. Leaves in Autumn. Probably pine cones and greenery for Christmas. The HUGE hurricane (another Kroger score) is filled with autumn filler and a pumpkin scented candle. Perfect! Lastly, in my kitchen is this wall piece. It's one of my favorite pieces ever. It's moved house to house with us. Simple garland. Hurricane filler. And I'm a sucker for word garlands. Last week the "trick or treat" sign came down and now we've moved to "thankful". Yes, there are little touches all over the house. Pumpkins. Candles. Fillers. But I didn't want to completely bore you. I just want to show you how a few simple inexpensive items can transform your home into an Autumn retreat. And in two more weeks I'll pack it all away and move into Christmas. Happily, yet reluctantly. Why? Because winter is NOT my favorite season. Why do I spend all this time and effort decorating my home? There are several reasons. I do love it. It gives me great joy. But it also creates an atmosphere. A mood. And my kids actually enjoy it and appreciate it. So here's the last few days of fall. As we approach this season of Thanksgiving, please take the time to sit and ponder and truly give thanks for the abundance all around us. For right now? I'm thankful for you. much much love, lisa