Great Home Decorating Today, Issue #003, October, 2009

Welcome to Great Home Decorating Today, your source for the home decorating ideas, advice, resources and tips that will help create the unique decor that expresses you and your lifestyle!

I hope you enjoy this publication and find useful home decorating information. I’m always looking for ideas and feedback, so feel free to contact me!

Thanks,
Candi

October is a time of transition in many ways…weather is changing, sporting events reflect the season with football and hockey underway, and baseball culminating in playoffs. Kids are back in the swing of school and counting the days until their next break!

Fall in southwest Florida, where I live, is not so much of a weather change, although the rainy season comes to an end as does the humidity and the hottest temperatures. So it is a welcome change although not as dramatic as most areas of the country.

When I lived in Michigan, fall was always a great time of year, with the leaves changing colors, weather becoming markedly cooler and always a trip to the cider mill!

I also did my seasonal ‘switching of the wardrobe’ in the fall, putting away my summer shorts and such, and bringing the warmer clothes and coats to the forefront of the closet.

One way to welcome the fall season and beyond in our homes is to change the look of the interior to reflect the cooler weather and changing exterior, similar to my ‘switching of the wardrobe!’

A cost effective yet beautiful and dramatic change can be made to your upholstered pieces with the use of beautiful slipcovers. Search for fabrics and patterns that reflect fall colors in complimentary tones for your home’s decor. Have fun with this and try a new and different color and pattern. You can really change the appearance of your upholstered pieces!

Or, use smaller items such as accent pillows, area rugs and floral arrangements to create an ‘autumn’ feel in your home. Switch out your ‘summery’ looking accessories for different shapes and sizes of candles, books, and collections that have shades of pumpkin, gold, burgundy, brown and green.

Here are some ideas for great fall harvest decorating.

First, do you have a fireplace in your home? The fireplace mantel is a natural display area for any time of the year, Autumn no exception.

I enjoy going outside and collecting interesting shaped twigs, branches, ‘weeds’, etc. and combining them with purchased items such as colorful faux berries and greens to place across the mantel.

Certainly pumpkins, squash and gourds are always signs of the fall harvest, so feel free to use varying shapes, sizes and colors. The variety is what makes your arrangement interesting and dramatic, so be sure to select carefully.

Remember that the fireplace hearth is also an area that can look lonely if neglected, so don’t forget about that area. If you don’t actually use the fireplace, or while you’re not enjoying a glowing fire, you can create a beautiful arrangement (fall or otherwise) to place in front of the hearth.

Find a container that is large enough so it won’t get lost in the ‘black hole’ that is your fireplace, then find branches, faux or real, colorful and natural, etc. to fill it. You can celebrate any season with this type of display.

For your harvest display, adds some pumpkins, multi-colored corn husks, etc. on the hearth to complete the look. Coordinate the pieces with the mantel so that everything goes together in both style and color.

Wreaths are always a great choice, and for Autumn displays, keep them natural, as shown.

Next idea…purchase colorful berries, nuts, beans, etc and display them in unique glass containers. Search through your cabinets and closets and I’ll bet you’ll find some great pieces to use for display.

Candles are always an appropriate and beautiful addition to any display. Select candles of varying shapes, sizes and scents to create that drama that was mentioned above.

Create a beautiful fall centerpiece using apples with tea lights set in them. First, find apples that are relatively flat. Place the tea light on top of the apple and trace it with a pencil. Carve out a hole that is the same depth as the tea light and place the tea light in the hole. Put a few of them in a large, attractive bowl of water and light the candles. Surround the bowl with more apples, leaves, greens, etc. and you have a beautiful centerpiece!

Fruits, vegetables and nuts are always a great (and edible!) choice for harvest decorating. Again, use varying shapes, colors and sizes of display pieces, as well as placing the fruits and vegetable around them. This is an inexpensive and colorful method for creating beautiful harvest decor.

Enjoy this Autumn season because it will be over before you know it! And, you know what’s right around the corner…..(ho ho ho!)

Have you visited Great-Home-Decorating.com lately?

I’ve added some very interesting and helpful information in the past month, including Cottage Decorating ideas, tips and home plans.

There are new pages of ideas for your Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Living Room and more!

And, have you taken the Interior Decorating Style quiz yet?

Stop in and visit soon!

Great Home Decorating

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