lovely, easy & festive decor

I know, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and you have either already decorated your home or you weren't planning on doing anything special. But, I'm sure there is someone out there who wants to do a little decorating for Thanksgiving — on a buffet, entry table or on the dining table. There's still time and maybe these photos will inspire you.

(Treasured copper container filled with gourds, pine cones, wheat, candles and an urn.)

Take a peek at a few things I've done over the years to set the stage for my Thanksgiving feasts. I have 2 young daughters, so my decor is limited to few places and it's simple and easy. Really!

(Same display, different view!)

I enjoy using outdoor items — gathering leaves and pine cones from the yard and maybe some fruit or gourds from the local nursery. I also gather up a few candles, containers, candle sticks, silver pieces and sprays of wheat and start playing!

(Same container, from a past Thanksgiving.)

You can do the same with items to match your color scheme or style. All cream or metallic pieces would also look lovely. You can create sophisticated and elegant displays the same way I've created my nature-inspired looks.

(The beginning of my display. I raised the urn with a box and covered that with pine cones. Start with your favorite things and build around them.)

(I turned a glass container upside down, filled it with pine cones and topped with leaves and pumpkin. Easy!)

Start with a container, platter, urn, mirror, tray or basket to hold your items. Make sure you've gathered fillers with varying textures and sizes. You'll need tall, medium and short items. Shiny and rough textures will be pleasing to the eye. You can use fabrics to soften displays or place underneath your objects. You can boost items with small books or shoe boxes and then cover with fabric (or pine cones in my case!)

For my table I like to set up several small displays that run the length of the table. We usually host 18+ people, so there's a lot of food passing going on and I don't want anything to get in the way of that! I try to do something different each year depending on what strikes my fancy in the months prior.

(Silver pitcher filled with sunflowers. I placed several of these down the middle of my long dinner table last year.)


(Fruit and wheat in silver serving bowl. I like to keep things low so food can be passed and people can see each other across the table.)

Another tip. Once you set up your display let it be. Don't keep fussing with it and obessesing over how it looks. It's lovely and the most important part of the day is that you enjoy your blessings (and pumpkin pie)!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Little black ribbon

Just like the little black dress in the fashion world, a little black goes a long way in decorating.

I just added shiny black ribbons to dried corn cobs and dressed them up a bit — like a sequin top with your favorite jeans!

(fall decor with a little black ribbon makes a great impression)


(a close up of the great contrast between the corn and ribbon)

I love finding ways to dress up traditional fall decor. Find containers, ribbons and colors that match your existing decor and use it to make fall items fit into your spaces. You can spray paint or embellish pumpkins (bronze metallic paint or sequins glued down the ridges) to dress them up and make them pretty.


Adding sparkly items (metal pieces, mirrors, glass or sequins) to "rough" fall leaves, pumpkins, wheat or tree branches provides great visual contrast. Whatever your decor style, the key to lovely displays is layering and varying textures and shapes.

Happy decorating!

10 Fall decor tips—and we're not talking pumpkins!

As the weather gets cooler we make many changes in our lives—from fashion and gardening to the meals we prepare. Out come our sweaters, mums and rakes and we start making stews that cook all day. While preparing for fall, don’t forget your home, where we begin to spend more time.

If you’ve never updated your home décor for a new season, here are some ideas to help you do so easily and if you already make seasonal updates to your home, this list might give you some new ideas to make the transition complete. Making one or more of these changes will give your home just what it needs—a new fall look!

1. A new ‘Welcome.’ Update your exterior entry way with a new welcome mat, one that can handle the fall/winter traffic and that coordinates with your home.


2. Blanket your rooms with warmth. On your bed and sofa, or on a window seat, add a warm blanket in a fall color that coordinates with your décor (think warm oranges, reds, plums, browns, greens or deep gold tones). This is both practical and beautiful—adding a new color to an often-used living space creates an instant update. If you are changing your entire bedding for the season, consider changing your bed skirt, too.

3. Pillows add punch. This might be the easiest update you can make to change any room. Add new pillows to every sofa, bed, chair, chaise, window seat and kitchen bench to bring a new punch to your spaces. You can also have custom pillow covers made for each season and simply change them with the seasons.


4. Swap out accessories. Like any great outfit, our rooms have accessories, too. Consider changing out a few for the season (not necessarily to fall-themed décor), with items you love, but might be storing away because don’t have room to showcase year-round. Swap out accessories on your bookcases, coffee tables and sofa tables to create an instant new look. If you have a large art collection, consider changing out the main art in your rooms so you can enjoy your often-seen pieces.

5. It’s the little things. Lampshades and picture frame mats are often overlooked when updating for the season, but changing them is an easy and effective way to change a room. Whether it’s shades on your overhead lighting fixture or the lampshades in your family room, add a new, colorful shade to create a different feeling in the room. If you picture frame mats are white/cream consider adding a mat with color to add a pop to your pictures. Use the same color on all mats to unify your photos.


6. Change your view. The view out of your windows changes with the season, so couldn't your window treatments change, too? If you have curtain panels consider changing them to a more seasonal color, whether retail or custom. You may also want to consider thermal panels that can help keep the cold out as the temperature drops. If you have blinds or roman shades you can do the same thing—update them with warmer, fall colors, or in either case, update an existing valance on your windows.

7. Change where you sit and stand. If your upholstered furniture has slipcovers, consider changing those out for the season. Look out below and add an area rug, or change the ones you already have, and you instantly add warmth and update your seating areas.


8. Warm up the kitchen without cooking. Don’t forget the heart of most homes—the kitchen. Stews aren’t the only thing that can warm up your kitchen on a chilly day, add new dishtowels, table cloths, table runners and even dishes, to give your meals an instant update.

9. Change your color without painting. Painting every season is crazy and a bit unrealistic for most people, but there is a way to add different colors to your rooms each season by adding color to the back of your bookcases through painted removable panels. Simply cover a foam core board with paint or fabric and position it firmly against the inside back of your bookcase—instant color update.


10. Flowers! Last, but definitely NOT least, is bringing in fall flowers. Fresh flowers add life and color to any room. Don’t overlook dried grasses and don't forget your bathrooms and entryways, where a small group of flowers can go a long way.