Fall Home Decorating

Autumn conjures up rustic wood, smoky fires, baskets of the season's last apples---but we're baking them now or dipping them in rich caramel. This time of the year with its crisp air, breezes and brilliant golden colors is a great time to restyle, refurbish and re-energize your home décor.

Function

Break out the functional items like baskets, grapevine wreaths and black candlesticks. Fill the baskets with different colored gourds or pine cones and incorporate branches of the last of the wildflowers. Use thick orange candles in the black holders. Fill larger-sized baskets with huge mum plants for out-of-doors color (make sure they're under the porch or a covered area).

Features

It's the colors of fall that are so arresting: make use of sunflowers in large green clay pots for table centerpieces and add in balls of yarn for contrast. Add clear glass bottles filled with alternating layers of black and orange candy corn and black licorice, and top it off with sugary orange slices.

Types of Crafts

Sew sage green corduroy placemats and decorate them with large red and orange ladybugs with black eyes. Or stencil fabric with leaf motifs and acorns---use them for hand towels or big, lap-size dinner napkins. You can finish the seams with red rickrack.
Iron fall leaves between sheets of waxed paper to set them and glue gun them on wreathes overlapping the stems with opposite riotous colors; or sew them together in a hanging garland with yarn. Adorn a chandelier with one of the small garlands.

Homey Touches

Slipcover a favorite chair in denim. It will only look better as the wear pattern sets in.
Lay down new area rugs in fall patterns and colors, an easy fix for a new look.
Put the Radio Flyer wagon on the porch and fill it with pumpkins and brilliant purple ornamental cabbage for a pop of color.
People decorate the staircase for Christmas. Why not for fall too? Tie beautiful sheaves of wheat stalk or fall colored corn to stair rails with orange raffia paper bows for a "welcome in" upstairs.
Wrap bottles of dark wines with burlap skirts stenciled "Drink" and "Share" and cap it off with a burgundy velvet bow.

Elaborate Crafts

Learn how to gild gourds, fake pears, pots and mini pumpkins. Make some of them with gold leaf or silver leaf, and add a stain for a mottled look. Stack them on shelves or arrange on a lazy Susan with florist moss.
Sew felt leaves onto pillow cases and embroider the leaf veins with rustic colors or use gold fabric paint to draw them in.
Affix beautiful bare branches to the wall with cuphooks and attach real leaves as ornaments.
Make your own simple or fussy window clings (see link below for kits).

Easy Final Touches

Put out dusky plaid blankets and thick cable throws to snuggle into. Use fleece plaid bedding for the pets; it doesn't ravel and it's easy to wash.
Get fake red cardinal birds from a craft or hobby store and set them free on green ribbons; hang them from curtain rods, on drawer knobs or from sconces.
Create silhouettes of the family and frame them in mahogany to hang them in groups in the foyer or hallway.
Brew lots of apple cider with a cinnamon stick, cloves and a cup of cranberry juice for bite. The kitchen will smell wonderful; serve the hot drinks with thick oatmeal raisin nut cookies.

Resources

• Better Homes and Gradens seasonal decorating
• Cling kits
• Hobby Lobby project inspirations