I am not one to change the look of my home on the inside for the seasons or holidays (Christmas is the exception), and I am not against it at all. I do love to keep the fall decor outside and will add a few pumpkins, mums and pansies to the front porch and, very occasionally, I will break out the velvet pumpkins and add them to the front hall table. Fall to me is nature at its best. I love being outside in the wind with the leaves falling and the brilliant hues of the season. When the sun is out the changing colors of the leaves beam through my windows and reflect off the white interiors, reminding me of the beauty that is fall. Once the leaves are gone the sun can fully come in – and I love the brightness it brings to my home. The bare trees showcase the many variety of birds that come to visit our yard and were once hidden by the greenery. We have woodpeckers who visit and a huge family of chipmunks that I feed daily.
I love tablescapes, and try to keep fresh flowers on my table daily. This can get expensive, unless you know what to look for. Most grocery stores sell flowers and greenery, and you will find that they sell “leftovers” for almost half the price of a full bouquet. If they don’t have enough roses to make a dozen – they separate the flowers into smaller bouquets and sell them for a fraction of the cost. These are the bouquets I purchase.
Start with a plain runner down the center of the table. This is an important step because if you need to move the arrangement, you can just slide it forward or back and I have even moved it to a different location by sliding a piece of cardboard under the runner. Next add greenery that does not need a huge amount of water to thrive – specifically Eucalyptus. I recommend silver dollar eucalyptus for a light and airy look, then add seeded eucalyptus. I usually remove the leaves from the seeded stems because they are not very pretty and tend to die off before the seed pods.
Next I like to add dry flowers and my favorite is pink or purple Limonium. Separate the flowers and you will have literally dozens of small blooms to work with. Add them to the mix, here and there, mainly around the perimeter for color and fullness. Cut stems back whenever possible so all you see are the blooms.
After adding in dried flowers it’s time to add your embellishments. I found these adorable velvet acorns at my local Safeway food store, and I went back the next week and they were 50% off so I purchased a few more. Place them randomly down the center of your table. You can also use the real mini pumpkins, which I love. I recommend white, but any color will work with this arrangement. I also like the larger velvet pumpkins but find they can be a bit clunky on the table and save them for the foyer or sideboard.
I found these sweet gold acorns for half price last week – there are almost 30 in the container! They really add a great touch of color.
After the pumpkins and/or acorns are in place it’s time to reevaluate and tweak and add flowers here and there. I had a few leftover roses from the foyer so I added five small glass vases to the mix. No need for dozens and dozens – this arrangement is very simple, yet makes a huge statement.
Last Thanksgiving my daughter was on deployment, on a ship in the middle of the sea. This year, we will be sitting at the table together! I will however be missing Alex in China. I am very proud of my world-traveling, hard-working children even if it means I have to miss spending holiday time with them. We make the most of the times we are together, the rest are just dates on a calendar.
Oh, and this little stinker will be joining us this year as well.
Happy Thanksgiving Friends!
