I’m warming up to autumn as a season. It still makes me a little (a lot) sad to think that in just a few months it will be freezing and I’ll have to scrape ice off of my windshield in the mornings but I’m trying to enjoy fall for what it includes.
Beautiful weather. Fall/winter veggies. A change of scenery with the trees changing colors. Candles. Sweaters. Boots. Alfred Hitchcock movies. Halloween costumes. Black cats. Mulled cider.
Since fall also happens to be V’s favorite season I’m trying to be extra chipper about it and decided to decorate the house to get us (mostly me…merrrrr) in the spirit of the season.
I kept the decor simple and limited since I don’t like to store too much stuff I’ll only use a few months out of the year.
The Kitchen / Dining Room
I’m allergic to cats so I can’t have any…but I LOVE cats. And Halloween/fall is the most opportune time for cat decor!
Last year’s “fall” beer for me was Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale. I tried out this Sam Adam’s Pumpkin Batch (it’s okay) but found I’m crushing on Leinenkugel’s Harvest Patch Shandy. (Fun fact I didn’t know until recently, a Shandy is beer mixed with a soft drink. Thanks why I liked the summer shandy so much!) My other favorite (non-alcoholic) fall drink is mulled cider. Get some (local!) fresh cider, add a cinnamon stick and a some cloves. Simmer and drink! (And add Apple Jack if you so desire).
V convinced me to get some pumpkin kitchen towels (the other one is just plain orange). Since I spend a lot of time in the kitchen these happy guys make me smile when I use them.
The Sitting Room
When I was a kid I did a LOT of crafts. Like whoa did my parents encourage crafts (sewing, painting, I did it all!) So last year I made these little paper bats from black construction paper folded in half (hamburger style). Trace half the bat pattern on the fold, cut, and voila! Bats! You can get many “half bat” templates online (here’s one from my Domestic Goddess herself, Martha Stewart). Back then I had a fireplace so I made the bats in different shapes and sizes and made it look like they were flying out of the fireplace.
Last year V and I bought the candle on the left, the Glazed Toasted Hazelnut one, at Marshalls and man did it just smell like fall. We almost burned it all the way down by the time winter was over but eventually put it in cold storage until this month. It’s finally used all up so we bought the pump.kin candle on the right. It’s also nice but a bit strong for me…
Here’s the coffee table spread I put together. I’ve been burning through (literally) 3-4 tea lights a night in my bat candy dish. Add in the pumpkin candle and my twinkle lights gin bottle (not pictured) and it creates the perfect cozy atmosphere. The little orange square it’s all resting on is a just a quarter yard of fabric from the craft store used for quilting. (They come precut in these sizes).
I’m a sucker for a good flower arrangement. And since I’m allergic to a lot of flowers, I always go for fake ones. Plus, you can use them year after year! I just bought a simple milk bottle and ribbon from the craft store and a bunch of leaves and acorns. I also filled it with dried rice to add weight and to help cover up the wire stems.
And that’s all for fall! I hope it lasts nice and long.