Monday, October 1, 2007

Getting The Attic Ready

Benvento Amici, (Welcome Friends)
As you know, the air is getting cooler. Summer has faded into a sweet memory. And we're getting the attic ready for Autumn. We're updating our inventory and looking forward to Christmas. Each month we try to send out decorating tips from Kathleen Wilson, The Budget Decorator. She has great ideas which don't seem to cost the proverbial arm and leg. She always puts a new spin on items that chances are I have lying around. Check out her tips for fall.

Fall Decorating for Every Room in Your Home
By Kathy Wilson
The Budget Decorator

The change of the seasons is a special time for home decorator’s…and Fall decorating is a great way to cozy up your home for the colder months ahead. Fall decorating doesn’t have to be just about Thanksgiving, and it doesn’t have to be limited to the main room in the home. Here are some easy and inexpensive home decorating ideas to bring the glory of Autumn’s bounty and warmth throughout your entire home.

Make branch bowers for every room in your home. Gather interesting branches from your yard or a neighbors. Curling, knarled, and colorful branches add extra character! Gather them into two bunches, and join the two bunches at the cut ends with wire to make one long swag. Wrap ribbon and tie bows around the center of the swag to hide the spot where they are wired together. Now just stick in a couple of fall dried flower bunches or fall craft berry picks and hang over mantels, over headboards, and make smaller ones for over bathroom mirrors and closet doors. Designer look, for pennies!

Gather fall leaves and press between paper towels and heavy books for several days to a week. The resulting natural beauties can be scattered over shelving, fireplace hearths, or even over your tablecloth for your first dinner party of the Autumn Season!

Pick up a roll of raffia or natural colored twisted paper from your craft shop. Layer the towels in your guest bath, then tie them with the raffia for a rustic touch. Slip in a cinnamon stick for a heavenly fragrance when company comes to visit. (Or even when they don’t! ) Use the same raffia as tiebacks on the shower curtain, front drapes, or even round throw pillows on the porch!

Pick up a grapevine wreath and soak it in hot water overnight. Clip with pruning shears, and unwind the wreath. Now wrap the wreath around a chandelier, pot rack, or porch railing for a gorgeous testament to the beauty of nature! Tuck in some dried flowers and grasses here and there for interest. When winter arrives, change out the dried flowers for evergreen sprigs!

Now is the time to start drying some of the flowers from your yard, or perhaps with permission from a neighbor. Air drying is by far the easiest way to dry flowers, but not all flowers can be air dried. Some good choices? Roses (choose them in bud) hydrangeas, grasses, yarrow, and sedums. Tie them in bunches and hang them upside down to dry, it should take a few weeks. You can even display them while they dry by securing the ends with rubber bands, them tying ribbon around the bands to cover, hang from curtain rods, pot racks, over backsplashes or create a simple rack for them from a painted board and small nails or cup hooks.

Visit your farmers markets and pick up inexpensive fruits and veges to display and eat! Squash, corn, pomegranates, apples, pears…the list goes on! Small acorn squashes, apples, and even pumpkins can be hollowed out to hold candles for evening dining. (Don’t wait for company to make your meals a celebration, but this is perhaps something the kids could help with on the weekend!) Have a bowl on your kitchen counter and even in your entry, stack squashes and pumpkins on the front porch, and make sure you make at least ONE apple pie this season!

Simple, easy, and fun to do with the family! Fall is a great season to celebrate the simple things that make life special, including time spent in our homes with our loved ones. Make memories.

Kathy Wilson is an author, columnist and editor of The Budget Decorator, Decorating Your Small Space, and Decorating Cottage Style.

We also have a new special for the month of October: Wood and Metal Autumn Wreath for just $10. And remember what we say around the attic - Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much!

Love,

21 comments:

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

Morning Julie! Oh, I love your Bobby Sherman song! I used to play it over and over again on my little 45 record player. Now THAT makes me VINTAGE!! ha! Of course, a perfect song for you!

Great post with lots of ideas! I am making my first pumpkin pie this week. Goint to try the flaky pie crust from Oct's issue of Country Home. Will let y'all know how the crust turns out! I wish I could make crust like my mom!

Have a great day!

Becky

btw: I won't be posting today so don't freak on me. Ha! I have to go out of town for work and won't be back until late.

Anonymous said...

Morning Julie, I am taking a couple of those ideas and running with it. And baking an apple pie today....maybe not...lol..may just buy one at the grocery store and some vanilla ice cream too. Hugs ~ Lynn

kari and kijsa said...

Great post! We were all feeling a little 'fall' today. Would love to add you to our favorites list- as you are a fabulous person, with a fabulous site!
blessings,
kari & kijsa

BittersweetPunkin said...

Well I have the "spending time in your home" down pat!! How ya doin?? You are such a sweetheart and I want to say that you are a wonderful wonderful friend and I appreciate all the sweet words you leave on my blog!!
Blessings!
Robin

Mary said...

Hi Julie! What wonderful ideas -- I'm always picking up pretty leaves and flowers and nuts and things on my walks, so now I have to DO something with them!
xoxo,
Mary

Anita said...

Great ideas! Don't you just love Autumn!? (Now if only our Kansas weather would cooperate!)

Sophie Honeysuckle said...

I love the last little quote from the attic!

kari and kijsa said...

Thank you! You are so sweet- we have been so distracted by all the great posts, we had not seen it yet! Oh we just love your site!
blessings,
kari & kijsa

Dena said...

Hi Julie,

Such great ideas! I'm going to pick up a wreath to soak and use today :)

Hugs,
Dena

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of Dierks Bentley, but that sure is a lovely song.
Alexandra

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Hi Julie! What wonderful fall decorating tips! Thank you for posting those. I never knew that you could soak grapevines to make them pliable....
Penny

Webmaster said...

What fantastic ideas. She makes it sound so easy, too, even to someone as clueless around the house as I am. LOL.
Thanks for posting this, Julie!

savvycityfarmer said...

I think I love Dierks...how have ya been hon?
Been so busy haven't posted for a whole week...will try to stay more connected...stop on over

blessings said...

Farmer's Market! I missed it all summer but there's one right down the road. I'm gonna try to hit it this weekend. Thanks! Blessings... Polly

JANET said...

Thanks for these "natural" decorating tips. Thanks, too, for visiting my blog.

Katie said...

hi Julie,
thanks for stopping by! I always like to meet new knitters, let me know how your class goes :)
I enjoyed looking over your blog as well! some great ideas here ... I'll definitely be back for more.
and good taste with Dierks! have you ever seen him in concert? he puts on a great show!
Katie

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

Sheesh, you get a lot of comments here, who needs little miss snooty pants to comment!

Great ideas, I am so glad it is fall!

PS. Did you get my email earlier? Your email address seemed weird. Word press always throws your delightful comments into my spam file, so if it happens again, let me know! I told it you WERE NOT SPAM!

Shelly @ thePINKbarn said...

Julie......Thanks for the great tips on your blog! And thanks for the sweet comments you left on mine! Happy Fall! :-)
*Shelly*

Anita said...

Love the Bobby song, by the way... I was named after a song, by Waylon Jennings, but the playlist didn't have it... :( I met Waylon once, and told him I was named after one of his songs, and he said "Your name must be Amanda" I told him it was Anita, and he said he didn't think anyone remembered that song... lol

karlascottage.typepad.com said...

Pretty tips, thanks!

FarmHouse Style said...

Hey Julie. Thanks for the great decorating tips. The Branch Bowers sounds like a good one for me. I have 2 corkscrew willows that I think would be perfect for the project:)
Rhonda