A quick trip to the arboretum for some pictures of fall foliage.
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This Thanksgiving I used all my restraint to resist the urge to let our Christmas decor arrive early. So often I cannot resist that urge and we end up with a Thanksgiving/Christmas fusion. Everything stayed well within the Autumn color theme this year without even a hint of Christmas! Burlap has always been an inexpensive fabric mostly used for making things like potato sacks or for wrapping shrubbery for the winter, but somehow it has become very popular in decorating as well. It does offer a nice warm neutral base and lots of texture so it makes sense that…
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Pepper Pumpkins and Mashed BOOtatoes! I actually made them this year, and here are the pictures to prove it!! (and illustrated six step how-to guide and recipe below) Every holiday season I start decorating and preparing just a little bit earlier than the start of the season — which lulls me into falsely believing I have plenty of time to prepare and create all the fantastical holiday projects that dance through my head. Yet somehow I go from being the early bird planner to the last minute loser every year without having any idea what happened to all the time…
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There is nothing quite like the October moon. I have many fond memories of going for evening walks (physical training for a trip to Disney World) and as we would reach a certain point on the road we would round the curve and see the October moon, low in the sky, HUGE and gorgeous. The crisp Autumn air would dance with the balmy end-of-summer breezes, creating miniature tornadoes swirling through piles of leaves, making orange red and yellow kaleidoscope patterns in mid air. It’s one of the many sensory delights of the season that remind me that the world is…
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Nevermore! One of my favorite natural Autumn occurrences is when flocks of black birds flying south for the winter make a stop at our house. It’s always just a little bit scary, but exciting! While they are visiting, the trees are alive with movement. The chatter of the hundreds of birds is like no other sound I have ever heard – it surrounds you. They often swoop down in large numbers – in perfect synchronization and cover the ground as they peck at the grass, covering it like a black carpet – swooping up and down from the trees in…
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Orange Twinkle Lights! I love Autumn. I love crisp Autumn days and chilly Autumn nights. With autumn comes shorter days and longer nights and an intense urge to cuddle and hibernate. As the days get shorter I like to brighten up the house with orange twinkle lights to make the house feel cozy and bright. I cannot get enough of that warm glow. It totally changes the feel of the house even with no other decorations. To really get the most out of theses lights, I like to place them around lots of shiny and reflective items like glass and…
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Happy October!! Today is the first day of October, and my Autumn decorating has officially begun. Though the leaves outside have only just barely started showing a hint of color change, inside the house our fall foliage is at its peak! Nothing says Autumn like brightly colored fall leaves. Until I find a way to preserve real fall foliage at its peak color, my collection of silk fall leaves will have to do! Over the years I have collected quite a pile them in the form of leafy garlands, leafy branches and loose leaves. These leaves transform the house into…
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For the very first day of Autumn lets enjoy the quintessential cozy-at-home activity — a movie party!It’s time to cuddle on the couch with warm blanket, popcorn, hot coco and an Autumn movie. As soon as I saw the commercials for this movie with the vibrant autumn foliage, I knew it would be the perfect autumn movie. Autumn always makes me feel like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter anyway, so I might as well watch a movie about it! I love a good theme so here we go! The movie: “The Nut Job” (now available on Netflix as well as DVD,…
