Free Falling

Author – Autumn (Janette)

When decorating for a holiday, I love to use items I already own in a different way.  I just look at what I have and do some free decorating.  And since it is autumn, I guess you can call that “free falling.”  That was my approach to our fall decorating this year.  Since this is our first autumn in our new place, everything will look different anyway.  So, by just buying some fresh gourds, pumpkins, and some brown taper candles, I was able to create a very warm and inviting autumn look for almost free.

I love a combination of  shine and rustic, so, I got out one of my big old wooden bowls (free) and filled it with fresh gourds.  Then I shined up our great silver candle stick holders (free) and added some nice brown candles to them.  Instantly I had an easy, attractive, and cheap centerpiece for the dining room table.

I bought these candles stick holders at Scott’s Antique Market in Atlanta several years ago

I love old wooden bowls and have several.  They are great finds for a centerpiece like this or for serving a beautiful salad at a dinner party.

In another part of our great room, I use this little yellow vase (free) for seasonal color.  In the summer I put fern fronds in it.  Now that autumn is here, some of my pheasant feathers (free) bring in the fall colors.  For Christmas I will fill it with evergreen and then switch to interesting small tree branches in the winter.  I love its versatility!

To continue my free falling, I added some fresh miniature pumpkins to this little wooden bird cage (free) and teamed it with a piece of antique silver (free)and added another brown candle to this small silver candle holder (free).  Once again, I teamed rustic with silver and love how it looks.   They sit atop an old sugar chest that I have had for years.

The cabinet on the wall is called a jelly cabinet.  It was custom-made for me from wood taken from a building that was built in the 1800’s.

I took the same “free falling” approach to the fall look in our sunroom.  You can see what it looks like in the summer here.   At our last house, I used a backwoods theme on our porch and plan to do that again in this house in our sunroom.  I’ll ease into it, though.  First, I removed the pastel rug and added a seagrass rug, which was one of two purchases I made for this room.  That immediately set the mood.

I put just one white pumpkin on the antique trunk/coffee table and covered it with a cloche (free).

I removed the pastel pillows that were on the sofa and brought out some others I had stowed away (free).   Then I bought this cute bicycle pillow at Home Goods which ties in perfectly with our love of cycling and with the antique high-rise bike we use as a sculpture in another part of the house.

I made a little fall afternoon tea vignette using an old enamel tea pot (free) and other items (free) I had on hand.

The last free thing I did to get a cozy fall look in our sunroom was to toss a black and white plaid throw (free) over the wicker chair and add another pillow (free).

Even though it is fun to go shopping and buy some of the latest fall items for the home, I have a lot of fun just shopping the house and using what I have along with some creativity to set the mood.

How about you.  Have you done any “free falling” lately?

Take care.

Linking to