Fall Decorating Inside

I posted photos of my exterior fall decorating on September 28th, but I thought that now that I've nearly finished the interior for fall, you'd like to see what it looks like.  I own a collection of high quality faux  fruits and vegetables.  When mixed with real pumpkins, gourds, and nuts, they make a lovely vignette.  This is where I staged them last fall in the dining room. 

The shades of ivory, cream, white and green are especially pretty when gathered in a bountiful display

on the sideboard.

This year, I wanted to move them into the bar area and show them on the green and white gingham runner I made a few months ago.

I removed one of our favorite watercolors over the table and replaced it with this wreath.  The blue in the picture fought the fall colors, so it is temporarily set aside.  Can you tell which veggies are real and which are faux?

Of course, I had to put my favorite...... acorns, in the display. I just love the way these colors complement each other.

I replaced the Portmerion plates in the French shelving unit with these German dessert plates and white Casper mini pumpkins.  If you look closely at the shelves, you'll see that I actually have two sets in slightly different sizes.

This area of the room holds pads for the outdoor furniture and towels for the pool.  I found this cool wicker cloche and filled with mini gourds.

It is almost impossible to take a good photograph on this shiny granite, but I wanted to show you this great platter that a special friend gave us for Christmas.  It came from Sur la Table and I get many compliments on it no matter when I use it.

Also on the counter is this arrangement of lots of leftover flowers from our cutting garden.  I've displayed a nice William-Sonoma seasonal cookbook with it.

The living room coffee table looked like this last fall, but I have since broken the black metal eperne.

So for at least this weekend, this is what it looks like now.  I moved the pheasant in here and just plopped two dozen orange roses in a cream colored pitcher.

Aren't these yummy?  Sometimes they open fully just when you want them to be optimum for a party and that's what happened this weekend.  I'll post about the dinner on Thursday and I'll link it to Between Naps on the Porch.

It's a little too warm for a fire yet in Atlanta, so to add interest to the fireplace, I set a low basket full of gourds on the hearth.

These happen to all be real.  Some of those winged gourds are really pretty.

Also in the living room, I added faux bittersweet and whatever those orange pillow things are to an arrangement of sticks and feathers that I keep here all year around.

The step-back cupboard in the breakfast room gets a simple addition of a couple of pumpkins.

These hydrangeas in the dining room are actually from our garden too.  That lovely bride is our younger daughter on the day of her wedding.

I simply hung a wreath on the door from the kitchen hall to the garage.

This last little corner is one you'll pass as you leave by the front door.  Come back soon!

I'm linking up with The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.  Be sure to visit her for some autumn inspiration!

Whooooo's Coming for Breakfast?

While I don't totally ignore the black and orange of Halloween, I do prefer these more subtle holiday designs.  They work much better with my home.  After all, who among us does have an orange and black house?

This morning it's just Mr. Pressed Pants and me for a weekend breakfast.  This glass round table is in our breakfast room, and is always covered with a tablecloth.  This cloth doesn't quite cover it, but it comes close enough.  Mr. Pressed Pants got an owl plate.......

And I got a witch.  Enough said.

The wooden handled flatware is from KMart's Martha Stewart collection.  The small checked napkin came with the tablecloth, and the cream linen napkin came with another set of linens.  World Market carried these napkin rings this year. 

Here's a close-up of the table square.  The faggoting is so pretty.  I love to bring linens back from our travels, and this came home with us France.  I remember it felt like paradise as I put in my French straw market basket at L'isle Sur la Sorge in Provence on market day.  It was undoubtedly my most favorite travel moment ever!  It then joined an entire suitcase of table linens which form the basis for the majority of my stash of "table stuff".  I especially like this one, because I can use white or cream dishes, or a mix of both as I did here.

This small centerpiece is made of some cream roses which were on their laaaaast leg and some tiny twigs from one of our river birches.  They are beautiful trees, but messy, so when I use the sticks in something pretty, I feel that I am making lemonaid from lemons, or something.

Here's a close-up of the wooden pot I used, which also came home with me from France, although I see similar pieces from the Adirondack area in the USA.  The flower show judges would take points off because you can "see the mechanics" of the arrangement, but this is just between us.

The coffee cup is from Target, and the caned wicker juice glass is from Tenille and Company in Atlanta.  It looks a little crooked here, but it is probably due to the amateur photographer.

My favorite faux bois salt and pepper shakers.  We use these all the time.

Here's the overhead view of the table.

These Halloween plates also came with a cat design...

and a pumpkin design.  I like the way the designs are not centered on the plate.  The underplate is from my old standby Target set.

Here's our view from the table.  If we get up early enough at this time of year, because the air temperature is lower than the water temperature of the lake, there is steam rising and it is so fantastic looking.  Today was not one of those days! 

It will be good to get caught up and syncronize our calendars for the next few weeks.  Then off to church!

I'm linking up with:

Garden Club Mountain Tour IV

Can you imagine a better view than this?  This is the last installment of a garden tour that I was so lucky to be a part of last week.  This house had so many beautiful vistas and sitting areas to enjoy them.  The plantings were incredible and so pristinely manicured.

Just look at the variety of shades of green in just this area.

This wall looks like such a lovely place to gaze. The hardscape here does such a great job of defining areas.

This is my favorite type of outdoor stairs.  The sod between each stone step makes it so gradual and keeps the approach to the sitting area so much more gentle.

These anemones were so bright and wonderful.  They are fall perennials that bloom when the asters and mums do.

I don't know if this was concrete or zinc, but they did such a great job on the variety of textures in it.

This home is owned by the woman who invited us all.  It has over sixty-five different varieties of dahlias.  She invited us all to bring clippers and cut as many as we wished.  Frost is due soon, and she knew they would be ruined, so we were the beneficiaries of her generosity.

Here's the approach to the cutting gardens.

I wish you could have heard my friends oohing excitedly as we came to the blooms with sheers in hand!

Orange....

Magenta....

White and every color I have ever seen were there in this prolific garden.  Then, in a few minutes, they were in beautiful bouquets in our hands!

 

On the other side of the land is this boxwood hedge with roses in the center.  And in the distance is a newly planted vineyard! 

One of the other treats was a cocktail party at one of our other member's vacation home.  This sitting area is so beautifully backed up against this rock.  I don't think there is any grass around this home the way it sits on the mountain. 

This is the main room.  For most of us, this was the first fire of the season.  It felt so good in the cool, crisp air.

Our hostess had the best knack for welcoming us as well as welcoming fall.

She had the most wonderful collection of face jugs.  They suit the rustic area so well.

Here's another special vignette she had in the kitchen.

Even though this photo is dark, I had to include it and show how we all loved the hospitality, the weather, and the blankets!!! 

This darling little cottage is where I stayed with a couple of the other members. 

It sits on a small lake and I loved the way these canoes looked along the road.

And this kind of special touch makes it the lovely, quiet, family friendly area that treasures the low tech way of life.  Thanks again go to my friends who made this such a wonderful trip.