Decorate your Home with Nature’s Bounty

Hi, Friends!  I don’t know about you, but I love to get creative in the fall by using elements from nature’s bounty!  Here are some of my favorites!  Some are a given, but I hope I inspire you to use some in a  unique way!

PUMPKINS & GOURDS

An obvious is, of course, the pumpkin!  Pumpkins and gourds come in all shapes and sizes!  My favorite are the white pumpkins!

Even they come in all shapes and sizes!  From tiny to large and squat – they’re just right for a more neutral look in your home.

Of course, there’s the traditional orange pumpkin!  I can’t help but think of Charlie Brown and Linus in the pumpkin patch waiting the arrival of The Great Pumpkin when I see them!  Yes, I grew up in the 70’s!

Then, there are the unique varieties!  I love the pumpkins and gourds that come in green to aqua shades.   They worked especially well this year with the aqua color on my screen porch.

WHEAT

Dried wheat can be super pricy!  Have you looked at how much a package of dried wheat is at the local craft stores?  If you purchase it this way – make sure you get it on sale or with a 50% off coupon!  Last year, I learned from planning a fall wedding that the time to get wheat is before the farmer’s harvest.

I just stopped by a local farm with wheat fields and asked if we could cut some for a wedding and he said we could have as much as we wanted!  We gathered a large basket full.

Make a dried wheat wreath, put wheat in a pitcher, or use one stem on each table setting on your fall dining table.

SUNFLOWERS

Bright yellow sunflowers look great in a blue ball jar or white pitcher for fall.  I’ve even seen sunflowers for sale at the local grocery stores this year – so they are easy to find.

This year, I used the head of a large, dried sunflower as an element in my fall decor.  To me, it’s still beautiful with the hints of green and dried petals.

DRIED HYDRANGEA

If you have hydrangeas in your landscape, you can dry your own.  Different colors and varieties, produce variations in the dried versions.  The hydrangeas I used above have a hint of pink – the variety of hydrangea was called Strawberries and Cream.

If you don’t have any hydrangeas in your landscape, ask a friend who has some in her yard for some clippings to dry.   If you’re unsure of how to dry hydrangea blooms, Yvonne at Stone Gable shares the easy steps HERE.  I’ve also found dried hydrangea for sale at some local antique shops.

DRIED PLANTS

Dried seed pods, grasses, and even garden plants.  Take a walk around your perennial and vegetable garden. Look for interesting spent flowers, dried grasses, or seed pods.  Or, take a drive along a country road (with your garden shears in the trunk).  Yes, I have to admit that I’ve done this!

Here’s a case where I did use faux – the dried okra pods I used on my mantel are not real, but are very realistic!

The crock in the photo above contains dried sorghum and branches mixed with some faux leaves.  Just because something is brown, doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful!

BRANCHES & LEAVES

If you’ve got trees in your yard, take out those trimmers and cut a few branches. Even if they aren’t bright orange, red, or yellow – I think they can be more interesting than faux branches.  I have ornamental cherry tries, so those leaves aren’t very interesting – but the berries are.  I plan to use more branches from those trees this fall.

Another source for interesting fall leaves and branches is your local  garden recycling center.  Garden recycling centers are becoming more common.  It’s a place where you can take your garden trimmings to be turned into mulch or compost.  I stopped by our local center and picked up these branches.  I loved how they were brown on one side and white on the other.  I have no idea what kind of tree they came from – but liked the look!  And, free is always good!

FEATHERS

Use pheasant feathers in a small pitcher as an arrangement or tuck some into your centerpiece or mantel decor.

You could also use a feather on each place setting of your dining table.

INDIAN CORN

 

NUTS

A simple bowl of nuts with a nutcracker brings back memories of days gone by and looks great on a side table.  Or, here I made a garland of walnuts for my mantel.  I used a large, heavy duty needle with thin twine and literally strung the walnuts from end to end.

In this photo, there are walnuts and acorns in the base of the lantern.

Here I used chestnuts as a filler for a bowl of floating candlelit apples.

FRUIT

Apples and pears are a favorite of mine for fall.  There are so many varieties that you should be able to find the color you need for your style.  My personal favorites are golden apples and Bosc pears.  Put one Bosc pear on each place setting with a tag tied to the stem for a place card.  Even though I love the golden apples, here I used small red apples for a fall tablescape.

Of course, there’s also corn shocks, straw bales, mums, bittersweet, ornamental cabbage and kale!  Such a bounty of natural items to use in our fall decor!  Enjoy the season and have fun decorating your home for fall!

Follow my Fall Pinterest Board HERE for more than 500 fall decorating ideas!