Fall Nesting Party

Autumn weather hasn't reached North Carolina yet, but the calendar says that it's

Click here to see how I made the burlap-covered candles.

So I'm ready for a little fall nesting.

I have a pumpkin collection that I've been building ever since I first got married--25 years now! I'll get those out a little later, perhaps to celebrate the autumnal equinox (on September 23 this year). For now, I'm nesting by adding little bits of autumn here and there.

First, the front door:

See that cute little fall "Welcome" sign above the door?

And on the front porch:

Click here if you'd like to see how I made my pillows for almost no money.

In the living room, I pull out my cozy wool throw and add some fall-colored pillows.

In the dining room, I put out my burlap table runner (it's actually just a piece of burlap with the ends frayed, but I call it a runner), some autumn-themed topiaries and a pretty leaf-shaped tray.

Aren't the topiaries cute? They're covered in acorns.

Actually, I made the topiaries. I found these cute acorn-covered balls at Home Goods:

I think they're meant to be hung; I just cut off the jute hanger. Some time ago, I found some really ugly topiaries on super-clearance somewhere--I think they were covered in hideous fruit. But the containers and the topiary forms were nice, so I bought them and stored them until I thought of a good way to re-invent them. When I found the acorn balls, I knew exactly what I wanted--I just cut the tops off those ugly topiaries and replaced them with the acorn balls.

I wanted to add some autumnal texture to my primitive sideboard, so I polished up a Revere bowl (a $3.99 Goodwill find) and filled it with fallish decorative spheres. (What do you call decorative spheres? Is there an official name for them?)

Some are covered in jute; others with feathers. I found these on final clearance at some point and have been saving them for fall.

Are you in the fall nesting mood? If so, you should visit Melissa's Annual Fall Nesting Party for lots of inspiration!