Because I’ve been busy with home and work projects, I haven’t done much fall decorating. I did buy one heirloom pumpkin yesterday and some heather, but otherwise, I’m not going to do too much this year. I may change my mind in a week or two! The temperature was a crisp 40 degrees this morning on my walk and a couple of trees in our yard have turned a fiery red, so I’m definitely in the mood for fall. It’s for that reason that I decided to share my five fall decorating favorites from the past few years.
Farmhouse-Style Blue & White Fall Table
As soon as I broke free from the idea that fall decorating had to include orange, I enjoyed it. It could be blue and white and green. This table was a celebration of that!
I just used white pumpkins with green apples, some persevered yellow leaves, all set on a backdrop of blue and white. It’s not even a tablecloth, but a piece of fabric cut to size. It made my fall decorating favorites list because it felt like my style was finally shining through in fall decorating. (And I love that all of these pieces can transition into other seasons.)
You can see the full table along with source links HERE.
Bountiful Harvest Fall Table
This was a tablescape I did for HGTV.com and it was so much fun to put together an other-the-top, sumptuous table. I made a shopping trip to Wegman’s and picked up any yummy fruits, veggies, and seasonal produce I could find. Grapes, figs, nuts, squash, pumpkin, artichokes, filled a tiered centerpiece and spilled out onto the table.
In that same season, I mixed succulents and pumpkins, which turned out beautifully as well! The HGTV projects almost always push me a little outside of my comfort zone and force me to be more creative. You can find those tablescapes HERE.
Apple Orchard Picnic Shoot
It’s hard to believe that I lived right next to an apple orchard for 11 years and only did a photoshoot there once! This was another one that was for HGTV. I brought a table, chairs, and a few other things and set up an outdoor picnic with fresh apples (from the local market), apple cider, apple cider doughnuts, and other treats.
It was such a fun time figuring out how to add layers and textures to make the picnic look cozy…
My favorite part was the apple swags we made to hang on the back on each chair. You can see more photos from the shoot HERE.
Sweater Pumpkins
I can’t find my original post about these, but they were another project I did for HGTV and they turned out so cute! I just cut up an old sweater, wrapped it around a little orange pumpkin, and tied it in place with a piece of yarn. It took about 2 minutes to make and is a great way to change the look of a live or faux pumpkin.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I made these our first fall in our MN house and they were so yummy! I love chocolate chip pumpkin bread and these cookies capture all of those same flavors.
I guess a cookie recipe isn’t really a fall decorating favorite, but it is a fall favorite! You can see the full recipe HERE.
I would bake them again this fall, but I’m still trying to recover from all of the baking (and consuming of said baked goods) that happened during the stay-at-home season!
I hope you enjoyed these fall decorating favorites that I rounded up from past years. What are your favorite ways to decorate for fall?
All of these are so pretty! You know, I never thought about it: how your colors allow you to transition through the seasons. I’m struggling with the amount of decor (especially fall and Christmas because they’re two of my favorites) in my small house and when I read that line it was like a lightbulb lit up over my head. I’ve been leaning towards more neutral colors (whites, creams, grays, green) in my decor and so… why force the yellows and oranges because of my favorite season? I love the season because of the cooler weather, the color changes in nature. Anyway, love the tips! Stay warm! It’s starting to cool down a lot in VA!
Likewise! And because where I live in CA we don’t really have fall colors, so it feels forced. But we have apples!
Hi Marian, Love looking at your fall decor. Note to self: buy green sweaters at the consignment shops and garage sales. Question for you: I’m looking for a French Country bedskirt with main colors being blues and greens or taupe if not finding just the right blues and greens. I’ve surfed etsy and regular stores but not finding just the right one. Any suggestions? I’m considering making one from drop clothes. Have you done this? Thank you, Patti
I love all of these ideas. I don’t usually do much decorating for fall, other than natural branches and pine cones foraged from outside and such.
However, I can completely relate to staying away from the baked goods. Too much of a good thing lately!
I loved every one of these. Remember the apple tower centerpiece you did when you lived in PA? Did you ever do a tutorial making it? I would love to see it, it was so creative.
Yes! That was actually for Christmas and the tutorial is on HGTV.com. That was a fun one.
Sweet. somehow I missed a couple of these so it was nice to see the review here. Those green sweater pumpkins are just my color and the yarn tie is the perfect finish. I don’t offer tablescapes to HGTV or blogland, but I do dress my table for me & the males in the home don’t even give an extra blink now. It is good to use china and napkins and serving pieces that would otherwise just be home in the cupboard. I think since you are at home with males you would understand.
PLZ , PRETTY PLZ , could you also post a pic of your fiery red trees?!? We in Virginia are seeing slight hints of fall, but not the colors yet. Would be even more inspiring to us all!
And thank you so much for these posts from the past! HAPPY FALL Y’ALL! ( I sound southern, but am a Mid-western Ohio born gal; I just like how it sounds……….! LOL!) We are supposed to get more cool temps this weekend; oh so inspiring!
Yes, I certainly can do that!
I hope you decide to decorate, maybe it’s a little early, but for me when I decorate, I find, myself nesting and getting into Fall activities, yes! I love all your Fall makeovers/decorations from the past, and yes I bet your busy with your new business, but I know in your heart you really do want to decorate for the Fall, I could not not live without doing this! It’s like a need to nest and bring my family into the warmth of Fall Harvests a place for my family to know that its a new season! As always I love everything you do, you definitely inspire me!
I just started looking at some fall decor. It’s more fun now that my 6 yr. old grandson lives so close! Makes the holidays more magical!
Please post that cookie recipe! Pleeeeease!
Here you go! https://missmustardseed.com/pumpkin-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I just love spell check when it helps to spell a word correctly but does not recognize that it is spelling the wrong word! I’m sure you are using ‘preserved’ leaves, not ‘persevered’ leaves. Nevertheless . . . .
Thanks for solving that one! In my morning brain fog, I couldn’t figure out what Marian was trying to say. 🙂
I have the same white Staub Dutch oven….don’t you just love it?
I am going to treat myself to a Christmas one too.
Happy Fall
This first picture was such a revelation to me when I first saw it (last year?). I’ve lived in Florida most of my life, where pumpkins don’t grow and only the sun and tropical flowers are orange. In the vast majority of the state no tree leaves turn colors much less fall off branches. Decorating the traditional way felt fake but I did it anyway. Until I saw that picture. I can be true to the (very) slight change of seasons in my own authentic way now.
I may have missed it and if so, i apologize. Did you say what temperature and how long to bake the pumpkin/oatmeal cookies??
It was fun looking back and remembering these special table settings. It was also fun to see Kriste’s name again and to see you with short hair.
Fall was my favorite time of year in Minnesota. I could sense the season slowing down the pace of life and a coming together of family and friends as we anticipate moving toward Thanksgiving and the Christmas season~ enjoy it all Marian!