I don't decorate based on seasons period, so nope. However my "decorating" is Arts & Crafts era inspired and that era didn't lend itself the the sort of "decorating" epeople get into now. My decorating is the wool area rug that coordinates with the walls, large furniture peices and a few paitings used as focal points. That's it. I don't do nick nacks or anything so there isn't anything to change out.

The only thing I do differently is I tend to burn different candle fragrances depending on the weather. (if its cold and gray I use food fragrances or other warm cozy things. If its bright and warm I tend to use floral fragrances.)

I'm in need of autumnizing--more logistical than practical, though.

Time to switch out the light jackets for the medium ones, pack away the shorts and tees, scout out winter boots, mittens, etc., for all of us.

And, some late back-to-school organizing, esp. now that we have a better idea of what this year's challenges are going to be.

Congrats on getting all ready for autumn, Sheryl! I bet that feels really nice...esp. with your porch. :-)

Normally, yes, I change my general decor for the seasons. This year, I'll be a little late due to all the moving stuff, though I've been looking very longingly at the mums in the store lately, and I do have one mum as a centerpiece for our DR table. Most of my fall/thanksgiving type decor is in storage still - except for my table runners, which don't fit the new table (it's much bigger than they are). So I'm not quite sure *how* to decorate this year, since it's a new house, and there's different areas to decorate (I have a fireplace mantle now - very exciting). :-) I would love to do some outside decorating - the stair railing, the wooden bucket by the door, the mailbox...just gotta figure out what. I know we're going to carve some pumpkins this year...and I do think scarecrows are going to be a major part of my fall decor, since I think they are just cute. ;-)

Now that I have a fireplace, with a nail above the mantle in the perfect spot for a wreath, I'm determined to get wreaths for every season to hang up there. LOL I just ordered a valentine's day wreath on sale, actually. But I haven't gotten a halloween/fall wreath yet - not sure if I'll get one for both halloween and then thanksgiving, or just be practical and go for a "fall wreath" that will go with both. I have the space now, so I just might splurge... ;-)

I've noticed they're selling seasonally-colored tubs for most major holidays now, which I think is a wonderful idea. Saw some black and orange ones in the store the other day, so I've been thinking I might buy one of those, and then I'll have a place to store my halloween stuff and know that's what's in it without having to label, because it's halloween colors. We're planning our first "annual" Halloween party this year, so we'll have decorations to store afterwards.

So Halloween decorating is my goal for this month - I just need to do some budgeting and go get the decorations!

I just got back from a trip to WI (I'm from AZ) to visit my mother. EVERYTHING is fall decor there. It was so fun, so I vowed when I returned I'd do the same.

Not to be. There is hardly anything of the sort here. I had to hunt for little gourds and baby pumpkins and there is no such knicky, knacky or scarecrow thingys to buy, or any mums. What a bummer!!!! But I do have some fall leaf garland and after a three stores, I found some little pumpkins and gourds to put in my centerpiece bowl. I guess I'll have to keep going back to my fall keepsake box that I brought back....my red and yellow fall leaves, acorns, those little "helicopters" that fall from trees and some pinecones.

Only if I do Halloween for the kids at my place.Down here the pumpkins rot after a week,and it's hard to look at maple leaves while the palm trees are swaying.By xmas the temp drops to around sixty five,and I feel more motivated to decorate for the holidays(still not the same as the north though.I've had cookie batches fall from unseasonal humidity at xmastime).

I love autumn! Yes, I decorate for it too. My porch has a garland of fall leaves around the front door, a huge urn filled with cat-tails, autumn leaves, autumn grasses and mums. We will be going to Greenbluff soon . . . a wonderful farm area here in Spokane full of acres and acres of orchards and pumpkins. It is a fall tradition. We always bring home a pumpkin for each kid to carve, homemade apple cider, apples, and cornhusks which I will decorate on the porch too. I have a lot of dried indian corn and dried gourds I still need to dig out too. I usually get a bale of straw and make a scarecrow who sits on top it, but we will see if time permits this year. After halloween, I take the straw and put it around my roses. Since moving, I don't have very many roses yet, so it isn't as useful to have the bale of straw as it used to be. I learned the hard way not to let it sit all winter in bale form . . . makes a great mouse apartment complex! LOL!

Brenda

Brenda, there is nothing like a beautiful autumn day at the farm in the Northwest. A couple of years ago our family took a drive out to the country, got cider and apples and had a great time. The colors are so beautiful. Autumn colors seem to be my choice for a color pallate in our home - reds, golds, browns, greens. I find myself in awe of all the colors outdoors right now! (Part of this is due to the fact that I grew up in CA, where we didn't see as much color.) As for hay bales, it always amazes me how many people keep them on their porches LONG after fall is over. Hay bales at Christmas just don't cut it! :)

Sheryl

I have a friend who hangs up a small quilt in her front entry way each season and sometimes monthly. She changes much of her decore- pictures etc based on seasons, holidays, etc. I can't do that. I am lucky to get a picture on the wall much less change it. So no autumnizing my house.

What I do is get ready to hunker down in the house. I do a spring type cleaning- wipe down walls, air out the house really well, wash all the rugs, flip mattresses etc.

I also winterize the camper, get the heater on, winterize the pool and the sandbox toys.

That is enough.

Ginger

You know, it occurred to me that one reason I probably add seasonal stuff to my home is because my mother always did. I found comfort in it as a child, for some reason. She still goes all out for each season, decorating her porch, adding little touches throughout her home. We had dinner at her house a couple of weeks ago and her dining room table was beautifully set up for autumn. She's also a quilter, so she changes her wallhangings seasonally. I guess she passed this on to me, although I don't seasonally decorate NEAR as much as she does. I just add touches here and there.

Sheryl

Annellis, I'm in Wisconsin, and I'd be glad to mail you anything from our local stores! You're right, our stores are definitely autumnized. . . except Menard's, which is already Christmasized.

I decorate for all major holidays & seasons. I have to say it's actually not so much fun doing the decorating but I love the end result. We went pumpkin picking so in the front of my house I have bales of hay with pumpkins, ghourds, mums. On my front walkway I have metal jack-o-lantern buckets with mums. I change my holiday flag for all seasons plus the outfit on a little "welcome dog" & there are always a few garden stakes that change. For Halloween we also had a scarecrow & an inflatable ghost/jack-lantern ballon. Of course I change my door decorations as well & even my door mat. On my patio I added a windsock & change the 2 wall decorations. In my daughter's room I take out all her holiday plush. My diningroom & livingroom have a change of candles & I add cornucopias plus I have have silk mums & several asst. Halloween items.

Now that Halloween is over I took off anything CLEARLY Halloween & in its place added a turkey here & there, plus I changed my flag, doormat, dog's outfit, balloon to a turkey, etc. It's allot of work. And this is nothing compared to Xmas where my sister & I spent 2 days decorating my house, which even includes changing dishes BUT I don't even consider doing outside lights. It's actually getting to be too much.

Michie

I LOVE to decorate for different seasons. I have runners for the formal dining table in different colors and prints - right now the runner is a deep autumn gold with large tassels on the end. I update my floral arrangments by adding pumpkins, fall leaves and large sunflowers. The yard has scarecrows and big wooden pumpkins - real pumpkins and a large pot of yellow mums on the front porch. The china cabinet gets changed around too - I have fun little Fall plates and glass pumpkins in there right now alongside my grandmother's china and my wedding china. My mother decorated for the seasons and so do I - it's just something that means home to me.

A co-worker brought me a bag of persimmons today from his tree. They are in a wooden bowl in the center of the dining table. Simply gorgeous. They can sit there till they're good and ripe, and then it will be time for something else.

I can't even imagine a more beautiful centerpiece than these glowing orange persimmons, with the slightly bluish bloom to their skin, and the four fat dull green sepals at the top of each one.

On the bookshelf in front of the mirror is another wooden bowl, smaller, with magnolia seed cones in it. They are amazingly lovely to look at as well, the complicated shapes and those maroon seeds peeking out of the nut brown fur.

Sylvia, that is a perfect example of beautiful simplicity! Just your description made me want to go get some persimmons!