Small Memories

As the leaves change color and the weather becomes cooler, we begin to think of autumn. This leads us to thoughts of decorating our homes and yards for the harvest season. Here are a few harvest decoration alternatives that may be just what you need to liven up your stash of autumn decorations.

Harvest is often associated with scarecrows and pumpkins but there is much more to harvest decorations. Consider adding other items to your standard decorations for a fuller, more well rounded display. You may even opt to replace your usual decorations. The key is to introduce items which you may not normally think of as being autumn related.

When you decorate the yard, use things which are often found around a farm, garden, or in the forest. Group several stalks of dried corn and tie them together. These will be used as the backdrop for your outdoor decorations. In front of the stalks, you can add a variety of things such as overturned wooden baskets, wooden crates, a wheelbarrow, or hay bales. These create places where smaller decorations can sit.

Place brightly colored, live or artificial, potted mums on the flat surfaces. Next, add a few plain gourds or pumpkins, if you prefer. You may also want to strategically drape sturdy dried vines around the grouping to give it different texture. On top of the dried vines, place ears of Indian corn, which have been tied together with, twine or ribbon.

Don’t neglect to decorate the porch and patio. Bring some of the elements used when decorating your yard onto the porch. Later carry the smaller elements into your home decor. For instance, if you have used mums in your yard, add a smaller pot or arrangement on the porch as well. If your porch or patio is small, you may choose to use smaller pots. Tie some of the corn stalks to the columns of your home and then tie or glue groups of Indian corn onto the stalks.

For the front door decoration, purchase a basic wreath or create a harvest wreath using grape vines. Spray paint pinecones with either clear acrylic or colored paint and let them dry. Then, hot glue them to the wreath. Add silk mums, berries, or dried fruit to give more color to your wreath. Create a bow using raffia, a wide strip of burlap, or a strip of checkered material. Hot glue the bow to the wreath and hang it on the front door. Consider making a wreath for each entrance to your home.

As we move from the outside of the house to the inside, one of the most important things you can do to create the harvest mood indoors is incorporate autumn scents. You could bake a pumpkin pie, light woody-scented candles, or plug in a small simmer pot filled with herbs and spices. As an alternative to the simmer pot, you may want to add some apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, or a cinnamon stick to a saucepan of water that sits on your stove. With the last method, you would just heat the pan of water on the lowest heat available. Let it simmer for a few minutes and then turn it off before you leave the kitchen.

Once inside the home, use your accents sparingly. Remember, decorations should be accent items. If you have stairs, you might want to wrap a silk or faux garland of fall leaves along the handrail. For a nice touch, put a small display at the base of the stairs. This may be done using a wicker or wooden basket filled with leaves and nuts.

Save the major harvest decorations for the table. Start with a solid tablecloth as the base. Dark rich colors such as green, rust, gold, and maroon work best. Your table decorations can include the dishes and napkins, if you have items with earth tone or harvest colors. As an alternative to the standard pumpkin centerpiece, you could make an arrangement using red and yellow mums, painted pinecones, or Indian corn. A cornucopia with fruit and nuts cascading from it would also be nice choice.

Remember, whether you are decorating the inside or outside of your home, harvest decorations consist of items other than pumpkins and scarecrows. There are alternatives to the standard decorations. Use what nature provides to enhance your home, and have fun while you plan each display. In fact, make decorating for the harvest season a special family tradition by including everyone in the planning and gathering of your alternative harvest decorations.

Recommended:

To see and purchase items like the harvest wreath and scarecrow decorations above visit the Autumn Gifts & Decor page or simply click on the graphic.

As the weather begins to cool, people think about autumn traditions from their childhood and fall activities that they still enjoy in their communities. Soon you will see men raking leaves into huge piles and kids jumping into the pile while their fathers aren’t looking. At a local craft fair, you’ll see women doing their best to shop while a child whines, “Mama, I want one of those.” These type of autumn scenes have played out in yards and at events for a hundred or more years. Some traditions are old and some are new, or are they? Here are a few ways some family traditions have changed over the years.

Autumn traditions are as popular today as in days gone by. Although the traditions may be different now, the goals are the same - survival. At this time of year, men begin thinking about hunting and football. It seems the cooler weather brings out the men’s primal need to track and protect. Whether they are tracking food for their family, as in the past, or trying to protect their quarterback on the football field, it’s all the same basic tradition.

Women have their own traditions. Fall brings out a woman’s natural storing and nesting tendencies. In the past, sewing and canning were common autumn activities. This was how women helped to prepare their families for long bitter winters. Now, women accomplish the same goal by buying extra blankets and stocking up pantries or freezers. These traditions, whether new or old, are passed down from generation to generation, just like a great family recipe.

Food seems to be a common thread among fall traditions. Whether it’s the barbecue prepared at a tailgate party, fun food found at a local fair, or the more formal fare shared at a harvest ball, food plays a major part in the traditions we enjoy. We would be hard pressed to think of autumn without remembering our favorite traditional foods.

Traditions are important whether they are based around autumn or another event. Everyone needs family traditions. Not only do they help us form close bonds now, they also remind us of our loved ones, in later years. Consider adding a new or old family tradition to this year’s autumn schedule of events.