Seasons > Autumn > Home Decorations > Living Room and Dining Room
Adding fall colors to your normal decorations can be a quick way to make seasonal changes. Here a dried arrangement with artificial berries has been added, and in the smaller picture, a ribbon with a fall leaf motif was added. You can collect naturally dried plants on a walk through the woods, or buy them at a dollar store (hundred yen store) or craft store.
This wreath cost about 3 dollars to make. The plain wreath, and the leaf swag were both purchased at a hundred yen store, and the ribbon was purchased at Costco. I cut the swag into lengths that reached three fourths of the way around the wreath, and fastened them onto the wreath with florist’s wire. The ends of the wires were twisted around a pencil point so they looked like vine tendrils.
This makes a nice centerpiece for a table, or a sideboard. Arrange candles in candle stands of varying height. Add leaves that come in bushes, or cut up swags and bunch several strands together with twist ties and arrange them around the candle stands. You can use the twist ties or florist’s wire, to fasten them to the candle stands, if that will help hold the leaves in place. Finally, arrange gourds, squash and pumpkins amongst the leaves. If you use real ones, be sure to check them daily, incase any of them begin to rot. The ones pictured here are ceramic ones that I bought at a hundred yen store. Similar ones can be ordered from Oriental Trading company, or Lillian Vernon.
This frosted window has no view of it’s own, so adding fall leaves gives a taste of the seasonal changes, even though you can’t see outside. It looks totally different at night and during the day. An orange candle and bow continue the fall theme at the bottom of the window
These pillow decorations are so easy to make. Just cut leaves out of different colors of felt and sew or glue them onto ribbons that fit snugly around your throw pillows. Giant buttons give added detail. Sometimes you can find leaf shaped felt coasters at hundred yen stores, and then you don’t even have to cut out the leaf shapes. Glue or sew the ribbons into a loop and slide them onto the pillow from the side. I do not recommend making the ribbon portion out of felt because it stretches so easily, that just leaning against the pillow once can stretch it out of shape. There are several strategies for finding leaf patterns-- you can buy cookie cutters, or use silk leaves as patterns, or go outside and pick up real leaves for patterns, or go on line and find leaf pictures on Google Images.
Here are 2 variations for using fall decorations purchased at a hundred yen store. The wreath and branch match, with their tiny orange leaves, and fake berries. In the version on the left, the branch has been added to vines, and “flowers” made from pine cone “petals” and other dried plants, ( All but the vines were purchased at the hundred yen store.) The small wreath accents the arrangement that is sitting on a shelf. The arrangement on the right combins the branch with two kinds of wheat in a lacquer vase next to a lacquer plate that echos the same fall colors.
Seasons > Autumn > Home Decorations > Living Room and Dining Room