DesignsandEvents: Setting a Harvest Table

Do any of you feet like you don't have enough time to get all of the things done you want to? I am almost positive you do or, at least, have in the past. Well, that is how I have been feeling lately. So much so, that I almost didn't decorate my home for the fall. Very sad. However, one day I just started doing it and all of a sudden I became very excited about fall and all of its colorful decorations!

Here is a glimpse of what I did with my dining room~

Since I had a wedding to do (you know...the flowers) this month and doing so takes up soooo much of my time, I decided to go easy and use items I already owed to do my fall decorating. Of course, as I went along I found myself traveling to Michaels and JoAnn Fabrics to fill in the gaps...that always seems to happen with me. Does it with you?

I bought some new ribbon since I didn't have just the right kind at home.

I also found myself foraging around the back yard looking for items I could use to add to the tablescape I was creating. Have you tried foraging? It can be a lot of fun. I did find that I had to replace the natural leaves I found with some fake ones because the real leaves only lasted one day. They shrivel up. I did like the natural look, however, even if it only lasted for one day. If you like that look, simply do your foraging on the same day you are having your friends and/or family over and throw the leaves away after your gathering.

I found some leaves, pods and berries in my yard. Adding them to the dinner plates is very impractical but I love the look.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I have plenty of bittersweet in my yard. It really looks nice in a harvest scene but it is miserable stuff and sooo invasive!! I, of course, will dispose of it correctly; thrown in a plastic bag, tied with a twisted and disposed of in the trash in order not to spread the seeds around the yard. Too bad it is such awful stuff, it really does look pretty this time of year.

Aside from the foraging and the occasional trip to the craft stores, most of the materials here I already owned.

While doing some repairs to the barn, my husband saved me an old piece of barnboard and I use it quite often around the holidays to decorate. This year it is on the dining table. It's perfect because it creates a runner on top of a runner and I like the depth it creates for the table.

I know these fake pumpkins and gourds are not the real thing but, they add lots of color and don't rot and stain my table like the fresh ones do. I learned that the hard way many years ago! I did use the real thing on the plates, however. The plates will protect the table from the natural gourds :).

These little amber-colored votive holders were a find from Michaels...on a huge clearance I might add. They offer just the right amount of light at night.

I had to mismatch the plates and the candles. As I said, I was in the middle of wedding flower prep and what I already had was just going to have to do. I actually like how it came out, anyway. My sister-in-law came by one day and loved the floral design of the dining table. She generally likes matchy, matchy things so, I considered that a win!!! Now that I think of it, she is always so nice about complimenting my work~ maybe she was just being nice ;).

One of these days, I am going to replace my dining room chandelier but, that is going to require an electrician and messing around with my wood ceiling. So, for now my old standby is going to stay. Haha! It is usually a conversation piece, anyway, so why not keep it for a little while longer?

I am very happy that I took the time to decorate my house for fall, even if it is not as elaborate as I usually do. It makes me feel good and my family loves it too! And, as it turned out, everything went well with the wedding and all of the flowers. I can't wait to tell you about all of that! I am getting the photos ready now so, hopefully, next week I will be able to show them to you.

Until then, try to get all of your stuff done...at least the important stuff...and I will do the same. Only we can decide what the important stuff is, right ;) ?~~~