Fall Open House...Natural Decor

by Lynn @ Nourish and Nestle

2 Materials

$30

4 Hours

Easy

I’ve realized that I filling our home with the flavors and aromas of fall is as important as the fall decor to fully embrace the season. I hope you can take a little time out of your busy day to stop by my Fall Open House tour.

I really focused on natural fall decor this year…for the most part my fall decor came from the produce and floral departments of my grocery store…except for the cotton boll garland that called to me from our local florist supply shop.

As you come through our front door, you’ll be greeted by the bowl of Potpourri I made. It smells lovely sitting in the bowl; but I made it for simmering, which really releases the combination of delightful aromas. I prepared little bags of potpourri for you, so make sure you grab a bag and the ‘how to’ at the end of the tour.

But let me just tell you…it’s all apple-y and orange-y and cinnamon-y and clove-y and rosemary-y and…Oh my, it smells so good!

But let’s get on with the tour. From the foyer, let’s just pop in the den…

My mantle continues the natural with my fresh white pumpkin, twigs in a vase, cotton boll garland and small pinecones in the bell jars.

My ‘copper’ log bucket and pine cone bucket are both functional and pretty. Check out how I made these faux ‘copper’ pieces here.

From the den, lets meander into the kitchen…

Even if I don’t decorate anywhere else, I will always seasonally adorn the green hutch in my kitchen.

I stayed with the natural theme here in my kitchen as well with the fresh apples, cotton boll ball and wheat sheaves

I had a ball making a batch of wee needle-felted pumpkins and filled a tray with them on my green hutch…I like the contrast between the dark green and the white.

My assortment of random forks and spoons always fit with any season; I like to use them at home but also gift them with jars of jam and jelly.

My dough bowl is filled with fresh artichokes…

just fyi…you can get a carton of 5 artichokes for $2.99 at Trader Joe’s.

In the hallway outside of mudroom, I added some fresh seeded eucalyptus branches and another fresh pumpkin to the console table I built earlier this year.

…oh, and I just had to add a wee baby pumpkin in a nest because, well…I had a wee baby pumpkin and a nest!

Before you head out, make sure to grab a packet of simmering potpourri…I made it just for you.

It’s a delightful blend of fruit, spices and herbs…the aroma is heavenly.

I used:

2 apples, sliced thin
2 oranges, sliced thin
5 cinnamon sticks, crushed (I used a meat tenderizer)
3 tablespoons whole cloves
3 large sprigs of rosemary, cut into 1-2″ pieces
10 bay leaves

What I did:

I sprinkled cinnamon on the apple slices and ground cloves on to the orange slices and placed them in my dehydrator for 15-18 hours, alternately you could dry them in your oven if it has a warm or dehydrate setting (typically around 140-150°).
Mixed all ingredients together. If you do put them in separate bags, make sure you get a little of each of the ingredients into each bag.
To simmer your potpourri, put approximately 1/2 cup into a small pot of water and heat on low, refreshing the water as it evaporates.