Fall Decorating with Sunflowers

The Fall season brings us two wonderful holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving. If you enjoy decorating your home for holidays, then a great way to save money is to decorate for Fall in general, instead of buying items for the two separate occasions. With the one general theme, decorations can stay up for two months!

This Fall season, I decided on a sunflower theme for my decorations. My house if full of warm nature tones and the little hints of yellow, along with fall leaves blend really well together. My goal for these decorations was to incorporate them into my everyday decor so I could avoid storing items. This is the easiest and most enjoyable way to decorate!

Sunflower Bouquets:

Earlier this week, I bought some real sunflowers from the grocery store and put them in vases all over my living room and kitchen. Sadly, they didn’t survive really well in my house and died really quickly. Although they are pretty cheap to buy fresh, they are a lot of maintenance- This is why I opted for fake flowers instead. Joannes has a huge variety all Fall flowers that are all 50% off right now. I picked out five different bunches and assembled them together. I added a simple ribbon to each vase and used the extra leaves to hide the large stems that held them together. I placed the first one in an already empty space near my kitchen table and incorporated the second one onto an already decorated side table. The colors really pop out against the dark paint.




Sunflower Centerpiece: I bought this centerpiece already made last week for only $5! Since it was plain looking, I decided to spruce it up a little with these two small scarecrows that I found for $1 each. I added a leaf shaped place mat under the arrangement for an extra element.



Single Sunflower Pots: I found these single sunflower arrangements on sale for $1 each and thought they would be great fillers. I painted the terracotta pots (with multiple coats) to match the colors in my house (So I can reuse them for different holidays) and tied a cute little bow on each of them. The entire project was less than $6!








Outdoor Décor: I don’t have a big space on my patio, but I am very proud that I have managed to keep my plant alive for quite some time now! I found these cute wooden plant stakes at Joannes that were the perfect decoration. The sunflower was pulled from one of the large bouquets!



Sunflower and Pumpkin Ledge: I couldn’t decorate for Fall without using some pumpkins! I found these little pumpkins for 50 cents each and put them between candles that were already there. I snipped leaves and flowers off the back of my larger bouquets to make a garland-like display.




Sunflower Candle: This is a basic, three wick candle that I already had in my kitchen. I took a piece of orange ribbon and tied it around the top. Once secure, I added a fake sunflower that I took from one of my bouquets to match my theme.



Sunflower Extra: Since I had a lot of leftover sunflowers, I thought I'd even spruce up my fish's tank (vase) a little too. Just like many other decorations, I used a simple piece of ribbon and attached a sunflower! I put another leaf-shaped place mat under it to make the perfect (live) center piece for my kitchen island! Fishy loves Fall too :)



All of these decorations were a simple, quick and very inexpensive way to make my home beautiful for Fall! Even the littlest decorations can brighten your home and put you in the holiday mood every time you walk in the door!

Enjoy and Happy decorating :)

How to stay “Green” during Fall

The leaves may not been green anymore, but that doesn’t mean you should stop being “green” either! Fall is a great season to start trying out some new ways to not only save the environment, but also save some money as well.

1. Turn the air conditioner off: With temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s, there’s no reason to waste energy with the AC. Open up all of the windows in your house when you are home during the day and especially at night. Studies show that fresh air helps to calm and clear the mind, so let the breeze flow through.

2. Light some candles: There are so many great candles that feature some of Fall’s best scents: Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Hazelnut, Cranberry, Vanillia, Spice etc! Aerosol room sprays are harsh on the environment, and this is a great way to avoid using them. Also, save some energy at night by using candlelight instead of real lights. Candlelight can be therapeutic if your single or romantic if coupled up!



3. Garden: Most people probably don’t have the space to plant their own fruits, herbs or vegetables, but that doesn’t mean it's impossible. If you have an outdoor space at your house or apartment, you can plant a mini-herb garden in a small wooden crate, or buy small fruit and vegetable plants. If you’re not into this pseudo gardening, you can always shop at your local farmers market, which supports sustainability!

4. Transportation: Pollution is a major problem in our world today, and Fall is the perfect time to help save the planet! With lower temperatures, enjoy a nice bike ride to school, or walk down to your favorite coffee shop. Both activities are good for the body, mind and soul. If you can’t avoid driving, try and plan out your days or weeks to help reduce the trips you make.

5. Reuse: The Fall season always brings along a lot of shopping! Whether your buying a new pair of boots, or groceries for your all your Fall soirées, don’t forget your reuable bags. Some stores are even starting to provide or sell really cute ones now too!

Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Forget the traditional Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween this year! It's time to step up your pumpkin decorating skills, starting with a few of these unique and amazing ideas!

The Glitter Pumpkin (My favorite!)


Pick out the pumpkins of your choice and lightly paint on a coat of white (or clear) crafting glue. Apply a fine powdered glitter over the pumpkin in a coinciding color! These are the perfect girly halloween decoration!

Cookie Cutter Pumpkins




Hallow out your pumpkins, making the walls as thin as possible. Take your favorite cookie cutter (small size) and press into the walls of the pumpkin for this creative twist on carving! You can line your outdoor walkway with multiple small pumpkins, or put a vanilla cookie scented candle in a large pumpkin in your home for an added treat :)

Lace-Patterned Pumpkins



Cut a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin and take all of the seeds out. Put a piece of tape around the middle of the pumpkin to start your design layout. In order to get those perfect shapes, you can trace a lace pattern OR you can buy some wood carving tools! When finished, place a tea light inside for a simple glow.

Monogrammed Pumpkins




Monogramming is always in style and this year you can try this trend out on your pumpkin. If you can't free-hand the design, you can either purchase a stencil or print the letter off your computer using your favorite font. Once again, cut an opening at the bottom of the pumpkin to avoid the traditional Jack-O-Lantern look!

Spray Painted Pumpkins




If you're not into the traditional colors of pumkins, then this is the perfect pumpkin decoration for you! Take pumpkins of any size and spray paint them the color of your choice. Small pumpkins can be used as name places or mantle decorations, while bigger pumpkins are great centerpieces for your Fall party!


Enjoy!