Bringing Fall Colors Inside

By Pam Blair

No matter what your favorite season might be, we are always dazzled by the spectacular display of colors on fall leaves. It’s a Godgiven gift that helps to ease the transition from autumn to the winter months, which can be rather pale and dreary.

When pumpkins, mums, and Halloween décor go on sale even before Labor Day, it makes me anxious because I want to hang onto summer for as long as possible. I know the window for fall decorating is short, as preparing for Christmas can begin before Thanksgiving. So, while I am always tempted to buy lots of pumpkins and mums, I reluctantly put the brakes on and pull out my favorite velvet pumpkins and faux garlands to make a centerpiece for the table.

Taking a cue from nature, I use the colors of leaves on trees at the edge of the lake. When reflected on the water, their beauty is simply breathtaking. Using that color palette, I create a table display that brings the glory of fall right inside the house. Every year I use a large velvet pumpkin I love for its gorgeous texture and real stem. Over the years, I have added a couple of smaller velvet pumpkins in different colors with interesting angular stems.

Adding height to the arrangement with a cake stand gives the largest pumpkin the status it deserves. I accessorize the pumpkins with fall leaf garlands draped around everything and add a couple of candlesticks, like two handdipped beauties I won’t be burning. They will be repurposed each year and I can always tuck in smaller votives around the garlands. If you add some real gourds or squash from the grocery store, their use can be doubled by eating them later!

When trees drop their leaves, bring them inside, along with acorns and pinecones for a natural look that extends their life. Bringing the colors of fall inside is not hard to do and while the real thing outside will fade, you can create lasting arrangements to be enjoyed for as long as you wish.

Pam Blair is a former medical librarian and communications manager who gets nervous when she doesn’t have something to read. She loves descriptive writing and has authored and edited a book and numerous other publications. Contact her at pblair919@aol.com.