Autumn Decor

Before the month gets away from, I thought I'd share a couple pictures of my Thanksgiving decor - by and large, there's just a subtle shift from Halloween to Thanksgiving.. a witchy item or two put away, a turkey and some fruit to signify abundance put up.

My year 'round tree is full of ornaments shaped like grapes, pears, acorns and apples, along with other signs of autumn... colored leaves, autumn flowers, a couple stags... I've not done so this year, but  last year, we used the tree as a place to hand little scrolls with messages of what we were thankful for.  In many ways this tree is my altar - it not only is meant to symbolize the turn of the year, but to bring meaning to each month.

 At the heart of the tree is a very special angel from Hawaii made out of some sort of plant pods.

My mother sent her to me twenty-five years ago and she is very fragile and brittle to the touch, but I try to find a place for her - for me, she is a symbol of my mom and my connection with the past.

One thing that annoys me about where I live now is that there is no room for my cornucopia - the mantel is too narrow and the only possible spot is my very small kitchen table, and that doesn't work because our cat insists of regarding anything left there as her personal toys.

Even so, I do have the mantel, and I really like the way it looks right now.  The broom is a hold over from Halloween.... Halloween 2009, that is - I liked it so much I just left it up.  It's a cinnamon broom from the grocery store that I wrapped with strips of cloth from a worn out beige plaid cloth napkin, and then hung a set of tin stars on it that spell out "Welcome" (I think I got those stars from Oriental Trading Company).

The mantel, like the tree, is covered in seasonal flowers and leaves and various odds and ends - autumn stitchery, fruits and vegetables, a couple corn dollies, a scarecrow and a turkey.

This trio makes me laugh, because there is such a range of source material for my decor.  This corn dolly came from Prickett's Fort a few miles up the road - they do a lot of historical recreations there, including craftspeople that work according to authentic Colonial techniques for such things as making soap, candles, apple butter and these homespun figures.  Out of sight of this picture is one I made.

The turkey was admittedly probably overpriced, but I fell in love with it - made of metal, it's all very springy and silly and makes me smile.

And the scarecrow.. cost $.99 at the dollar store a few years ago, but he looks very dashing up there in all the autumn finery.

(shared with All Thingz Related Thanksgiving Party)