Fall Decorations

Fall!

It's my favorite season for so many reasons. I get giddy seeing the leaves change color and hearing them crunch under foot. Pumpkin and apple anything makes my mouth water. I never feel more comfortable than in my skinny jeans, boots, and a warm top with a scarf tossed over. I love the cool weather, the promise of Christmas, the harvest activities, and  the decorations. Sigh. It almost makes my heart skip a beat when I think of this time of year.

As a former teacher I am all about planning and organizing to stay on top of my to do lists. At the end of summer its time to get our home decorated for fall. If I had it my way I would have decorations up at the first sign of fall which in Washington can start a bit early depending on the weather. My husband has a firm rule that I can' t decorate until September 1st so each year the boxes are out on August 31st ready to go. 

As a perfectionist I like my home, neat, clean, and looking like a Pottery Barn windows display. I used to have tables decorated with vases filled with pine cones and acorns, ceramic pumpkins, and dishes filled with candy corn. After I had The Brothers I had to let go of some of the neat and tidy to make room for fun a memories. It took Shane knocking down a huge vase and having it shatter around him for me to realize my need for this change. Total mom fail. Now my decorations are kid safe and not breakable. These days I traded glass fall decor for scarecrow dolls, some fun bell spiders, and pumpkins that the boys can touch and interact with. I still keep some of the old decorations out of little hands reach but I want my kids to have snowmen to hug at Christmas, advent calendars they can play with, little turkey pillows to lay on, and fall leaves to feel between their fingers. So with that said here is how I now decorate for fall with The Brothers in my life. Here is how I make our once neat house a kid friendly, happy, festive home. Come on in!

I like to decorate for fall as opposed for Halloween and Thanksgiving then I add in a few spiders and bats through Halloween and in November swap them out for a few turkeys. It makes my decorations last all season with little effort to transition from each holiday. It's also important to me to have decorations my kids can touch and interact with so they make memories and experience the holidays in our home. I have changed a lot of how I decorate after having kids. It's not quite like a Pottery Barn catalog but it is defiantly a kid friendly zone. So today I am showing you how I start off each year with my fall decorations.

Above my kitchen sink I changed a little display for fall. The square vase I had on hand and filled with extra leaves left over from my table centerpiece. The small box is one Brian made in wood work class in 8th grade and I think its just perfect. It is simple and adds a layer of height to this area and the natural wood color is beautiful. The signs I purchased at The Weed Patch in Bothell Country Village and I added a black bow to one just to make it a bit more Halloween themed. 

Above my kitchen cabinets and strung from my mantel are these great paper bunting banners. I made these last year and have a LOT of them in my home for various holidays and occasions. Shane loves flags so they are extra special and exciting for him. He even has them in his room now because he loves them so much. They add a inexpensive pop of color and are so easy to make. 

On my kitchen window S decorated pumpkins when we made our Halintines and we put them up. Prior to kids I would have cringed at this idea but Shane enjoyed decorating and seeing his art work up and you know what, so do I! I love seeing the boys play with these and that they can be on the window for some fall cheer. 

My table always has these big pumpkins on them scattered with Pottery Barn leaves that I have had for years. The center pumpkin is also Pottery Barn and the two smaller ones on the end I purchased at a small craft store a few years back. If you look close you will see my spiders crawling all over the pumpkins to throw a bit of Halloween in for the first half of fall decorating.  

I found these little spider on clearance one year from The Weed Patch in Bothell Country Village. I love them. They have a bit of glitter for fun, jingle when you shake them because they are made out of bells, and they are sturdy enough so my kids can touch and play with them. Shane thinks the are hands down the best part of our Halloween decorations.

I always purchase a few little pumpkins and add them to tables, the piano, and counter tops.

Right by the inside of the front door I switch out a welcome sign for each season. This one was a gift from years ago and I still use it each fall.

Outside I hang a wreath that has twigs, leaves, and acorns. Some years I hang spider webs but this year and last I have gone for more of a natural theme and cleaner look.

Shane picked out pumpkins for us all when we took the boys to the pumpkin patch the first weekend in October. I usually pot a mum or some kind of orange, red, or yellow flower in my pot that will stay until winter time.

There you have it! Some years I add more but this year with a two year old and a 9 month old it's as much as I could set up for while still keeping it baby proof. Decorations have simplified a lot around the The Brothers house because those boys can break more items and everything goes in the mouth...or an ear...or the nose. This is my happy balance as a mom to two little ones. I keep a bit of fun in while still letting them have their adventures around the house. I hope you enjoyed my little tour. How do you decorate with little ones around? Do you stick with a fall theme or go all out for Halloween?  I always like to hear what others have done!