Fall Decoration on a budget

I do not usually decorate my home according to seasons (outside of Christmas of course). I know however that a lot of people do but for some reason that never really was something I was interested to do until we purchased our first home. Though years one did not showcase much, I have decided it was time to give this seasonal decor a try this fall 2012.

There are of course different styles and here are some I found on Pinterest or Google (I have added the links below each picture):

Country Kitchen

Dorwington Country Gifts

 

Pottery Barn Style - Monochromatic



Pottery Barn Fall 2012 Catalog

French Country - Simple Elegance

Culinary Antiques found on
 Mirroring History

Minimalist - Pure and Simple

Better Homes and Garden
Fall Decorating Gallery

 

Primitive



Gatherings for the Home blog

Natural



Chic on a Shoestring Decorating blog

I had an idea of the kind of decor I wanted to add to my home but also was limited by budget. So, I decided to keep decoration to only one room, in this case my dining room's buffet and also to not spend more than $40 since I had to purchase everything from scratch, having never decorated my home for the fall before.
There is plenty to choose from when it comes to stores, I could have gone to Home Goods, one of my favorite spots for decorating treasures, however, with a $50 budget, even Home Goods would not yield much. Enters The Christmas Tree Shops! If you have one in your area, you know exactly what I am talking about! If you do not have one, check out their website and flyer for locations throughout the country, the Christmas Tree Shops are worth the ride!

The Christmas Tree Shops is the kind of store where when you see something, you'd better grab it on the spot for they will not restock the item and there is a reason for that, they are the overstock purveyor for Bed Bath & Beyond! This should tell you that they do carry some great finds and name brands as well! They also carry their own merchandise, of course it's all made in China, but it is current in style and very affordable too!

This is my dining room buffet before my project:

 

 

 

I picked what I call a Fusion Style, it is a mix between French, Pottery Barn and Primitive and for my decor I picked the following items:

I found this decorated candle stand (holds three pillar candles) with relatively realistic looking flowers in shades of yellow and orange (it could probably be used for a summer decoration as well). This one had a hefty price tag of $9.99 and is the most expensive item I brought back from the store!

These three pillar candles were $4.99 each...

These primitive metal tags cost just under $2 for a pack of three!

These decorated metal pots were $4.99 for the large and $3.99 for the small ones...(bought two of each)

I also found these faux silk and synthetic flowers at $2.99 each (bought 6)

Putting it all together:

First I placed a red table runner I had as a left over Christmas decoration on top of my buffet, centered the candle stand and rearranged the flowers and leaves where I wanted them. One of the great things about faux silk flowers is that they are usually wrapped around metal wires thus making them bendable and adjustable!
I also removed the plastic protective and decorated sheets around the pillar candles, opting for a "naked" and more natural look...

 

The tags came in with gingham ribbons which where not that easy to untie and retie, so instead I used embroidery thread I had lying around to loop and secure them under each pillar. I also repositioned some of the leaves and flowers in such a way that they would lay over or under the tags, giving the ensemble a fuller effect...

Here is the result...

 

 

I then added my pots on either side of the display - notice how I mixed the colors so that two red pots are not next to one another.

 

 

 



 







 

 

It was time to add my floral arrangements. I stuffed the bottom of the larger pots with newspaper and inserted the flowers. After trimming some of the excess plastic covered wires as well as some twigs and other pieces I felt were just too much or not natural looking, I started playing with the leaves, bending them this way or that way to give the ensemble the natural effect I was looking for.

 

 

Even when purchasing faux silk flowers you should not hesitate to trim
here and there those twigs, branches and sometimes blooms that are
just too much and unnatural looking!



Here is the final result:

 

 

 

 

 

And now for the verdict: I think it looks pretty good when considering these items came from a "bargain" store, however, I did not stay within my $50 budget, instead I went over by about $13 spending just under $63. When considering this display covers both Halloween and Thanksgiving, I can't say I over spent but I do recognize that it is a luxury!

What do you think?

 

Thanks for the time spent reading my blog,

 

Sophia, NJ.