A Table for Fall
by Sonya Weiss

Fall. It's my favorite time of the year. The season conjures up memories of crisp red apples, thick carpets of golden leaves blanketing the ground and nights spent sipping hot cocoa before a crackling fire. When I smell that sharp October air, I know it's time to start decorating the house for fall and I can't hardly wait to get started.

I love decorating anyway and am always scouring magazines and the Internet looking for new ways to dress my home in autumn finery.

This year, I kept things simple and the budget forced me to keep decorations inexpensive and yet, the decorations have turned out to be some that my family and I really enjoy.

Often, my decorating theme for the fall will start with one item or idea and grow from there. Ever see those magazine layouts with a nicely set table that looks as if someone is just waiting to sit down to a tasty meal? I thought why not use table settings in my decorating scheme?

I love fabric tablecloths, especially vintage ones. A few months ago, I spotted a tablecloth in a color between light brown and gold and purchased it. After I bought the tablecloth, I found hand painted plates done with fall decorations and colorful fruits. I enjoy collecting place settings and often will buy a set of plates to use strictly for decorating the table. I don't buy the entire set, cups, bowls etc. because it would end up costing too much and I don't have room to store them all. If the kitchen cabinets collapsed from the weight of the dishes, my husband probably wouldn't be too happy.

I found a heavy vase that wouldn't tip over if little hands reached for it and I filled it with flowers-red, burnt orange and yellow-from the local dollar store at a fraction of the cost a larger retail store wanted for the same flowers. To hide the unsightly stems, once the flowers were arranged the way I wanted them, I filled the spaces in the vase with gold rocks like the ones you see in an aquarium. The results were a table centerpiece that looked costly but isn't..

Finally, I put small pumpkins on the table and used them as holders for mini candles. The results are a table fit for fall.

Happy decorating!