~ That Fresh Feeling of Fall ~

FiNaLly . . .  a hint of FaLL has come to North Carolina.  The temperatures have dropped ever so slightly and the humidity has let up too. 

It was such a nice feeling to be able to open the windows for a while this morning and re-acquaint myself with the smell of crisp fresh air.

Apparently this bit of cooler weather was all I needed to get the urge to do a bit of FaLL NeStInG.  Well, that and a recent stop at HomeGoods. 

For quite awhile now I have been looking for a fall themed picture to hang above the fireplace.  Normally there is a print with blue hydrangeas and a yellow bird up there.  It works well most of the year, but when all the oranges, golds, russets and greens of Fall come into the room, it looks a bit too springy/summery. 

The trip to HomeGoods last week yielded this fall themed painting.  At first I wasn't sure I liked it.  But, since it did have some blue and yellow in it and the size seemed good, I decided to bring it home and give it a try.

A bit of shopping from the attic, a few snips of my limelight hydrangeas and a few minutes spent gathering books in just the right colors . . .

I get a lot of books from the thrift shops.  Sometimes I buy them to read and other times I buy them for their colors.  This time I went to the bookcase and searched for books in some of the colors in the painting.  They are a good way to spread the color to other areas of the room.

They also come in handy for elevating small knick knacks.

~ A simple pumpkin adorned with autumn leaves ~

~ A squirrel gathering acorns ~

This little squirrel planter was a recent find at the antique store.  There is a 
 tree in my neighborhood that grows tiny acorns.  As soon as they start falling I will be gathering some up to put in the planter.

When decorating a room for fall, it's nice to add candles.

As the days grow shorter, they cast such a warm and cozy glow in the evening.

Sometimes they even make pretty patterns on the wall :).

  At times I wonder whether it is worth the time and effort to decorate for the seasons now that our nest is empty.  I think I got my answer last night.  After a walk in the slightly cooler night air, we came home to watch a movie.  I opened a few windows, lit the candles and made some popcorn.  After a long, hot summer this change was just what was needed to give us a sense of renewal.  And although I think my husband wouldn't care one way or the other if the house was decorated for the season . . .

He was the one who climbed up the ladder and arranged the display way up on top of the cabinet on the left.  He even seemed to enjoy doing it (but don't tell him I told you that ;-).

Edited to add:  I'm linking this post to Melissa's Fall Nesting Party.  Thank you Melissa for hosting this fun event.