A paler shade of autumn...

At this time of of year, I can do nothing but gasp at the beauty of the changing treetops as nature's paintbrush chooses a palette of rusty reds, purple and golden yellow. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful as autumn weaves a rich tapestry across the English countryside. I always look at ways to bring a little of that splendour into our home, decorating with some cosy autumnal touches.

Usually the mantel by the fire place is dressed in an autumn palette of gold, rust, red and purple, and the dresser also gets a little makeover to reflect the changing season. But this year, for some reason, my eyes just twitch at the sight of orange pumpkins! I initially styled the dresser with traditional shades associated with autumn, but my eye just kept hankering for pastels! So, I decided to swap the the bright yellow and orange for more subtle pastel shades. And what is a girl to do, but paint the orange pumpkins pink?

I used some white matt emulsion paint that I already had, and just tinted it pink with some red poster paint from the children's craft stash. No expense spared here! Well, the pumpkins will only last for a short season, so I thought there is no need to use expensive paint. Before I painted the pumpkins, I washed them in bleach as this kills off any lingering bacteria, and so the pumpkins will last the season without spoiling. A little coat of glitter varnish, and a pretty ribbon just adds a bit of pretty!

Last year I sewed a leafy garland from some fabric scraps. This was rather time consuming, but well worth the effort. If you can't sew, but wish to do something similar, then I would suggest using felt. Felt is very forgiving, and easy to use. All you need to do is cut out some leaf shapes and thread them on to thin florist wire. You can then tie it to the mantel, or a dresser as I have done here. The wire can be manipulated easily to hold it's shape.

Nothing adds a festive touch more than a bit of cheery bunting. Of course you can take the time to sew beautiful triangles on to luscious ribbon or bias binding, but if you fancy a quick fix, then you can cut some flags from pretty fabric, turn over a hem at the top, and thread through some string. Voila! A little bit of loveliness!

And so, a nod to autumn, albeit a paler shade of pink!

Blessings