Pretty Dried Things

I'm not much of a seasonal decorator. I prefer to mark the shift from summer to fall with things like thicker comforters, extra cups of hot tea, glowy candles on the coffee table while I read, chili and cheese quesadillas, wool sweaters and my favorite pair of red leather boots.

But a few days ago as I enjoyed a crisp walk around the neighborhood, I was inspired by all of the cozy little changes I noticed on front stoops and in windowsills of the houses on and around our block. Plus nature herself was in absolutely lovely form, showing off orange berries on deep green bushes and golden leaves that danced through the air.

When I got home I remembered that there was a box in the attic of bunches of dried wheat and other fall-ish decor, something my parents had given us. I hunted down the box and then spent a while arranging and re-arranging, standing back to look, adding in a candle or two, realizing that looked too precious and planned, finally deciding simplest was best.

It's still that extra cup of morning tea and the piling on of layers and the warm soup bubbling on the stove that really make fall feel like fall to me. But these pretty dried things on our mantle remind me in another way of autumn's beauty and richness and charm.

(I also made a fall wreath for our front door--two of them actually--but that's coming in another post.)