Tag Archives: autumn

Setting a Lovely Thanksgiving Table

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For most people, Thanksgiving is about food and family – generally in that order! But with a few extra minutes of time, you can also make it about the beauty of the season.

There’s a saying that people eat first with their eyes, and building a Thanksgiving table that captures attention and represents the best of autumn can make even a rather dry turkey taste better.

The photo to the left shows a fully-planned table. With fresh sunflowers, votives, tablecloth, plates, napkins and napkin rings all coordinated to create a Thanksgiving feeling, it looks like a decorator was hired to fix it.

If you have the skills, budget and time to put something like this together, that’s wonderful. But many of us don’t have the Martha Stewart gene, and are rushed just trying to get the dinner on the table let alone make it look this fancy.

Instead, consider something like the photo on the right. A simple gold tablecloth, one or two interesting candles, a pumpkin or two and some apples and pine cones and you’re finished.

White or neutral plates allow you to decorate for any season without needing closets full of dishes. Add the good silverware and some nice glasses and you have a beautiful table with minimal time and effort.

If you’re going to present Thanksgiving buffet-style, how about a simple display among the dishes? A few fall leaves, a couple of candles, one of those mini-pumpkins and some nuts and dried plants and you quickly add charm to your buffet table. Walk through your yard or visit a hobby shop and pick up just a few special items that you can use and rearrange every year to make your Thanksgiving table as special as the holiday itself.

Unique but Simple Halloween Decorating

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If you want to decorate the outside of your home for Halloween but would like to create something much more unusual than the choices available in stores, here are a couple of ideas to spark up the front of your home that rely on imagination and creativity rather than a lot of effort or dollars.

This first choice requires you to expand beyond the standard rounded pumpkin. Look for pumpkins, gourds and squash with unusual shapes and colors such as the three elongated ones shown here. You could also add one of the newer white “ghost pumpkins.” You only need to carve a few of them, but create unique faces. Set in front of a group of uncut pumpkins and gourds, you create a gathering of Halloween creatures.

Another option that is a bit more complex but very entertaining is placing two pumpkins together to show a conversation between them.

The pumpkin on the right has a more complex carving approach. There are directions and patterns on the Internet to help you create one of these, but you could stick with the standard carving style and still get an interesting vignette.

The stick hand on the right pumpkin also pushes this Halloween display out of the ordinary. Adding hands and feet to your carvings adds personality and charm.

You could add fall leaves to these arrangements, use props such as hats or other accessories, and even tell a simple story with your pumpkins. Halloween provides a terrific opportunity to stretch your imagination by thinking outside the squash.

Warm Up your Dining Table

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With autumn bringing family holidays, adding some special touches to your dining table or buffet can turn a simple dinner into something special. A fall-themed centerpiece or other elements also provide additional warmth to your home. Here are a few ideas.

Table runners: Catalogs, home shops and even discount stores all can be great resources for lovely table runners. Place a runner on your table and add a couple of candlesticks and brighten up your dining room very simply. Add placemats and dinner is ready. Table runners also work well to embellish simple tablecloths. Switching a runner is one of the fastest ways to change a room’s mood.

Flowers: Chrysanthemums – either in a pot or a vase – say fall easily and inexpensively. Place a few pots on either side of your buffet or one large vase in the center of your dining table. For a simpler and easy look, cut flowers shorter and put in a series of juice glasses. Use rubber bands to hold the stems together – making the small flower arrangements appealing and organized.

Centerpieces: Don’t limit your ideas to flowers and candles. Gourds, a bowl of mixed nuts, fall leaves – real or silk – and some apples or pears can be combined with baskets or pottery bowls and platters to create a tablescape that catches the eye. Just add place settings and you’re ready for a party or family gathering.

Candles: Whether you choose tall tapers or small votives, candlelight adds warmth and charm to any room. if you are concerned about fire and small children, look for battery-powered LED lights that mimic flames.

With just a few minutes and a little thought, you can turn your dining room from a place to eat to an inviting and appealing space. Take the time to make your dining table special and your family and friends will appreciate the result.

Fall Home Maintenance

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For those of us who live in the Sonoran desert, our fall maintenance requirements are much simpler than for people in colder areas. However, it still pays to tackle several areas now that temperatures are starting to drop. Here are a few suggestions:

Check your home’s exterior. We had quite a bit of rain and wind in this summer’s monsoon. It’s smart to pop up on the roof and make sure everything is still in place. This is particularly important with an older home. While you’re up there, make sure your gutters are clean and operational. Finally, take a walk all around your home to look for signs of termites or other home challenges.

Test your heat. We will eventually get to an evening cold enough that we’ll be ready to turn the heat on again. It pays to check your heat before then to make sure it’s working well. Also, if you haven’t changed your filter recently, do so. The summer’s air conditioning demands really take their toll on filters and you will have better energy efficiency if you stay on top of them.

Trim your landscaping. In the heat of summer, it’s risky to trim bushes and trees because of the risk of sunburn on previously-protected foliage. Now that it’s cooling off you can start trimming back those plants that have gotten carried away this summer. For some plants such as citrus and roses, wait until December or January for serious trimming.

Paint your home’s exterior. The best temperatures for exterior paint are between 50 and 85 degrees. Because of our significant temperature variations between day and night, there is a small window when painting is ideal. The next month should be a great time for getting your house looking its best with a new coat of paint.

Now that the weather is nicer, outdoor maintenance feels like less of a chore, so take advantage and make sure your home looks and performs at its best.

Take Advantage of Autumn

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It’s here – halfway through October and we’re finally starting to get the weather that makes us glad we live in Arizona. After a summer living in air conditioning, it’s time to expand your life to take advantage of our autumn weather. Here are a few suggestions.

Open your windows. Although it’s still warm in the middle of the day, the weather in the early morning and later in the evenings provide free cooling. Open some windows and any doors that have security screens. Look for opportunities to create cross ventilation. Run a few fans to draw in the cool fresh air.

Take a walk. Once again, early mornings and evenings are lovely. Have you been thinking of starting an exercise program? Walking is a great way to begin. Start by walking around the block and then add distance over time. If you have a dog, take him or her along. Exercise is important for pets too.

Visit a farmer’s market. Locally grown produce and meats, homemade baked goods, crafts, herbs and other surprises can be found at farmer’s markets all over the Valley. Many of the food trucks that are popping up in Phoenix and communities all over the country take advantage of these markets to park and sell their wares, so you can snack while you shop.

Eat outside. You can plan breakfast or dinner in your own backyard, or dine al fresco in one of many restaurants with patios and other outdoor spaces. And as you sit down to enjoy a meal with the sky above you; you can remind yourself why you chose Arizona for your home.

At Fulton, we love it here too.

Dress Your Home for Fall

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It’s hard to believe that autumn is upon us when we’re still dealing with triple-digit temperatures. But you can start bringing the season into your home. To get into the mood, select colors, shapes, products and even foods that create the feeling of fall.

Start with the produce department of your grocery or warehouse store. Look for pumpkins, winter squash and gourds or decorative Indian corn. Set up a display in your foyer or on your buffet. Or if you want to go simpler, just put a large basket or pottery bowl on your dining room table filled with apples and pears – fall fruit.

You can introduce the season to your home right at your front door with a fall wreath or hanging. Many stores have ready-made door decorations, or you can create your own easily. Stop by your local hobby store and select a grapevine or other wreath shape in fall tones. Look for garlands of fall leaves in silk, and wrap it around the wreath. Finish with a bow of wire-edged ribbon in fall colors.

Another simple door option involves selecting three complementary ears of Indian corn and tie them at the top with ribbon or raffia. Hang and your home announces the season to everyone who enters.

If you make a trip north to see the colors, bring some old books with you and press the best of the leaves you discover. Add some pine cones and branches and you have a ready-made centerpiece. For other decorations, press the leaves and scatter them on side tables and in bowls.

Even with our hot summer temperatures, your home can carry the feelings – if not the temperatures – of fall.