Decorating for Fall with Natural Elements, Part Two: Branches and Leaves

I absolutely love to decorate with natural elements. You can usually find dried curly willow in a vase someplace in my home at any time throughout the year. Like on my fall mantel:

My goal for this weekend is to find some pretty branches and leaves. How easy would it be to just stop at a local park and pick up some FREE decor??? It's fun for the kids too - it's a win-win!

Here are a few idea for decorating with leaves and branches that I found (there are so many creative ideas out there!). This is the second in a series on decorating for fall with natural elements. See the first installment here.

Here are just a few of the fabulous ideas I found for decorating for fall with branches and leaves.

Hot glue twigs to the outside of a glass vase. So pretty, but the fire freak inside me is a little scared at this one! via pulchritudefest

I've long admired this starburst wreath made from twigs at The Painted Hive.

Cleverly Inspired simply added some branches to the back of a garbage sale picture frame. Very CLEVER!

Jenna shows you how to make this beautiful log candle holder at SAS Interiors.

Add some color by not removing the leaves from the branches.
via Fox Hollow Cottage

Add some preserved leaves to a rustic burlap runner for an instant color boost.
Urban Comfort shows you how, and where to find the preserved leaves for cheap.

The Space Between shows us how to make the gorgeous dried leaf wreath. This would be a great one to go outdoors with your kids on a leaf hunt!

Of course I can't leave out Kate @ Salvage Dior with her branch magic. She's been known to make her hubby stop the truck to pick up gorgeous branches she spots from afar! This one is her favorite. It adds the perfect amount of rustic fall beauty to a tablescape or to any vignette.

 

Gorgeous white branches atop some moss.

 

Or branches stuck in an urn. 

Each brings an element of the outdoors in.

I hope you enjoyed part two of my series on fall decorating with natural elements. See you next week for part three!

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Fall Decorating with Natural Elements: Dried Corn

Let's face it, if you're on Pinterest, you've seen about 100 million pictures of Fall decorating ideas in the last month. 

(Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little on the number, but I'm close!)

So many fabulous ideas out there, but I've come to the conclusion recently, that I'm not a super "crafty" kind of person. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE seeing what crafty people can create - I'm amazed at what some of you can create with a glue gun and some twine. 

I have found that I'm more simple and subtle in the way I decorate. I love using natural elements. I love the rich colors and textures of nature, and I appreciate the environmental factor as well. 

So, I've decided to put together a few round-ups of inspiration for decorating with natural elements.

First up:

Dried Corn Wreath

 source

Corn Husk Wreath (with tutorial)

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Corn Cob Centerpiece 
(Pottery Barn also has this as Vase Filler)

source

Corn Husks
as part of an indoor vignette

source

or as flanking your front porch.

source


Popcorn Kernel Wreath
I thought this one was pretty clever, and although I'm not a big fan of wreaths, I could totally see this one in my house!

source


Popcorn Kernel Vase Filler

Found via Pinterest with no link to the source.
If you know who this image belongs to, please let me know and I will gladly give credit!

Corn Cob Swag
This would be the perfect alternative to a wreath on the front door, or even on a cabinet door like the one pictured below.

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Gathered Corn Cob Display

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Corn Cob Garland

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Corn Cob & Husk Garland

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This one has to be my favorite of them all.

Corn Cobs on a Vintage Rake

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I am actually surprised at all of the cool ideas there were for decorating with CORN of all things! Gorgeous colors and such great texture.  I'm definitely using at least one of these ideas in my house. (Any guesses as to which??)

Next up: Leaves and Twigs


What kind of natural elements do you use natural elements in your decor?

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Salsa Chicken & Rice Bowl (Wahoo's Copycat)

When I come home from work, I don't have a lot of time to cook a meal. I'm not especially good at planning, since I prefer to cook according to my mood, so I'm usually kind of flying by the seat of my pants!

One of the ways I do get a little prep in, however, is by cooking shredded chicken. There are a ton of recipes you can make with shredded chicken (maybe I need to create a Top Ten??).

Using my cooked and shredded chicken, I created a fun little dish the other night, and it only took about 20 minutes!

I love Wahoo's bowls and wanted to make something similar. This is my version. 

Ok, not exactly the same...

I started with boiled, shredded chicken that I heated with some salsa and a small spoonful of cream cheese. Added some chili, onion and garlic powders and heated on low for about 15 minutes to blend the flavors.

Meanwhile, I cooked plain white rice in a rice cooker. 

When it was finished, I added some garlic salt.

I dumped  a can of black beans into a small pan on the stove and seasoned them with some garlic salt and chili powder, then heated on med-low for about ten minutes.

Layer it all in a bowl or on your plate and serve. The flavors blend so well together. My kids loved it and asked for seconds. I enjoyed it so much I was excited for lunch leftovers the next day!

Here's the recipe(s):

Please keep in mind that measurements are approximate. I had no idea this would be so yummy that I'd want to do a blog post on it!
 
Rice:

1 cup white rice

2 cups water

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tbsp butter

Cook rice according to package instructions. Add garlic salt and butter and mix well.

Black Beans:

1 can black beans

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Mix all ingredients in a small pan until well blended; heat over med-low.

Salsa Chicken:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or sliced

1 cup salsa

1 Tbsp cream cheese (optional; I like the creamier texture)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

Toss chicken in a pan with the salsa and seasoning and heat on medium low for about ten minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until well blended. Remove from heat.

Layer rice, beans and finally chicken in a bowl, or even on a plate. Add some tortilla chips and enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Appliances Online, the UK’s largest online white goods retailer.

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My 2012 Fall Mantel

Well Mother Nature didn't hear my request, or she heard it and had a good laugh. It's 90+ degrees today, and tomorrow is the first day or Fall (or is it Autumn?). So not fair.

I've had a really hard time putting my fall decor out. But, I did finish my mantel, and I'm pretty happy with it.

Everything on the mantel I already had in my stash.

See that little burlap pumpkin? Bet you'd never guess that's a plastic grocery bag inside. Or that it's a pumpkin.

I just laid out a square piece of burlap, crumpled up a grocery bag and gathered up the burlap around it. I wrapped twine around the top and then just tucked the end. I took my scissors and slowly trimmed the burlap at the top of the stem. Yes, folks, it was that easy.

The amber colored bottles came from Marshall's a few years ago and the twiggy/vine-ish pumpkin came from the Target dollar bin. Although, I think it's a bit misleading that they call it the "dollar bin" when some of the items are $2.50.

The urn is one of my favorite fall pieces. I've had it for about four years and it's been part of my fall decor all over the house. I just topped it with some moss and a little wooden pumpkin from Michaels. Vintage bottles are part of my growing collection.

Remember when I talked about my 10 Must-Try Fall Projects? Well, Kate took pity on me and gave me one of her vintage anatomy prints. It's about as close to Halloween decorations as we are going to get!

I made the burlap garland last year and have gotten a lot of use out of it! I also backed the display with a colorful leaf garland.

The pumpkins on the hearth were purchased on clearance at Target a few years ago. I only wish I'd bought more, because I love them!

So there you have it, my "I'm pretending it feels like fall even though it's 90 degrees" Fall Mantel!

A lot of people have emailed asking for a photo tutorial on the canning jar lid wreath I used to make the Junkin' Pumpkin. Never fear, I'll be posting it next week!

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Vintage Bottles & Some Exciting News {And a complaint for Mother Nature)

Dear Mother Nature,

Please send some cooler weather, 

so I can stop wincing at the sight of pumpkins on my mantel, 

and feeling like I am completely confused about what month we are in.

 I guess technically it's still summer. 

At least for another days or so.

But please, it would be really fabulous if it didn't still feel like we live in the desert.

One of the reasons I love living in Southern California is the sunshine,

the moderate temperatures and the beaches.

But when it's still 100 degrees AT THE BEACH, I think we have a problem.

I don't know how we got on your bad side, but we'll do anything to make up for it. 

Sincerely,

every person in Southern California

About the photos: The silver tray was my grandmother's, and the bottles, well they make up Reclaimed Bliss! Two were gifts from Kristen, three ink wells were gifts from Kate, and the others were picked up at flea markets by me. The flowers were gifts from my children. :)

I'll show you my fall mantel as soon as it starts feeling a little more like fall. Hope you don't mind waiting till December (or Friday)!

******

Now for some exciting news~


My Junkin' Punkin' is being featured on Country Living Magazine's Pumpkin contest board. If you have a moment, could you vote for me? Just go to the board and follow Country Living Magazine, then "LIKE"  my pumpkin. The grand prize is a gift card to Michaels - and Mama needs new Christmas decorations!!!

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful love and support, and welcome to all of my new friends! I am so humbled by the outpouring of love for this little project.

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It Won't Be Like This For Long

Today, my baby turns five. For some reason, on this birthday he seems older. Much older than he has on any other birthday. His next birthday, he will be in Kindergarten. 

What?

When did my baby suddenly become a "big boy," who's traded Go, Go Diego and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for Star Wars and Power Rangers?

"Mommy, I don't want to watch THAT show; Micky Mouse Clubhouse is for little kids!"

When did playing with toys bugs become less entertaining than catching
spiders and crickets to scare his sister with?

When did the roller coaster suddenly become more exciting than the carousel?

When did those baby cheeks disappear, only to replaced a big boy smile?

When did that little baby grow up?

The photo above took my breath away when I saw it. That little boy with blonde curls has been replaced with a big boy who would rather shave his head.

He asks thought-provoking questions, like, "Mommy, what do you do with dead people so Jesus can come and take them to heaven? Just put them on the sidewalk or something?"

He teases his sister relentlessly, but shows the greatest compassion
and support when she's struggling to master a new skill.

He's become an independent little being.

He offers to take out the trash, and pours his sister's milk without being asked. 

He is stubborn, funny, sweet, inquisitive, intelligent, hot-headed,
compassionate, loving, and has the biggest heart.

I am so grateful to get to be his mom.

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