Harvest Mantel And Woodland "Pets"

It's really fall now and I have completed most of my indoor decorating just in time for it's arrival. For today's post I would like to show you some woodland creatures who have joined our family for the season!

I have been so inspired by the beautiful posts this season featuring owls. Owls have always seemed a bit sinister so they are perfect for Halloween decorating, but on a positive note, they are gorgeous and also represent wisdom and knowledge. They display very will in fall  décor. I often find vintage owls at the flea market and yard sales and they are usually very inexpensive. On their own they do seem retro tacky, but worked into a vignette they add a bit of natural and mysterious beauty.

This year for my Autumn mantel I wanted to do something very simple that I could change out quickly for Halloween and use again with some tweaks for Thanksgiving. I literally just threw together this mantel chanting my latest decorating mantra: "Use what you have! Use what you have!" 
 
 First I covered the mantel with a burlap runner. I arranged an ironstone pitcher filled with fall foliage and berries and created a little "fall time" cloche with parts of a vintage watch displayed an old ball jar. I added a couple of ripe harvest fruits, and a vintage flea market owl and estate sale brass candlesticks ($5.00 for the pair). A stack of neutral-toned vintage books and small ironstone mini platters are topped with a vintage flower frog displaying a little monthly prayer book. I added the "Harvest" scrabble tiles (looks like a falling leaf has obscured the letters a bit) and a couple of my favorite white pumpkin soup tureens.  This is a much simpler and quicker mantel than I have created in the past due to my health limitations, since I just don't have the stamina to work on décor for days and hours. Nevertheless, I am pleased with how it turned out. I need to scoot that candlestick in a bit on the right though! I'll have to take another photo and edit the post later.

 

Whooooo's ready for fall? I am!

 

I have no idea what happened with my camera here, as it joined the two pictures together but I like it!

Moving on around the dining room...

I have to travel out of town for my doctor visits where there is a Home Goods and if I am feeling up to it we try to do a quick stop. Even though I have been sticking to my mantra and refraining from buying new seasonal décor, I did find this one owl I couldn't live without for only $7.99. I wanted to keep him for a pet so I brought him home and put him in my 1930's birdcage. Those big eyes just suckered me in!

I am starting to add just a little bit of Halloween touches here and there. I think this little bird cage display looks enough like fall to work without screaming Halloween, but if you look closely you can see "Watch Out" at the base of the owl. In October I will start lighting him up and he will look a lot spookier.

I filled the cage with Spanish moss and  realistic looking faux leaves. I added a tarnished silver plate tray for reflection and a vintage silver plate vase repurposed as a candle holder for a grubby primitive candle. I love this display!


  
Here is my fall buffet display which I will be creating a post for later in the week, but I wanted to show you the sweet little owl picture I found at an estate sale for .25. If you look in the basket you can see him peeking through his "cage."

Oh how I love quarter treasures! I stuck him in the basket with some leaves to add a bit of fall to the display and didn't realize until I took the pictures that I had inadvertently created another caged owl display. Magic! Don't you love how vintage junk just has a way of coming together?

Lastly I want to show you something "deer" to my heart. I purchased this deer lawn statue right after Christmas at an estate sale. I have been meaning to creating a post about her forever so I thought fall would be a perfect time to introduce her.

I buy what speaks to my heart and don't always know about what is trending in decorating. I sometimes get frustrated because I think I have an original idea, and then I see something similar pop up in a magazine a few months later. In this summer's Flea Market Style, there is a page featuring a similar deer which talks about bringing outdoor lawn sculptures indoor and it being a hot new trend. I have had "pet" deer inside since January!

She is a pampered pet, wouldn't you agree?

Well I don't know about you but I am just ecstatic about fall! September is my bloggerversary and it was fall decorating that inspired me to start blogging in the first place. I am looking forward to the next few months in blog land and seeing all of the gorgeous autumn and holiday displays!

Happy fall!!!!

I am honored that his post has been featured at these parties:
http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/10/home-and-garden-thursday-49.html
http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/
http://www.commonground-do.com/2013/10/be-inspired-159-farmhouse-porch-decor.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FbCGJMl+%28Common+Ground%29


Parties:

http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://www.justalittlecreativity.com/2013/09/six-blogs-one-great-party-lovely-ladies_24.html. 
http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com/2013/09/welcome-to-scoop.html
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/2013/09/home-sweet-home-138.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: TheCharmOfHome (The Charm of Home)
http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/2013/09/knick-of-time-tuesday-105-and-2.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:

http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/2013/09/ironclad.html
http://www.commonground-do.com/
http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/2013/09/woodland-birthday-party-and-simple.html
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/09/feathered-nest-friday_26.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: blogspot/QoLtm (FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE)
http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/2013/09/open-house-blog-party-and-winner.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: NoMinimalistHere (No Minimalist Here)
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/09/time-travel-thursday-167-talented-time.html
http://www.adelightsomelife.com/2013/09/home-and-garden-thursday-48.html
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2013/09/be-inspired-features-and-link-party-88.html
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2013/09/183rd-inspire-me-tuesday.html
http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/
http://www.thejennyevolution.com/
http://shabbyartboutique.com/2013/09/shabbilicious-friday-link-party-24.html
 http://www.craftberrybush.com/
http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/2013/09/thrifty-things-friday-128.html
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/10/fall-mantel-decorating.html
http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/2013/10/fabulously-creative-friday-linky-party-3.html