Halloween is over. Sigh. All the skulls and spiders and crows are packed away, (and the leftover candy has been packed away…mostly into my thighs ;-). It’s time to settle into the Fall, tone it down a bit, and gear up for the fabulous feast that is Thanksgiving. Here’s a look at what I’m doing for decor this year.

My favorite decorating “trick” for Fall are pumpkins and gourds. They serve double-duty, working great for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. By the way, another great decorating tip is to “shop” your own home! Moving things around and re-purposing stuff you already have is free decor at it’s best! You’ll see me do that a lot here…After I removed all the “spooky” stuff, I set aside the squashes along with the faux-Fall leaves and plan my Thanksgiving decor. This year, I added to the mix two ornamental cabbage plants and 3 tiny Kalanchoes for a total of $14. That’s it.

Because I go over-the-top for Halloween & Christmas, I like to tone it down in between. You can see all the Halloween madness HERE.

The Table: The purple tablecloth is the one that is almost always on the table. I added an old purple runner that I sometimes break out for the holidays as a way to ground the gourd display. I put down a fake Fall leaves garland first, placed the giant gourd in the center, then arranged the smaller pumpkins, gourds, little Kalanchoe plants and my old stand-by Thanksgiving ceramics I’ve been using for years. (the trick to this is using the old stuff in new ways every year so it all looks fresh.) Lastly I threw in a couple votive candles and tea lights. (I use these for every holiday, they go with everything!)

The mantle is similar to the table, nice and simple. I started with a pair of Mackenzie-Child’s plates in Fall colors that I’ve had for years, then I scoured basement storage for Fall-colored pillar candles. Putting the candles on the little wood pedestals gives them a look of importance. Then it was pumpkin and gourd time. Finally I added in my beloved old pair of purple glass turkeys and a few fake Fall leaves.

I love my white pots by the window, and tend to just switch the contents out for the holidays. Here is where I placed those 2 ornamental cabbage plants, then I added in a few gourds and a few of those faux-Fall leaves. I love how these turned out.

In the entry, I just simplified what was there for Halloween by removing the crows, black fabric and the tri-colored and pumpkin lights, leaving just the amber lights and Fall leaves.

That’s it! We’re all ready for the month of November. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Want to see what I did last year for Thanksgiving? Just click here.