Fall Tablescape...

Fall starts on Saturday and despite the temps still reaching the triple digits most days I am getting into the fall mood with my decorating.  While I haven't pulled out the Halloween bins, I've spruced up the mantel and the coffee table (to be unveiled soon) with some harvest loveliness.  In addition, I have adorned my dining table with some fall charm just in time to participate in the Autumn Linky Party over at The Lettered Cottage.

We use our dining room table for homework as well as eating so I wanted to create something fun and festive that would be easy to remove quickly when the table was needed and this basket was the perfect surface on which to create the fall tablescape.  I love the shape, it's long and narrow, and the rich texture gives the entire design a rich, rustic feel which is perfect for the autumn months.

On top of the basket I've added some colorful glass stones, little white ghosts and wine corks which encircle the larger items like the vase and old paperback books.

The vase is one I got flowers in and painted the inside with metallic spray paint.  It was my original DIY mercury glass project that didn't end up looking like mercury glass at all but I still liked it and have used it quite a bit.

I usually think of butterflies as a springtime decoration but the chalkboard one I added to this tablescape seemed perfect with a black & orange polka dot ribbon and the word 'fall' written on it.

It just kind of fit in with the neutral with pops of color look I was shooting for.

And then there are the cute as can be polka dot flowers.  I am not a huge fan of fake flowers but I am in LOVE with them.  They add a bit of whimsy to the otherwise simple vase and they are clearly not real so it's not like I am trying to use them in place of real stems.

I am just thrilled with the result of this and love the ease of being able to remove the entire display from the table at a moment's notice for dinner or homework.

Here's the breakdown on where I found some of these items:

Basket - Hobby Lobby (on sale, of course)
Polka Dot Stems - Michaels (40 % off)
Chalkboard Butterfly - Michaels (for 25 cents!)
Colored Stones & Ghosts - Michaels (with a coupon)
Initial Balls - Micheals $1 section (back when things were still $1)
Paperbacks - Thrift store ($1 each)
Wine Corks - Friends and family - & a few from me!

I have had most of these things for a while and bought nothing new specifically for this project.  Shopping at home is what I love to do!

I am linking up to Table Top Tuesday & the Autumn Linky Party @ The Lettered Cottage.