Enjoying Fall Amidst an Endless Summer

As a loyal Washingtonian I always look forward to the changing seasons. I can not lie, I love the fall time. The autumn colors, pumpkins, crunchy leaves under my toes, sitting inside watching the rain pour down, and of course Thanksgiving and all the yummy food that comes along with the change in weather.

I do very much love living in Hawaii, but when the calender turns to fall, it just still feels like summer. Wonder why? This is when I particularly feel a bit homesick. So I do my best to autumize my house. It still feels like I'm trying to fool someone into thinking it's fall because outside my windows there are lush tropical plants and the sunshine pours into the house through the dozens of windows in my plantation style home. Yet, I forge on and enjoy my tropical fall with some pumpkin candles and a few autumn decorations.

I bought this oversize glass vase on a pedestal from Pier1 quite a while back and it has proved to change with the seasons very well. I decided that our home needed a tasty treat on display. I was originally going to use candy corns, but candy corns would melt in the Hawaiian heat and I plain just don't like candy corns, so I so very luckily found autumn colored M&M's. Score! Pour 'em in the vase and top with a candle. Once it's lit it helps prevent me from eating too many. Hehe.

Then I grabbed an autumn theme table runner I had stashed away and dug out a trifle bowl and filled it with small lima beans and decorative gourds. Perfect table topper!

Up Close

I found a few beautiful sunflowers at the commissary the other day (that is very unusual, because most of the time they have a very poor selection that also appears to be a week old.) and I snatched them up. When I got them home I snipped some basil from our garden and added it to the arrangement. I love the way the purple in the basil plant mixes with the bright yellow of the flowers.

I love the beautiful simplicity of this arrangement!

I added a pretty fall theme ribbon to the vase to give it just the right touch.

What things do you have to have surrounding you to feel that special autumn feeling? Do you have any easy, fun, creative decorating ideas? I'd love to try them out.