Autumn and Thanksgiving Decorations

Autumn  and Thanksgiving decorations  are more or less interchangeable, although anything with a turkey on it can be safely assumed to pertain to Thanksgiving only. Decorations can range from the subtle to, well, the inflatable turkey  on your neighbor's lawn. With summer days long gone, the focus is on the house for autumn entertaining. Keep your home looking cheery and bright with a range of decorations suitable to the season.

Indoor Autumn Touches

The colors of the season are always a good choice. If you're not big on super-bright orange and red, try deeper shades of the same. Other dark, rich colors are also appropriate -- hunter green, royal purple, espresso brown. Glints and gleams of shiny gold  add a little pizazz -- just don't overdo it. Don't go too dark, either; you don't want your living spaces to feel claustrophobic. Cream-colored accents  make a dark area less dark, candles  will add a homey touch and honey-colored light, and mirrors  can make a room look bigger. You don't have to change everything in your house to acknowledge the change of seasons; a few touches here and there will do just fine.

Don't forget about texture. Tassels  and fringes  are a great way to add texture without going overboard on luxe. Leaves  and other subtle botanical textures are another great idea for autumn. Look for them in darker colors than the light green bamboo textures that were popular this spring. This year there is also an emphasis on the "natural history" look -- Victorian-type illustrations of birds,  flowers,  sea life,  or fungi.  Spruce up your curio cabinet with a scale model of a sea urchin  skeleton or a fossilized trilobite.  Don't go too nautical; the theme is on the natural world and natural history, not our interaction with it.

Throw Pillows	Curtain Tassels	Candle Holders	Everlasting Flowers	Fruit Bowls

Leaf-Printed Vases	Audubon Prints	Open Geodes  and Agate Slabs	Sea Urchins	Fossil Trilobites  or Ammonites

Outdoor Autumn Decor

Not all autumn evenings are bone-chillingly cold. And even if you're mostly entertaining indoors, the outside of your house should look appealing too. A sheaf of wheat can look very nice outside, but you can also put smaller sheaves in vases indoors. Most of these decorations work well indoors or out -- if you plan to use them outdoors, make sure they are weather-resistant.

Wreaths	Sheaves of Wheat	Autumnal Lights	Leaf Garlands	Terra Cotta Pumpkin  and Resin Fall Vegetables

Turkeys!

The turkey was almost the symbol of the United States. Inquisitive, sociable and beautiful, turkeys are also the enduring and edible mascot of Thanksgiving. To keep in line with the natural history look popular this year, try adding a few turkey tail feathers to a dried flower arrangement. A framed print of a realistic turkey is beautiful year-round. If you prefer more whimsical decorations, there are plenty of stylized turkey items on the market as well. Gobble gobble!

Turkey Feathers	Turkey Print	Turkey Centerpieces	Inflatable Turkey	Turkey Bowl with Feather Shaped Spreaders