My mother trained me well – the purpose of a fireplace is to have a mantle to decorate seasonally.

I have followed her advice to the best of my ability. :) I am also blessed with a husband who enjoys decorating with me, and who happens to be quite creative and talented. Changing out the decorations is something we love to do together.

Of course decorating for Christmas begins with the mantle:

I love to pare it down for simple spring and summer decorations:

And now fall has arrived. I love fall. The crisp mornings, the warm afternoons, the colors, the falling leaves, visits to orchards and pumpkin farms, the anticipation of Thanksgiving… not to mention apple cider and pumpkin whoopie pies. Oh, yes.

This weekend we welcomed fall with some autumn decor, starting with the mantle as always. :)

More festive additions:

And, of course, the front door:

Welcome, fall – we wait for you all year long. Come and stay a while, won’t you?

What do you do to Feather Your Nest for the changing season? Hop on over to the Fall Festival at Hoosier Homemade for more inspiration!