Fall Decorating

Autumn is the most beautiful, most spectacular season of the year. There is nothing that compares to the crisp fall air and the spectacular views of changing leaves, and it is a time when the inside of my house becomes an empty template ready for some autumn decor.

Decorating for such a wonderful season as autumn does not mean going to the local craft store and stocking up on the latest craft items, which many have little time to do. It simply means keep it simple and fun. Here are some tips to coming up with ways to decorate rooms in your home with fall sights, colors, and smells, without overspending time or money.

Fall Candles

Every autumn, the stores stock up on the most delicious smelling candles and unique seasonal candle holders. Candles not only provide light for those unexpected power outages, they can also be used as a way to fill a room with warm seasonal smells. With the right candle holder, they can be enticing to the eyes and the nose.

A popular trend is cutting the top center part of an apple out and placing a tealight inside. Another is going outside, collecting leaves and placing them on a glass luminary or candle holder, with a candle inside. This causes the leaves to glow from the candle light. [Beware of the fire hazard, please!]

These are both great ideas for everyone because all of these items are simple, use every day items one can find at a grocery store or a local shopping center, and they will not cause you to go broke. These items can be used as centerpieces, window decorations, or in family rooms on top book shelves.

One type of candle I would suggest buying is an aroma melt holder, and find fragrances to fit the season. An aroma melt is a two part system, tealight on bottom and block or half ball of wax on top. One aroma melt can fill a room with fragrance in a matter of minutes, and it makes a great window or shelf decorating piece. Some companies sell seasonal aroma melts holders and aroma melts that are perfect for holiday decorating.

Another way to create fabulous fall sights and smells is collect some leaves from outside, set them on a shelf, a window, or make them a centerpiece, and place a fall scented candle on top of the natural fallen leaves. [Beware of the fire hazard, please! Be sure to use a candle in a jar, or even wipe the leaves with water a bit, or just place the leaves around a jar candle, beware of fire hazard when using candles always.]

One last idea is to find an autumn colored charger, or a small mirror, to place different height pillar candles on to create a nice reflective glow.

There are hundreds of ways to create a lovely seasonal atmosphere with candles, just be creative, keep it low stress, and enjoy filling the house with smells of autumn.

Decorating for Fall With Items From the Grocery Store and Items at Home

OK, as I have said and will continue to say, keep decorating simple and creative. Using items in the house, along with items from the local grocery store, can add easy, inexpensive fall ambiance in any home.

Let's start talking decorating with less thought using items such as candy, hand and dish soap, and paper towels. Yes, hand and dish soap and paper towels can all add an unexpected touch of autumn in the home. Many hand and dish soaps come in autumn colors such as orange and yellow, and in many cases paper towels with fall leaves or some sort of fall print are sold each autumn season. All one has to do is buy dish liquid and fall paper towels and your kitchen will have an instant touch of fall, and if having the liquid soap in the original container is a no-no, just buy a simple dispenser to put it in and place it on the sink.

Autumn candy hits the stores at the end of August now. Go ahead, grab some. Find some glass bowls or the glass pumpkin dish, or even a basket and pour autumn colored candy into it. This is easy, a no brainer, no worries, and is a great coffee table or book shelf piece. If you are like me, it may even be a nightstand piece.

Last but not least are the most obvious grocery store items of all, the seasonal foods. Pumpkins, squash, nuts, and Indian corn are fantastic decorating pieces that are always in season this time of year and will never go out of style. Place some nuts around a cut out pumpkin with some holes and a candle inside to make a simple festive center piece. Grab some Indian corn and a pumpkin and place them on a window sill or a table, or simply grab some fallen leaves on your way into the house and place a pumpkin on top of them to create an easy no problem center piece.

Finally, when strolling through the grocery store, think about how you can decorate and shop for meals in one trip.

Easy Fall Color Decorating Tips

One of the best things about fall is the colors. Nothing says fall like oranges, golden browns, soft yellows, and some red. Decorating the house can be as easy as changing a room color or the drapes. If one wants to redecorate the bathroom, try painting it a nice fall color and adding a rug and plain or decorative hand towel to match.

If one wants to turn a bedroom into a fall paradise, find some fall colored bed sheets, place a few fall scented candles in the room, maybe a pumpkin, and change the drapes. For added effect, use pillows and sheets alternating in colors such as yellow and orange on the bed. Place a bowl of autumn colored candy on the night stand and in less than thirty minutes, the bedroom can be a fall get away.

To add fall to the walls without changing the paint, go outside and collect leaves. Grab some picture frames. Place the leaves between some clear sticky laminated paper, and frame them. Hang them on the walls and there is an instant touch of fall.

Keep an open mind.

Enjoy Decorating for Fall

Overall, have fun decorating for this beautiful season. Just because your idea might not be what you see on a magazine cover does not mean it is not a good idea. Let the creativity flow. Come up with fun, new ideas that work for you and enjoy using what this awesome season of color has to offer, and remember to keep it low stress. Have a blast and enjoy being creative.

Salem Witch Trials

Samuel Parris Enters Salem

In 1689, Samuel Parris became Salem's position as minister. Parris was born into wealth, and lived in Barbados most of his life. He had studied at Harvard, was a merchant, but decided to change his "occupation" after tiring of being a merchant. He had brought with him a slave named, Tituba, and his wife and children (Thomas, Betty, Susahanna).
Salem Village was not pleased with the new preacher, and by 1691, Parris was feeling the tention tighten between him and the village. The village showed their disdain by making him wait on his pay and not enforcing taxes to increase his pay. A frustrated Parris begin preaching "conspiracy" in the village, and saying it was the work of Satan.
During this time, Parris's neice, Abigail Williams, had entered the home. His daughter, Betty, spent much of her time with Abigail, and the two are thought to have participated in practices with Tituba, that were against the law of the village. However, the real problem occurred when the two girls became ill in 1692.
Abigail and Betty apparently became extremely ill, coughing and convulsing. Parris was concerned and called for his friend, "Reverend Hale," to observe the girls behavior. Hale could come to only one conclusion after observing the girls who, "were bitten and pinched by invisible agents; their arms, necks and backs turned this way and that way and returned back again so as it was impossible for them to do of themselves and beyond the power of any Epileptic Fits or natural Disease to effects;" it was witchcraft.
Upon hearing this, prayer and fasting took place to rid the girls of the spirits taking control of them. The illness did not stop, and Parris contacted Dr. William Griggs. Dr. Griggs confirmed Reverend Hale's prediction, and determined the illness was the work of evil.

Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692

The witchcraft trials did not come about just because of the girl's illness. Salem Village had been experiencing hardships for several years prior to Samuel Parris arriving. Village members did not readily accept church law or positions, land disputes were on the rise, and the economy was not pleasant for those in Salem (to name a few).
With continuous hardships, and living in a community where everyone knew everyone's business, an uprising of sorts was to be expected. Even so, there is a good chance no one in Salem expected it to come from children who would accuse dozens of witchcraft.
Even so, as the girl's condition worsened, and others experienced the same symptoms (all young girls), Parris wanted answers. He demanded to know who was doing this to these girls. In February 1692, three women had been arrested, one of the, was the slave Tituba (an easy accusation due to her "native folklore"). After the arrest, the girls named their victims.
The first three victim's were easy, one a Barbados slave, another who was a beggar, and the last who did not go to church. The trial could have easily ended there, and why it did not is a mystery. Perhaps the girls became over confident in their new found attention and power. After Tituba openly admitted to witchcraft (although, in some ways the admission seems sarcastic and very false), Parris set out on a "witch hunt" that would claim lives and ruin others.

The Victim's

Victims of the Salem Witch Trials were often women, but one victim was a four year old girl named Dorcus. Dorcus was the daughter of Sarah Good. She and her mother were accused of biting the girls and sending their spirits out to attack them. Dorcus was sent to prison for 8 months. She watched her mother ride off to the "gallows," and she "cried her heart out, and go insane."
Some victim's were arrested because they questioned the sincerity of the girls. They also questioned how the trials were being handled (such as the case with Martha Corey). After Massachusetts governor returned from England in the spring of 1692, five judges were appointed to oversee the trial. The judges allowed "here-say, gossip, stories," assumptions, disputable evidence, and marks of a witch (such as a mole) to be used as evidence. Those accused were not able to have witnesses nor a lawyer to speak for them.
The trials last throughout 1692. Anyone who was thought to be a witch had little hope of winning the case bought against them. Even if those accused were able to recite "The Lord's Prayer," "The Ten Commandments," or were well-respected members of the community, it seemed to matter not.
A huge turning point in the trials came when Rebecca Nurse and the former pastor, George Burroughs stood trial. Burroughs was not the most liked man in Salem, he had left the village quickly, and without a minister. He often participated in salary and land disputes, but he also displayed characteristics of generosity, gratitude, and humility. Despite his innocence (along with the reciting of "The Lord's Prayer" upon the gallows), he was hanged.
The biggest question arose when an older member of the community stood trial. Rebecca Nurse was a mother and grandmother and a well known figure in the community. She was proclaimed innocent after standing trial, but her accusers grew angry and continued to press to have her convicted. Unfortunately, by the end of July 1692, she was convicted, along with her other sisters, and was taken to "Gallow's hill."
Perhaps, both Nurse and Burroughs had been convicted due to land disputes and money. Burroughs was probably a prime target because he had caused trouble in the Village, but Nurse was a humble woman. However, John Putnam was a ruthless man who wanted land, and had been fighting with Nurse's family (Topfields) for quite some time.
As 1692 came to an end, the community started to tire of the witchhunt. Nobody was as sure as they once had been of who was being accused. It was at this time, "spectral evidence" was excluded. From here on out, witches had to be proven guilty "by clear and convincing evidence." This obviously caused the trials to slow and eventual stop.

After Math of the Witch Trials

Nineteen accused witches "were executed," four "died while in prison," one man was put to death by being pressed by stones, two dogs were accused and killed, and "one to two hundred" were charged and imprisoned. Upon ending the trials, accusers were ordered to give apologies for the hardship and injustice they had caused.
Samuel Parris lost his position, and blamed anyone but himself. One main judge of the trial absolutely refused to apologize for his actions, but it did not hurt him, because William Stoughton became governor of the colony.
Overall, the trial was never about witches, it was about money and land. Many who were accused were wealthier than those who accused them. The accusers had much to gain. By using the girl's sickness and actions to promote their desires, they created a hysteria that has become part of America's history.

Sources:
Douglas Linder, Salem Witchcraft Trials 1692, www.law.umkc.edu, updated September 2009.

Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkins are the best fruit to use as decorations during the harvest season. They can be carved, painted, drilled, or just set beside some flowers or alone to add autumn charm to the home.

Painting Pumpkins

Instead of carving pumpkins, try painting them instead. Using spray paint and acrylic paint, decorating for Halloween without carving. Spray paint the entire pumpkin or paint zig-zags, flowers, leaves, or spots with acrylic paint.
On page 56 of Rachael Ray's October 2011 magazine, are several ideas for painting pumpkins. One really cool idea is to make a silhouette using a "paint pen." The silhouette could be a ghost, witch, bat, or anything to do with Halloween. To add to the silhouette, spray paint the pumpkin gold.
Another great idea is to simply spray paint pumpkins black, purple, or white. Paint words or sentences on them, such as "Boo!" or "Beware!" or simply, "Happy Hallows Eve." Use white acrylic paint to write on black pumpkins, and black on the purple and white.
On page 13 of Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade magazine, are "black and white" pumpkins with stencil flower patterns. For a Halloween dinner party, these would add alot of character to the table.

Drilling Pumpkins

Drilling a pumpkin is fun, and a great simple way to decorate. Martha Stewart does this quite often on her show, and drill holes can be made in patterns or at random using different drill head sizes. Some pattern suggestions are: triangles, squares, circles, straight lines, smiling face, or a PAC-man.
For the triangles, start with four or five holes on 1 line then 4 on the next, followed by 3, then 2, then 1 (like an upside down Christmas tree). Do one or several around the pumpkin.
A neat square pattern would be, smaller squares inside a large square. Drill 1 large square. Inside the large square drill a smaller one, and so on until no more squares can be made.
As for circles, make connecting circles around the pumpkin. Drill circles in a straight vertical line around the pumpkin using different sizes. Connect circles to spell the letter of a favorite team, or spell words using the drill.
Making a smiley face is really easy with a drill. Just drill the eyes and the mouth and set a candle inside. For a PAC-man, drill the half moon shaped character chasing a ghost or gobling the balls.

Pumpkin Carving Ideas 2011

Coming up with pumpkin carving patterns is easy. The most important thing is, keep it simple (unless able to carve really well). Carve out a bat, owl, or cat. Find a pattern to trace and place on the pumpkin.
To carve one of the three mentioned above, draw on a piece of plain white paper or find a pattern. Tape it to the pumpkin and punch holes into the pattern. Cut around the holes to carve the pattern on the pumpkin. If drawing the patterns, get creative. Draw a moon with 2 or 3 small bats flying out from it, or a cat with a witches hat. As for the owl, have it seated on a branch.
To keep it even more simple, stick to carving the basic jack-o-lantern. Just have fun coming up with scary or silly faces. Use hats and other accessories to dress them up.
All of these ideas are simple. They can be found in magazines or online. Pumpkins are the official fruit of Halloween and the official decoration of all Hallow's Eve. So have fun and be creative.