One of my favorite seasons begins - fall, with its promise of cooler weather, colorful foliage, and shorter days. I can't wait until I can pull out and wear my cozy sweaters and boots, but before that happens I like to set the mood at home with fall decorations! I decorate for fall in stages throughout my home. I like to start in early September then slowly add fall decor throughout my home. As I anxiously await the sale of real pumpkins, I have a stash of faux pumpkins and dried gourds to get me started! Since the focal point in our great room is the fireplace, I like to decorate the mantel first. Let me show you how I decorated my fall mantel this year.

First, let me tell you how happy I am that you are here on this fall blog hop! Many thanks to Janine at Happy Happy Nester who has made this blog hop a reality. You will be inspired by this amazingly talented and diverse group of design bloggers! A special welcome to those of you hopping over from Gloribell's blog at I Don't Know How She Does It. I love Gloribell's simple, fresh, organic style! Also a thank you to my followers; I so appreciate you for returning to see what I'm up to! Now let's talk about how I decorated my fall mantel!

To give myself a little fall inspiration for decorating I like to set the mood. It's amazing how music or scents can motivate and help creativity! Lighting this fall scented candle is the perfect way to help me visualize a fall decorating scheme. Rachel at Rachel Rae Living creates these beautifully scented candles!

I started with this metal link mirror I found at HomeGoods. I loved its shape and the oval links. It was a pewter color, but I quickly warmed it up for fall with gold paint. I love the result.

Then I thought of adding symmetry to this fall mantel design. Wooden lanterns and olive tree topiaries were the perfect additions to achieve this symmetry.

I love the shape of these wooden lanterns! When I saw them at HomeGoods, I knew they were coming home with me. The raw wood adds so much texture to my painted mantel.

White always looks great in any design. It always feels so fresh. That's why I chose these white ceramic pots to hold the topiaries. Again I painted the ceramic rims gold to add warmth and interest. I guess you've noticed by now that if it's not gold it soon will be in my house.

To add color and interest to the mantel I draped this berry garland casually. I found this garland in a Swedish gift shop on my travels back east last year. I thought the colors were so pretty and muted. Perfect for my grey mantel for fall. Can you see the lit amber jewel string lights on the garland? It's hard to see in the photos, but they are beautiful battery lights I picked up at Nordstrom.

These pumpkins were a must! Just the perfect color to give this neutral mantel a pop. The little velvet pumpkin is so adorable. Of course, HomeGoods is the best place to find decorative faux pumpkins. In this photo you can see the amber string lights.

I suppose by now you're wondering about the crows! They're on the mantel....and then they're not. What do you think? I thought they added a touch of whimsy. Then I thought maybe it was too much. If they don't stay on the mantel, I know they will show up somewhere else in my fall decor.

Finally I put this gorgeous textured basket next to the fireplace. Baskets add so much depth of texture and warmth for fall and are reminiscent of the baskets used at harvest time.

Now that I have finished my fall mantel, I'm ready to decorate other areas in my home for fall. I would love it if you joined me every week while I get ready for this fall season. At the end of this blog (scroll to the end) you can subscribe. Then when a new post is published you'll be notified in your mailbox! I look forward to sharing more with you!

Next on the blog hop are Jodie and Julie, The Design Twins. These ladies are 2 of the most passionate and inspirational designers! I know you don't want to miss their fall decor. Here is a list of all the fall blog hop bloggers:

Happy Happy Nester - Janine

Remington Avenue - Mysha

Maison de Cinq - Sheila

Simple Cozy Charm - Martha

Meme Hill - Amie

Designs by Laila - Laila

I Don't Know How She Does It- Gloribell

2 Ladies and a Chair -me

The Design Twins - Jodie and Julie

Citrine Living - Tamara

Lindsay Hill Interiors - Kathleen

Modern Glam Home - Ashley