poshed up: My very favorite time of the year...it's HERE!

I love absolutely everything about Fall! I feel lucky to live in the Northeast where we truly get to enjoy all four seasons and their corresponding weather, but of all...I enjoy Fall the most. The smell of baked goods and clean, crisp air, the cool breezes, warm sweaters, the sound of crunching leaves and the colors of nature everywhere....I just adore it all.

And...I love most to decorate for Fall. I have 3 full bins of decor for just this season. The good thing is that it stretches (at least for me) from the day after Labor Day until the day after Thanksgiving. That's at least 2 full months. So I literally start decorating the day after Labor Day. Call me crazy, but by now, I can't wait to see new things around my house and the splashes of red and orange. Besides, the stores put their Halloween candy on the shelves the day after 4th of July so I'm not too far ahead...lol

I found some great ideas for mantles for the Fall to help inspire my own. My fireplace is located in my kitchen...which is very much the heart of our home. I love to switch it for holidays and seasons to keep it interesting! We spend all of our time in our kitchen from cooking, homework, family game night, entertaining, etc. so I need something fun and inviting on my mantle.

I'll first show you my inspiration....

Love the simplicity of this leaf garland from Better Homes & Garden. You can even recruit your family to help gather the leaves. Martha Stewart had the same idea with these that she's dipped in wax to preserve...

I'm digging this Fall banner from 'One Fell Out of The Cuckoo's Nest'. Not sure if I have the interest in making it this year, but love it just the same.

And I LOVE any kind of glass container... hurricane, drinking glass, mason jar...you name it. These from 'Junk Garden Girl' are so great for fall.

And these hurricanes filled with gourds (fake I think from the looks of the picture) from 'Her Southern Charm' are so similar to what I've done in years past.

So...here is my mantle after a few days of work....what do you think?

It looks a LOT better in person and during the day, but you'll just have to take my word for it. It's a very high stone fireplace with a stone mantle so it needs lots of color!

And this work in progress similar to the one I found on pinterest will sit in the middle once it's complete.....

Can you guess what it will say?

I also like to do a simple centerpiece that I either leave on my kitchen table or on my kitchen island with some candles. Here is my inspiration...

Not sure about the rolling pins, but I love the long dough box that is pictured with the misc. items in it. It's for sale on etsy by the way...just click here. I haven't completed mine just yet because I really want to use real pumpkins and gourds and it's still to early for those.

I tried this idea of a gourd topiary last year, but with Dollar Store fake pumpkins and I choose to re-use it this year. This idea was from 'The Party Dress'...and they have stunning ideas!

And I usually decorate the windowsill in our kitchen as well since I spend a disgusting amount of time looking at it as its in front of our kitchen sink. Here is where I am as of today, but again I'd love to add some real items once we make our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.

I know it just looks like ordinary acorns, but my daughter and I picked those 5 years ago together so to me they are priceless.

And candles...oh how I love you candles. Especially those smelling of fall scents like pumpkins, apples, cinnamon. Need I continue. How about these adorable candles found on tumblr...so simple!

Or these in mini pumpkins....LOVE!!!

Last but not least is the front steps. This is definitely not my area of focus or expertise, but an area I'd like to try to improve this year. Here are some gorgeous ideas and inspiration!