Ideas for Inspired Fall Living
Follow the Season
Use seasonal throw pillows and blankets to add color, warmth and welcome. Take a hint from nature, filling vases with mums, cattails and colored leaves. Take walks in the woods and gardens to find autumnal treasures, like pinecones and branches of Chinese lantern. Serve warm, rich food: stews have come in season. Bake bread and fill the house with its aroma. Create and enjoy a favorite warm drink.
Seek Out Inspiration
Borrow ideas from the experts.
Get insight into how artists create space at Muddy Creek Artist Guild Studio Tour October 15 and 16, which invites you inside 18 studios throughout Southern Anne Arundel County.
For ideas to add old world charm, visit the Montpelier Mansion Historic Site in Laurel (History.pgparks.com). “The grounds of Montpelier are lovely all year round, but fall and spring are particularly delightful,” says museum manager Mary Jurkiewicz.
Surround Yourself with Art
“Art can change your heart, boost your spirits and challenge your thinking,” says Muddy Creek Artist Guild president Jennifer Heinz..
Seek inspiration at Montpelier Mansion’s Artists’ Boutique, featuring fiber arts displays with an array of local artists’ wearable art creations and elegant crafts are also on sale.
Mark Time’s Passage
Each year adds to your life’s story. Autumn reminds us not only to make the most of time’s passage but also to mark its milestones. Take your past treasures out of the boxes where they’ve been sleeping and make room for them in present time.
“As well as art and maps, collectibles of all sorts can be framed or mounted to fit your décor and fancy,” says Elizabeth Ramirez of Wimsey Cove Framing & Art in Edgewater.
Find a framer to help you see the possibilities. In Annapolis, visit Cynthia McBride at McBride Galleries. In Dunkirk, visit framer Frank Radosevic at Medart Galleries. In Prince Frederick, visit mother and son team Beverly and Joe Smialek at House of Frames.
Cut the Clutter
Yes, we humans give life and energy to objects we own. Our stuff holds our memories, our accomplishments, our necessities and your experiences, in physical form. A matchbook saved from a first date has life, even when the matches run out. But the accumulated weight of our stuff can end up causing us misery. If the space you need becomes enveloped in items you want — but have no future nor good current purpose for — it is time to let go. By cutting the clutter, you harmonize your center of operations, be it in your home or office.
Partners Amanda Colborn and Kevin Carew understand how hard it can be to let go of objects that aren’t meant to be with us anymore. They won’t let you cry when it’s time to purge overrun spaces. Rather, they show you what peace you have been missing in all the clutter.
They are fearless in organizing and downsizing, and they embolden you to let go as well. The motto of Pink Apple Organizers is No Tears, No Heartbreak, No Remorse. Find out for yourself: [email protected].