Adorning Your Home for Thanksgiving and Halloween - BTSH Around The House Tip of the Week

Fall is a fun season to decorate for. The fall colours lend themselves to compliment most any palette, and carving pumpkins is fun at any age. Here are some tips to get you in the spirit of the festivities!

Thanksgiving
Start with fall harvest style décor. As a general rule in Canada, save the specific Halloween decorations until after Thanksgiving. This means that you can have pumpkins as a part of your décor, but save the carving of the pumpkin until after the carving of the turkey.

Think of the colours of the changing leaves when you think about decorating for this season. Burnt orange, browns, dark greens, burgundy, and sometimes even a little yellow. Also remember that the temperature outside is dropping, so you want to make the indoors as cozy as possible. Consider adding a throw and some decorative pillows to your living room in these fall colours. For an added touch, scented candles of apple cinnamon or orange spice give of cozy, warm scents.

Gourds are always a nice touch. These consist of a variety of decorative squash and mini pumpkins, in various sizes and colours. Have a display on the entry table at your front door, grouped on your mantel, or in a basket as a centrepiece on the dining table. Another centrepiece idea is a bowl of apples—take the family out apple picking, and put some of their best picks on display!

Great your guests with warm fall colours at the front door. Create a fall wreath from straw, corn husks, and artificial leaves or flowers. Bring it all together with a cloth ribbon. And just because the summer may be over, does not mean that you can’t still have fresh flowers displayed. Replace your potted plants on your porch with plants from the season, such as marigolds and mums.

Halloween
There are really no set rules for decorating for Halloween. This is the one time of year that I say let your wildest imagination take over, and don’t hold back! Halloween is my favourite time of year. I love the energy of the day, and the creativity of the costumes and decorating.

Naturally, no Halloween is complete without carving some pumpkins for display. If you don’t think you’re much of an artist, you can download stencils online, or buy at your local craft store. Be sure to use a good carving knife with a fine edge for details. Another idea is to paint the pumpkins. This looks especially great on white pumpkins, or Luminas.

As for the rest of the decorations, try to stick with a theme, whether it be ghosts and goblins, or witches and bats, be sure that your decorations compliment one another. If you’re hosting a Halloween party, dim the lights, replace a few lamp bulbs with some black lights for effect, play some spooky tunes, and be sure to have lots of treats to avoid any tricks.

Written by Shauna Lynn, Beyond The Stage Homes
www.beyondthestagehomes.com

How To Host An End of Season BBQ To Remember - BTSH Around The House Tip of the Week

You’ve worked all summer long to get your home and yard looking fantastic, but what good is it if you don’t show it off? Before you shut down the outdoors for the season, why not host a Fall BBQ for your family and friends. Here are some tips for how to be sure that your party is a huge success:

The Entertainment
It is always a good idea to provide some sort of entertainment when you host a party. Music provides a nice background to any party theme. There are a few ways to do this, depending on what is available to you.

MP3 Player—Fill your mp3 player with your favourite songs, and create a playlist for the evening, whether it’s dance music, soft instrumental, country, etc., or perhaps you want a variety. Regardless, be sure to prepare a playlist in advance to ensure that the songs you don’t want anyone to know are in your mp3 library don’t randomly appear.

Instruments—If you have some friends that are musically inclined, encourage them to bring their instruments of choice, and set up a jam session. If you have instruments of your own on hand, such as guitars or hand drums, have these set out so that guests may be encouraged to join in.


Live Music—Often local, up and coming music artists will perform at private parties for minimal costs in an effort to increase exposure. Go online to find some local talent, and contact them about what their fees are. You may even be able to take up a collection with your guests to help to subsidize the cost.

The Food

First thing you need to decide when it comes to the food is whether or not you wish to do pot-luck style. This means that each guest would be responsible for bringing a dish. If you choose this route, you will want to be sure to coordinate in advance who is bringing what to ensure that you have enough food, and avoid duplicates. If you wish to do the cooking yourself, choose a theme and be sure your dishes compliment one another. This can be based on local seasonal vegetables, or flavours of the south, fall flavours inspired by thanksgiving comfort foods, or perhaps after a particular culture, such as Caribbean. If you have only one BBQ and are expecting a large crowd, consider cooking some items on the stove or in the oven.

The Setting
Since the season is known for cooler nights, be sure to prepare for this. Begin festivities early in the afternoon, to maximize the sunshine exposure. Advise guests that wish to stay into the evening to bring appropriate attire. If possible, provide an outdoor heat source, such as a bon fire, or a heat lamp (these can often be rented from party supply stores).

Although fall is not known for having a lot of pests around, it is a good idea to have some citronella candles and/or torches just in case. They provide a nice soft glow that helps to set the mood, and deter pesky bugs.

Be prepared with an entertaining area inside where guests can mingle in case of rain, or extremely chilly temperatures.

Good friends always means good times, so remember most importantly to enjoy yourself, no matter what.

Written by Shauna Lynn, Beyond The Stage Homes
www.beyondthestagehomes.com

The "F" Word - Getting Your Home Ready for "Fall" - BTSH Around The House Tip of the Week

It’s the season that usually follows two months of scorching heat, and is often welcomed with it’s cooler temperatures. Unfortunately this year it follows a somewhat questionable summer, but nonetheless, it’s best to come to terms with the facts—Fall is approaching Fast and Furious, and you need to make sure that both you, and your yard, are prepared.

Preparing The Garden
- Remove annuals that have finished blooming
- Trim back perennials
- Some gardeners will recommend digging up sensitive bulbs and bringing in for the winter—be sure not dig up though until after the first frost
- I like to split some of my herbs and replant in pots to bring in for the winter—plant in pots and leave outside for at least 1 week before bringing in—this will avoid too much stress to the plant
- Add mulch to help to protect your bed over the winter

Plant Spring Bulbs
Most spring bulbs require that you plant them approximately 6 weeks before the first frost. Some great spring bloomers are:
- Daffodils
- Tulips
- Hyacinths
- Crocus’
- Snowdrops


Lawn Care
Don’t wait until spring to get your lawn ready—let your lawn work for you over the months that it is buried in snow, giving you a thick, green lawn in the spring. Mix soil, fertilizer, and lawn seed in a wheelbarrow, and spread throughout the lawn. This is also a great time to level out some uneven areas by adding a little more soil. Remember that most grass seeds need water, so be sure to water regularly if rain is not in the forecast. Putting down grass seed just before the snow falls helps to keep the seeds moist, and allow them to work into the soil before the ground freezes. To prepare your lawn, rake first with a thatching rake to pull up dead roots, stems, and leaves. Also ensure that all fallen leaves are raked up before the first snow fall.

Bringing In The Rain Barrel
Drain and disconnect your rain barrel in the fall to ensure your rain barrel and the overflow hose do not crack. Store in a garage or shed over the winter and store your overflow hose indoors. If you must store your rain barrel outdoors, drain it and put it upside-down with the water valve left open.

Written by Shauna Lynn, Beyond The Stage Homes
www.beyondthestagehomes.com