fall party decor

My cousin got married a few weekends ago and my aunt put on one of the best rehearsal dinners I have ever been to. It was so well thought out and perfectly decorated. I thought I'd share some of these handmade decorations since they would work for more than just a rehearsal dinner. They could be the perfect decoration for your fall table, Thanksgiving dinner place settings and much more. Enjoy :)

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

sweater vase

This was originally published as a guest post for Cocktails With Mom.

Fall is all around (even though it has been 80 degrees in PA all week). One of my favorite fall decorations is this cozy sweater vase. I have a number of generic, glass vases sitting around my house so I decided to spruce one up for Fall.

... here's how I did it ...

I started by disassembling a sweater I picked up from The Salvation Army. I had originally gotten it to make these sweater pumpkins but had plenty left over for other projects. For this, I used a section of sleeve and slid it on over my vase.

To cover the raw edge at the top, I simply made a linen "ribbon" by cutting a piece of fabric to the length I needed, sewed it together, turned it right side out and top stitched it to finish it off. After trimming off my loose threads, I tied it nicely around the top of my vase.

I used a glue dot to keep the "knot" secured to the glass, however the rest of the sweater just fits snug enough around the vase to stay put. I decorated my finished vase with our wedding flowers we had left over (we used all artificial and I love having them around the house). This inexpensive, simple spruce up was perfect for turning my "blah" vase into a fun, centerpiece. 

the best fall chili

This time of year I always get hungry for soups and chili. This recipe has been a staple in our household for years. It's easy to make (and freeze for later use) and is the perfect dinner on a cold evening. 

I just made a large double batch to send with my husband to a bachelor party at my aunt & uncle's cabin. My cousin is getting married in a few weeks so the guys are spending the weekend in the woods. This chili will go great with all the beer they'll be drinking. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to make your own batch:

Turkey Chili ...Ingredients... 2 lbs. ground turkey 1/2 large yellow onion (chopped) drizzle of olive oil palm full of chili powder palm full of cumin powder 1/2 palm full of salt 1/2 palm full of pepper 1 can tomato sauce 1 can tomato paste 2 cans of crushed or diced tomatoes 3 cans of kidney beans (drained - I use dark, light & white northern) 1 can black beans (drained) 1 can whole kernel corn

1. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot. Add the chopped onion and ground turkey. Cook until meat is crumbled and cooked. Drain some (but not all) of the grease.
2. Add in your spices: palm full of chili powder, palm full of cumin powder, 1/2 palm full of salt & 1/2 palm full of black pepper.
3. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste & crushed tomatoes.
4. Add in your kidney beans, black beans & corn.
Cook on low for a few hours (stirring occasionally). Taste and add more spices if needed. Serve with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and some corn bread. Yum... happy Fall!
[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]