The summer is quickly coming to a close and people are beginning to dream of cooler weather. Cooler weather brings the change of leaves which leads to harvest theme decorations for our homes and yards. The following ideas may be just what you need to create the yard decorations you’ve always wanted or make the inside a harvest haven.

Everyone knows that harvest time means hay, scarecrows, changing leaves, and pumpkins. Harvest season is more than scarecrows and hay bales however. Consider using other items to decorate and the outcome can be fantastic without using the first pumpkin or scarecrow.

When you’re creating yard decorations, use thing normally found around a farm, a garden, or in the forest. Use several groups of dried corn stalks tied together as the backdrop for your yard decorations. In front of the stalks, put a couple of overturned wooden baskets or hay bales to create spots for other decorations.

Place potted mums in yellow and red on the hay bales. Next, add a few plain gourds, but not pumpkins. Drape grape vines to give the grouping another texture. On top of the grape vines, place gathered ears of Indian corn that have been tied together with a dark green ribbon. You can even create a scarecrow, if you must, but it’s not necessary.

Don’t neglect the porch when decorating the outside of your home. You can bring some of the elements from your yard onto the porch, and then carry those elements into the house. For instance, if you have used red mums out in the yard, use them on the porch as well. Tie some of the corn stalks onto the columns for the porch and then put groups of Indian corn on the stalks.

For the door, create a wreath with grape vines and put Indian corn on it. Spray paint some pine cones before hot gluing them to the wreath. Add silk mums, use cranberries, or other dried fruit to add more color and variety to your wreath. Create a bow using raffia and hot glue it to the top or bottom of the wreath as the final touch before hanging it on the door.

Once inside the home, don’t go overboard with the harvest decorations. If you have stairs in the foyer, consider wrapping a garland of fall leaves along the handrail. Put a small display at the base of the stairs. Most importantly, though, create the mood you’d like with scent rather than decorations. You could bake a pumpkin pie, or use one of the many scented candles available today.

Don’t overdo decorations and save the major decorations for the table. Start with a solid tablecloth as the base for the table decorations. Those decorations can include the dishes and napkins, or it could be a centerpiece of the same red and yellow mums, painted pine cones, and Indian corn. A cornucopia with fruit and nuts cascading from it would also be nice choice.

However you plan to decorate, whether inside or outside, remember that harvest decorations are about more than pumpkins and scarecrows. Use what nature provides to decorate your home, and have fun while you plan each display. Decorations are a plus, but the love that your guests feel at your home will be what brings them back.