These sleek, contemporary vases are the perfect thing for displaying one large tropical leaf or flower, whether real or artificial. Partially fill the base with tiny decorative filler, grass green split peas, coffee beans, or other interesting textured material and you have an interesting organic objet d'art for well under $10. Combine three of these using your color palette as a guide for accent colors and you have the beginning of a centerpiece for everyday or a special occasion.

These vases are also examples how the shapes of everyday objects can suggest other uses. For Halloween, fill just the bases with colored water, add some polyester batting, stretched out to look like steam, around the bases of each with a bit of "steam" coming out of the top. (be careful not to stuff it into the vase as you may not be able to get it out!) Now you have the beginning of a laboratory effect, perfect for a powder room, beverage area, or even the laundry room!

What do you do when your decor or your dinnerware doesn't conform to the traditional colors of the season? Do you just ignore it and hope for the best?

This is one of the many decorating problems I address in my Redesign Parties and the picture shows a typical example. The dinnerware looks more like Spring rather than Fall with its pastel colors and delicate design- a small floral using greens, peach and a bit of plum. The solution for a centerpiece (or a floral accent for a room with these colors) is to take each color and find a fall equivalent. Using a terra cotta pumpkin box for a base, frosted grape leaves on a vine and mottled fall leaves with a bit of gold, peach and brick colors (instead of the usual orange and red) were used as a filler. Peach and tangerine colored berries, and peach spider mums fill the place that orange might in a traditional fall arrangement. White is carried through with white mums, silk mushrooms, frosted white berries and some white and pale pink- peach veined foliage. The plum is picked up by miniature purple iris for contrast in height and texture instead of using purple berries or grapes.

Fall colors are more than golds, greens, reds and oranges. Just as peach translated into terra cotta for the example, teal can translate into porcelain berry clusters (a real plant, believe me!), navy blue can translate into deep purple-blue grapes or berries, purple into asters and pink into purple cone flowers. All can be mixed with white pumpkins, brown accents like cat tails, dried grasses with seed heads, chocolate eupatorium (Joe Pie Weed) and yellow green fall leaves, dried hydrangea blossoms or artichokes (real, dried or "silk").

These are only a few examples-try some of your own and do send me photos-your creation may be featured in next month's issue!

Does the idea of clearing your house of clutter make you think of grabbing your leaf blower and taking it through your house one room at a time?

You know what to do, it is just making the time committment to do it. There are many ways to get started-with an easy job first to give you a sense of accomplishment or a difficult job that will really be obvious once it is done. Be sure that when you select the project that you have the time set aside to finish it properly, the supplies you need and the determination to focus on it without becoming distracted. Assemble everything in the room in advance, even if it takes several days to get everything together. This will encourage you to get the job done. Use whatever tricks you need to keep yourself focused. A timer set at half hour increments may help you keep on track. Stop periodically to stretch and refresh but take no longer than a half hour or so to keep up the momentum. Plan rewards for yourself after each project is finished. Chocolate perhaps?

Fall clean up is a little like a harvest. You will reap rewards such as saved time because you know where things are, saved money because you know what you have and won't buy duplicates and peace of mind because you won't have the stress that disorganization causes.

Bella and Birch is a new designer wall finish that comes on a roll, but it's not wallpaper. It's a dry paint pattern that smoothes on with no seams! Intrigued? So was I. After a bit of a delay, I can report on my experience with this great new product and you can see for yourself what a difference it can make in an incredibly short time.

Debbie had recently moved into a new house and wanted to give her dining room a little oomph to set it off from the adjoining, open living room. We selected a subtle mottled tone on tone pattern, Dance, in Chareston Sand, to give the room definition. After watching the short instructional DVD we loaded the dispensers with the product that comes on a roll and we were ready to go.

The area below the chair rail was our selected space so using the edging strips we applied the product to the wall, smoothed it down and peeled away the top protective film. Simple and easy!

We continued filling in the space using the larger roll of the product using the applicator that applies it to the wall as you run it down in a smooth motion, then cuts it and smoothes the edges. No drips, smudges or uneven paint application at the edges to fuss over. Brilliant!

More on this room transformation next month!

The Redesigner's Notebook is devoted to tips and articles relating to interior redesign, decorating, entertaining, organizing and related subjects.

If you have an interest or question that you would like to see addressed, or a community event that you would like to see included that relates to these subjects please contact me. Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated!
~ Pam Faulkner, Faulkner House Interior Redesign