Decorate with Crafts

Cally Powrozek still remembers watching the barn behind her Hampshire, Illinois, home being built -- despite the fact that she and her husband, Dean, didn't even own the home at the time. Visible from a highly trafficked local highway, the 8-year-old house had long caught the attention of Cally and her daughter, Tracey, who drove by frequently and would rave about the home's quaint country charm. "I always called it my dream home," the homeowner recalls. "We started to see a for-sale sign out front, but I didn't think we could afford it. Then the sign was up for a while, so we called about it. I came in and just fell in love!"

Admittedly, Cally says, the logical plan would have been for her and Dean to downsize because Tracey and their son, Shane, had left the nest and started families of their own. However, the three-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot home and its surrounding acreage -- complete with outbuildings, a playhouse and several tree swings -- provide much-utilized room for entertaining the couple's regularly visiting grandchildren. "The kids are gone, and we've got three grandchildren and one more on the way -- and we go and buy this big house!" Cally says with a laugh.

In addition to being grandkid central, the home features high ceilings and big walls that give primitives-loving Cally nearly never-ending canvases on which she can showcase her treasured antiques. For a little outsider advice on arranging fall-themed displays, she invitedCountry Samplerstylists Sally-Jo Enstad and Catherine Parker to give her some pointers for the porch, the entry and the living room. Read on for their autumnal advice!

Shelf Help
1. Go wall out.  Cally's wide, welcoming front porch features a ceiling that protects her decor from the elements, and she takes full advantage of the additional display space it offers with a wall shelf vignette adjacent to the door.
2. Get around.  To construct the shelf's seasonal scene, the stylists arranged accents not only on the shelf, where a black crow and a lantern balance each other, but also above and below. A feathery twig wreath and a painted sign round out the area. "Having singular elements crowning and underscoring a wall display is a smart way to fill out the spot without it feeling too cluttered," Sally-Jo says.
3. Sneak a peek.  Thanks to its generous length, a classic arrow sign holder attached to the wall extends out past the shelf to let its witchy ornament scare up more visual interest.
4. Return to nature.  For front-porch decor that looks appropriate all season long, the stylists repurposed Cally's rustic wire cart as a base for an assortment of hardy potted plants, pumpkins and hedgeapples; nearby, a plaid rug dresses up the deck floor and small hay bales boost more fresh pumpkins, including one carved into a bright-colored planter.
5. Add on some fun.  To celebrate the whimsy of Halloween, bring in an easy-to-relocate statement piece, such as this charming painted ghost or the trio of pumpkin-toting sheep at right.
6. See through it.  Curtains hung on the interior side of the door show through to frame a bountiful basket adorned with a pair of metal stakes, including a wired-on pumpkin removed from its pole and a crow-themed piece.
7. Light the night.  Invite in after-dark trick-or-treaters with a primitive-style tin lantern lit with a flickering votive or a battery-powered candle. "To give it more oomph, we hung this lantern on a shepherd's hook planted in a bushel," Catherine says. "Burlap ribbon woven through the slats adds extra texture in a snap."

The Bold Standard
8. Welcome warmly. Although she prefers a more subtle palette in the rest of the house, Cally opted for a cozy, enveloping shade of dark cranberry in the sunny entryway that wraps guests in an inviting feel the moment they enter.
9. Compare and contrast.  If you pick a bold color for a foyer or a hallway, choose furnishings that stand out against the statement-making backdrop, such as the aged green table and the small cabinet that Cally positioned near her front door.
10. Put it on repeat.  "To really make an impact with a complementary color, use it at least three times in a vignette," Catherine advises. Under the table, for example, a green lantern set beside a cute ghost accent atop a woven picnic basket echoes the minty-fresh finish on the table and the cabinet.
11. Read the subtext-ure.  From a dimension-adding wreath or a set of scripted wood blocks hung on the wall to a bare feet-ready braided accent rug, introduce texture high and low. "Always watch out for everyday items, such as a wicker basket, that you can relocate to the wall with some simple hooks or other hardware," Sally-Jo says.
12. Sweeten the deal.  Keep Halloween candy convenient and stylish by stashing it near the front door in a cheery jack-o'-lantern bucket or some decorative glass jars.

On Neutral Ground
13. Act like a kid again.  With three frequently visiting young grandchildren and another due any day, Cally ensures that her living spaces are always family-friendly. In the living room, pint-size chairs cozy up to the coffee table so that youngsters have their own special seating spot.
14. Take it easy.  To make the coffee table a breeze to clear when a playtime surface is needed, the stylists kept the scene simple with a patterned runner underscoring a whimsical black cat accent, an apple-filled lantern and a potted coleus.
15. Strike a balance.  "Even when they're done in neutrals, patterned textiles can overwhelm a space if you have too many," Sally-Jo warns. "Work in solids to tone down your graphics, such as the tobacco-cloth panels we hung above the plaid café curtains." The stylists also put this trick into practice on the couches, where a beige-background crow pillow is paired up with a primitive-motif cushion, and a simple throw matches a nearby lamp shade.
16. Think small.  With large windows and an ornate focal-point fireplace, there's not a lot of room on the walls for big artwork here. So, the stylists incorporated several more petite pieces, including a wood candleholder fitted over a window frame, a double-sided wall clock and a cream-colored cupboard.
17. Screen carefully.  "Cally's hearth screen is so neat -- it's actually an old window screen, and it makes the stack of pumpkins behind it look like a painting," Catherine says. Repeat the theme of a gourd-eous display with another fall-fare accent showcased nearby, such as the ghostly gourd light on the mantel.

CRAFTER PRODUCTS
Visit our Craft Fair online for more information.

SHELF HELP
Papier-mache black crow, Olde Farm Creek
Tin and glass lantern, Folkart Gatherings
Flying witch on arrow, Folkart Gatherings
The Great Pumpkin Patch sign, Kindred Spirit Primitives
Batty Phantom ghost figure, Timeless Charm Gifts
Pumpkin and crow stakes, Home Decor For Your Style
Table lantern (hanging), Country Village Shoppe
Woven rag rug, Campbell's Country Spice
Handpainted gourd with pumpkin and crow, Pine Cone Gift Shoppe

THE BOLD STANDARD
Fall Greetings wreath, Tracy's Florals
Trick-or-Treat blocks, Olde Farm Creek
Pumpkin-head jars, Copeland's General Store
Joyous Jack bucket, Henny Penny's House
Mr. Boojangles ghost, Timeless Charm Gifts
Old Crow hooked/braided rug, Heart-N-Hand

ON NEUTRAL GROUND
Over-the-door candleholder, Country Store of Geneva
Tobacco panels, Olde Farm Creek
Double-sided clock, Olde Farm Creek
Candle shelf and prim candles, Country Village Shoppe
Ghostly arrangement, Saltbox Primitives
Grid #4 throw, Olde Farm Creek
Black Cat with Jack, Henny Penny's House
Burlap crow pillow, Primitive Beginnings