Other Fall Color Trends:

Nomad

Purple Heart

We’ve compiled some of the best.

Some highlights:

Santa Rocks Wall Decal

Boho Dessert Plates

Sparkly Wreath

I Can Explain Ornament

As a television producer, I’m used to producing other peoples’ dreams (or nightmares –if we go all the way back to my dating or talk show days), this time it’s as much about ME as it is about the people in the show!

Here’s the deal, HGTV decided to make their Change the World Campaign about helping some Veterans rebuild their rundown transitional houses. Not surprisingly, it touched a chord with millions of people across the country…and the votes streamed into HGTV.com/changetheworld. Now, it’s only fair that I fess up that I’ve always loved the audience-voting thing. My career started on the show that did audience voting better than anyone. I can just hear the audience yelling…one-two-three…tic-tic-tic…with percentage numbers flashing…tic-tic-tic…people waving their fingers…tic-tic-tic…on Love Connection!

So the voting was done and now the HGTV decision-makers were doing what they do best…making decisions! And they wanted ME, & my team (trust me you can’t do this alone) to produce the TV special!

We titled it Change the World: American Heroes and it was a personal labor of love…my Papa and Bampy (yes Grampy with a B) served in WWII, two out of my three Uncle John’s fought in Vietnam, and my cousin Neil ended up doing two tours in Iraq. Think how many people you know that have served…this show is a tribute to them.

Weird thing is that for my entire career, I’ve wished for a show about veterans…even way back during my undergrad years at Framingham State College (when Supertramp blasted on my boom box and I typed reports on my typewriter). My group in Documentary class chose the local fire station over my idea of the local veterans. The vets lost out, but we did get a kitchen fire! Might have made for an interesting documentary…if our camera guy hadn’t erased the footage (sorry Dave)!

Anyway, you can see my wish come true as you watch HGTV & Rebuilding Together help some American Heroes on Veterans Day, 11/11/09 at 8pm on HGTV.

Maybe you can help my next wish come true….high ratings!

Other Fall Color Trends:

Purple Heart

Get started with inspiration from readers of Rate My Space:

Create a beautiful rose pomander to hang from your chandelier:

Find stylish and unique gift wrapping ideas:

And of course, start planning how you will trim your tree:

Get all the rest of our Christmas ideas here.

Whether you want to add a fall touch to your home’s entry:

Or create a centerpiece sure to be the star of your get-together:

Or set the table with sparkling, seasonal style:

We’ve got you covered! Get these tips plus download our free, printable place cards, learn how to make weekend guests feel right at home and many, many more sanity-saving ideas on our Thanksgiving feature.

This week, I ran across a post at Apartment Therapy about a company called Panteek that sells antique botanical prints. I love botanical prints — what a great way to bring nature inside — but they’re hard to find at our local antique shops, which tend more toward Appalachian kitsch or high-end primitives.

Panteek’s variety is wide, from a series of Kerchove palms to walnuts, screech owls and blue flag iris. Here’s one of my favorites, a praying mantis and wildflowers:

Look at the Parliamentary Carrot! And these apples are similar to the fruit and veggie prints on the back covers of Cook’s Illustrated. And on the fall bargains page, you can get prints for as low as $25.

You can make your own botanical prints. Check out these handmade cuttings from Design on a Dime’s Kristan Cunningham. If you search on “botanical” at HGTV’s MarketPlace you can find new versions of this trend.

And get inspired by how they’re used in these designer rooms:

Leaning against the wall in the Guest Bathroom from HGTV Dream Home 2009

Aligned above a couch in a garden living room

As background texture above a bedside table

Have you decorated with botanical prints? Upload pics at Rate My Space and share the link in the comments below.