Celebrate autumn with easy to make home accessories

With fall comes the inevitable raking of the yard, pruning of the bushes and sweeping of the patios.

But there are other more creative and fun things to do with yard debris. Colorful leaves, fragrant pine cones and sculpture-like branches all can make your home more beautiful for fall.

We turned to the three women of Edmonds-based The Salvage Studio — Beth Evans-Ramos, Lisa Hilderbrand and Amy Duncan — for innovative ideas on how to incorporate nature into the home. They gave us spirited ideas for fall home décor in addition to the traditional pumpkins on the porch.

"I like to warm things up," Evans-Ramos said. "I might put more pillows out ... just that sense of cozy [like a] squirrel getting ready for the winter, getting your nest going."

And even if you don't have a yard, your neighbors most likely will be happy to have you remove their leaves or pine cones. Just ask.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com

Classes

Workshops take place at The Salvage Studio, 650 Edmonds Way, Edmonds (www.thesalvagestudio.com). Payment is required at registration. To register, call Lisa at 425-330-5425 or e-mail gardngal@usa.net.

Oct. 14: Microscope slides turned into pins, decorations or magnets, 10-11a.m. or 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; $15. Iris paper folding, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; $15.

Oct. 21: Button bracelets, 10 a.m.-noon; $28. Wallpaper gift bags, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; $15.

Oct 28: Accordion fold books (bookbinding), 10 a.m.-noon; $25. French postcard ornaments, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; $18.

Nov. 3: Art and décor from the hardware store, 11 a.m.-noon; $15.

Nov. 4: Collage paperweights, 10 a.m.-noon; $28. Five-minute gifts, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; $18.

Nov. 11: Thirty-minute demonstration on quick gift ideas, 2 p.m.; free.

Nov. 18: Bottle-cap bonanza for pins, pendants, ornaments, 10 a.m.-noon; $25. Floral fantasia from ordinary plants, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; $18.

More opportunities

For other how-to classes, see the weekly Home Planner and Garden Planner.

Keep it simple

Easy to make projects from The Salvage Studio:

Bouquets: Take a tall, slender vase and group sunflowers, willow or birch branches (or whatever is available in your yard) for a simple, stunning arrangement. A glass vase will do the trick, or put the vase inside a watering can, galvanized bucket or flower pot.

Place cards: Dry and flatten leaves, then write on them with a silver or gold ink pen for natural place cards.

Potpourri: Heap pine cones in a serving platter and add a few drops of essential oil for a quick potpourri.

Hydrangeas: Rescue hydrangea blossoms before they freeze. Take them inside when the petals feel papery; dry them in a container. Heap them in a basket, pile them on a mantel or cupboard, or hot glue them to a grapevine wreath mixed with Spanish moss.

Fruit bowl: Fill a bowl with apples. A wooden bowl is classic, but consider a quirky choice like a terra-cotta saucer or tarnished silver-plate platter.

Nutcracker: Fill a cheese dome with nuts in shells, place it on a platter and put a nutcracker next to it for a table centerpiece.

Candleholders: Core apples or mini pumpkins to serve as candleholders.

Pumpkin risers: Top candleholders with minipumpkins instead of candles.