Fall flowers

When you shop at the market, do you buy yourself flowers?  I love to do it.  After I've bought all the vegetables and fruits I can carry, flowers are like the frosting on the cake.  Aren't those pink flowers a riot?  In college, my roommates and I would go to the nearby farmers' market, and when we discovered those flowers, we named them "brain flowers."  They're actually called Celosia Cristata, or Giant Cockscombs.  You learn something new every day!

I went to World Market after the Green City Market, to pick up a couple of things to decorate the dining room table for fall.  If you just get a little creative, you can decorate so cheaply!  I got two patterned napkins, a straw placemat, and a couple of tiny votives.  I spend $12 on that.  Then I went to Family Dollar and got 3 little bags of river rocks ($3 total), which I poured into quart-size Mason jars which I filled with water to hold my gorgeous flowers.  These guys are really heavy - they need the rocks so they don't fall over.  Isn't it pretty?  I'm really happy with how simple and colorful it is.  What are your tricks for low-cost seasonal decorating?  (P.S. Did you know that you can dry the brain flowers?  Just hang them upside-down!  They retain most of their vibrant color, and the flower lady at the market told me they make a beautiful Christmas tree decoration!)