Sweet October

"The sweet calm sunshine of October, now
Warms the low spot; upon its grassy mold
The purple oak-leaf falls; the birchen bough
drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold."

- William Cullen Bryant

 

 

 

It seems like the fall colors this year are more vibrant than ever! Or, is it as my sister says - one just forgets how beautiful it is until it comes around again? These photos were taken on a walk at one of our local nature preserves earlier this week. Perfect weather...perfect day.

 

 

 

I've also been having fun with pumpkins this year and tried some things I saw on Pinterest.

 

 

The glitter pumpkin is easy peasy. Just spread Elmers glue or Pod Modge on the top portion of the pumpkin, then sprinkle on the glitter. I used copper-colored glitter because that's what I had on hand, but orange or black would look awesome, too! If it's a tiny pumpkin, you might want to glitter the whole thing. For the other one, I painted the entire pumpkin black with acrylic paint. Let dry...then scrape it off to make the stripes. This is a little bit more difficult than it sounds - only because it's time consuming to get the stripes straight! I really like the result, though.

 

 



 

But...this is my favorite! I painted the tree and crow on the white pumpkin, using black acrylic paint. Then, I collected branches from the yard for the pitcher. I love the overall look! It's simple and doesn't scream "Halloween" so I can leave it up until Thanksgiving.

 

 

Would you believe I've found all of these white pitchers over the past year at my local Goodwill? The best part - they were just one dollar each! I love them!

 

 

 

I hope you're having an enjoyable October so far, too!

 

Until next time,

Cindy

 

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

                           Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

               Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

                              Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer



The Pumpkin Patch

Today was a perfect fall day to visit "the pumpkin patch," which is actually Rimelspach Farm in Fremont, Ohio. It was sunny, breezy and very cool - definitely sweater weather! I love, love, love autumn and this is one of my favorite places to visit each year. So, I twisted my sister's arm to go with me today...no, not really - she loves fall as much as I do, so it wasn't too hard at all to talk her into a spur-of-the-moment drive! Rimelspach Farm is about a half-hour from where we live.

It's a little difficult to tell from my photos, but these pumpkins were huge! Ginormous!

 

 

Stacks of white pumpkins...

 

 

...and funny-shaped white gourds. From a distance, they look like popcorn!

 

 

The old wagons and wagon wheels make perfect props to display the pumpkins!

 

 

 

Back home, this is one of my little displays with a couple of the pumpkins I brought home with me. I'm really liking the white pumpkins more and more, although traditional orange will always be my favorite. 

 

 

 

So, it was a fun day! I hope you're all enjoying your weekend, too!

 

Until next time,

Cindy

 

Linking to Seasonal Sundays on The Tablescaper

                                 Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

                        What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

                    Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

 



Vintage Glass Lawn Ornaments

Hello everyone,
Our weather this weekend has been absolutely gorgeous! Yesterday was 72 degrees, sunny, with a slight breeze - couldn't be better for a late summer day. Unfortunately, I've come down with a virus of some sort with a sore throat and alternating between chills and burning up! So, I'll be enjoying all that sunshine from indoors today. I want to share some photos I took last weekend at our local flea market, though. One person was selling these vintage glass lawn/garden ornaments and bottle trees. I can't decide if I like them or not? They're different...and very pretty, but that's a LOT of beautiful, vintage glassware that would look good on a dining room table! Still though, not everyone likes to use vintage table settings, so I suppose it's another good way to recyle glass. What do you think?

 

 

...and, the pumpkins are out, so we know autumn is around the corner!

 

 

Enjoy the week ahead. I'm excited about the arrival of fall - looking forward to the change and also seeing all the beautiful autumn decorations, tablescapes, artwork, etc. on other blogs.

 

Until next time, 

Cindy

 

Linking to Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

                                  Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

                      What's It Wednesday at Ivy & Elephants

                                          Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Potpourri Friday at 2805



Autumn Tea Party ~

Autumn is here, and in some parts of the country, the weather is still warm enough for a fall-themed outdoor tea party. Whether outdoors or indoors, just a few changes to the décor and menu takes a traditional “tea” from summertime to autumn. Here’s some ideas for autumn-themed tablescapes to get you started. The really great thing about it is that a lot of the decorations are right outside your door - twigs and small branches, colorful leaves, acorns and pinecones. Add a few pumpkins and gourds and twinkling lights and you’ve set the mood for a seasonal autumn party that everyone will enjoy. Remember the main ingredient for any tea party: keep it simple, relax and have fun!

A couple of autumnal tea time recipes you may want to add to your menu:

Sweet Potato Scones:

  2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  3/4 teaspoon salt
  1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  1/3 cup cold butter
  1 egg, lightly beaten
  1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
  1/3 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, sweet potatoes and buttermilk; add to dry ingredients just until moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; with lightly floured hands, knead dough 10-12 times. Pat into an 8-in. circle. Cut into eight wedges. Separate wedges and place 1 in. apart on a baking sheet lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16-21 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 scones.

Other seasonal menu ideas are slices of apple (dipped in lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.) Serve the apple with a sharp cheddar cheese or brie. Or, you may want to replace summertime traditional tea party favorites, like cucumber sandwiches, with an apple and cheddar sandwich:

Ingredients:
1 crisp apple, Fuji is a good choice
Very sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thin
2 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons spiced apple jam or jelly
Pinch of powdered cloves
4 slices thin white bread

Mix together the cream cheese, cloves, and spiced apple jam.
Spread on one side of all 4 slices of bread.
Arrange the sliced cheddar on 2 slices of bread.
Add the drained apple slices (sliced very thin)
Top with the remaining 2 slices of bread. Remove the crusts using a long thin sharp knife.
Cut them into quarters diagonally.
Makes 8 servings.

Until next time, enjoy your autumn tea-time party! 

Change of Seasons

The look and feel of autumn is in the air! Mild sunny days and crisp, cold nights. Time for sweaters, scarves and putting an extra blanket on the bed at night.  My sister, niece and I took a leisurely drive on Saturday and stopped at a country farm market/pumpkin patch. I love the colors of fall! 

Here's more of what we found. Don't you just love these rusty old wagons and farm equipment filled with flowers and pumpkins?

Some of the more creative displays and even a fort made out of hay bales!

 Rimelspach Farm Market is located at the intersection of State Route 12 and State Route 53 in Fremont, Ohio. Until next time, wishing everyone a happy week!

I'm linking this post to Outdoor Wednesday on A Southern Daydreamer