Sunday, September 30, 2012

Seasons...........

.........What is your favorite joy of the autumn season? Is it the warm tones of fall colors - bold and bright? The crisp days which bring thoughts of a cup of hot tea? Feeling cozy in a favorite soft sweater? The start of the pumpkin parade? Or is it when just a wisp of smoke is riding on the breeze?  When the shade becomes just a bit darker? Whatever the season means to you it is time to seek out a little spot that is woven in the tapestry of autumn hues - time to pause to take in and enjoy all that autumn brings and be thankful to God for it...........


 
Welcome September ~ Pumpkins ~ Wreaths ~ Shorter Days
 
 
 
Candy Corn ~ Apples ~ Maple Syrup ~ Harvest Time
 

 
Burlap ~ Cider ~ Corn Shocks ~ Hay Bales
 

 
Bittersweet ~ Thankfulness ~ Crisp Air ~ Crunchy Leaves
 
 
 
Sweaters ~ Campfires ~ Hot Chocolate ~ Football
 
 
 
Fall Festivals ~ Corn Mazes ~ Hay Rides ~ Indian Corn
 

 
Turkey ~ Pies ~ Acorns ~ Candles
 

 
Frost Etchings ~ Scarecrows ~ Mums ~ Pears

 
Crows ~ Raffia ~ Blankets ~ Gourds
 

 
Apple Butter ~ Family ~ Falling Leaves ~ Cinnamon

 
Migrating geese ~ Leaf Rakes ~ Bare Trees ~ Summer Waves Goodbye*
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What have I missed? Add any good thing you think of that says Autumn to you.
 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Autumn in the Living room #2

...........As promised, here is the rest of my fall decorations in the living room.  Actually, the first pictures are from the foyer which is almost like being in the living room. I am not very proud of some of these pictures but, they are the best I can do in my dark room.


 
On the little table in the foyer.
 

 
This is the mentioned table and picture above it.  I know, according to Southern Living, fake flowers are one of the top ten faux pas of decorating.  But I still hang on to a few. These are here most of the year except Christmastime. They look good with my fall things and and what does Southern Living know, right?
 

 
 

 
A shot at night with the candle lit.
 

 
If you have been following you have already seen this but I have new people join in all the time and some of them haven't seen it.
 
 
 
Now we are a few steps away along another wall and ARE in the living room.
 

 
I bought the burlap strapping by the yard at Walmart and cut it to fit these pillar candles, overlapped the ends about  half an inch and used some good tacky glue to secure the ends. I put a rubber band around them to hold them until the glue dried. It was very easy, took only a few minutes and I like the look.  The little acorns are flat on the back and came from Hobby Lobby. Use the same thick tacky glue to glue them in place.

 
I love birds and use the little figurines year round. You can get a glimpse of the silver buttons I glued to the other candle which I turned to the back because I didn't like them with this look. They might look better at Christmastime.
 

 
The nighttime lit look. Now, you would not want these burning for very long or unattended because it is quite possible the burlap strapping could go up in flames!
 

 
Lamp base and a ceramic acorn.
 
 
 
I wanted you to notice the crocheted doily. I got this not long ago at an antique shop. I liked it because of the big turkey worked into the design. It looks more like a turkey when you can see his tail feathers. Now, I bet I would get one big red check mark from Southern Living for using a crocheted doily on a tabletop like this!!! I don't, usually but like it here for now. Again, what do they know. ha.ha.
 

 
A stand alone bouquet of more fake flowers and other things.
 

 
Moving to my new end table beside the sofa.
 

 
I've had the large acorn for a long time and really like it. The candle and the leaf dish were gifts from one of the September Girls another year. I went to our annual September Girls Birthday Brunch this week and it was great fun.  I am waiting on some pictures and will show you when I get them.
 
 
 
Pears are another thing that I like to use in decorating.
 
 

Wonder what Southern Living would say about fake pears!
 

 
This dish, looking down on it, looks flat in the picture but it is a bowl and is prettier than it shows here. The colors are darker, for one thing.
 

 
The same goes for this one - didn't look right taken from the side but, it is what it is, as the saying goes.


 
This little leaf pillow completes the living room pictures, along with the white desk that I showed in the last post. We will see the dining area in a post soon. If you would like to see some of last years fall decorations go here http://bsneeringer.blogspot.com/2011/08/lights-of-autumn.html
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As always I appreciate you taking the time to stop by.
 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

A desk full of Autumn......

........I have this white bookcase desk in my living room and at the moment it only has two books in it. I use the shelves for seasonal looks and right now it is all about autumn.


 
 Autumn is an eight pointer.
 

 
Here is the desk. As hard as I tried I never was able to get a clear picture. 
 

 
On top of the desk you will notice the bird has found a sprig of autumn.
 

 
I will show you some closer-ups, shelf by shelf. Starting on the top and working left to right.
 
 
 
 
 
This large metal acorn is a votive holder.
 

 
 The "bowl" with pears and the single larger pear are metal and they have votive holders on the back. They have small holes through them but do not work well with candles - can hardly see that they are burning. 
 

 
 
Middle shelf and on the left. The old looking crock is a favorite of mine and I sometimes use it year round. I think the words, "gather ye" fit in well with fall. You will have noticed it in the picture from last year on the right at the beginning of this post.
 
 

 
Funny how you mostly see crows and scarecrows used in the fall in decor. Actually, spring would be a more natural time. Gardeners use to stand a scarecrow up near the corn rows to........you guessed it, scare the crows away so they wouldn't eat the seed corn that they just sowed.
 
 
 
I got this pair in Bristol Tennessee a few years back and I have loved having them. They remind me of a fun shopping day with two nieces and my sister. The very large card is one I made and have kept for decorative purposes.
 

 
This painted wooden box is a favorite piece of mine. It is handy to store most of these small pieces when it is time to store them away.
 
 
 
I guess you can tell this is one of my favorite spots on the desk.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
The iron candle holder could be a year round piece but I use it here in the fall and until Spring.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Now we are on the bottom left. You will notice these pictures were taken at different times and I have been tweaking the shelves and things have been moved around a bit. The crock is now actually on the the shelf above as you saw it there.  But, this is the only picture I had that shows the very large acorn, which is still right here.
 
 

 
This tree of life has a fall look. It came from the same store as the crows.
 
 
 
A few of you might remember I made a lot of leaves and a pumpkin last year using pages from a book.
 

 
 
And here is the pumpkin. I rolled kraft paper and made twigs for the leaves.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
You are seeing the top of the pumpkin with its lichen covered stem. Doesn't it look like the bittersweet branch is in front of the book. It is just a part of the picture.
 
 
 
So, that concludes the tour of the desk full of autumn.  I will show the rest of my decorations in this room soon.
 
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"Autumn is the years last, and loveliest smile."