BOO!

Halloween is fast approaching. I saw this neat decoration at an antique store this past summer. They wanted a small fortune for it; so I decided that it was simple enough and that I would just make one. I took a section of 2X4 and cut two squared pieces and one slightly longer (no measuring required ;) The corners were sanded slightly to remove the sharpness. Then I painted them black. When they dried I cut pieces of black felt to fit on the bottoms so they would not scuff up any surface I chose to display them on. The letters were painted on free hand, and the outer edges of the letters were outlined in glitter glue to give it an extra bit of spooky sparkle. BOO!

Grape Vine Wreath

I wanted to get a wreath for my front door. After seeing the ungodly prices for wreaths at the store I decided to make my own. My parents orchard is plagued with wild grape vines. I untangled as many of them as I could and slowly wound the vines together while they were still supple. The end result was beautiful. I could not have bought a more beautiful wreath. The green parts will brown up and the vines will shrink a bit as it dries; but this is more or less how it will look when it is done. I have plans to tuck flowers and pine cones into it corresponding with the seasons.

Pencil Holder

This is a pencil holder that I made for Bear's office. His office has a north shore cabin theme. I took a soup can and wrapped it in burlap. Then I cut twigs to size and baked them in the oven to make sure that the twigs had dried out completely and that there were no little critters living inside. I used a glue gun to attach them to the burlap, and finished it off with a ribbon of raffia glued in place with a big wooden button. Bear loved it. It was fun and easy to make. Reminiscent of kindergarten.

Napkin Rings Everywhere!

I've been making Napkin Rings for every season out of hard cardboard tubes. They were left over from a label making roll. A woman I know came up with the fabulous idea of making them into napkin rings. You just can't throw out a good cardboard tube ;) Here are my fall rings. I will post the other seasons when they are done. I started out with a plan to make grand rings full of beads, fibers, paint and glitter. I guess the old saying of "less in more" proved to be right. I set the table with place-mats cut from burlap to give the table a homey fall feel. I love the simple elegance of them. Then again hasn't simple elegance been the theme of my life?

Fall is here

Fall is my favorite time of the year; the colors, the smell, hot cider, apple crisp, back yard fires, the crinkle of leaves as you shuffle through them, smores, children returning to school, birds flying south, and apples. Fall is the time when the earth holds it’s breath before winter’s long sleep. It seemed fitting to leave myspace and begin this blog the first week of fall. As the leaves change I reflect on the year, its blessings, and all that has transpired. This certainly has been a busy year. Bear and I are getting cozy in our new home. The strange weather patterns have made our yard the envy of the neighborhood. It seems that we are the only ones that are blessed with fall colors this year. Our tree in the front yard is a brilliant orange with enough yellow to make the tree look as if it has been touched by King Midas. While most of the state is morning the loss of color and a poor harvest this fall my neighborhood is counting its blessings. Every where there is drought but here everything is lush and fertile. I guess that is why there are farms for miles in all directions and people come from far away to enjoy the savings of our local farmers market. There was not enough time for me to plant a garden when we moved in. I am already eagerly planning and anticipating our garden and harvest for next year. In the mean time I have bushels of apples to pare and core from my parents orchard, fall crafts, and a business to look after. Truly, this was a year of blessings. There are rooms that need painting, a furnace that needs replacing, ceilings that need to be redone and a whole plethora of other repairs; but for right now it’s time to sit back and just enjoy our blessings mixed with a hot cup of chai tea and watch the fall colors swirl.