Autumn Nature Table

It's Autumn, my favorite time of year. It's time for hot apple cider, bonfires in the cool brisk evenings, apple crisp, strolling through the crunching leaves, apple butter, fall colors, apple bread, and changing out the nature table (and putting an apple on it *wink*)
The deer family is getting ready for winter. I sure hope there aren't any late fawns around. The Gnomes are making apple cider outside their stone cottage, and even my corn husk mother and child have come out for a fall stroll.
It's time for the harvest and this side of the nature table has a bountiful harvest. The needle felted pumpkin is made my Marie from Softearth's World. I love her felt sculptures so very much. This pumpkin was a wonderful surprise she tucked in to a package with some of her winter snow birds I bought from her Etsy store. It is incredibly well hand crafted, but then again, everything she does is. Thank you so much Marie. I will put the birds up once I have settled on the wreath I am making with them.This is Bear's favorite part of the table. The pumpkin patch. Would it really be an Autumn table without one? These pumpkins are about the size of a quarter. I had so much fun making them. Wherever you are, heading into the flowers of spring or turning to the crisp air of fall we wish you a wonderful season filled with all the blessings and bounty this earth may hold. Take care and Have fun.

Sweetie Pie and Teeny Wee

Sweetie Pie arrived in the mail at the beginning of the weekend. She is the one on the left with the blue hat. Teeny Wee I bought a few months ago, she is the one with the orange hat. They are both made by Beth Curtin from Acorn Pies. She makes the sweetest Waldorf dolls. The are exquisitely made and have love and warmth stitched into every inch of them. Recently she announced that she will no longer be making dolls. She wants to pursue her other arts and we wish her the best. However, I wanted very much to have another of her patchy dolls for my future child so I snatched up Sweetie Pie. There were a few dolls left in her etsy store last time I looked. If you want one you will have to act fast. These dolls are so beautifully made that I doubt they will be without homes for very long.

The two dolls were so happy to meet each other. Beth Warned me that Sweetie Pie can be mischievous. I should have listened to her warning, but she looked so sweet reading to her new little sister Teeny Wee..... Until.....Sweetie Pie closed the book on Teeny Wee!!!Oh! It looks like they were just teasing me after all. Sweetie Pie gave Teeny Wee a big hug. Sweetie Pie loves having a partner in mischief and Teeny Wee loves having a big sister. They are so happy to have each other to play with until our little baby comes... Whenever that may be. Thank you Beth for these little girls. I'm so glad that Teeny Wee has a friend to keep her company in the baby hope chest. Hopefully our wait will only be another 2 years. While we are waiting our new puppy came home. There is a link in the side bar if you would like to see her. Have fun and take care!

How to make Grapevine Wreaths

This past weekend I made grapevine wreaths with vines from my parent's yard. When they are dry I will decorate them like this one. This wreath I made for Mum's birthday.
First you must collect the vines. It's a lot of hard work to untangle them and pull them free. Then you take the leaves off, but leave the little squiggly vines. Once the leaves are all off you can start. You can leave them a few days and then soak them in water or you can make the wreaths while the vines are still green. I like to make them right away. If a vine bends or brakes I think it gives the wreaths a tiny bit of character.
Twist the vine into a circle. I let the vines tell me what size the wreath should be. Keep twisting and weaving the vine till you have a complete circle. The little squiggly vines become invaluable during this part. Once you have a circle you can keep adding more vines to it to fill it out. This time I was able to make 8 wreaths. I made them using all of the vines you saw in that first pile. Wreaths are fairly simple but they take a lot of vines, a lot of time, and a lot of patience to make. Have fun!