Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Horroray for Halloween!

When ghosts giggle and witches squeal,
All come together for a spell
To conjure up some frightful gruel
And visit folks and stories tell.
It's the one time of the year they rule.

So grab your jack-o-lantern bright
Mount your broom by bold moonlight
Hurry off into the mist
We've got plans to have a wond'rous fright
More's the merrier, bring a guest!


Now dance and laugh and raise a toast
Be beast or beauty, ghoul or ghost,
Halloween's one night, when darkness lifts.
The magic of the evening's lost
The fire burns low, the music drifts.

Creep off, sleep deep, each frightful being.
Till we gather again next Halloween!


I'm linking in with Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday. I'm looking forward to seeing all the tantilizingly terrifying tabletops.

I'm also linking with Cindy at My Romantic Home for her always eagerly anticipated Show and Tell Friday.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Using What I Have

Now, don't be jealous.  I get so envious of all you ladies putting out those fantastic spreads featuring amazing dinnerware and gorgeous linens. Or the gorgeous displays topping mantels, tables and shelves.  I have limited horizontal area in my cozy condo, and lots of items vying for any available space. But as I'm arranging my freshly bought foilage and trying to figure where to put it, it occurs to me.  This is visual poetry itself, my home life as is.  I know, it might not seem much now, the attempt at decorating outplayed by the homework left on the table, all of which is dominated by a kitty who didn't think I was serious when I reminded her that she was not supposed to be on the table. It's raining outside, and she's upset we won't let her back out. Knowing full well that she will be back up there the minute I go upstairs, I let her stay.

She repaid the favor by checking my arrangement for me.  Seriously, is this sweetness itself?  Now, if I could just keep her from shedding on my placemat, I plan on eating breakfast there in the morning.

I'm linking up with Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday.


Monday, October 18, 2010

Giveaway at Cottage Hill

Lindy over at Cottage Hill paints the most beautiful bird pillows. Isn't this exquisite?



She is celebrating her 500th follower with a giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a hand-painted pillow from her. Check out her lovely blogsite, Cottage Hill, and enter to win. You have till Sunday, the 24th, so hurry along, and best wishes. (Tho I'm keeping my fingers crossed for myself, teehee!)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Holder of Good Things


Browsing through my favorite Goodwill a week or so ago, I had an Ah Hah! finding. This Old World style wine holder has the most beautiful crackle glazing to it. I love the dark brown, almost black on top of a golden base, the finished look is so rustic.


It has a good heft to it, very solid and substantial. If you saw my previous post from my Fall centerpiece, you would have seen just part of it peeking out from under the gay foilage I had put in it.

In the spirit of refurbishing for your needs, I knew it would make an excellent utensil holder. I've been looking for a jar or pitcher, something to put on my kitchen counter and hold spoons, etc. When I saw this, I knew I had found the perfect match.

Doesn't that look good?  Okay, my hubby and I are discussing the merits of having utensils out on the counter instead of tucked in a drawer, and he's pulling the 'King of the Kitchen' rank on me. Just because he cooks......and cleans....and grocery shops. Well, anyway, he won this time.  But this lovely vino holder has proven its place as a flower foilage holder, I just need to find the more perfect place to showcase it. I'm thinking a nice selection of cattails and assorted autumn flowers, maybe a bit of trailing ivy. Now I'm excited all over again.

I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Mini Surprises

A few days ago, as I was clearing dishes off the dinner table, my daughter looked up and said with a laugh, "Mom, who are all these little people joining us for dinner?"


It took me a minute to pick up what she was referring to, when it occurred to me she had finally noticed the collection of miniatures I had put on the kitchen counter, for lack of another place. "I don't know," I answered, "I was as surprised to see them as you were."

I was indeed surprised and somewhat baffled by the discovery of these. I had been hunting for some autumnal pieces, and in pulling out boxes of Halloween decor, finally found a bag I believed to have a few Thanksgiving pieces.  It was a plastic freezer bag with a bunch of wadded paper towels inside, my usual packing method for smaller items, and I proceeded to unwrap. The first pieces were my Thanksgiving mice, which I was expecting to find.

Okay, they're rather silly and somewhat ugly cheap little resin pieces I had procured many years ago when my kids were very small and my budget was miniscule. I remembered them with fondness tho. I have put them out several Thanksgivings years past, but they remained hidden more recent years, when my enthusiasm for decorating for any holidays not involving a large tree dominating my livingroom was at an all-time low. These other items were......unexpected, to say the least.

In fact, my thoughts as I unwrapped them was.... WHAT...... THE........ HECK!   progressing to DID.......I.......... ACTUALLY......... BUY.............. THESE?  and culminating in WHAT......... WAS.......... I........THINKING?  


These things are crows. Not penquins, which you could imagine the one being, but a pair of crows, notice the handle on Mama Crow?  She is meant to be either a tea pot or creamer, I don't know. And she is holding what looks to be a pie with baby crows in it! Cannibal crows!


I believe these are miniature tea sets.  Very ugly and cheap miniscule tea sets. On the order of 'Was I that desperate for fall decorations, or did I imagine tacky character tea sets to be 'cute' once upon a time?  Did I perhaps buy them with my small girls in mind, something I wouldn't mind them picking up and playing with? Yes! That must be it! Good mom!  In fact, maybe the girls got these for me as a Christmas gift! Even better, I can't be held accountable for such extreme lack of taste, bwahaha!'  Okay, not according to my daughter. These must have been my own acquisition, tho I'm still holding with the girls playthings theory.

Obviously my taste has changed, and my girls have outgrown the tiny toys stage so long ago no one relates to doll-sized anything.  In fact, I considered throwing them away.  But they've sat on my counter top for a week now, and somehow look very comfortable in their surroundings. I do have a window sill they can occupy for the rest of the season. And if the cats knock them down or carry them off Thumbelina-style, so much the better. Otherwise I know I'll eventually wrap them up again and put them away, to be rediscovered some other autumn day.


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Finally a Fall Centerpiece

I know I am very far behind so many of you ladies, who have dressed their homes for the season since, well, the beginning of the season, but I finally am putting out a few Fall pieces.  I wish I had the gold Country Living dishes I was admiring at JCPenneys last week, on clearance and everything, but my dear hubby, Mr. Practical, said 'We have a set of perfectly good dishes at home, and where would we put these.' Not to mention his disdain of all things stoneware. So I have to make due with picking up a couple items for careful placing.
This Fall centerpiece uses a patchwork pumpkin I got at Ross.  I found another pumpkin from that so-familiar-to-many selection at the dollar store, I loved the mottled golden color of it.  The candle was actually purchased by my husband. My daughter had got me a couple of patchoulli & amber scented candles for Christmas last year, which he burnt down to the nubs. (Patchoulli does have a manly, almost musky smell to it, no wonder he loves it.) Recently he found them clearanced and bought another half dozen. The colors work well here, don't you think.  An arrangement of fall leaves was put into a Goodwill find, a wineholder I'll highlight in another post. The Christmas red placemat grounds the centerpiece.

 I got the gold-colored tablecloth a couple weeks ago, during a hot weekend when I was shopping without Mr. Naysay, that is, Mr. Practical. (Surely a girl can have more than 2 tableclothes!)  That same trip is when I picked up the placemats from Ross (what! don't you like our old ones) and the pumpkin.

This lovely rooster platter was a recent acquisition from Ebay, purchased for the beginning bid of $6, plus another $7 to ship it.  I love how those warm, rich colors echo the Fall centerpiece.  Yes, I do intend to serve food on it as well, hubby isn't the only practical one.

I am linking up with Marty at Table Top Tuesday.  Thanks, Marty, for your wonderful weekly event!