Savoring Fall... Living In The Moment...

A little late posting, but this is my favorite time of year... and I want to savor it!  Let's not talk about Christmas yet... There are plenty of things to enjoy now.
So, I am pushing the pause button... and Savoring Fall...

I love it when the leaves change color... they're beauty always captures my heart... I also get excited to wear tights and boots... Silly...  I know...

Going to the Pumpkin Patch... An annual tradition...

Fall decorations... I was lazy this year, and reused my wreath from last year.  Except for the corn... I made it from yard clippings(to change it up I added the leaves this year)...

 I love decorating with nature...  gathering up treasures found on walks around the neighborhood... I can always find them a good home...

I also made a few of these paperback pumpkins... super easy... you can find tutorials for them all over Pinterest...

Together with my found items... they made the perfect center piece for my table.

Making Halloween costumes... always a good time...

This year my son wanted to be Steve... a character from the game Minecraft...

My daughter took it easy on me and went as Super Girl...

We always enjoy carving pumpkins, and roasting the seeds... My sons reached a whole new level of scary this year...

Trick or Treating...  We tried out a new neighborhood this year, and enjoyed how festively the houses were decorated...

And to top it off... The first Eggnog latte of the season...

Happy Fall!

***Jennifer

Fall Has Arrived On My Door Step...

It's here! It's here...  Fall has finally arrived to my neck of the woods!  I love the crisp sunny days, the vibrant colors of the changing leaves, and eggnog lattes!  Every year we visit a local farm to pick out pumpkins and gourds to decorate with...  We have a blast going on the hay ride...

Visiting the pumpkin patch...

 And going through the Corn Maze...

 I also bought some dried corn to add to my wreath...

To make this wreath... I started with the grape vine wreath I made last year...

 To this I added clipping from the yard...  I used the dead stalks from Lambs Ear, Thistles, and  Hawthorn branches...

 I wove these into the wreath... twisting the ends together as I went around...

In the Fall the kids and I also love to pull on our boots... and go foraging in the neighborhood...  They get such a kick out of displaying our finds on the dinning room table.  So far we have pods from some trees, acorns, and pine cones...  We also love to gather leaves, and press them between magazine pages...

On one of our walks I found this branch laying across the sidewalk... I of course brought it home and hung it in my window...

 I love all of the moss and lichen clinging to it... and couldn't resist adding a couple of birds...

Such fun!  I hope you are enjoying the change of seasons... are inspired to show your Fall colors... and warming up with an eggnog latte.  Cheers!

***Jennifer

Magazines are eye candy for crafters...

I don't have to be the one... to come up with every idea I get!  Being on vacation, also means I get to catch up on my magazines...  Here are some great ideas I found... and plenty to keep me busy when I get home...
 

This vintage Pendelton dress is just adorable!  I'm pretty sure I've got the vintage fabric and pattern to recreate it...




When the holidays are over and everything is dreary... I think these butterflies will brighten my day...

 

What a great gift idea!  I can not wait to try it out... these are made from covered buttons, and then they simply attached earring backs...

 



Another fun gift/party favor idea... these were made from acorns that they collected.  Melt some wax... add a wick and these mini candels are sure to bring a smile... wax and wicks can be easlie found  at your local craft store...

   



       

I loved this idea... it's just a plain flat sheet trimmed with lace... then over the years at family gatherings, people signed, doodled, and wrote notes... After the event, each mark was embroidered over... keeping it for all time... what a wonderful keepsake to pass on to the next generation... 

Don't we all need to take the time  and realize what we are thankful for... say it with words in this creative way... using branches from the yard, they simply hung it up with ribbon... and clip leaves with words of thanks to them... I could see hanging this in a window... or on a door...



  This idea is great too!  Using a simple frame... they covered an insert with burlap and then simply pined leaf shapes noting what they were thankful for... what a great way to share...

I hope this has brought you some inspiration... and a reminder that your greatest ideas don't have to be all your own... just fun to do...
***Jennifer

Pause...

In my hectic life, I try to take small moments to reflect and enjoy the things around me...  Fall is my favorite time of year... I want to enjoy every minute of it... to pause and take in the beauty of it with my family...
So this week we made our annual trip to a local farm... we grow a few things it our backyard, but the kids always take delight in seeing the rows and rows of fruits and vegetables.  Every year we pick out pumpkins and gourds to decorate our font steps...adding our carved ones at Halloween...

Taking a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch...

Perfect day to pick pumpkins...

I could not pass up this perfect little pumpkin...



Our treasures perfectly nestled for the hay ride back...



Our front steps adorned for Fall with the pumpkins and corn stalks from our yard... looks good with the wreath I made previously http://creatingbitsofenvy.blogspot.com/2011/10/getting-in-mood-for-fall.html



Here is a tabletop idea... Using various sizes of cake plates ...I nestled the pumpkins in leaves, hawthorn, dried corn, and pods that I collected...

I really enjoyed my trip to the farm this week, and encourage you to see if there is a local  one near you... you might be surprised!  I hope you can take the time to  pause this week... breath in that fresh cool air... and take joy in the gift of Fall...