OUR HARVEST HOME - PART TWO...

Gorgeous flowers from the kids for my birthday

Yummy ice cream cake from Kai

I showed you 

the majority of our Harvest Home last week,

 but what I didn't share 

was the room in the middle,

 the room that holds 

the most of

 the harvest decor.

We started at the front door 

and then skipped to the back of the Cottage.

  What is left is 

the main room in the middle, 

the sitting room, 

where we spend most

 of our time.

Last year, 

this room was all about 

the sweater pumpkins...

...I confiscated old sweaters 

from the far reaches of the closets 

and from whatever I could find 

in the thrift shops 

and fashioned them into 

unique and pretty pumpkins. 

 But, when I looked in magazines 

and visited many blogs,

 I saw true visions of loveliness 

in the form of

 velvet pumpkins...

...I picked up a scant few on sale

 just before last Christmas,

 but not as many as I liked, 

so I vowed to make some 

for myself this year.

Enter:  A Plethora of Pumpkins!

Believe it or not, 

I had a really hard time 

finding velvet in colors 

that I wanted from numerous fabric stores, 

so I decided to 

order on-line.

I ordered one yard

 of this gorgeous velvet

 from one company. 

 It is stretch velvet 

and was $6 per yard. 

 After loading in all my info,

 the computer would not let me 

finalize the deal. 

 Ever determined, 

I clicked on Amazon 

(which I should have done to begin with) 

and they offered 

the same fabric for the same price. 

 I ordered and sat back 

to wait for delivery. 

 Long story short,

 I received delivery in a few days 

and then I received delivery again. 

 Yes,

 even though the computer told me 

my first order didn't go through - 

it lied! 

 Do you know how wide 

a piece of velvet is? 

 And that, 

coupled with my bizarre affliction 

of more is more, 

is the reason there is 

a plethora of velvet pumpkins,

 mostly all the same color! 

 Live and learn? 

Maybe!

These pumpkins 

are easy and fun to make, 

not to mention the savings 

to your pocket book 

when compared with those for sale in stores.

  The hard part 

is finding real stems,

 although there are so many great ways 

to add a stem 

if you are creative.

  I ordered 

most of my stems on-line 

and, believe me, 

I paid more for the stems 

than I did for all 

the pumpkins 

I made.

It is fun to see each 

of these creations

 when they are done. 

 Because they are all handmade, 

they appear to each have 

a different personality 

and if you are lucky enough 

to find the perfect stem 

than that personality 

really shines through.

I bet 

this rough and tumble Little Red Wagon

 never thought, in a million years, 

it would be carrying around 

such elegant cargo, 

some store bought

 and some I made.

What started out

 as two small bouquets 

of faux flowers

showcased in wire pot hangers 

from the 40's 

in the once upon a time kitchen... 

...was added to 

a pretty blue tin cone 

and quickly decorated 

the front door...

...then moved 

into the entry 

into a vintage lard can...

...and continued gaining momentum 

each time I went into a shop.

 I would buy a few stems 

 and mix them into the original 

until there were many colors, 

fitting for every room

 and occasion...

...and now 

it has morphed into 

an explosion of color and size

 and it makes me smile

 and feel happy 

every time 

I see it.

A branch of velvet pumpkins

 fell off the pumpkin tree 

and found their way 

into the gatherings, 

along with some sprigs of wheat, 

for this celebration 

of the season.

Some more views 

of what the sitting room looks like 

dressed for autumn...

"There is no place 

more delightful 

then one's

 own fireside."

Cicero

I would like to take this time 

to send heartfelt thoughts

 to the citizens of Paradise, California.

  Not only have they 

lost their homes and their friends, 

but also their town, 

to one of the most horrendous wildfires 

burning in 

Northern California.

Clarence Thomas,

 a Grass Valley native, 

born in 1886, died in 1917, 

as the first casualty of WW1.

In honor of Veteran's Day, 

I want to say  

to all the men and women

 who have served our great country

 Thank You and

We Will Never Forget.

...Judy...

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