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...
Sharing today with:
and
