The Colors of Fall

This weather is beautiful....

I am slowly changing our home from a traditional flavor leaning toward French Country to small amounts of farmhouse/cottage. That means that neutrals and whites will be a big part of the decor scheme.  But I love pops of color.  I don't think I can every totally decorate for fall
in just monochromatic whites.  To me, fall and harvest include rich, abundant color.  I love
white pumpkins but will always have to have the warm colors of the season.

So...that said....let's walk around the house and soak up this season of warmth and abundance.

Berries and sunflowers.  I put a timed candle in here so, at dusk, it begins to flicker and give warmth
to the room.

Fall's vibrant colors.

Lemons with cloves stuck in.  Just a few touches added to your everyday things are nice.

More berries and a bittersweet stitchery.

 
Just a single pumpkin is sometimes all you need.  And I keep hydrangeas out all year.

 \
Not fall, but I found this at a flea market and liked it.  It's just an old hymn book, tied with twine,
and an old key added as an embellishment.  And I loved the song it was turned to.  "Keep Your Eyes
Fixed on Jesus"!

Again, candles, even votives are a great way to add the warmth of the season.

Thanks for taking a walk with me.  Enjoy decorating your house!

The Flavors of Fall

And you know what that means, don't you?  All things apple.  In candles, Juicy Apple by
A Cheerful Giver is the candle of fall.  (And you can find these at our store in Midtown
Mall.  Shameless plug :).  In fall beverages, it's a Caramel Apple Spice, which I'll blog
about next week.  And in pies, it definitely is Caramel Apple Minis.  For a delicious
treat on a crisp night, here is what you'll need....

You need two pie crusts.  I cut them out in about 2" circles.  After I sprayed six muffins cups (in a
graniteware muffin tin, of course), I placed two circles in each and molded them to the cup.

I had to slice the Granny Smith apples into smaller than usual chunks.  I sprinkled sugar (about 1/3
C), cinnamon, and Allspice.  Then...

the secret ingredient....Torani Salted Caramel flavoring.  1 Tbs over each pie ought to do it.

Cut out six more circles and place on top.  Add a little more sugar and spices and a pat of butter.
Of course, you'll need to watch them closely at 350 degrees since they will cook faster than a
regular apple pie.  I packed them pretty full so I put them on a cookie sheet to catch anything
that might randomly bubble up.  That's because I have a pristine clean oven--just kidding on that.
You'll have some pie crust left over.  I just flattened mine out and placed between plastic wrap and
put back in the fridge.  Then next time, you'll just need one pie crust for the bottom because  of what
you have left over from this to cut circles for the tops.  I think you'll be sure and have a winner here!
Side note:  if you aren't baking with graniteware you are missing out.  It bakes so evenly and there
are so many pans.  Everything from casserole pans to pie pans.  It's worth every penny!
Have a great Sunday!

Feels Like Fall, Y'all!

Yes, it does.  Today is ballgame day and the weather is adding to the feeling of fall-like weather.   There are some
crazy predictions out there for what kind of fall we are in for.  We'll have to wait and see, though.

I have a tutorial about making banners here: banners.  It (hopefully) gives you all the info
you need.  It will also contain a link to show you how to make the fabric flowers.  I decided
yesterday the weather was right to make a fall banner for the store.

And here are the results:

I decided to go with something simple.  Just a couple of flowers and the burlap letters.

The flowers have a black background but also have some brown so I went with a brown marker for the letters.

I thought about putting buttons for the center of the flower but wanted something with more of a
contrast, so to pull in the burlap to the flower I just made a little rosette for the middle. This time
around, I couldn't find double side bias tape in this green so I went with single side.  You can
make it work but to do that I ironed the creases out and then folded it over and ironed again and
that game me a little more tape to work with.

It is simple to do and fun to make and when you're done, you feel a sense of accomplishment.  And
it's a great way to spend a cozy evening while you watch a movie with your family.  Last night
we watched "Mom's Night Out"--for the third time.  It's so funny and so accurate!

Have fun with this!  And a big thanks to everyone who has visited the new store in the "chapel".
Our first month there was great and that was in a month where ladies are buying essential
items like back-to-school clothes and school supplies.  We are excited to see what fall holds.
Yay for fall!  Have a great weekend.