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.

A New Location

Hello and welcome back.

It's been a while since I posted.  Many changes have taken place in our life, and
all of them are good changes.  Those changes have necessitated the need to
free up our time (particularly my husband's time) from our store.  Not wanting
to close a store that has been a favorite of many ladies for 42 years, we placed
the store up for sale.  Several long-time customers inquired about it and gave it
some consideration.  But in the end, no one took it.  So, we made the hard de-
cision to close.  We began a massive storewide sale and made a plan to keep
the graniteware available to customers.  So many ladies told us how sad they
were about the closing.  Our wheels began to turn to try to still have the store
and focus on our new responsibilities.  Through some events, we found a place
in Midtown Eclectic Mall here in Springdale.  They have a "village" there with
many cute shops.  In the middle of the village is a beautiful little shop they call
the chapel.  It has two rooms and was a perfect solution to our dilemma.

 Looking into the  back room where the graniteware is.

 We still have linens.  Unfortunately, I didn't remove some red graniteware before I took
this picture.  Major fail. :(

 Burgundy graniteware but looks red here!

 Some primitive things.

 Love the grapevine on the roof of the chapel.

 A primitive log cabin.

 We'll always have Gooseberry Patch cookbooks.

 Our storewide sale left us with very little red graniteware.  Ordering more soon!

The cross on top of the chapel entrance.  The cross--the reason we do everything we do.
Our desire is to bring glory to God in every area of our life.

These two little ladies are just hanging out in their log cabin prairie house.
If you are in the area, come see us at Midtown Eclectic Mall in Springdale.  It's on
71 Business, just south of Emma Avenue.

For Those of Us Who Love Farmhouse and Beach

Hello!

I was looking at some pictures today of Katharine Hepburn's home in Fenwick,
Connecticut.  It is on the market for a mere 14.8 million dollars.  I'm guessing
there won't be many lookers at that price.  But from the pictures, the person with
a checkbook that big who buys it, they will have a beautiful, serene home.

An interesting history before we enjoy pictures:  her parents built it when she was
5 years old for $2400.  Quite a return for the initial investment, I'd say.  In 1938,
a hurricane that had not been predicted or warned about swept the family's home
into the river.  She was able to salvage a silver service set and 38 pieces of the
family's silver.

I hope you enjoy these pictures.  The house is beautiful and is the perfect
combination of farmhouse and beach.  With a little colonial, too.

The perfect way to say "Welcome"  to your guests!
 

I love the simplicity of the dining room.  And what a view to eat by.

There just are not any words for this kitchen.  It speaks for itself.   I do love that farmhouse sink, though.

I'm guessing the drawer pulls are original from 1938.  What do you think?

The master bedroom.  Blue striped chairs--love love love!  And a window seat!

I would never want to leave this room.

Again, no words.

This is a sitting room right off one of the other bedrooms.

This is the third floor--because everyone needs a third floor, right?

As a mom of many, this would be the perfect place to watch my kids run and play when they
were little.  And run and play with them :).

More beauty!

When the current owner redesigned and redecorated the house, they left the original fireplace
and hearth in place.  A good decision, I think.

I hope you enjoyed these  pictures.  Have a great weekend.  Our first official one of summer!

Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue; Poultry, and Something Pretty

Major blog fail.  So sorry it has been so long between posts. 

It's getting close to summer and I wanted to post some summer displays. 
Of course, you have to go with patriotic.  I also found some really fun linens
for country kitchens--chickens, of course.  And last, I added something bright
and pretty for your viewing pleasure. 

Enjoy.

 
Whether you just go with red, white, and blue or add patriotic items to the colors, you
have to enjoy summer decorating because it is fun and the colors are energizing.  The
frame over the mantle has burlap for the background behind the stars.

You can incorporate primitive American décor for your patriotic display.  The framed
print is the Pledge of Allegiance.

What says summer more than red geraniums?

Northwest Arkansas is poultry country.  So fun to use that décor for a country kitchen. 
You don't even have to have a country kitchen.  These ceramic roosters would be a
perfect fit in a traditional or even French country kitchen or breakfast nook.  The black
rooster on the table is a chalkboard.

Hens and chicks linens.  And checks.  Now how much fun is this?  And summery, too.

Neither patriotic nor poultry (well, the rooster up top is), these linens would brighten
up your kitchen. 

Have a great weekend.  And enjoy the outdoors.  Winter was just a little too long :).