thoughtful thursday...

i like spring,

but it is too young.

i like summer,

but it is too proud.

so i like best of all

autumn,

because its leaves

are a little yellow,

its tone mellower,

its colours richer,

and it is tinged

a little with sorrow...

it's golden richness

speaks not

of the innocence of spring,

nor of the power of summer,

but of the mellowness

and kindly wishdom

of approaching age.

it knows the limitations of life

and is content.

~~~

lin yutang

~~~

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you autumn mellowness and content...

peggy

for karen...

i love pelicans!

~~~

karen loves pelicans!

~~~

i think of karen

whenever i see a pelican

because i know

she enjoys seeing

these big beauties

as much as i do.

~~~

i am fortunate enough

to see pelicans

almost daily

from spring

until late autumn,

in or near

the many bodies of water

that surround us.

~~~

i love to see pelicans

land in the water,

watching the water

splash from the sides

of their wide-webbed feet!

~~~

pelicans

are so big!

~~~

just look at those beaks!

~~~

big and beautiful!
~~~

they say beauty

is in the eyes of the beholder.

~~~

in our eyes,

karen and i

see

pelicans as beautiful...

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you beauty to behold...

peggy

digging for gold...

the yukon golds are dug!

~~~

this harvest of

white potatoes will help get us

thru the winter ahead.

~~~

with the red (pontiac) potatoes

that are still to be harvested,

we'll have

~~~

i love these potatoes!

~~~

their golden brown skins

and yellowy-golden flesh

make them

a beautiful potato,

and their rich creamy flavor

makes them taste even better

than they look!

~~~

look what i found

in the pumpkin patch!

~~~

ain't harvest grand?

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you a grand harvest!

peggy

unlikely autumn color...

crocuses in autumn

seem unlikely,

so it's not surprising

that their pinky-purply color

is also somewhat unlikely for autumn.

~~~

autumn crocuses
are a surprise,
in many ways,
in the autumn garden.
~~~
the spring-like color
of the autumn crocus,
the fact that they
come up without foliage,
that they bloom in autumn
when many other flowers
are fading,
and that they aren't really
crocuses but belong
to the lily family,
are some of
the surprises
that autumn crocuses
bring to your garden.
~~~
autumn crocuses
are a sweet surprise
to the ending
of my garden
each year.
~~~
i look forward to
their bright surprise of color
and simple charm,
reminding me
that soon
my flower gardening
will be ending
for another season.
~~~~~
~~~
~
wishing you sweet autumn surprises...
peggy

thrifted autumn...

as i've said before,

i loooove autumn!

~~~

and i love decorating

for autumn!

~~~

i especially love decorating

with finds

from antique and thrift shops.

~~~

most of what i own

and most of what i buy

is from antique and thrift shops!

~~~

i love this old mirror!

it's a recent local antique shop find.

it hangs over another mirror

with a beautiful bevelled edge,

and is another

thrift shop find.

~~~

i love old mirrors,

especially when

some of their silver is missing.

i love the light

that mirrors reflect

and i love to hang them

in every room!

~~~

this old, mossy green dresser
sits below the mirrors,
holding more of my favorite
antique and thrifted autumn finds.
~~~
the creamy crocheted
pillow and doily
are from antique shops,
the candle lite from a thrift shop,
and the glass leaf dish
from our local thrift shop.
the mccoy basket bowl
is a gift from a friend,
purchased at an antique shop.
~~~
these stitchings are another
recent thrift shop find.

~~~
i love finding handmade items
at antique and thrift shops.
i love and appreciate
the time and effort
that goes into any handmade piece.
~~~
i love autumn and
thrifted autumn
is the best!
~~~~~
~~~
~
wishing you thrifted autumn finds...
peggy

thoughtful thursday...

there is a vitality,

a life force,

an energy

that is translated

through you;

and because

there is only

one of you

in all of time,

this expression

is unique.

~~~

martha graham

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you joy in being you...

peggy

autumn table...

i looove autumn!

~~~

i may have already mentioned

how much i love autumn!

~~~

i may have also already mentioned

that i love to decorate

our home

for autumn!

~~~

this is our dining room table.

we use this table when

family and friends gather.

~~~

i enjoy decorating
our table seasonally
and i enjoy seeing it decorated
as i pass by
thruout the day.
~~~
the dining room table,
with its' golden wood color,
and the autumn decorations,
with their rich, earthy colors,
gift me
with feelings of
warmth,
coziness,
and
being very blessed.
~~~~~
~~~
~
wishing you autumn blessings...
peggy

pumpkin pair...

these pumpkins

are part of

what i've been

working on

for the upcoming
craft fair

i will sell

my goodies at

on october 16!

~~~
i have been cutting

and painting

and sewing

and stitching

and stuffing

and gluing

up a storm!

~~~

only 26 days

of creating and crafting left...

~~~

~~~

the pumpkins are made from

an old wool blanket

and trimmed

with a painted cheesecloth bow.

~~~

i love that

these pumpkins

are simple and rustic.

~~~

they have the country look

that i love to create

and decorate with.

~~~

i'll give you a glimpse

of some of my other

craft fair goodies

as i go along.

~~~

let me know

what you think!

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you a crafty day!

peggy

a single leaf...

it all started

with this single leaf...

~~~
master gardener

friend carol

(aka short carol, carice)

brought me

this african violet in may.

she propogated it

from this single leaf

in march.

there were tiny

new leaves growing

all around the big leaf

when this beauty

came to live with me.

~~~

i was impressed then...

~~~

and look at it now!

~~~

like i said,

i was impressed...

~~~

and now...

it is going to bloom!

~~~

and now...

i am incredibly impressed!

~~~

you "rock"

master gardener friend!

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you friends that rock!

peggy

thoughtful thursday...

to laugh often and much,

to win the respect

of intelligent people

and the affection of children,

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends,

to appreciate beauty,

to find the best in others,

to leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch...

to know even one life

has breathed easier

beause you have lived.

this is to have succeeded!

~~~

emerson

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you a life of success...

peggy

more autumn color...

more autumn color

in another project

made with my

autumn print strips...

~~~

this handbag

was made from what was left

of the autumn print strips

i had sewn together

to make

my autumn runner.

~~~

the inside
of the bag
and the handle
are lined
with muslin.
~~~
the button is decorative
and the flap
closes the bag.
~~~

i carry this handbag

as an extra bag

to haul goodies

for my daughter

and myself

when we're out and about!

~~~

it's fun to carry autumn color

wherever we go!

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you more autumn color!

peggy

autumn color...

i loooove autumn!

~~~

i love the colors,

the cooler weather outside,

the coziness inside...

i love all of that

about autumn.

~~~

i love to decorate for autumn!

~~~

i sewed this runner last fall

from some fabric i had around.

~~~

i was inspired to make this runner

by an old rug i have

made of

strips of fabric scraps

sewn together.

~~~

i love these autumn

prints and colors together!

~~~

to put this runner together,
i simply tore the length
of the 2 fabrics
into varying widths
(1-3 inches)
and then randomly sewed
the varying widths
(one strip of each print)
together.
~~~
i sewed the strips of 2
into 4,
so on and so on...
until it was as wide
as i wanted it.
~~~
i then sewed on
a muslin backing
to finish the runner.
~~~
my autumn runner
hangs
over the back
of the wooden bench
inside our back door,
warmly greeting
friends and family
with it's autumn color!
~~~~~
~~~
~
wishing you autumn color!
peggy

seed saving...

autumn is a time

to harvest

fruits and vegetables,

and,

for me,

seed.

~~~

harvesting flower seed is rewarding.

~~~

i love knowing

that my marigolds

have been grown

from seed

that i have saved.

~~~ my orange and yellow marigolds

were grown from seed

that i harvested last autumn.

~~~

the harvesting process is
easy,
fun, and frugal.
~~~
to harvest marigold seed,
simply snap off the withered flower heads
and lay them out to dry.
when the flowers heads are completely dry,
the petals can be pulled off.
the slim, black seed
will be nestled
inside the base of the flower.
pull the seeds from the base
and place them in an envelope.
mark and date the envelope
and store them
in a cool and dry location.
~~~
next spring
you will be able to pull out
your saved marigold seed
and plant
to your heart's content!
~~~

and next autumn

you will be able to harvest

your seed again!

~~~

and so it goes...

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you an ongoing harvest!

peggy
~~~

p.s. if you would like

orange or yellow marigold seed

for next spring

drop me a line!

~~~

i'd be happy to mail you some!

thoughtful thursday...

we need to find God,

and He cannot be found

in noise and restlessness.

God is the friend

of silence.

see how nature~

trees, flowers, grass~

grow in silence;

see the stars,

the moon and the sun,

how they move in silence...

we need silence

to be able

to touch souls.

~~~

mother teresa
~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you silence...

peggy

remembrance...

i planted rosemary

in my garden

for the first time

this summer!

~~~

it's a new favorite herb of mine

and i wanted to grow my own!

~~~

i love rosemary most especially

on homemade sliced and buttered

french bread,

sprinkled with parmesan cheese,

wrapped in foil,

and warmed in the oven.

~~~

yuuuuuum!

~~~

i intended to plant

my rosemary

by seed

until i read

that the germination rate is 20%.

~~~

i bought plants!

~~~
my plants have done well

and i've been harvesting

the rosemary by simply

snipping off the top 3-5 inches

of the stems.

~~~

snipping the rosemary

releases the incredible fresh fragrance

of the plant

into the air

and onto your fingers

which makes harvesting

a pure delight!

~~~

you can use the rosemary

as an herb

fresh or dried.

fresh rosemary has an

intense flavor.

i prefer to use it dried.

~~~

i cut enough rosemary

for a small bunch,

wrap a rubberband around the stems,

and hang the bunch on a nail

above my kitchen sink.

~~~

i then let it dry

for several days.

~~~

when the rosemary is dry

i break it into pieces,

again enjoying

the wonderful frangrance.
~~~

i store the rosemary

in a small glass jar

in a cupboard

along with the rest of my spices.

~~~

rosemary is for remembrance

and i'll remember

the fragrance and fun

of growing rosemary!

~~~

next year i'm planting basil too...

~~~~~

~~~
~

wishing you fond memories...

peggy

fall fun...

autumn is full of fun!

~~~

one of my favorite

fun things to do

is to shop craft fairs!

~~~

this autumn,

i will not only shop craft fairs,

i am getting ready

to take my crafts

to be

in a craft fair!

~~~

this craft fair is known

for it's handmade

and homemade items

and is always held

the opening day

of pheasant season

(the third saturday

in october~

october 16 this year).

~~~

i have taken my crafts

to craft fairs before.

it's lots of work

and lots of fun!

i'm especially excited to be

in this particular craft fair.

what makes it

even more fun

is that

i will be

in the booth

next to

my friend debbie

from tyme flies,

who is also bringing

her handmade goodies

to this craft fair!

~~~

i sewed

this cozy wool autumn handbag

for the craft fair.

~~~

this handbag is made from

a repurposed wool skirt

and a felted wool scarf.

~~~

the bag itself and the handle

are made from the skirt

and the leaves

are made from the scarf.

~~~

the fringe was on the skirt

which adds more fun.

~~~

the leaves were cut out

and sewed on

before i put the bag together.

~~~

the button is purely decorative.

the handbag holds

all your goodies securely

with a magnetic closure.
~~~

i love this bag!

~~~

i love it's

autumn colors

and autumn leaves

and it's wool coziness.

~~~

what do you think?

will it sell?

~~~

only 39 days

until the craft fair!

~~~

i better get

busy, busy, busy....

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you fall fun...

peggy