Autumn Bounty

While out at the apple orchards, buying apples, we came across these odd looking pink banana squash, which I have never seen before.  Very large and quite amazing. At only $5.00 each, I am kicking myself for not buying one to carve up for Halloween.  Oh well, next year!

There is something so jolly about the bright orangeness of traditional pumpkins though. They truly are one of the most powerful symbols of Halloween, along with witches and black cats.

Surprise Packages

It's such fun to surprise someone with a themed package, so now that I have a nephew who is away at university I thought it would be fun to create a Halloween-themed package to send to him. 

First place to start was with some baking: meringue bones and almond shortbread witches' fingers.

Then a selection of Halloween candies: salt-water taffy pumpkin faces and ghostly chocolates.

Added in a black cherry-flavoured skull lollipop...

and an elegant mask, a tiny pumpkin that can be turned into a Jack o'lantern by drawing on a face with black marker, salt-water taffy treats and candy sticks in Halloween colours.

Mustn't forget a pair of bloody eyeballs.

Those witches' fingers really are creepy...

 Best to hide them away in a box packed with black construction paper that I put through the shredder.  I've sealed the box tight and mailed it off!

Desktop Display

Sitting at my desk today I was struck by this vignette. The happy juxtaposition of mandarin oranges, juice and glasses, positioned in front of the two cards, made for an orange-themed display, created by chance.

Autumn Arrangement # 3

Thought I'd try out another fall arrangement using the wee orange chair I found at a thrift shop for $5.00 back in September and talked about in my post of September 25th. The blue fence continues to be an interesting backdrop for my arrangements, from cafe tables set with summer drinks or tea to autumn displays. It will be interesting to see how it looks in the winter with snow. Since we just painted the fence this summer, we haven't experienced this new colour in all seasons yet, and the jury is out as far as I am concerned. Not sure if it will remain blue, or perhaps this particualr shade of blue, more than short term. We'll see.

Orange You Blue?

It all started last spring when I admired a wall in friend D.'s home (photo at top of this post). There was an orange lamp that made the wall, painted a beautiful shade of blue, pop! Or perhaps it was the other way around, the blue wall made the orange lamp pop. In any case... next thing I knew I was bowled over with a photograph of King Tut's pendant from the book Life and Death of a Pharaoh: Tutankhamen by Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt. I was struck once again by how striking these two colours are together. Shortly after that M. surprised me with a card for my birthday that contained the same colours. It seemed like I was being bombarded with this really attractive colour combination. So it wasn't surprising when I was shopping for sweaters for my youngest today and I came across this one from Italy. I wondered why we don't see more rooms decorated in these colours. Sure enough, as I flipped through the October 2010 issue of Style at Home magazine this evening, on p. 89 there it was... a gorgeous vignette using a blue table and artwork in these colours (last photo).

Blanket Cheer

There has been a distinct chill in the air the past week or so. It’s definitely time to pull out a blanket to wrap oneself in while curled up to read. Wonderful old blankets from the thrift shop are perfect for this purpose. If you keep your eyes open for them, you will eventually be rewarded with genuine old wool blankets from England or Scotland (often marked “Pure New Wool”) that are soft, cozy and very inexpensive. Some of the colour combinations are quite cheery. At very affordable prices (this one cost $4.99), you can have them ready in waiting , one draped over a comfy chair, one near the television for cozy evening watching and yet another in the car. The wool ones from Britain speak of quality, their wooly softness from countless washing is perfect for snuggling into with a hot drink and a good book on a chilly day.

Fresh Find

I consider thrifting a creative pursuit. I say this because when you encounter someone’s castoff it takes a creative mind to consider how it might be repurposed, improved or transformed. It’s this looking at something in a different way that is where the creativity comes into it. Sometimes the solution is simple and easy, other times the change takes lots of time and effort.

This latest thrift shop find falls into the former category. This wee wooden child’s chair was tucked into a corner of a local Sally Ann among children’s toys. When I saw the bright orange paint my heart leaped. So absolutely scrumptious. My brain went into overdrive, what could I do with this tiny chair? And then it hit me. It is such a Halloween colour, why not use it somehow in a Halloween display? But wait, before I got too excited it would be prudent to have a look at the price tag, after all this was not something that would likely become a permanent fixture in my home. Happily, the pricing person had been kind... only $4.99. I was so going to buy and use it! I must admit I was quite giddy at the thought! And seeing as there is still quite a stretch of time before Halloween, I decided that I would press it into service in an autumnal display for now. How simple was it to give it a good scrubbing and fill the seat with a potted mum? I will probably add pumpkins and gourds to the mix as I come across them in the coming days.