It's almost here!

Today I looked all over the internet for some pictures of carved pumpkins since we hadn't yet carved any of our own. Needed some ideas. I thought I'd cheat a little and me able to show you something from all the wonderful decorating sites out there....Martha Stewart, Country Home etc. but for some crazy reason I couldn't seem to be able to save the pictures. They all wanted me to sign up with their site....so I happily obliged (anything to get them) but nothing worked. I did find along the way some great recipes for Halloween parties that I probably won't have time to make.

I just like collecting them.

You thought it was just junk???

So my point being that the only thing I could come up with are some of my own pictures!!!! I know nothing like those crazy gorgeous designer photos.

Tomorrow will be the day we carve our pumpkins and if they come out good I'll show them to you. Don't hold your breath.....it's not anything I excel in.

Ok more mantel shots. Sad to think I have to take it down soon. If I don't I'll be seeing Halloween decorations almost the whole Christmas season. A week before Thanksgiving I spend no time at home.

I've been known to be decorating my tree days after Christmas.

That's my time.

That's life in retail I guess.

More outdoor stuff!!!

I hope you're all ready for Halloween....candy bought, costumes ready, house and yard decorated. We used to stay home and wait for the kids to come but we live on a dark windy road and we don't get many kids anymore. I swear I would move to just to see the kids coming to the door on Halloween. So CUTE!

We're going to a small party at a friends house.

What are you doing for Halloween????

***

Trick or Treat!

White Wednesday~ Remembering Summer

Lately I've been feeling a bit nostalgic. I guess that's what this time of year makes me feel like. Maybe it's only because we're approaching the holidays.

Maybe it's because I now have more time to myself,

to think,

to reflect on what has happened in the last months.

During our growing season and then proceeding with our " selling" season there isn't often time to think of anything but work! Staying focused on the task at hand and multi tasking all the same time. Maybe why I like blogging so much. [Not good for my work schedule but a nice diversion!] This Summer we had record breaking rain but there was still plenty of sunshine to let the flowers bloom!

I often find myself saying....

"It rains a lot in England

so it must be ok for us here too!"

Flowers love the rain.

I realized that I had never shown you all of my friend Paula's house.

Perfect for a "White" post!

Some of these I had posted last Spring but remember this is my "Nostalgic" post. So indulge me just a little more.

Paula pointing out the lace around the coffee table to hide the cat scratches.

Clever idea.....Table socks!!!!

too bad Nigella only likes to claw up our upholstery!

There's the little culprit right there...Midnight! Little cutie! To be fair we can't just blame him.... Paula has 2 other cats..... they're very shy. I never see them except as they're scooting by to get away from company.

Paula's a big doll collector.....some are made by Evi's, Cathy and Nicol.

She decorates with white but brings in warm tones that envelopes you like your favorite blanket.

a page from Jeanne d'Arc Living. We were commenting at how much of Paula's house resembled what is in this book.

An old Irish pine sideboard...

The prints are antique botanicals from a booth in an antique mall that she and Laura once sold at years ago.

And we end with a delicate airy flower display in her dining room.

Hope you've enjoyed revisiting Paula's house.

I know I did!

For more White go on over to Kathleen's

@ Faded Charm and visit the wonderful participants.

Happy Wednesday!

Carole

More Halloween

Ok Laura this ones for you. I thought if you saw it in it's natural light you'd learn to love my scull and bones in this chandelier!!!

I think it adds that elegant look I was looking for. I bought it in Salem, Mass. one year when we stayed up there during their Halloween festivities. A big time of year for them. The town really gets huge crowds and the costumes you see are incredible.

I'd had this garland for a while but didn't like that the only way you could use them was vertically. Imagine how thrilled I was when I used them here finally after keeping them in the box year after year!

In my last post I showed you the mantel in Black and White but I thought you might want to see it in it's natural state. Not too orange!

My favorite pieces are from Bethany Lowes - Dee Foust Design and Nicol Sayre when she was licensing with Midwest. It's too bad she didn't renew her contract with them. I love her work but I'm sure they came out nothing like the prototypes she send them.

This is one of her witches. The green face I could do without but it's the hoop wire petticoat that I really like on her. Sorry I didn't take a picture of the whole doll.

This really isn't much of a Halloween picture except for the faux pumpkin. That was taken the night we got all new halogen bulbs and I was testing out how the light looked in pictures. Pretty bright! Blinding actually but I prefer the whiteness of it. Helps to have dimmers!

A little fabric bat bought at Ginny's a few years ago.

See.... not scary!

A better view of Cathy's doll from the previous post. Bothered me that you couldn't see what a sweet face she had. She's not scary either...though the dust on her is. I like decorating better then cleaning.

Don't be frightened by the green walls either ! Yes... the girl who always shows you all her white things does have a room all full of color. And I don't mean wimpy color!!!!!

I'm breaking you in slowly. I feel like you'll all leave me if I give it to you all at once.

Baby steps!

I'm thinking of painting it this Winter to....... you guessed it

WHITE! I may need your help with that decision when the time comes!

*****

Thanks for stopping by.....hope

you all have a wonderful week!

Carole

B&W for Halloween!!!!

A little spookiness never hurt anyone.. right???Laura!!

Not everyone would agree so I'm limiting the scary stuff.

In reality I don't like the gory Halloween decorations in the house. My husband on the other hand this year has been buying so much of the tackiest halloween things. Thank goodness he leaves them outside where they belong!!!

It usually doesn't scare me except for this morning when I was looking for the cat outside and the motion detected skeleton went off with a blood curdling scream!!!! Darn him... I jumped a mile. He would have been laughing his head off. I did too.....after
Of course I later realized I'd already let the cat in :)


Indoors I enjoy more classic scary items....if there is such a thing!


A few white lights to help give a little more sparkle. I love clown decorations! I have friends that find them creepy. Can you explain why???? I even thought I'd love to decorate a room with old carnival and circus things. Not always easy to find though. I love that old carny stuff. Their was a show we used to watch on HBO called Carnival a few years back. It was set during the Depression. My husband described it as a struggle between good and evil because it did have a religious tone to it. Probably why it disturbed people. We always like shows no one else likes. I always tell my husband that if we love it then it doesn't stand a chance. We're the kiss of death! Ha-ha!!! The only friend that watched it was my friend Ginny...... she loves all that spooky stuff. I'd love to hear if you liked that show or........ if you at least heard of it.

Now you probably really think I'm weird. Oh right I hear you...you already did!!!
This is a witch made by my friend Cathy of Cheswick Co. she makes some of the best folk art pieces and also sells patterns if your clever like that. Sorry if these pictures are not the best. I was going to do a little photo editing but my program was giving me trouble so I uninstalled it. Computers are great when they're working right but not so when they're not!
No News flash there!

I hope you all have a great Sunday!!!!
***



Please go visit Anne Marie at NaDa Farmlife for more Black and White lovelies!!!!

Natures simple wonders

Back at the end of August I took a last look at a perennial wholesale nursery that we've bought from for the past 10yrs or so. It's such a relaxing ride to this farm town. I come up usually once a year during their Customer Open House but this year they decided not to host it. They've now decided to do it every other year (a sign of the times I guess). When I found this out I was so disappointed. I was thrilled to hear from my rep who said that she'd be there if I wanted to come for a visit.

What's fun to see plants flowering out of season. Things like phlox,echinacea, lychnis, and many others that are waning in everyones garden are just starting to bloom here.

Many times the plugs(small rooted plants) will come from different parts of the country so they flower later in the pots.

I wandered mostly unattended like I usually do and took many notes and pictures so it would help in ordering for next year.

By the end of the afternoon just as I was getting ready to go I went over for one last look in the shade section. I came upon a tree that I was so intrigued by.

I'd like to tell you that I know the name of this tree fungus or lichens but really I don't.
I found it as beautiful as all the flowers I had seen.
And I had seen a lot of them!!!


I'm sure you've all seen these many times before.

I was trying to rush to capture them before the light was all gone and being under the large trees it was very dark.

Growing there quietly and left there for only a few to enjoy.



They looked like mountain cliffs terraced for easy walking or shells washed up on the beach.




I felt like I had discovered a wonderful miracle of nature.
I was kind of sad that I had no one there to witness it with me...then again they might have found me odd. Maybe it was good that my rep was busy saying good bye to another customer:)
After all I was surrounded by beautiful fields of blooming flowers and here I was staring at the bark of a tree!!!*^#)



Thank you so much for your kind comments of my previous posts.

I haven't been visiting you as much as I'd like. I'm busy trying to get the shop ready for Christmas and getting plants ready for their long winters nap.
****



XO,
Carole

Brimfield with Bliss Farm Antiques

The other day I received an email from a blogger who came upon one of my posts on my trip to Brimfield this Fall. There to her surprise was her booth. You may remember I had gone back to photograph some of the my favorite vendors. I later realized that I hadn't lost all the pictures from my first day. Never occured to me that they were in my recycle bin. I almost emptied it by accident, but thought maybe I should check first. Thank goodness I did.
Well anyways getting back to what I was saying. Jackie who's booth I had seen was so happy to see all her gorgeous things splattered there in front of her. Must be kinda neat when you don't expect it.

She had no idea I had been there.

Small world isn't it ?

This is the picture of her card I had photographed that day so I wouldn't get confused as to which card went with which booth I liked. Don't you hate that?? when at the end of the day you have all these cards and have no idea who any of them are ??? Does that happen to you too???

I try to be better now and jot something down that'll jar my memory. It's really hard getting old :)

Jackie of Bliss Farm Antiques was kind enough to invite me to her place in Rehobeth Mass. where she's having a big sale. She's making room for when she comes back from Paris. Lucky girl is shopping at the flea markets and bringing back treasures for her shop. I would love to do that someday!!! Told her next time I could be her interpreter. Guess I'll have to brushing up on my French!!!

"Oui monsieur c'est tres jolie mais pourriez-vous faire mieux sur le prix???"

What you think???

Don't be that impressed I used the translate gadget I have on my side bar>>>
I can speak it better then I can write it.

Same goes for English now that I think of it!

These were some of the fabulous things that I missed showing you on my original post of my so called "lost pics".

Shelley from Sweet Pea recognized these pillows from Michelle of Petit Coterie

She knew right away when she saw them on my 1st post since she sells them too and did great selling them at Round Top recently. She just did a post on them HERE.



I asked Jackie to provide me with some pictures from her shop that would make a good white Wednesday post.

Doesn't the light that reflex off of crystals just look so romantic. Maybe I'm part squirrel??? My eye just goes right for the sparkle. Good thing I don't do all the damage a squirrel does. Some might disagree!




Dresser adored with the all the things us girls need to get ready in the morning....combing our locks and adding a little jewelry before we start our day.


Doesn't this look so comfortable and the fabric I just love with the script printed on. I think I would never get up from this comfy seat! I'd be easy to find!

Cement statue of a french poodle.....what would appeal more to a pet owner and francophile??? I tell ya!

So happy to have met Jackie thru blogging. It's funny how you can meet and have so much in common with people in so many other countries and then suddenly meet someone right here in your own backyard.

Don't forget to visit the other White Wednesday participants at

Kathleens at Faded Charm

Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Carole