I was shopping with my friend Tracey last year when I found this darling squirrel tray. It is made of wood and looks great on my island corralling garlic and onions or in the center of my table surrounded by candles. The squirrel is a symbol of Tracey's sorority, so she bought one too! When I brought it out this year to celebrate the season, I decided to take this photo to send to Tracey and remind her of our fun visit. Just before I snapped the picture, my mom suggested I put one of the acorn-shaped corn muffins I'd made for dinner in his hand. Ha! She's always thinking.
I have found the same squirrel tray online here, if he speaks to you.
I am going to make my chocolate-dipped acorns, now that I have the perfect place to serve them. Remember when I made these for a party back in Michigan? I swear a girl told me she was taking some home in her purse!
This treat has one roasted almond stuffed inside a chocolate-dipped date. The acorn topping is more pulverized roasted almonds. They are delicious. You can find my recipe here.
#acorns #falldecorations #fallcandy #candymaking #fall #squirrels #autumntreats #momentsofdelight #annereeves
I wanted you to see my latest find from Michaels Craft Store - a beautiful wood veneer tray. It has soft scalloped lines, beautiful real wood color and texture and is as light as a feather.
The wood veneer has been sealed to a sturdy plastic base, so this tray offers great strength if you wanted to use it to carry cups of cider and a plate of doughnuts.
Would you like to hear the best part? These trays and their companion plate chargers are 50% off right now. On sale, this tray cost $6.50. Now that is an economical way to add a beautiful touch of fall to the table.
I have "buy apples" on my to do list, because I am in the mood to bake apples as a side dish for dinner, but I keep putting it off because I don't want to give up this pretty arrangement. These beauties are Honey Crisp, which are probably better for caramel apples, anyway. I need to find some Macintosh or Jonagolds to core, put in a baking dish and let 350 degrees work its magic. I love this time of year!
What's hot, bright and packs a punch? A fresh pepper wreath! I absolutely love these vibrant wreaths and I intend to buy one the moment I have a house. I simply do not have the wall space to show it off properly. But when I do...
I have seen multi-color pepper wreaths for sale in the Seattle area farmers markets beginning in September and I am happy to report (late November 2015) that even though the local farmers markets have closed for the season, you can still find wreaths in perfect condition at Pike's Place Market - both inside in a permanent stall, as well as outside the main building in a tent vendor.
Garden-staple turned home accent. Yes, they're real! Those are hydrangea blooms clipped from my "Nikko Blue" hydrangeas in the backyard (they were starting to dry on the bush) and set them waterless in an antique sugar canister. They will continue to dry while on display.
Nikko Blue hydrangeas are really only blue if you have the right acidity in your soil. I have tried to amend my soil for years with MirAcid, but they always seem to stay shades of pink-to-celery green. In the Fall, however, they are turn a reddish-gray. Do you have any long-forgotten hydrangea bushes?
The wood tones in my cherry dining room set, my beloved wallpaper ("Oriental Spring Blossoms (GG4721)" by York) and some ribbon-wrapped votives make a beautiful autumn tablescape.
You can make these votives yourself with 3 items: wax-filled glass candle votives (sold in a set of 12 at Michael's crafts), a half-yard of beautiful dimensional ribbon (I found this one in several colorways at Joann Fabric) and some double-sided tape.
How To Make Ribbon-Wrapped Votives:
Choose a ribbon that is just a bit narrower than the height of the votive. Wrap the ribbon around the votive, cut to allow a slight overlap and use a piece of double-sided tape (at that overlap) to secure the ribbon cuff around the votive. Voila! Tell them it took you hours...
You don't necessarily need a grand plan to have a successful fall arrangement on your front porch or in the middle of your kitchen table. A grouping of like objects (in this case, pumpkins and gourds) is visually interesting and can satisfy your eye all on their own.
I use the photo above as an example, which was photographed by me at the Country Living Fair on Columbus, Ohio. A jumble of pumpkins, gourds and squash looks perfect just as it is. Yes, they spaced the light green and deep orange gourds evenly throughout the pile, but it still looks natural.
If the display looked like they were placed by type or color, or if a sprig of maple leaves were tucked in every open space, the arrangement would look contrived...as if the pumpkins weren't pretty enough just as they are. I show you this to instill confidence that you can put together your own fall display without a lot of angst.
On the other hand, you can plan to buy only one color of squash and gourds and make a big impact that way as well. These gourds and squash in varying shades of gray-green are gorgeous and do all of the design work for you. Set them together and they speak volumes.
I thought you might like to refer to this Pumpkin and Squash Identification Chart so that you can drop the name of the unusual pumpkin everyone is admiring. I happen to have a "Great White" on my front table this year. Love it!
If you are in Southeastern Michigan, Maple View Farm is open on Saturdays and has a beautiful variety of designer pumpkins.
It's all coming together. This collection of unusual pieces creates the prefect Fall tablescape - one that is beautiful and interesting.
I've told you about my love of cockscomb flowers...look at how I can showcase them in my knit vase. I knit the cover on circular needles to fit a coffee can!
I've talked about my set of commemorative tin plates from the Royal Collection. Each plate features a china design from a different time period. This particular plate is called "The Animal Plate." The central image is of a lion and the design is thought to have been created by Sevres and acquired by Louis XVI of France around 1790. It looks so formal and beautiful in my living room, yet is made of tin and is an inexpensive souvenir. Love it!
And of course, I was there when the Missoni for Target collection evaporated before my eyes...and now I get great satisfaction at how perfectly their glass votives (that I managed to get in my cart during the shop-tastrophy) compliment my overall look.
Yes, this is my favorite Fall tablescape yet.
This bouquet was my favorite find at the farmer's market a few weeks ago.
Can you believe it? Roses...real roses in my garden! I tip-toed outside yesterday morning when I saw these beauties from the window. I have them in a jam jar (that I coated with Mod Podge to protect the label) and placed them on my front table. Do you like my marzipan vegetables? Fall is here!
Now is the time to start planning your Fall tablescape. Is November your month for book club? Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?
I saw this display at the Country Living Fair and it really got me in the mood for the rich colors and many textures of autumn. Next week I am going to pull out my cream dinner plates, black raspberry-covered dessert plates, green glassware and a melange of serving pieces and see what I can come up with for a casual "Dinner For Four."
I have a feeling I will be trimming napkins or doing something to pull it all together. This is the year to "use what you have." Join me?
