Celebrate Autumn

It seems like I've been doing that a lot this week! But it was also this week's Living Lovely challenge so that could be part of it. :)

I finally got to decorate some white pumpkins (see below) and I finally got a video put together I meant to do a year ago. So thanks Heidi for the kick in the behind!

A celebration of Autumn: (if you'd like to watch it a bit bigger you can click here)




These are just the wee little pumpkins but they actually last quite a while and they are the kind my friend likes and since they are for her...well, it just makes sense. I decorated them with paint and glitter.

This last one I was going to try the "paper lace doily as a stencil" thing but the pumpkins were just so small that even the smallest paper doily wouldn't fit, so I freehanded the same kind of look by making dots with the handle end of my paintbrush. Not quite as pretty, but it works!

Hello Fall

I don't know what my deal with music is lately but as soon as I typed that title I had this song stuck in my head. Heh heh, bet you weren't expecting that one were you?

Actually all day I've been editing photos, editing a book and listing goodies in both my etsy shops and I've been stuck, absolutely stuck, on this song. I think it's the weather and it just seems to fit the mood of the day. And now you know how eclectic my music taste is. :)

What have I been listing? Well things I made that didn't go to good homes at the holiday bazaar. Like these gift tags found here.


Or these winter berry earrings.

And The Secret Garden necklace. I just love that story, don't you?

And like I said, I did get a few photos taken of our two fall extremes - oddly warm and dry and the much more typical storming and wet. :) Go ahead and listen to that second song I mentioned while you check these out and it will give you a feel for my day.

A moment of sunshine amid the showers.

Storm clouds and mustangs (my closest neighbors).

The fiery lace leaf maple.

And the beautiful old oak.

I'm waiting for one last piece of my Halloween get-up and then I'm ready to be a Jem girl - are you ready? Is the house decorated to perfection and the party planned? Bowls of treats for the little ones waiting?

Kind words and Fall fashion

This is not going to be a fashion review I just have two separate things to post and no time for two posts. I got a last minute confirmation for a booth at a holiday bazaar Saturday (as in tomorrow!) and I've only had three days to prepare (told you it was last minute!) so I'm trying to finish up things I'd started and get my displays ready and boxed up.

I've been so busy I missed Living Lovely this week AND last. This week's is a wonderful reminder to make a conscious effort to use kind words. I recently heard this quote, There are four things you cannot recover in life: the stone after it's thrown, the word after it's been said, the occasion after it's missed and time after it's gone.

Check out Heidi's Living Lovely post for more inspirational quotes that will make you think twice about the words you choose to use.

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Fall is actually the only time of year I have enough appropriate attire for but I think that's because I like it so much. Here are some of my favorite etsy finds on that note:

I happened to win some hair pins from Pretty Perch on one occasion and they are just stunningly gorgeous! I visit her shop from time to time to see what beauties she has and these little rose earrings caught my eye. They are only six dollars! And I heard a rumor...okay I read it on the Pretty Perch blog...that the 100th sale from her shop gets a little something special. Click HERE to go to the earrings.

I just bought this pdf pattern from Knit Chic Grace - aren't they fabulous? Way outside of my knitting comfort zone but they are just lovely and they are done on straight needles, yayyyy! Pattern costs only four dollars and she e-mails it to you right away. If you're not the knitting type, she has this exact pair, already knitted, in her shop as well. Click HERE to go to the pattern.

This darling clutch purse is from Janas Totes and Bags and it is only $8.99! Click HERE to go to the Mod Clutch.

Last but not least is this cloche hat from Counting Stitches. I've been eyeballing this thing for about a year but never seem to have the thirty dollars to spare. I am SO a hat person and especially for ones that are vintage inspired. One of these days this baby will be mine! :)
Click HERE to go to the hat.

Hope you all have a happy Friday!

Getting twiggy with it

I know I should feel silly for referencing a Will Smith song but I just couldn't resist. ;)

Take your everyday candles and dress them up for fall! I believe it is those little details that really bring seasonal decor together. Plus, this one won't cost you anything and it cleans up the yard, how great is that?

Here's what we're making:



What you'll need: tacky glue, ribbon, candle of your choice and scissors (they were camera shy).

And twigs! Mine are birch and as you can see I have an abundance of them every time the wind blows.

I measured on my candle (which was a gift, so free) where I'd like the twigs to be in regards to height, then I used my scissors and cut a pile of them in somewhat varying heights and using somewhat varying widths.

Also using the candle as a measurement I unspooled enough ribbon to go around the candle (with the added bulk of twigs) and be able to tie a little knot.

I squeezed a line of glue along the center of my ribbon - make sure to leave ends for tying! - and lined up my twigs making sure the bottoms of them were aligned.

Then you have to play the waiting game. But the reason I chose tacky glue rather than hot glue was so that I'd have some 'play time' in getting the twigs where I wanted without my glue drying on me. It only took a few hours for my project to dry as it was.


When it is dry just tie around your candle and it is now dressed for fall! Also, when you feel the desire to burn it, you can untie the ribbon and remove the flammable hazard and use it on another candle. A small twigged ribbon like this would also look great tied around the middle of a tall pillar candle.

Looks good on my garage sale candle holder and alongside my "poetry and a paper bag" project and my bowl of acorns - my oak tree really went "nuts" this year. Bwahaha. ;)

I put together a second fall candle feature for my dining room table - and this one didn't cost me a thing either. A friend gave me the golden hued hurricane. I gathered a sackful of acorns from the yard, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet and baked them at the lowest temperature setting. I would tell you how long but I can't remember! But the baking will ensure I don't end up with a bunch of worms in my centerpiece. Bleechhhh.

I used a length of jute string and tied three oak leaves (also from the yard) to the front.

This free and easy project was inspired by Kara's Ballard Designs knockoff. So it is a knockoff of a knockoff...mmm yep I am a thrifting queen.

Linking to:

Kara's fall projects linky party

Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Lucky number 54

Without ANY ado whatsoever...

Congratulations to Suzy from Viva La Yard Sale!

If you e-mail me at mollythepirate@yahoo.com with your address I'll get those vintage gloves send out quick as a wink.

I apologize for getting to the drawing and the posting so late but you would not. believe. the night I had Sunday!* So to make up for it I did retail therapy at the craft store yesterday and spent my evening making cute little goodies for the upcoming bazaars. :)

It's been windy here lately and I've got a project coming up that uses all those twigs going all over my lawn, as well as a perfect use for that empty laundry soap box (I put it in writing, now I have to get it done!)

*In case that piques anyone's interest I was up all night because my cat (who gets to sleep on my bed so the wild critters who go bump in the night won't get her) caught three (three!!!!!!!) mice in my bedroom and kept waking me up crashing into stuff. Where in the world this parade was going or came from I have no idea. No sleep at all, but she is my little hero.

Will you walk into my parlor?

It was a brisk Autumn's eve and I wrapped my coat about me a bit tighter as I stepped among the crunching leaves.



The sun was about to set and I held my lantern higher, the better to see where I was going.




A shrill whistle and approaching steps had me standing still, peering into the dim.

It is but a horse! I exhale my relief and my breath puffs out a white misty cloud.

She stares at me intently - this night mare means to transport me somewhere...

The full moon begins to rise in the distance.



Bobbing to the steady rhythm of a horse's step is normally relaxing but the unfamiliar wood has my senses on alert.


I peek through the bare limbs and see that the moon has climbed higher and higher - how long have we been walking?


Ahead, roof gables stand in silhouette. My equine companion stops to let me off.

The walkway to the door is lined with strange glowing faces and shapes...


The door squeaks on long-rusted hinges and I move into the foyer. My footsteps echo and I call out...is no one here?

A room lit by firelight captures my attention - a study - filled with strange contraptions.


And eerie odds and ends litter the desktop.

The chair nearest the fire looks so inviting I think I'll sit and warm myself just a moment. I can almost hear a voice whispering, telling me to sleep, go to sleep...

The clock strikes midnight and I startle awake.


But I find myself in no cozy fireside chairs or strange rooms in mysterious houses. I have simply fallen asleep with my stack of books



And my old time radio

Such a trick my dreams have played on me!

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Thanks for joining me but what party is complete without a little swag?

Anyone who leaves a comment on this post (until midnight the 18th) is eligible to win these vintage organdy gloves - perfect for a vintage Halloween costume! They are light as a feather and I'll be happy to ship them anywhere.

A spray paint lesson learned

It doesn't matter how old I am, there is always something to learn.

In my last post I showed off my garage sale finds and deals like this brass candleholder I got for ten cents:

I'm sorry Partylite but brass does not go with my decor. So I decided to paint it oil rubbed bronze. I know it is the thing to do in blogland but aside from a door handle I have yet to paint anything in my home that color. (I found my can at K-Mart for those of you still looking for that spray can of magic).


Not only does it now match my color scheme but it makes the candle detail stand out better as well.

Before I painted I cleaned the candleholder with soap and water and then wiped it with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol to remove any oils left by my fingerprints. I painted a thin layer and left to work in the garden. The garden had become a bit neglected since I was gone for two and a half weeks and was a huuuuuge project. I came back to the candleholder when I was done and added the next coat and this happened:

I went "Eeeeeee!"

"I cleaned it and did thin coats so what happened?" I asked my brother.

He asked me how long I waited between coats. It was several hours because, like I said, I was busy in the garden and really didn't give the candleholder any more thought until I was done.

"Ahhhh, there's the problem." He tells me. "You should wait 15 minutes max between coats."

Apparently when I went to apply the second coat of paint, solvents from the first layer had come up to rest on the top of the paint so when I sprayed the second coat the solvent and new paint layer reacted.

Oohhhhhhhhhhh.

So go ahead and learn from my mistake!

I'm not going to worry about my candleholder as it is, it looks rustic and shabby chic like I meant to do that and no one will know unless you tell them so keep it on the down low okay? ;)

So what does my brother know about painting anyway? Here are some examples of his work:

My favorite.

I love the wood grain texture he did. And yes, that is all paint.

He loves Mopar.

And this one looks like it has water droplets all over it. Pretty cool trick!

And some kind of skateboard he did for a friend.

I obviously wasn't the only one to get the creative genes.

Linking to: