The Dough Bowl...

Here it is...my new dough bowl from Hungary via the Walla Walla Antique Show. I had been scouting ebay for one of these for awhile. I just love it! It's big and worn and full of character. It even has a metal repair on the end that makes it even MORE specail.

I filled it with squash from our garden, mini pumpkins still on the vine, maple branches from our trees and chestnuts my son found on Sunday near the fairgrounds.







If you like the banner I made, I will be listing some in my etsy shop. I think it turned out great! I like to get the most bang for my buck this time of year. Decorting more for autumn, rather than just Halloween.



This banner can stay up until you are ready to get your Christmas boxes down from the attic. Then, it can be easily stored for next year. I make it out of my favoirte off-white burlap. I added mix and match brown vintage buttons from my extensive collection to each letter and also to the end of the ties.

It measures 36" across with just the letters, and can be spread out further on the cord. Each letter is approximately 12" long at it's longest.




Visit my shop if you'd like to get one of these banners for your home. I can also customize it for you with different colors and words.


Enjoy your day!

A Day of Beauty and Treasures

It was a beautiful day here on Sunday. The kids and I went to the Antique Fair at the fairgrounds. As soon as we walked in the door I found the most incredible treasure--an antique dough bowl from Hungary (I'll post about that later--it deserves it's own spot....ha!).

But THEN, we found these!!!! I have been searching for white pumpkins for a few weeks now. Who knew? They were right under my nose at the little fruit stand/farm down the road a piece. Problem is, most of them must weight about 200 pounds and there was no way I could lift them into a wheel barrel.

I did manage to get a few smaller ones and you'll see those on my porch soon.

As we were strolling through the antique fair, Allison found these incredible vintage cowgirl boots. They just fit her perfectly. Just like her Mom she couldn't wait to wear them and slipped them on in the car while we were on our way home.

days just don't get much better than this....

white pumpkins, that crisp feeling in the air, finding a vintage treasure (or two), and seeing your beautiful daughter developing your love of all things vintage and wearing it proud!

Enjoy your day! ...and, remember, it's the little things that make us happy.

Announcing The Winner

of my very first giveaway! I am happy to say that Anne of Fiona and Twig is the lucky winner of my Harvest Moon banner!


Thank you to those who entered, and don't worry--there will be MORE gieaways in the weeks to come,so stay tuned.

Make sure you check out Anne's blog. This lucky lady just opened her own vintage/antique shop--how very exciting! Anne-email your address to me and I'll get your banner right out to you! Congratulations!

Saturday Night Dinner

This is a recipe I've been wanting to try for awhile....Beef Bourguigon from the Barefoot Contessa. I was planning to make it on Diane's and Craig's last night here.

Well...they had to cut their visit short because we were expecting our first frost here in Washington and they needed to get home and check on their house.

I made it last night. What a great dinner for a cold autumn night. This version is much less intimidating than the Julia Childs version and very delicious. To get the recipe just click here.

I would highly recommend this

OK...now for dessert. I haven't made this VERY special recipe in a LONG time, but I made it last night. This is my Grandma's Crumb Cake. I wanted to share it with you, because it really is a simple and delicious recipe.

Crumb Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients well. Add 1/2 cup vegetable oil.

Mix with dry ingredients until crumbly

Remove 1/4 cup of this for topping and set aside.

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup of buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

Mix together with a wooden sppon until fairly smooth.

Spread batter into a baking pan. Sprinkle your 1/4 cup "crumb" mixture on top.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree over for approximately 30 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back in the middle when checked.

Optional: you can add in your favorite nuts or chocolate chips. This will increase baking time slightly.

This is a favorite recipe in my family. It just seems perfect for this time of year. I had forgotten how delicious it is. Of course it is wonderful with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Celebrating My 100th Post With My First Giveaway

It's hard to believe this is my 100th post. What a fun journey this has been since it began back in May.

To celebrate I want to give away one of these great "Harvest Moon" banners I made. It measures approximately 42" by 11". It was created out of an off-white burlap. I added wire hems on all four sides. It can be folded and shaped to fit into the perfect spot in yoru home. It is actually like a big wired ribbon. You can see more photos of my banners by clicking the "My Shop" button on the left hand side of the blog.

All you have to do to enter to win is this:

Leave a comment for me here, AND

For an EXTRA chance to win, post this giveway on your blog...

You can enter to win until Monday, October 12th at 9:00 p.m. Pacific time.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday morning.

Thanks so much for celebrating with me.

October Marigolds

Well...our first frost is expected here tonight, so I took some time to admire my beautiful orange and yellow marigold varieties before they fade away.

We planted all these from seed and I have been delighted at all the fall color they have provided over the last couple months.
They will become a regular part of my flower garden since their blooms last well into autumn .

I also still have these gorgeous tall and sturdy hollyhocks...Ahhh...enjoying the last bit of flowering delight before the nights turn too chilly for them.

I Don't Sew...But,

I found a woman who does a beautiful job on home decoraitng projects. She made custom bedding for my dauther's and my son's rooms. The latest project she did for me was this great tablecloth for my master bedroom.

I mailed her a photo I pulled out of a magazine and she recreated the tablecloth from the photo perfectly! I purchased the material and the buttons and sent it off to her. She sent me back this great tablecloth that is truly one of a kind. It has four sets of pleats and 24 buttons total. I mixed up a variety of vintage buttons because I liked the look of it.

The 36" round tables are so versatile and this one makes a great nightstand for me. But I wanted a tablecloth that was just a little different than the standard round. I got it!


This wonderful seamstress does beautiful work and pays attention to every detail. I would HIGHLY recommend her. If you are interested in having her make something for you, you can email her at spohnmm@yahoo.com. Her name is Marlys and she is delightful to do business with. She lives in Michigan...tell her Cori sent you : )

If you don't sew, you know how hard it is to find someone who is great to bring your ideas to life--exactly the way you envision them.

Thanks again Marlys...I love the tablecloth!

A Great Offer From Breck's Bulbs

Go to Breck's Bulbs in the next 24 hours or so and you can receive $25.00 off a $50.00 purchase.

That is 50% off! If you love bulbs as much as I do, then you know the best savings are before mid-October. They won't ship your bulbs to you until the planting time is right in your area.

As a gardener, few things have delightedme as much as seeing all my tuplips, hyacinths, daffodila, and allium bloom after a cold and snowy winter. I also ordered lillies this year since my friend Donna has had such beautiful success with hers. Can't wait!

What I've Been Up To....

this wonderful sign for Halloween/Fall. I just love the way it shows the "romantic" side of Halloween...so magical. I made one for myself and decided to list one in my Etsy shop as well...take a look if you like it.

It can be hung and I've included hanging hardware and a twine hanger. OR...you can just set it in the perfect place. I haven't decided exactly where my will land...I'm trying several differnt spots.

I'm really liking it here on the fireplace hearth....what do you think?



OK...now I've got to put my craft stuff away, BECAUSE my friend Diane and her husband will be arriving for a stay at the Starview Cottage on Wednesday. I can't wait!

Just A Great Photo For A Monday Morning

My girlfriend Shari sent me this photo and I just had to share it.

Now go out there and "light up your life" on this October Monday...

Change of Season Sunday

What a beautiful Sunday this is! We had quite a bit of rain yesterday and guess what we woke up to this morning? The beautiful snow-capped Blue Mountains off in the distance.

We just got back from a wonderful walk and now we are enjoying a fall Sunday afternoon. One of the things we really craved before moving to the Northwest is a definite change of seasons. Well, we have it here and it is glorious!

Thought I'd share the Department 56 Halloween village we set up. Isn't it fun?

Here it is during the day....

and here it is at night...complete with twinkling orange lights...It is so fun to enjoy this vignette as the days grow shorter and the house feels so cozy...

Hope you are all having a cozy and warm Sunday afternoon.

Celebrate October With Soup

I made this soup a few weeks ago and it was amazing! If you still have sweet corn available where you are, give this a try! This is truly a meal in itself--so filling!

Comfort food at it's best...

Sweet Corn Chowder with Tomato and Basil

4 Ears Fresh Yellow Corn

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups of water

1 bay leaf

2 TB butter

1 cup of finely chopped onion

1 red or orange pepper, finely chopped

2 TB all-purpose flour

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks

1 tsp. salt

1 pinch cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

One medium tomato, seeded and chopped

2 TB fresh chopped basil

2 green onions, chopped

1. Shuck the corn. To shave the kernels from the cob., hold the cob upright at a slight angle and cut off the kernels with a sharp chef's knife. Set kernels aside.

2. Put the cobs, stock, water and bay leaf in a large soup pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain broth into a large bowl and set aside. Discard corn cobs and bay leaf.

3. Put the pot over medium-high heat. Add the butter, onion, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent (about 8 minutes).

4. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in th warm broth and bring to a boil. Add half the corn kernels, potatoes and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes).

5. Stir in the remaining corn kernels and cayenne pepper. Cook 5 minutes. If you prefer thicker chowder, smash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from stove. Gradually whisk in cheese until it melts completely.

6. In a small bowl combine tomato, green onion and basil. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls and gently spoon the tomato-basil garnish on top.

Makes 4 good size servings.

This is so delicious! Hope you get a chance to try it as the days (and nights) are getting chillier.

Pumpkin Love

I just love pumpkins. They serve as an icon for my favorite season--Fall!

Yesterday I made these little wooden plaques and they turned out so darn cute. Instead of black for my pumpkin faces I decided to use the nutmeg brown. I guess for me, brown IS the NEW BLACK...ha!



So here theyare sitting in one of my open kitchen cabinets....

Then I moved them in front of my Three Witch Sisters......

Aren't they just the cutest? I made these fabulous old hags from a pattern about 7 years ago. They are one of my favorite Halloween decorations. Lots of work, but they have given me years of Halloween pleasure. I'm thinking I might look like the one on the right if I stopped coloring my hair? LOL.

A couple close-ups of the little guys in fron of my leaf bowl with some of the same colors. I distressed the edges of the plaques to add some character.

I don't go overboard on Halloween decorating (I can't say the same for Christmas...: ) BUT, I do love unique and fun accents like these to put in little nooks and crannies.

I think I'll list a couple sets on Etsy and see what happens...I better get busy.

Bye for now...

Some Fall Eye Candy

I just love this pathway scene...could it be any more special? I have been on the lookout for an old Schwinn bike like this for awhile now...It just says "welcome" so well...



I just love this quick little bird feeder idea...so simple and sweet. I could fill the vessel with all of my remianing sunflower seeds...


Now this is really something....a flea market find chandelier/light fixture painted and turned upside down becomes the perfect pedestal for some elegantly carved pumpkins. So very creative!

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful day...

Best,