Goodbye Summer and Hello Fall

Had to use up vacation time or I'd lose it so took all of last week off to relax. And boy did I!!  Ended up getting the congested cough cold crud so spent most of my days down for the count sniffling and sneezing. Actually took an at-home Covid test today but thankfully it was negative.

The good news is sickness does not prevent me from crafting or garage saling!  Had a dream the other night about a doll my second husband gave me that was made out of vintage linens. Not sure what happened to that doll (perhaps bitterness or bad ju ju led me to part with it) but loved the way it had such an antique vibe.

Lo and behold, last Saturday I was at a half-price estate sale and stumbled upon two of the dolls. Believing it was destiny, I picked both up for $1.

Also found additional accoutrement for my acorn people, including the swing foundation shown below. Am done with the nut fest for now; grouped them all together on a plaque and it turned out sweet.

Made some pumpkin bread over the weekend using a Starbuck's brand recipe. Glazed the loaves with lemon icing and the bread is quite scrumptious!  Recipe included below.

Another find at the estate sale was the following wooden heart. Removed all the ribbon and fluff then decoupaged it with a vintage Ladies Home Journal cover and attached door knob hangars to use for my necklaces and bracelets.

My friend Susan gave me this clock. It was in the garage, fell and broke so decided it needed to be repurposed. Removed the inner clock workings, glued the broken frame, then painted it, decoupaged it with vintage sheet music on the inside, then attached two shelves.  Right now it's waiting in the wings to be finished due to the fact my creative mind is mulling and meditating over the exactly right thing to display.

Had two Dollar Tree football gnomes that desperately needed revised. Painted their felt outfits, made hats out of extra scarf, and turned them into autumn gnomes.

Hit Goodwill a few times. On one trip found a large shell planter. Do I need it or do I don't? Walked away then returned for it. Bought a can of stone paint and gave it a once over then added Michael's 70% off foliage and hung it on the wall.

We drove to the Kalama Vintage Warehouse to dig around. Ended up grabbing a few glass vintage transmitters then placed tealights beneath each one.

Switched out the blue acrylic pour painted vase in the dining room for a more autumn themed one: added fall flowers and now it looks ready for October.

Here's another thrifty score from the estate sale.  Removed the ugly plastic flowers and added a clock along with Tim Holz paper person. I love it!

Picked up a sweet small quilt from The Red Hat thrift store and placed ot to the top of my dresser.  Found a half-off three cloche display along with pinecones. Painted the pinecone in shades of purple then placed beneath the cloche and filled up a glass jar. 

And now my vacation is over and I return to work on Monday. Ahhh such is life. 

 

Quotes for Monday

 

Dinosaurs, Birds, and Dogs Oh My!

I smell Fall in the air and I'm so sad summer is leaving! 

Last weekend we celebrated little Hazely's first birthday with Jimmy, Lexxi, and her family. Isn't she precious? We gave her a stuffed elephant and blanket; the next day Jimmy text me the following picture saying she just loves it!

Jordan and Candy are reaping their pumpkin crop as shown below. They've promised me one once they get up to a good size.

We stopped at a mini-mart today which recently changed to a Dyno (as in dinosaur) gas station. They actually have a full size Dino so I couldn't resist getting my picture with him. Yes, this is my life now and the type of cheap thrills that drive me! 🤪

Last night the sky was an explosion of color!!

Here are a few recent pics of our nature habitat, also known as our front yard. This week one of our regular Blue Jay's flew over and landed on my crossed foot. He didn't stay long but it was exciting!  Also have a regular hummingbird who frequently flies close to me and hangs in the air as if to say Good Morning. The birds and squirrels are definitely giving me Snow White vibes.

We have now become animal feeders and watchers. We've got three birdbaths, a bird feeder, hummingbird feeder, and we frequently sit outside and toss peanuts in the front yard for the Blue Jay's and squirrels. We also find ourselves peering out the living room window to count the number of pigeons feeding on the seed we toss under a tree (the high so far has been about 20) and we delight in watching all the birds having a pool party in the birdbath.  There is something so relaxing about communing with the animals and finding amusement in the way they behave.  We've learned Blue Jay's are fearless, sparrows can eat double their weight in seed, pigeons are pigs but panic-stricken and flee at a moment's notice,  and squirrels are just the sweetest rodents you ever hope to meet. 

On to crafts! After seeing and saving some creations on-line, I finally made a couple of acorn people. Pretty tiny but fun to make; after practice they should turn out more to my standards.

Picked up a 50% off tall lamp at Goodwill for $5. Removed the wiring, added a glass platter, and voila! A new birdbath.

Big hugs out to my Lil sis Erin who just lost her faithful dog Scout. So traumatizing to lose a furry member of the family. I remember when my 17-year old dog Buddy passed and it was just agonizing. I have a picture of him and try not to look at it as the memory of him pulls on my heartstrings.  Rest in peace Scout - you will be missed!