Fall gardening and inspiration

Hi, all!  I hope this week has been as good for you as it has for me.  I enjoyed the company of my youngest sister, her husband and one of her two daughters for several days, and am still relishing a visit from my mom- 88 years young!  Just as the weather is changing in most parts of the country, we are getting our version of autumn in SW Florida-- slightly cooler nights, lower humidity, and fewer rain showers. It makes for a much more pleasant time doing outdoor chores (in summer my favorite outdoor activity involves being in the pool), and I have taken advantage of the change to do a little weeding, trimming, and re-potting.  I always think of these activities in the same way that I do crafting, achieving pleasure from the beauty of the end result.  I'm often bringing plants in- and out-doors, too, so I can enjoy them close up at their most beautiful--orchids and Christmas cacti are prime examples of my seasonal indoor plants-- but some plants just have to stay outdoors.  Here is an example of one of those:

What fun for this former New Yorker to be poking around the garden and come upon this!   Obviously not something I can bring inside (at least until it's ripe and delicious!), but I was inspired to bring this home from a recent trip to HomeGoods:

Isn't it great?  And it was just the color I needed to perk up my reading corner ( see last post).

I love referencing nature in my home and in my crafting.  Next project, though, will be a scary reference to nature- my grandson and I are building a skeleton from toilet tissue and paper towel tubes.... I'll be sure to post the pics!

Michelle

Autumn crafts

Hello, friends!

Unfortunately, between work, a certification exam, and having out-of-town family visiting, my card making has fallen temporarily to the wayside. I was able to get in a little crafting, though, in preparation for company.  Here is one of two wreaths I made, inspired by a Pinterest pin, for my front doors:

Also inspired by Pinterest, I decorated some pumpkins with puffy paint dots, and displayed them on candlesticks that I already owned:

Then, I dressed my favorite reading corner with an autumn floral display (I have since switched out the pillow for one with "seasonal" color):

Autumn in SW Florida is more a state of mind than an actual season, so these little changes put me in that state of mind, and help to remind me that the Christmas season (my favorite!) is only about seven weeks away.  Now that I say that, I had better get back to my crafts!

Happy autumn,
Michelle