Fall Excursion to the Ohio Countryside

This weekend we met friends in Richmond, Indiana, on the Ohio/Indiana border, and though it’s an easy drive for us, we decided to stay overnight. The Richmond Visitors Bureau gave us information about the area, and Sunday we decided we’d take the back roads and picked a couple of antique shops to visit on our way home.

We stumbled into Today’s Harvest on our way to the shops, and of course had to stop in. Who wouldn’t, when you’re out on a beautiful fall Sunday (did you notice the sky?) and see THIS?!

and this?

Just too quaint and fall-ish to not stop in. :) The temperature was in the high 50s…perfect!

The place isn’t huge, but it had an interesting and folksy mix of things to see and enjoy and to make you glad it’s fall and that you’re out and about.

How ‘bout them {caramel} apples?! See there’s plenty more behind the counter? They were making more while we were there. I love apples, but I much prefer them cut rather than biting into them, and the friendly woman behind the counter told me she has the same preference, so they’ve come up with an alternative caramel apple: they use an apple corer to cut the apples, place them in a bowl, and pour the caramel and nuts over the cut apple. Pretty.good.idea, I thought. Can’t wait to do that for the kiddies!

Not only caramel apples did they have, but also a nice assortment of plain, ol’ apples that aren’t too polished and perfect—the way I like them! They seem more real that way, don’t you think? But oh, no! A BIG spider wants to either enjoy them too, or it wants to go home with us! (Yes, she’s now home with us!)

It’s a farm market, so they had lots of veggies, and one GIGANTIC cabbage! Can you believe this is a CABBAGE?! The price was $.25 per pound--I wish I’d weighed it!

They also had Halloween decor…I thought this sign was pretty cute!

…and a variety of cute wood people that were actually very well made. Isn’t she cute, in her skirt and carrying a black kitty?

The Christmas room had lots of interesting things, and the tree was lit with a combination of regular Christmas lights and tiny LED lights, which gave it a nice effect. I think I’m interested in trying that—has anyone out there tried that?

More wood decorations…I would’ve liked to have brought these two guys home too, but really…more things??? They were awfully cute, and heavy, and well made.

This Nativity was sooo, sooo neat. Our grandbabies love Nativity scenes, so they would’ve loved this one, but the price set me back a bit…What do you think? Too much??? Just right??? There’s a lot of work and skill in it, I know. Looking at it again I really, really like it. (Remember I said it’s an easy trip from home…???)

Nothing fancy in the outdoor area, but there were lots of different activities for the little ones—a little train, visible in the background, a giant checkers game on the ground, and a mini-miniature golf “area”—mini, not a course—but the kids were having fun with it.

How about that sky and the corn ready to be cut? Lovely fall day. The farmers in the area were out in force cutting down the stalks, and on our way home at dusk there was so much dust from one field at first we thought it was fog!

A former church (middle building) in New Paris, Ohio, is now home to Jamboree Antiques. The owner told me she and her husband bought the building a few years ago and moved their shop from their barn way out in the country to a more “urban” (see the traffic?) setting, because when the price of gas rose, people weren’t willing to drive out to their property. I don’t really know how these shops make a profit, so I’m always intrigued and ask the owners about their business.

How’s that for a beautiful door panel? It looks like it’s missing some parts, but it makes me wonder how many worshippers have touched that door.

And finally, I leave you with this HUGE guy, the overseer at Jamboree Antiques ~

The owner told us it took three men, huffing and puffing, to get him mounted! I didn’t ask the price (I can only imagine!), but if we had a HUGE home in the country I surely would want him there! He was that awesome and majestic!

It was a perfect day for a fall outing!

Do you like to take the back roads with your honey to see what you find? We find that it’s a wonderful way to get some quality time. In the summer we go in our now-vintage Saab convertible, but when the weather turns, then it’s the SUV, which always gets me in the mood to FILL IT UP with great finds! LOL 

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Our Halloween Home Tour

Last week I shared our fall and Halloween decorations on the front porch and the screened porch (you can see them HERE). Today, I’m sharing what we did inside, when Baby Love came to “help” me. :) She’s almost six, so as she opened each bin we brought up from the basement she was delighted to find decorations that she now remembers.

First we worked on the buffet, where we used our terra cotta Jack-o’-lanterns ~

Now, of course I couldn’t just plop them on the bare furniture, right?~~ I had to have my decorating fun too, so the layering started early. Do you see that there’s someone or something inside the big Jack-o’-lantern???

Yep! Shadow, her and her little brothers’ black-and-white kitty cat, and Shadow’s baby peeking out. In years past we’ve had the “Jacks’” hats off and the kitty cats climbing out of them, but this year she wanted to hide them in there.

For the more grown-up touches I added a sterling footed compote with tiny gourds, buckeyes, and other fall touches, as well as a beautiful tan paperweight that was a gift from our DIL’s uncle—he MADE it, and I LOVE it! A crystal candleholder serves as a pedestal for a small pumpkin.

These rusty pumpkin candleholders are special…they’re from our son, and I bring them out every single fall, but I don’t think I’ve ever coupled them with the Jacks. Nice filler for the vignette.

We also worked on the china cabinet, leaving the blue-and-white color scheme I’ve had there for several months, since I’m not ready to move that out yet. After Halloween, we’ll move to more fall colors there as well. For now, we added touches of Halloween, and that was fine with her.

Her decor on the bottom shelf was a bit more…shall we say age-appropriate for her? I wanted to honor her efforts and taste, so I tweaked it just a bit after she went home, but quickly put it back to her liking before she and her little brothers came back. I’m glad, because as soon as she walked in she brought the older one over to show off her decorations!

A more subdued look :) with touches of fall.

This is one piece I couldn’t wait to fill with fall flowers, so I managed to get it done as she found more treasures!

And of course, hydrangeas. Some dried, some fresh off the Endless Summer bush I bought this summer. The variations are so beautiful. And the “vessel”? A recent GW find!

I’ve had this little witch vignette for many years. She stands on a log that’s decorated with bittersweet flowers/berries, and twigs and moss, and a cute ghost, so I put her out for them too—on a silver tray, of course! :)

The final fall touch for this decorating event was the Southern Living Ballard Designs tiered basket on our table ~

This basket is so versatile, that I always have an idea of what I want to do next, but the center basket has become our real fruit basket—it’s perfect! It saves counter space and yet keeps the fruit handy.

Remember the geraniums I was rooting out on the screened porch toward the end of summer? I put more cuttings in these little apothecary bottles I got from my compounding pharmacist, and look at their roots now! They’re very happy with the amount of light they get at the table, and their leaves add nice texture and color to our fruit.

These pumpkins and awesome leaves are also from years ago, when I was doing holiday boutiques. Do you recognize the Pottery Barn lantern as one of my auction box lot finds? Love it! Wonder what I’ll do with it for our Christmas decorations??

Well, that’s the fall and Halloween tour of our home! I hope you enjoyed the tour. Do you do Halloween AND fall decorating, or just one or the other? I try to not buy too many new things and to use what we’ve had for years but in different ways. This year I bought the small pumpkins for $1 each…just six or seven of them. What about you? Do you get your head turned when you walk into stores? :) (Pssst….I try to not go to stores…that’s how I keep from buying more; it’s not will power. It’s lack of. LOL)

I wish you a fun and safe Halloween.

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Fall, on the Porch and Inside

Mid-October, and the days are still in the 70s here in central Ohio…the shift to fall has been slow and easy, not rushed by the weather or too-early color, and for me, that’s just about perfect!

So now that I’m “into fall,” our surroundings are too.

As my mind made the transition into fall I’ve been mulling over lots of decorating ideas. The one I could.not.wait to carry out was:

…a fall twig arrangement in my vintage red-plaid Skotch Kooler.

This cooler used to be store our charcoal for our grill until I promoted it to the front porch this summer, where it held a large pot and also served as a small table when needed, since it was right next to the rocking chair.

These twigs usually live in our blue and white umbrella stand, first next to the piano, and now next to the buffet, but there was a very specific reason why I wanted to use them on the porch! They LIGHT UP!

The fall decor on them is simply two garlands wrapped through it,

and at the base, as anchor, are pinecones, berries, and a pumpkin with lots of leaves that gives a nice texture and is a great filler.

Now for the rest of the porch…

The fall pitcher was a gift from one of our sons many years ago, and I use it every.single.fall, either as a pitcher at the table, or more often as part of our fall decor so it’s out and visible.

You’ve seen this wood box many times…it seems to now be a staple, because I love its rustic nature.

I’ve had this beautifully painted pot for many, many years. It was a sweet and unexpected fall gift from my cousin’s wife, and year after year it’s part of my fall decor—sometimes in the china cabinet, sometimes holding bittersweet, sometimes outside somewhere.

The old bird’s nest is filled with faux pumpkins and gourds, but the BUCKEYES are VERY REAL—after all, Ohio State is our alma mater and THIS IS BUCKEYE COUNTRY!

Now, back to the rest of the porch ~

Can you see the guy holding the mum is a pail with a jack-o-lantern face? A simple nod to Halloween.

And to honor my most-pinned item on Pinterest…

About 350 pins on this garland wrapped around our front-porch light! With such popularity, I of course had to do it again!

And now for a quick tour of the screened porch ~

With little grands around the house, something fun for Halloween…Oh, and let me introduce you to Wilbur, there in the background. He’s been around our family for many, many years, and his clothes are definitely starting to show it, but that makes him all the more perfect for his role in the family!

On our shelf we still have a lovely mix of summer flowers and sunflowers…the summers are still happy to be around, and I can’t bear to get rid of them.

Another nod to Halloween…

Since Baby Love came over to “help” me decorate for Halloween/Fall, she decided that her “amiguitos,” which is the Spanish word for “little friends,” should be part of the decor, since they’re all dressed up in costumes! (The rag dolls were all her dad’s and uncle’s, which I saved for the happy day when their children would play with them too, and that day is happily here.)

Oops! She couldn’t find Raggedy Ann’s clothes!

Happy Halloween and Fall to All!

If you don’t have little ones around, how much do you decorate for Halloween versus fall? We did some Halloween inside too, because we’re blessed with little ones around. I’ll share that next week.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants: http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Bathroom Cabinet Re-Do

I bought this cabinet about 15 years ago, and although I was never crazy about the color…well, the days turned to months, turned to years—does that happen at your house too? Why, oh why do we live with things we don’t care for when we can so easily change them?! Life, that’s why! :)

I did, and do like the cabinet though, and I’ve always liked its chippy nature.

In its first life it served as a toiletries cabinet for our son, and then for me. Even when it came to our bathroom I lived with the yellow for waaaaayyyyy toooooo loooooong.

My inspiration was, as it seems to be for many projects around our home, the WaterColor Inn logo (see my post on it at WaterColor-Themed Mother's Day Brunch). I love its simplicity while conveying volumes: the first brushstroke is the sand, the second—teal—is the shallow waters of the Florida Panhandle, and third, the deep, deep blue of the deeper water.

The “sand” didn’t translate well onto their pads…it really is more of a sand/tan/taupe color, making the combination a lovely beach theme.

    Ahhh…looking better already.

 

The teal was a little more intense than I had envisioned, so a whitewash was next.

 

Again, much better…we’re getting close to my vision, :)

 

  I left the metal inserts in the soft white.

 

A little distressing, crystal knobs, and I call it DONE, and myself HAPPY.

 

Is there an easy project that you KNOW would make you so happy to have done, but somehow you don’t get around to it? I’m not the only one who’s lived with a drab, yellow cabinet for wayyyyy toooo maaaannnny years, am I?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!}

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni