Velvet Pumpkins!



Early in the week I posted this giveaway which also included a link to a second giveaway I’m offering over at Sisterview for some velvet pumpkins I made.  Well, it doesn’t stop there.  You see, it seems that in some things I’m great at moderation and in others I’m not.  This would be one when I’m not.  I’ve spent the week with a pot simmering on the stove with various colors of fabric dye and velvet in it.

Did I have time for it?  No.  Should I have been doing other things instead?  Yes.  did I get some interesting looks from my almost 13 year old daughter?  Yup.  But was it fun?  Absolutely!  And I learned some new things.  A week ago I’d never tried to dye fabric, and now I’ve done it at least a dozen times.  It’s healthy to try new things, and I’m finally using my stash of pumpkin stems as well!


I think they’re beautiful:  deep navy blues, teal, aqua, burgundy, plum, lavender and a gorgeous dark gray.  No orange in this batch!  Seeing them sitting there together brings a smile to my face and I’m enjoying the unexpected colors as much as I like the traditional ones.


Once again, I’d like to share some.  I’m going to send a lucky someone a set of four velvet pumpkins in various colors and sizes.

The giveaway will close at midnight Tuesday November 15th
and I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday.  I know that’s getting close to Thanksgiving, but I hope you can still enjoy them or at least enjoy packing them away until next Halloween!

Here’s how to enter:

Leave me a comment telling me how you feel about using non-traditional colors in holiday decor/celebrations.  I’m curious to see what you think.

I typically stick with traditional colors, although the hue changes as color tones come and go.  I also find as the years go by that I yearn for more white in all of my holiday decorating.  I’ve also let some aqua creep into my Christmas decor in the last few years.  But every once in a while there is something I want in every possible color, and these velvet pumpkins would certainly be it.  Somehow it’s the variety of colors that draws my eye to notice each one, compare and contrast, and savor the composition they create together.  So while all my Thanksgiving decor is in browns, oranges and other earthy tones, this year I’m loving the little surprise of colorful pumpkins here and there.  (And I have three or four mostly white projects I’d love to tackle if there’s time.)


Good luck!  And don’t forget you have until midnight Friday to enter other giveaways here and here .

Jennifer P.S.  Are you keeping a gratitude list this year?  I am.  And color, velvet, and pumpkins are all on it.  (Along with much more important things, of course.)

Thanksgiving Porch 2011



An old metal bench.  An oversized acorn hanging from burlap and embroidered ribbon.  A simple wood plank declaring “A Day of Thanksgiving and Praise”.  A lantern with a pumpkin and some battery operated candles enclosed.  A couple more candles on the ground in blue lanterns.

Simple.  It makes me happy.

And over by the front door, the wood sign I’ve had for many years:


Welcome to our home.  And welcome, Thanksgiving!

Jennifer *Love Thanksgiving?  Dont’ forget to tell me how you celebrate and enter to win a “give thanks” banner here .

Halloween

The kindergarten Halloween party is over, and two of the children are playing upstairs while my three year old naps on the couch.  The party must have worn her out.  I listen to her quiet breathing, combined with the muffled sounds of the other two talking and marvel at these moments of quiet that occasionally drop into my life.


The sun is shining and I’m about to head outside for the last of my weeding and bulb planting before the temperatures plummet tomorrow.  This gorgeous day is supposed to hold through tonight, which will mean plenty of happy children come dark.  We’ve got kids scheming to meet up with friends to trick-or-treat and little ones still vacillating between this or that costume.

Before the day is over, I thought I’d share a few pictures of the Halloween decorating I managed to do this year.  It was minimal, but fun.


This year I put a bird cage on a mirrored tray and used that as my starting point.  I was in the mood for simple black and white, so I made a few black and white velvet pumpkins and put my favorite vintage crowns on them.  Yes, I still like crowns on pumpkins.  Most of them sit in a footed silver bowl.


A little vintage bust fit nicely inside the cage as well, along with some beaded leaves and a small collection of black and white seashells for pattern and scale.


I added my favorite velvet crow to the outside of the cage for fun.  I like having him perched up there.


On the back side of the cage I used my gold glittered “Boo” letters and added a wire spider hanging from the top.


While I like to challenge myself and use things differently each year,  I do love to hang my beaded spider web across the picture frames every year.  It looks great there and the children love it.


Lastly, I hung a vintage black scarf across my favorite mirror in the living room.  In a mostly white room, I like the dramatic effect of the black hanging there.  If I’d done this all sooner and had more time, I would have really gone for it with a black and white theme in this room.  Maybe next year.


And there you have it.  I used some of my traditional orange things in the kitchen as well.  Tomorrow it will be time to take it down and prepare for Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays.  For now, I’m going to take my little one (now the only child not asleep) out with me to pull a few more weeds in what may be the last sunshine we have this week.


I hope your Halloween is a lot of fun!

Jennifer

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