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| FALL GARDEN I hope everyone is enjoying fall as much as I am! After four years in the making, I am now able to sit on the front porch and appreciate the colors in my fall garden. |
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| ISPIRING FALL COLORS The backdrop of turning leaves provides a great contrast to the still-blooming, bright red pineapple sage and the giant mums. Now that all my laboring garden chores have been completed over the years, I can now focus on actually decorating for fall and Halloween. I am especially excited about all the variety that is now bred into pumpkins and gourds.  A miniature hay bale, some leaf and berry accents, and a thrift store crate are the perfect setting for this quartet of different sizes and shapes. It really pops against the bright green backdrop of creeping jenny, strawberry vines, and hostas. It is also a welcoming sight at the beginning of a small slate path.  These colorful guys keep me company next to my garden bench. The color helps the lack of sunlight and monotones of this side of the garden.  The vintage child's rocking chair is so charming with its little occupant. This little guy is my favorite.  After decorating outside, I couldn't shake my pumpkin fever! I convinced myself that I should be allowed to buy inexpensive plastic or foam pumpkins at thrifty prices. I found some at an estate sale....a giant box of mini pumpkins and fall floral sprays for only $3. I put the better, decorative ones in my booths at the antique mall, and kept the split and broken ones for myself.  I used gold metallic spray paint and some gold "webbing" spray to cover the cracks.  The Target dollar bins were another great resource for my Great Pumpkin adventure. The metallic pumpkin was really bright and clashed with the other accents so I ombre'd it with a little hammered copper spray paint and some gold webbing spray paint. The gold webbing, gives the surface a fitting, funky texture perfect for Halloween.   I also found some inexpensive foam pumpkins that I sprayed with hammered gold paint and added accents of leaves and moss bought at the dollar store.   Even though I have never really decorated for fall or Halloween, the family usually concocts elaborate scenes for the trick-or-treaters. This year's theme is a haunted dinner. So I continued my new pumpkin addiction in the horrific scene that is my tablescape.   I glued candlesticks from Goodwill to the bottom of the pumpkins to add depth to the tablescape and accented the pumkins with plastic snakes, glittered spiders, and black feathers. (I just knew that JoAnn Fabrics would have black feathers!) I bought the multiple stem feathers and pulled them apart. It was less expensive than buying the individual pieces.  Who knew pumpkins could be so fun? (everyone on Pinterest) I feel like I was really missing out, but surely I have made up for it! Oh well, there is always next year!    |
