A New Dress Form

I have wanted a dress form for the longest time and last weekend I finally purchased one from my favorite antique mall in town.  They were having a weekend sale and this is what I came home with.

The  pendant and pin were purchases from that same antique mall last year.  They look so pretty on my new dress form.  The lace collar I have had since the 80's.  I have always loved lace.

Here I put a lace cardigan on her that I already had.

Here you can see the whole dress form.  I can't believe I finally have one.

 

 Here I draped one of my favorite tablecloths over the dress form.

It sure was fun dressing her up.  This last photo is just me playing around with Photocape.

I am linking this post to
The Polkadot Closet Dress-form-linky-party
Faded Charm Cottage White Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays
Michele Raven Designs Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
No Minimalist Here open-house-party
Common Ground Vintage-Inspiration-Friday
French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday
Romantic Home Show-and-tell-Friday 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

An Old Screen Door On The Front Porch

We brought this old screen door home from my hubbies uncle's farm a few years ago.  It was the door he had on the chicken coop.  I just fell in love with it when I saw it.

We hosed it off, feathers and all, and set it on the front porch to dry and there it has stayed.

It just seems perfect there and I think it fills up the space nicely.

The tray I bought at a garage sale this month for only seven dollars.  It looks so cute dressed up for Fall.

Since I didn't have a plant to put in the hanger I just put in some pumpkins I already had.

And of course I can't leave out this cute little witch.

 I just love her big feet.

Here is the view of the porch from the front.

I am wanting to change the color of the front door.  Any suggestions on what color I should paint it?

As always, thanks for stopping by for a visit.  I love having you over!

I am linking this post to
Common Ground Vintage-Inspiration-Friday
The Charm of Home Home-Sweet-Home
Stuff-and-Nonsense Fridays Unfolded
Romantic Home Show-and-tell-Friday
French Country Cottage Feathered-Nest-Friday
Savvy Seasons Fall Party 

Ironstone, Silver, and Burlap

I can not believe the luck I have had at garage sales lately.  We have had more than usual this fall and I think it is because this summer was just to hot for them.  I had to show you some of my thrifty finds.

Everything you see on the table I purchased at a garage sale including the piece of burlap.  I got the burlap piece for only fifty cents.

The largest pitcher was seventy-five cents and the other one was only fifty.

 The round silver platter in the picture below was only one dollar and it is Oneida.

 This sugar and creamer set was only seventy-five cents and it is Federalist Ironstone.

 This small soup tureen was four dollars.  Isn't is cute!?!

 You can never have to many platters.  I love the look of them stacked up. The largest platter was two dollars and all the others, including the bowl, were only fifty cents each.

 Here is a picture of all of my loot. 

If you haven't been to any garage sales lately maybe you should stop by the next one you see.  You never know what you will find.

 Thanks for stopping by and happy garage selling everyone.

I am linking this post to
Coastal Charm Nifty-Thrifty-Tuesday
Faded Charm Cottage White Wednesday
LaurieAnna's Farmhouse Friday 

A Fun Halloween Meal

Since my girls are to old for Trick-or-Treating I decided to do a fun dinner with a Halloween theme.  Here are some pictures from our dinner.

 I know it's not the healthiest meal ever but Halloween is about the treats, right?

 The menu was simple.  I made wraps using sun dried tomato tortillas, lunch meat, lettuce, cheese, and some ranch dressing.  For a veggie we had carrot sticks and for dessert we had Jack o' lantern sugar cookies, orange popcorn, and caramel apples.  In keeping with the orange theme we had orange soda to drink.

 It was lots of fun to do and the girls loved it.  Here is the recipe for the popcorn...

Fruity Popcorn

10 cups popped popcorn
Non stick cooking spray
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 - 3 oz. pkg. orange or lime flavored gelatin
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon light colored corn syrup

Discard unpopped kernels.  Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray.  Place the popcorn in the pan.  keep warm in 300 degree oven while making coating.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 2 quart saucepan.  In the pan combine butter, sugar, gelatin, water, and corn syrup.  Cook mixture over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly.  Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.  Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the thermometer registers 255 degrees (about 10 minutes).

Remove saucepan from the heat.  Pour mixture over popcorn.  Stir gently to coat.  Bake in 300 degree oven for 5 minutes.  Stir mixture.  Bake 5 minutes more.  Turn mixture onto a large piece of foil to cool.  When cool, break into pieces.  Store tightly covered in a cool, dry place up to 3 days.  Makes about 13 cups.

I am linking this post to StoneGable On-The-Menu-Monday
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Homemaker On A Dime Creative-bloggers-party-hop
Between Naps on the Porch

An Orange Bundt Pan

I went to some garage sales last weekend and found this orange bundt pan for 25 cents.  I couldn't believe it.  It reminded me of a post I had seen a few weeks ago by Debra at Common Ground.  She had created a centerpiece using an orange bundt pan she has. Click here to see her post.

Here is a picture of my bundt pan centerpiece.

It looks so pretty sitting on my kitchen island. 

Pretty gorgeous for just a quarter and some things I already had around the house.

 

 Of course before I put together this beautiful centerpiece I had to use the pan for its intended purpose.

I baked a cake!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip ~ here is the recipe.

3 cups sugar

3 1/3 cups flour

2 cups canned pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2/3 cup water

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin, eggs, sugar, oil, and water together until well blended.  Sift dry ingredients and mix with pumpkin mixture.  Add pecans and chocolate chips.  Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans or one bundt pan at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

GLAZE

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1 to 2 Tablespoons cream

Enjoy!

Thanks as always for stopping by!

I am linking this post to Savvy Southern Style Wow-Us-Wednesdays

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Laurie Annas Farmhouse Friday

Funky Junk Interiors SNS-104-funky-fall

I Heart Naptime Sundae-Scoop 

One Bowl ~ Five Ways

I think this bowl has to be one of the most versatile pieces I have.  I am going to show you five different looks with this one bowl but the possibilities are endless.  This bowl would look great decorated for any season and would look great as a table center piece, on the mantel, a buffet, dresser, anywhere.

Here I have it filled with some old books and a few old postcards.

Here I have the bowl filled with pine cones which looks great for Fall or Christmas.  For Christmas it would look cute with some ornaments tucked amongst the pine cones.

Here I have it decked out for Fall with some autumn leaves and glitter pumpkins.  How cute would this look filled with small white pumpkins setting in the middle of a Thanksgiving table?

 Here I have it filled with spools of white thread.

 You can never go wrong with wine corks.  Wine corks look great in just about anything.

Oh, it would also be cute with a birds nest and some eggs peeking out of it.  I told you the possibilities are endless.

I am linking this post to Coastal Charm Nifty-Thrifty-Tuesday
Knick of Time Interiors knick-of-time-Tuesday 
Faded Charm Cottage White Wednesday 

Halloween Inspiration From Nell Hills

One wonderful thing about living in Kansas is that I live in the same state as Mary Carol who has Nell Hill stores in Atchinson, Kansas and Kansas City.  It may still be a 3 hour drive to get to her store but it is so worth the drive.  A couple months ago my friend and I drove to Atchinson to do some shopping.  Here are a few pictures from her Garrity's store.

 Are these book covers not adorable?

 O.K. this is SPOOKY!

A jar full of jaw breaker eyeballs and skeleton hand napkin rings.

 Does this vase look familiar?

Yep, that is the same vase on my buffet.  I love this mercy glass vase.  It was one of my many purchases on this trip.

I know this photo is not Halloween but it is Fall and it is one of my favorites.  I love the large arrangement on the buffet and the wooden rake she added to the arrangement.  The swirls on the wall are pretty terrific also.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit and thank you Mary Carol as always for the inspiration.

The Haunted Bookshop

I found this book last week at a consignment shop.  Is it not perfect for Halloween?  Not only are the colors perfect but the title is also.  The original copyright date for this book was 1919.  The book I bought was printed in 1951.  I looked this title and author up on Amazon and you can still purchase this story today.  It must be a pretty good book to still be in print.  I can not wait to read it.

When your talking stories that are perfect for Halloween you can not leave out Edgar Allen Poe.  I ordered this book last year just because of its cover.  I put it on my mantel last year to decorate for the season.

Here is a picture of my mantel from last year.

I wanted to show you the inside of the book because the illustrations are spooky just like the stories.

The next book I bought at an antique mall a few years ago because I wanted some orange books to decorate with for Fall.  I added this book because of the black and orange.

This year I am just going to leave these books setting out on my coffee table.  I think I am well on my way to starting my own Haunted Bookshop.


I am linking this post to 2805- Potpourri Party
Common Ground Vintage-Inspiration-Friday
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The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home
Romantic Home Show-and-tell-Friday

Halloween In Black and White

I know if you have visited my blog before you have seen a few pictures of my buffet.  It is really like another mantel in my living room that I change with the seasons.  Last year about this time was when I finished redoing my living room and I was so happy with the white pallet that the last thing I wanted to do was put orange in it.  So, I decorated the buffet black and white for Halloween.  I liked it more than I thought I would and this year have done the same thing. 

When it comes to decorating I have heard that "it is all in the details"  and I thing that proved true when I added these little mice to the top of my white pumpkin.  It gives it some whimsy.

These little glitter spiders are small details that add a lot.  You will see them scattered through out my Halloween decor.
The bottles in the picture below I found at the antique mall and glued some labels on that I printed off of the computer last year. 

This is a little felt wall hanging I picked up at the antique mall.  I just love it and it is the first black and white Halloween piece I purchased last year.

I hope all of you are enjoying this time of year.  I just love the changing of the leaves and the cooler temperatures.  Not to mention the anticipation of the coming Holiday Season.



I am linking this post to Coastal Charm Nifty-Thrifty-Tuesday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Fall-party
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Very Merry Vintage Style
Faded Charm Cottage White Wednesday
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No Minimalist Here Open-house-party
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House of Hepworths