Five Autumns

This fall marks five autumns since we moved from the city to, well, the country really.
Five autumns away from our lives of late night dinners with friends, last minute road trips, and those weekend mornings involving multiple, uninterrupted cups of coffee.
Having a baby really does change your world.....having three babies in five years, flips it all upside down.
Five autumns of first steps, runny nose maintenance, constructing perfectly jumpable leaf piles, and picking pumpkins. Five autumns of waking due to scary Halloween dreams, writing names for the first time, and learning to wave bye-bye.

I was thinking, when I watched my youngest blow her sweet and sloppy 8-month-old's kisses.....five autumns of babies or toddlers and every little incredible thing they do and are- that is something that won't come around again.
So, I should pause and celebrate a little....to five autumns of wonder and more happiness with the changing of every leaf.

Image courtesy of Live, Captured

art display

I am fortunate enough to have an artist in the family. My brother is a fantastic painter and we have a few prints (and a couple of amazing originals) we wanted to hang.

The originals, painted with acrylic on wood, are contained in frames and already look pretty amazing on the wall, but the prints were problematic in that they were not "uniform" size for mats or frames, thus required custom fitting....yikes!

The cost of custom framing is very high and though we do have prints framed in our home, I was pretty sure the price of framing the one I wanted to put up right away was not in the summertime budget....so I had to get creative.

I had seen artist sketch boards on display in the art supply store in town and in Michael's. They are usually shown with a piece, either finished or in progress, clipped on and I have always appreciated the look. It feels authentic and different to have art displayed on the working surface. I decided maybe that was the way to go for the painting above of the Powder Point Bridge.

So it is up in my house that way and I really like it. There was something about the subject matter and my brother's style of painting that fit with the sketch board display. I think this could be a great alternative to formal framing for certain pieces of art.

sarah + abraham

sarah + abraham is one of those shops filled with practical, yet sweet and fun gift ideas. The olliegraphic personalized dishware and placemats are fantastic gifts for kids- something unique and clever because you can specify hair color, eye color, etc. to resemble the recipient.


Another gift option on the site are their silhouette design cards. These are perfect for family note cards or thank yous for a new baby/ child's birthday. They are more sophisticated than the kid friendly olliegraphic line, but you can also customize the design from a wide selection of playful silhouettes.

You can't go wrong with personalized gifts and sarah + abraham has such a great selection.

All images courtesy of sarah + abraham

momfilter

Image from "Remembering" series via momfilter

Did you ever read Cookie magazine? I had just started a subscription when they called it quits. It was such a disappointment because I really liked the blend of parenting issues, style features, recipes, and general life/work pointers the magazine offered. It was not too parent-y and not too fashion-y....it was just right.

Well, the founding editors of Cookie are still delivering that just right blend of information, but now they can be found (along with some fantastic contributors) on the blog momfilter . In a cyberspace crowded with blogs, this one was a welcome discovery!

a lovely thought

via savoring the details

A very country Christmas

via pure country music

My mother, a seemingly very classic Northeasterner and city-dweller in both taste and style, has a major soft spot for country Christmas songs. I don't know how it fits into her love of Babs, opera, or weird European experimental music from the 60s, but there you have it.

Of course, whether genetically handed down or because my spirit was broken by its constant presence during my formative years, I too cannot get enough of Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers right now. As a kid growing up in New York, I loved all things related to the frontier life. I reread Laura Ingalls Wilder without pause, planned my Sunday afternoons around the two hour block of "Little House on the Prairie" and "Grizzly Adams," and, every December, made sure I did not miss "Christmas Comes to Willow Creek" (it stars Bo and Luke Duke, for pete's sake!) or Dolly Parton's "A Smokey Mountain Christmas."

And though I've always loved a country Christmas, now that I've married a Southern man - I've gone full tilt country. I'm openly listening to Dolly's "Hard Candy Christmas" on repeat (seriously, it's awesome and not only because it was sung in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas") and tracking Kenny's Christmas Tour even though, that Southerner of a husband of mine may now be at his country Christmas breaking point...

almost halloween

Pumpkin Man Portrait 2 courtesy of CuriousPortraits via etsy

After a couple of weeks of my entire household being exhausted by a certain 4-year-old's nightmares, I am kind of ready for this Halloween to be over......of course I'll probably be singing a different tune when my little trick-or treaters share their delicious loot.

A happy and safe Halloween to all!

family and fabric

"Passage Quilt"

In the midst of the excitement/stress/self-inflicted anxiety of planning our fall wedding (yes, we're thinking THIS fall) - I am missing my grandmother a whole lot right now. Well into her 80s when she passed away a few years ago  - up until the very end she still lived independently in her neat as a pin apartment and had more energy than any of us. Though the anchor and center of my family - my mother's mother was also its engine in how she loved us into our choices and helped us make the hard decisions. She was also darn fun to be around.

A year or so after my grandmother passed away, I learned that my friend Evelyn's mother was a talented maker of quilts and so, thinking it'd make a great Christmas present for my mother, I asked Evelyn if her mother could take my grandmother's collection of housecoats (which we could never part with) and make a quilt out of them. She could and she did, and it was beautiful. Evelyn's mother also made two pillows, as gifts, out of the same materials for myself and my sister. To see all those familiar little patterns of flowers and dots sewn together with such care and craftsmanship was overwhelming for me. My mother loved her quilt too.

And so in thinking of that beautiful quilt and my grandmother and how happy she would be about this wedding - I've asked Evelyn's mother to make just one more pillow. She is going to make the pillow that my sweet four year old nephew will carry up the aisle in his role as ring bearer. It will have my and my husband to be's initials stitched into it, but it will be so much more than ours. With that fabric belonging to my grandmother, in my godson's hands, surrounded by our family - it will so much more than our little ring pillow. I get weepy just thinking about that image. But, to tell you the truth, this is actually the kind of thing that made me want to have a wedding... despite all of these silly tears that come with it. :)

"Passage Quilt"

P.S. These images are all by Sherri Lynn Wood who also thought to make quilts "from the clothing of the  deceased and the intimate materials of every day life." You need to see more of them so be sure to go to her "Passage Quilts" flickr page.

the smell of oranges and cloves

by stephanie levy

Yes, indeed, a craft that I am actually capable of making...

Oranges studded with cloves is one of the simplest and sweetest smelling things and it's perfect for the holiday season. The scent is one of my all time favorites and who could resist hanging one on the tree or tossing a few in a bowl as a centerpiece? Plus, I love how they look like strange medieval weapons or ancient magical globes...

by szewczykana's

This year, because of work, I've gotten seriously behind in decorating and doing little things like this, but, friends, watch out because I have the feeling that I will be going craft crazy in 2010. And there is no question that I am going to start with these - they are the perfect touch to any hostess, house-warming, or Christmas present -- don't you think?

by ♥anna

And if you are as craft challenged as I am, here are instructions (with illustrations!) on how to make your own. It's easy enough to do with the kids, but also something you can put your own style into it with different clove patterns or using other citrus fruits like lemons. And you can also tap into your inner Martha by incorporating ribbons or displaying your creations as wreaths or as garland.

Though, to be honest, I love the simple beauty of these clove studded oranges lounging in a bowl or just the one hanging on the tree like an ancient ornament that is still oh-so fragrant...

by ~Blaknesz

Shirley and her girl

via allposters

I bookmarked this picture of Shirley MacClaine with her daughter on A Cup of Jo because I just thought it was so incredibly fun and goofy and just the kind of relationship I'd want to one day have with my children. Turns out that there are plenty of other pictures of Shirl and her girl, Sachi, hamming in it up in front of the camera which I adore just as much. Speaking as someone who has none, I know that having kids is hard and stressful and not always easy, but it also looks like some of the most fun you can ever have too. Maybe I'm being a little too romantic about one day being a mother, but these two make motherhood look so darn joyful.

via art.com

via art.com

via cup of jo

via imbd

via allposters

via usatoday

Thursday, a living room tent, and Etsy

"Shady Lake" is a mixed media painting on a map by rachelaustin

It's getting too cold for outdoor camping, but the weather is perfect for setting up a tent in the living room. So gather your blankets and sheets and use this and this to inspire your construction, but leave it to Etsy for all the indoor camping extras the whole family is going to need...

Yes, even indoor campers need fire and food (but know that not all of it needs to be real):

"basic campfire package" by mysticwill

"portable smores" by katystinykitchen

"The Campout" handpainted glass plates by nunostudio

And don't forget that every camper needs his or her own personal light to keep the night time creatures and shadows away...

"foreveReady flash" (a child's all wood flashlight) by ForeverandAfters

"The Mason Firefly" (a mason jar light) by themasonry

...unless, of course, the campers are the ones making the scary shadows and cuddling with the night time creatures....

orangemoontoys has an array of shadow puppets and even kits to make your own.

"Little grey-eyed owl" by squishyfish

"Brown Owl with Rainbow Feet" also by squishyfish (her owls have such great faces and feet!)

And let's not forget the importance of classic camping games...

"1951 Go Fish Card Game" via tippleandsnack2

vintage and wee pocket game for chess or checkers via violin1

"Animal Track ID Memory Game Set" by thewhimsytree

And with the dying embers of the fire, there is always so much to record and so much to write "home" about...

"camping cards" by laurabrownart

"Teeny Tiny Camping Trip Stamps Set" by Tresijas

"Bird Watcher Letterpress Journal" by OldSchoolStationers

And once the little ones are sound asleep and dreaming under a night sky of their own making - the following items are just the things grown-up indoor campers need...

"Toasted Smores Soy Candle" by Buzzabee

"Vintage Thermos" via JennyHopscotch (filled with hot chocolate... or a hot toddy)

3 vintage ghost stories (2 for the kids, but Poe for the adults) via coriandervintage

"Bright Plaid Wool Blanket" by AllieRuth

"Log, Soft Sculpture" by sallyenglanddesign

With indoor plumbing and only imaginary mosquitoes - this is, without a doubt, my kind of roughing it...

Thursday, a Thanksgiving feast, and Etsy

Pumpkin Berry Boxwood Wreath via twoinspireyou

I am a little ashamed to admit I have not hosted my own Thanksgiving dinner yet. My mum puts on an amazing spread, an amazing day really, and I remain ever grateful she is so incredible and ever fretful I will never be able to pull off such an affair.

Someday, when I do host my mother and the rest of my family, I hope for something like this...(well, for this and no kitchen fires or kiddie meltdowns or turkey disasters, etc...)

A beautiful invitation (to build guests' confidence in me from the start!)

Autumn Harvest Dinner Invitation courtesy of merrymint

A festive and elegant table.....

mercury glass centerpiece courtesy of floresdelsol
soft gray scrolls floursack courtesy of margotbianca
Yellow gold tailored dinner napkins by evelynwhiteNapkin Rings Meadowbrook pattern courtesy of jjevensen

Vintage Amber Glass Goblet courtesy of modvintagetravels

I love the idea of these place card leaves that sit askew on the glasses at each seat.

Autumn Leaves Mix Place Cards courtesy of TimelessPaper

The tools you work with to prepare and serve can be just as lovely as the centerpiece.

Nourish Me Acacia wood Serving spon and Fork courtesy of sweettidings

Oval Beaded Platter courtesy of ShapingLivesPottery7

Creamy Orange and Rust Casserole Dish courtesy of gypsypottery

These delicately engraved votive holders would be perfect for some twinkling ambiance.

4 Hand Engraved Glass Votive Holders courtesy of daydreemdesigns

Now this apron would make me feel like a truly prepared (and fashionable) host.

Classic Flair for Cooking Retro Apron courtesy of GreatGoods

Finally, something on hand for even the tiniest of guests....

Modern Fruit Trees Bib courtesy of cocoaandmilkweed

Maybe next year I will give it a try, but this Thanksgiving I'm just another happy and very appreciative guest.