it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Friday, October 16, 2009

harvestscape out and in


don't you just love all the things you are/can harvest at this time of the year.
gourds...squash...pumpkins.....apples....

of course pumpkins are available by the hundreds everywhere you turn....
i love these little seasonal embellishes...i love pumpkins.

here's a beauty at our farmer's market.
we of course brought home loads of them for our own pleasure.
our driveway is a huge focal point since we have so many coming and going.
so we put some dandy orange pumpkins in our ole' garden cart and
added some deep crimson mums. then set them next to the apple picking ladder
adorned with corn and sunflower stalks from our own garden.
the leaves were added by mother nature.

last weekend....abbey and i attempted to make our own scarecrow.

we didn't know what we were doing but it was a fun art project.
it was more difficult than i thought it would be.
we had no plaid shirt(?) how could we really have no plaid shirts
around here when i know good and well i have brought so
many in my lifetime. well we didn't let that stop us...oh no.


we got one of daddio's old dress shirts a couple of sizes ago
and found some spray paint and painted ourselves a plaid shirt.
a worn out pair of jeans from same said man.....both stuffed with straw
made a good base.
now for the head...burlap sacks used several years ago for a party
with sack races. time to get out the sewing machine and voila a head.
we cut out the face from the leftover burlap and abbey coloured
them with permanent marker and i sewed them on.
abbey's former school was the mustangs so we had lots of cowboy stuff
from school functions.....thus the straw hat and bandanna.

we had to put a long stick in the inside so he would sit up
straight. which, of course, i discovered when we were nearly finished.

he's not perfect...so he fits in nicely around here.
abbey and i were so glad that we accomplished this little feat.
we put him with some other scarecrows from past years that
were not eaten by the dogs and even gave him a little puppy of his own.
abbey insisted he also needed someone on his lap.
someone really loves her daddio.
all of these are wired to the bench and dogs were duly warned...
no touching...no chewing...no biting.
so far so good.

a few more outside touches...

harvest flag hung.
our harvest blessings plaque hung over the back door with some
autumnal leaves that won't stay put.

every year we mixed it up a little(mostly cause i can't remember
what i did the year before.)
now what to do with the rest of the pumpkins brought home.
i have always liked stacked pumpkins.
what bout you?

i put a little beeswax on them and they look quite pretty/shiny.
add in a few coloured door knobs not yet affixed to kitchen cabinets.

since i love purple...it is only natural i put it into my decor.
tall purple candle sticks with orange candles.
purple vases are filled with gourds/squashes/limes/lemons.
some fresh basil instead for their scent instead of flowers...plus
a wire cornucopia with acorn squash tumbling out.

i used to collect longaberger baskets...so i have lots of them.
so with a tied ribbon wrapped nicely around some indian corn
they are tossed in a basket and put on display.
remember my beeswax candles from a local apiary at the
farmer's market? i placed them on an old copper tray. it holds all
three nicely...especially when combined with a sugared pumpkin.

there is never a short supply on candles around
here...i love them. orange ones....white ones.....green
ones....ones that look like birch branches are even better.

i do love multi~coloured pumpkins and white ones...

how do they make those white ones....anyway?

this year abbey was my helper....and she suggested we put
some pumpkins up on top of the pie safe in the eat~in~kitchen area...
she is such a smart girl with a really good eye for that kind of thing.

roses with pine cones in a cut~horn vase...
walnut pods & acorns in a glass pedestal vase.
as a gardener i love birds and birdcages....
i have had many real birds. right now we don't have any.
so i love these little silver birds that abbey placed in this cage
on a buffet in our dining room next to some pumpkin candles.

copper coloured tea light holders in my sunroom to keep me company.
i love silver mercury vases...candle sticks...placed on the dining table
next to a hand carved wooden vase from canada with nadina berries.
more pumpkins...apples...decorative gourds from our
local farmer's basket we get each week.
lastly, i would like to include a photo from a
recent blog i just found and love:

if you love beautiful interiors go over and check her blog out.
this photo has inspired me to add some different colours into my decor.
wouldn't you just love to have these cabbages and
nasturtiums flourishing in your garden.
the photo originally came from country living.

thanks shannon for letting me use your photo from your blog.
happy autumn and happy country farm living
or any kind of good living you are doing.
have a great weekend.

20 comments:

Susie said...

Hey Marmee your decorations look so cute. All the pumpkins inside and out are so festive. But I really like your scarecrow. I think you and Abby did a great job!

Hope you guys have a great weekend. Maybe we'll see some sun!

Roses and Lilacs said...

I like the shape of those pumpkins. The ones I see here tend to be taller and not so wide. They are great for fall decorating.
Marnie

joey said...

How inviting and festive, Marmee ... you gals have been busy and oh so productive creating your 'harvestscape out and in' ... love it!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Marmee, Your scarecrow is FABULOUS.... I love it!!!! And --all of the Fall decorations are great. Isn't it just a fabulous time of the year????? LOVE it.

Hugs,
Betsy--on my laptop, on the road to Florida

ShySongbird said...

OK Marmee!! You have to tell me... do you ever sleep? How DO you manage to do so much, you seem to pack more into one day than I do in two weeks! It really amazes me! You manage so many regular beautiful posts, your home and land always looks wonderful, you home school Abbey, you have a large family and animals to look after, you find time to make scarecrows!....it amazes me, it really does!

I love the scarecrow what a great idea and all your photos are as colourful and lovely as always ;)

Cheryl said...

Hi Marmee.....Reading that post makes me feel all 'homely and warm'....makes me feel like rushing up and baking a cake.....

I love love love the scarecrow.....such a lovely thing to do with Abbey.....what fun.

We have lots of pumpkins at our local farm....I bought some today, they always remind me of you.......
Have a lovely autumnal weekend......

Lola said...

Marmee, those are fantastic Fall decorations. I love them all. The old garden cart is to die for.
You can't find good things around here like that.
Everyone around here wants the ultra-modern.

Lisa said...

Marmee, your decorations are beautiful. I love the green and off white pumpkins. We decorate with them every year.

Have a blessed fall!

Lisa Q

marmee said...

good evening susie,

thank you...i do love to get into the holidays. abbey and i were quite happy with finished product.
i hope we see some sun soon...i need it.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

marnie,

i really like the cinderella shape of the pumpkins...it makes it easier to stack.
happy autumn.
hope you aren't getting to cold already.

marmee said...

joey,

so glad you liked our new decorations. we had fun putting them out together.
happy autumnal holidays.

marmee said...

betsy,

yes we love this time of year around here...although we would like a bit more sun. thanks for the vote of confidence on the scarecrow...we get greeted everytime we drive into the driveway.
you are fantastic on your laptop...so cute. have a good time in florida...it will probably be warmer than here.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

ssb,

you are so sweet...i always feel behind the eight ball(an old expression my dad used to say) meaning always feeling a little bit behind. but thank you.
i do sleep...i find it theraputic...a great stress reliever. one thing i don't do is watch tv...that is a time stealer. if i watch anything i record it so i can fast forward the commerials...the worst time waster. masterpiece theater is a must at some point during sunday evening.
we did so enjoy the making of the scarecrow even though it became an all day project. abbey wanted to make one to represent each one of us and i had to pass on that one. maybe one a year!
happy autumn.

marmee said...

cheryl,

we actually baked bread last night and ate it right out of the oven. it was perfect for a chilly evening with lots of butter.
those are reasons why i love the cool nights of autumn.
oh that is so neat that pumpkins made you think of me...
hope you have a wonderful weekend too.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

lola,

thank you very much...that garden cart was a gift from my youngest son from the farmer's market. i am always using it...i don't know what i did before i had it.
autumn is such a great time of year and everyone usually gets in the spirit of things.
we have so many wonderful antique shops and sellers around here.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

lisa,

thank you so much...don't you just love putting out all the pumpkins and other festive things. i love it.
happy autumn.

Meems said...

Marmee,
You have the touch dear Sister to make anything look better than when it started. Your knack for design is a gift! I just love all the images of pumpkins, vases, tablescapes, mirrors, baskets, and even that adorable scarecrow you and Abbey worked on together. Very fun autumn post! Stay warm tonight... LOVE, LOVE your new profile pic BTW... so elegant.

Have a happy Sunday.
Meems

marmee said...

meems,

something about having lots of pumpkins around makes me feel good and festive. i guess i like celebrating.
yesterday i went to a different garden center moore and moore
http://www.mooreandmoore.com/
in another direction from the house(one i don't travel often.) it is great...but expensive. we will have to visit it next time you come.
they have beautiful stuff for christmas too. i got a moss covered ribbon yesterday.
abbey and i had fun making our own scarecrow...it was quite a bit of work though.
we are warming up a bit today and the SUN is shining...best part.
that's a self portrait...i like the way it was a little fuzzy. thanks.
hope you are thoroughly enjoying your cooler weather.
happy autumn.

Esther said...

Hi Mom,

I am so glad you and Abbey did a scarecrow together because guess what? Grace and I did too! I will have to send you some pictures. We did it a couple of weeks ago and it was so fun! She named ours Hay Girl because of course, she had to be a girl! I love all of your harvesty decor....I will see them all in a week and one day! I can't wait and I am really looking forward to everything! I love you.

Esther

teresa said...

Great scarecrow. I don't think there is a wrong way to make them. YOur's is especially cute. Love the dog on his lap.