Tag Archives: nature

Baby Boo Pumpkins At The Holiday Table

It has been over two weeks since I last posted but I do have good reasons for my absence. I can’t share all of the reasons just yet but I promise to soon. Following my last post I was busy preparing for a local holiday shopping event where I was a vendor. Whew! It was an amazing show and I was extremely happy with my sales. The venue was an art gallery and they do it up right so I always enjoy selling and/or shopping at the annual event. The down side is that it takes several days to recuperate from exhaustion! But it was a happy exhaustion.

Many of you will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at your home and you may or may not have your holiday table planned. Today I want to share a last minute idea for your Thanksgiving table. My love for baby boo pumpkins carries on through Thanksgiving and they will make a special appearance at the family gathering.

Your Thanksgiving guests may be expecting sweet potatoes, but they won’t be expecting them to be served in cute little baby boo bowls.

I mashed these sweet potatoes with a fork and topped them with a dollop of marshmallow Fluff that I toasted under the broiler till golden brown.

I’ll show you the simple steps to preparing your “bowls” but first I have another dish that serves up nicely in them.

Filled with and set on a bed of wild rice.

Finish off the look by topping with the “lid.”

To prepare your baby boo pumpkins, simply score the top with a knife in a circle.

Next, cut through the scored place to remove the top.

Scoop out the seeds and guts, scraping the inside with a small pointed spoon, fork or knife. Rinse, pat dry and fill.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Autumn Nature Walk

One of my favorite things to do with the change of seasons is walk around our property and take pictures. Autumn offers so much beauty. With camera in hand I’m on a mission to capture the essence of the season. When I step out the door, at first glance around I’m never sure there will be anything worthy of a photo. As I look at the big picture, I’m skeptical. But then I start walking around, studying the intricacies of each tiny scene. Once again, nature does not disappoint.

The fiery orange dots are berries that became transparent in the foreground of the photo.

Critters, both real and faux.

Some of the interesting rocks we have unearthed on our property.

A row of cockscomb whose growth was stunted.

And a more impressive cockscomb blossom from another patch that gets more sun.

We have had some that get as large as cauliflower heads. The saturated color amazes me every year. I showed you how I used some of last year’s harvest in an arrangement on my buffet. You can see how well they hold their color. They go from deep magenta to red to peachy orange and finally to pale blush. You can see the different shades on another arrangement I put together using stems from a few years ago.

Thank you for taking my autumn nature walk!

7 Ways to Nurture Your Creativity

Don’t you love it when you have a surge of creativity and you know that all you want to do is create something beautiful? Do you ever have days (or weeks) where you feel you’ve lost your creative edge? I certainly go through dry spells and wonder where on earth my creativity has gone. On those days I have a few tricks that I find helpful in shaking it off and getting the juices going strong again.

Today I’m going to share 7 tips that have helped me and might help you if you give them a try.

1) Sit outside with a cup of coffee or glass of wine, a notebook and no agenda. Drink in the beauty of nature and allow yourself to be inspired. Write down any creative thoughts you have but don’t feel pressured to think of any.

2) Walk through a fabric store and experience the different textures and colors. This always stirs up my imagination whether I’m planning to work with fabric, another material or even if I have no clue what I’ll do next.

3) Watch an episode of Project Runway, Cake Boss or Flea Market Flip with the volume muted. You’ll be amazed at how freely your own thoughts flow when their conversations aren’t influencing your thoughts.

4) Read. The Bible and devotional books are full of artistic imagery. Jesus Calling is the devotional I am currently using and loving. When I spend time in the presence of the One who created me, I never fail to feel a fresh infusion of creativity.

5) Go to a public place and people watch. Observe the way they dress, the way they interact, their hairstyles, their smiles, the way they laugh. Humans are creative beings and their passion can be contagious.

6) Light a candle and listen to classical music. I love Vivaldi. I somehow feel like more is possible as I thrill to the sounds of the maestros.

7) Take a walk with your camera. Use your artistic eye to find and take shots of things you find interesting. Don’t worry about whether you’ll want to keep or use the photos, just snap freely. This unleashes my creativity every time.

What do you do when you’ve lost your mojo? I’d love to hear your tricks! Share what works for you in the comments and you might help someone else out of their slump!

Linking with: Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,The Scoop, Mod Vintage Life, Between Naps on the Porch, From My Front Porch to Yours, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru Life, Ivy and Elephants, Common Ground, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Amaze Me Monday , VMG206, That DIY Party, Funky Junk Interiors ,Savvy Southern Style

Pumpkins, Verdigris and A Little Bird Told Me

Ahhh fall. Such a bittersweet season with its glorious beauty and wonderful traditions only to be followed by the harsh reality of winter. But today I’m all about the visual appeal of my very favorite time of year.

In a recent post I shared a vignette using Baby Boo pumpkins from our garden, displayed in a soft, neutral setting. Today I’m combining them with bright orange pumpkins, a verdigris candelabra and rich red cockscomb to create a display full of vibrant fall color.

There is an open area between my breakfast nook and my desk and dining room. On the wall that is shared by both rooms sits one of two buffets that provide the settings for me to decorate whenever the season or the whim dictates a change.

In the above photo, the breakfast nook is to the left and my desk / dining room is to the right. I’ll show you more of that area in a future post.

This candelabra is a piece I created by marrying a lamp base, a metal cherub from another piece and an old chandelier. I gave the whole thing a verdigris patina using a paste wax.

For balance, on the other side of the buffet I placed a silver candelabra. I didn’t have five of the same color candle so mix and match came to the rescue.

I tucked dried cockscomb from last year’s harvest between the pumpkins for another pop of color.

I was lucky enough to find the green pumpkin for $3 at Walmart and I spent $8 on the delicious smelling candle for a grand total of $11. Using things I already had, things we grew and a couple of faux pumpkins meant I didn’t have to spend a lot to achieve a new look.

I have one more Baby Boo vignette to show you next week. It’s a table centerpiece styled with softer colors. And now for my weekly tip.

It really works!!!

Caterpillars, Baseball and 7 Year Old Boys

The other day I was playing catch in the backyard with my grandson. He threw a wild ball so I went in search of it behind the shed. While I was back there, I spotted this little guy and had to go inside to get my camera.

He was actually quite large for a little guy, about as big around as my index finger.

I wanted my grandson to get in the picture next to the caterpillar.

This is as close as he would get. He loves baseball but caterpillars, not so much.

More Fall Neutrals and a New Series

I put together another baby boo display and kept it neutral with browns, grays, creams and a hint of navy blue.

I already had the fluted metal pan and ironstone grouping in my bathroom with candles in it. I added a bouquet of dried hydrangeas from a friend’s wedding and changed out the candles for pumpkins and acorns.

I still have some baby boos on the vine waiting to be picked so I will be playing with pumpkins throughout the month. As much as I love fall neutrals I envision the next display with pops of fall color!

Back in January I shared 8 Things I Want My Blog To Be in 2015. Number 2 on the list was to give my readers practical ways to make life a little easier. To that end, I have designed a little series I’m calling “A Little Bird Told Me.” The feature will be at the end of various posts and will contain random, helpful information. Some will be a little kooky, some may seem obvious, but all will be tried and true tips that I have learned and put to use in my day to day life. I don’t claim to be an authority on the subjects I will cover. From crafting to cleaning, from hygiene to mental health I’ll share a mix of life hacks that have worked for me. Here’s the first of many…

Yep! Simple but true!

As always, I’m so happy that you took the time to read my blog. I hope that you have a beautifully creative week!

Tarnished Royalty

Design Your Life