Showing posts with label fabric pumpkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fabric pumpkins. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Preparing for winter... let there be light

So about the family room tweaking... There are now 3 floor lamps in the room. The shorter days of winter are rapidly approaching and I will definitely miss the l-o-n-g, sun-filled days of summer.


Therefore, I want to make sure the room is nice and bright, especially when it will be DARK at only 5 p.m. (how depressing). So the first is the floor lamp behind the sofa. It has always been there but it now sports the prismed lampshade that Patience once wore. The second floor lamp sits over by the window and bookcases. It's the one I got for FREE on the curb a couple of years ago. Love it!

The newest lamp in the family room came up from Courtney's bedroom. She didn't want it anymore so I gladly took it. It's a combination marble table & floor lamp. And although the pink, green, & white striped shade looked great down in Court's room...

... I decided to use just a plain white shade up in the family room. (It's so nice having a table next to the wing chair!) Anyhow, I replaced the striped shade with the white shade from the lamp behind the sofa...


...which then left me short a lampshade which is what led me to steal Patience's prismed shade.

And because I put one of the floor lamps over by the window, which is where the white bird cage & stand was located, I had to move the cage to the other wall by the slider. (Why does one simple change always result in multiple changes???)

And after moving the birdcage with the heavy cast iron cat sitting inside of it, I decided it was just too top heavy and unstable with all that weight in the cage...

...so I replaced the cat with a nice lightweight fabric pumpkin...


...and Mr. Cast Iron Kitty got moved to the top of the television (next to yet another birdcage!)...

Phew! Done!!! So that's the "getting ready for the shorter days of winter" tweaking that's been going on in the family room. I hope those 3 floor lamps are a sufficient substitute for the daylight I will be longing for! (Oh, and please excuse Courtney's pile of clothes and shoes next to the wing chair... Lots of sorting and minimizing going on) ........... Donna (who is very frustrated because it's impossible to edit this listing - it won't allow me to edit the spacing, make paragraphs, or even do simple line returns ... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Cottage Halloween Decor, minimalist style

We awoke to a beautiful day here in New England and, although not entirely sunny, the rain was at least a thing of the past.


I want to thank all of you for your heartfelt comments on my last post about stress. It seems that so many of you are, or have been, in similar situations with aging parents, etc. Carol, you were the only one I was not able to personally respond to. Thank you so much for your sweet comment on this topic as well...


Today I decided to put out a few decorations, and I do mean a few. Unlike other years, where I've had tons of pumpkins, fall leaves, and a wicked Witchy Woman, this year I'm going the minimalist route.


One lone pumpkin sits in a birdcage in the familyroom...


... but oh, what a pumpkin! Robin's egg blue with pink roses... be still my heart.


And at the risk of sounding like a well known political candidate in her new commercial, no, I am not a witch...


...but I do have a soft spot in my heart for black cats! This little cast iron sweetie has taken up residence in a bird cage...


...while this little beauty has nestled up against one of my all time favorite chenille pillows.


So that's it for this year's decorations. Don't blink or you'll miss them!
Now the outside is another story! Lots of little ghosts and goblins will be descending on our home this Halloween, and I love to decorate the yard for them. My girls always enjoyed trick-or-treating so much, and it's still such a fun part of the holiday for us, giving out the treats to all the kids who visit! So I'll share the yard in an upcoming post...
And thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for all your kind comments, thoughts, and prayers...
Now be sure to pop over to Cindy's Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home! There are loads of links to beautiful blogs! Grab a cup of tea or coffee, sit back and enjoy!
Donna

Thursday, October 8, 2009

A new home for the Halloween rat...

Every October Ratty scampers up from the depths of the basement to spend the Halloween season with us... This year he chose to share Pete and Re-Pete's cage while living upstairs.


Now Ratty was absolutely giddy with excitement when he heard I was announcing the "cottage pumpkins" winner on my blog today...


He begged me to let him announce the winner and he promised to have a huge smile across his face while doing so...


Ratty is true to his word ... Just look at that big, toothy rat grin! And just in case you can't read the sign Ratty is holding, it says, "Congratulations to Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage."


So congratulations, Claudia! Just head over to Ronda's Tempting Textiles shop...


...and pick out which set of pumpkins you'd like to receive!
Happy October, everyone! (It is COLD here in New England tonight !!!)
Donna

Sunday, October 4, 2009

It's not your mother's pumpkin patch!

Since a few of you have commented on the fabric pumpkin in my fall banner...


... I thought I'd repeat a post I did last year about these yummy shabby/cottage pumpkins made by the incredibly talented Ronda of Tempting Textiles (formerly Cherry Blossom Cottage).


I've gotten a variety of pumpkins from her over the years (as well as slipcovers for my office chairs!)...


... and I absolutely love decorating with them in the fall!


They look great alone, as the main attraction...


...or piled high, making a colorful cottage pumpkin patch!

I think Ronda picked the perfect name for her new shop - Tempting Textiles... These guys are definitely tempting!!!!

Here's a sampling of some of the fabric pumpkins Ronda has in her shop right now:


Oooh la la!!! Just look at these white pumpkins with marabou fur trim and button accents!

Or how about these soft cottage-green floral pumpkins...


All my favorite colors... blue, pink, green, and white!

This fabric is wild and colorful and I absolutely LOVE it!!! Be sure to check out all Ronda's other fabric pumpkins at Tempting Textiles... Click on SHOP, then HOLIDAY BLING, and then PUMPKINS. And while you're there, check out all of her other creations, too... slipcovers, Christmas decor, and vintage items!
Now I know I just finished a giveaway, but to celebrate Ronda's new shop I'm going to pick a name on October 7th and one of you will be able to choose a set of Ronda's pumpkins for your very own! Anyone who entered my previous Autumn Giveaway contest will automatically be entered, as well as those who commented on the pumpkin in my banner... And, of course, if you comment on this post your name will go into the hat... So good luck to everyone!
Check back Wednesday and I'll announce the winner!!
Happy October!
Donna

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Autumn Nesting...

Pink Saturday style...

This little feathered friend has decided to do some autumn nesting at our cottage...


And who can blame her? She looks so cozy nesting in this vintage 50's birdcage...


And just look at all the pretty pink roses on this beautiful pumpkin from Cherry Blossom Cottage!

Happy Pink Saturday, everyone!! Now be sure to visit all the other pink-loving blogs participating at How Sweet The Sound ... Thanks, Beverly!!!

Donna

Monday, September 29, 2008

The Great (Cottage) Pumpkin Patch

I have finally mastered Halloween minimalism (I used to decorate to the hilt when my girls were young)... I still decorate traditionally outside, but since I've succeeded in going bare bones (no pun intended) inside, I wanted the few things I do put out to match my new color palette. My old black, orange and gold decorations looked great when I had prim decor, but with the cottage style... not so much... So look at what I got last year! (click any of the photos for a closeup look at the beautiful fabrics... and there's a link at the bottom of my post telling where you can purchase these!!)

Have you ever seen such a yummy, shabby/cottage pumpkin patch in your life? It was so much fun getting these out again this year... I LOVE them!


Just look at these luscious colors!! And these are my only fall/Halloween decorations now... Talk about making life simple for myself!! (I'm beginning to see why people embrace minimalism!)


This sweet little pumpkin looks great in my mom's old crystal candy dish...


And I think this is perfect on top of the pie safe!


Oooh, this big one is just the right size for the coffee table...

Awww, this pink & white striped one goes great in the kitchen!

The colors in this one even match the lotus blossoms in my swan PBN!

Flea market cat loves how he looks next to this cottage blue one...

Now if you want your own cottage pumpkin patch, it's as easy as pie!!!


Go visit Ronda at Cherry Blossom Cottage. She has them in stock right now!
I have always been so pleased with everything I've gotten from her, which is why her shop has been on my sidebar since day one... I've gotten office chair slipcovers from her (to die for), and I got my little pink toolbox from her, too (although I don't know if she carries those anymore)... In addition to her beautiful creations, she carries a wide variety of vintage, one-of-a-kind pieces! Her prices are very reasonable and her shipping is very quick... so hurry on over there if you want some soft cottage pumpkins for yourself!
So thank you, Ronda!!! I just love all my goodies and can't wait to see what you're stitching up for Christmas (Try as I might, I just can't seem to get a handle on Christmas minimalism!!)
Donna