A Chill in the Air...

A few days ago my husband and I left for a morning walk.  I donned my typical tank top and workout pants.  Sure enough I was a bit chilly.  I think it was in the low 50's.  Fall is definately in the air....which makes me think about my home.  I love the warm, cozy feeling of coming in with that nip in the air to the smells and sights of Fall in my home.  You know those early evenings when you come inside and smell supper in the oven or crockpot.  I just love Chili and Stews this time of year.  Then when the light begins to dwindle and you light the first candle of the season with those spicy scents.  I love apple and anything with a spice in it.  I just ordered some candles from QVC.   There's another Slatkin show on tonight if you want to see what it's all about. I got the pumpkin ones.  I have the gingerbread house and last year I missed out on the pumpkins.  It's not necessarily something from the 1800's but I think it lends itself to just about any type of home decor.  I love luminaries and the way the light dances on your ceiling.  Speaking of candles I just picked this Farmer's Market up a few weeks ago.  It's so yummy, smells like an orchard to me too.  According to Yankee's website is smells like sweet berries, juicy apples, succulent peaches and warm spices.  Yum!  I couldn't resist this star shade either.  I splurged a little but I used my coupon so it wasn't quite so bad.  I think it might be my new favorite.  Well, for someone obsessed with candles at least for the time being.  LOL!

In anticipation of Fall, I tweaked this area a bit in my entryway.  I took down all my americana letters and cleared my shelf off completely.  Then I added a few crows, my brown insulators and little creamy nutmeg pitcher.  The star jar came from another cabinet.  I think it looks completely different now.  When I'm ready for Fall decorating I just bring out some white pumpkins or a little bittersweet then I'm all done!

I am busy today making plans for Fall decorating.  I think that this probably take me longer than Christmas because I have so many things for Fall.  I don't usually put all my Halloween or Thanksgiving things out right away.  Does anyone else do this?  I don't really have many Halloween specific things but I try to leave them out for about a month or so usually October then I transition into the Thanksgiving.  For some reason I can't stand the Halloween things out much longer than that.   In preparation for this I like to peruse my Fall collections of Country Sampler, older Country Living,  blogs,  and Fall open houses.  I love going through my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks for old favorite recipes and new ones to try.  I feel this helps me get a handle on the season.  I also try to have a fresh approach each year.  I want people to come into my home and see some subtle differences from year to year.  Get my drift??  I know I've said it before but Fall is truly my favorite season for so many reasons.  My wish for all of you is that you can find time to make your house a home and enjoy the fruit of the harvest with your families. 

I'm be joining Amy, Sunnyside for her Wreath Party next week please stop by! 

Have a blessed week ahead,

Carey

Americana Kitchen and Dining Room

Hello! Hope you're having a nice week so far.  I thought I would put up the rest of the pictures I took of my house.  I am really happy with the way my stovetop looks.  In the dining room I just added my goose, some ribbon and rearranged some of my things.  That's one thing I recommend doing on a regular basis.  Change can be refreshing and good.

For summer I brought out my gernaniums, prim strawberries, fly screen then added some patriotic ticking the farmstand candle is from last year.  I put a smaller candle inside it and it smells so yummy!  It's this one from Bath and Body works, they're having a sale right not so I have stocked up!  I like the summer melon, lemon and the orange sapphire the best.

Hoosier Cabinet

I added some red, white, blue berries star garland on top.  I also put an americana shade on my light.  Then I brought out my stars, eagle, Uncle Sam cookie cutters.

This is the top of my old pie safe.  I added the flicker candle, put in some more of the ticking then placed the aged copy of the Declaration next to it.

my year round tree with Patriotic ornies

 Thanks so much for stopping by I really appreciate all the comments that you leave me.  I know it's not always possible to comment on everyone's blog you visit.  It really makes my day and puts a smile on my face.  I'll be back soon with some recipes.  Have a great day!

Carey

Open House Goodies!

Good morning!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and is off to a good start this week.  I was able to go to two open houses and I'm hoping to go to some more prim stores later this week or next.  As many of you know from previous posts I live near Warm Glow candles.  They had their annual tent sale and I found a few things.  Most of their things were 20% off or more.   I got a yellow, pussy willow candle ring like the one I gave away too.

My husband made holder for me years ago when I saw one in a store.  It's been a long time since it's has a long loaf style candle in it but I found this in the clearance section. 

It's snickerdoodle, and it smells yummy!

I also bought some little pie dishes, I'll show you those later. 

I found these hankerchiefs at a garage sale.  They were just too beautiful to pass up. They belonged to the man's mother.  When I brought them home I could still smell her perfume on them.  It made me a little sad and miss my own mom.  Since it's almost mother's day those of you that are lucky enough should go call your mom or give her a great big hug.

I was thinking I might make a table runner out of them and stitch them together.  I might tuck them in here and there.  I might just give them away for presents....not sure yet.

I found these at a little store called G & G crafts.  It's the only little store I close by me that carries some primitive things.  She had a spring open house and I took advantage of clearance items and got the candle for 20 % off.  It smells like apple pie.  The State Fair one seems to be hard to find.  It's a McCall's candle. I love the way the little pillows had red, white and blue in them.

Hope you have a great day!

Carey

Moving Furniture Around

On Wednesday as you probably saw from my house routine I clean the kitchen.  I decided that the dining room table needed to be moved out so I could properly clean that floor too.  You know how when you're cleaning one thing leads to another then another.  Even though I try to follow flylady I still find it difficult to not get sidetracked sometimes.  I wondered what my cute little round table (we had taken out the leaf) would look like in my kitchen.  It's meant to have a table in it but I've never had a formal dining room before so we don't have two sets.  Well, I dragged it into the kitchen and added my checked tablecloth and I just instantly fell in love with my kithen all over again.  It's my favorite room in the house.  I love how the light just pours in these windows.  I plan on leaving it for awhile, I like it so much that my empty dining room doesn't bother me too much right now.  I hope we get more sunshine this week because I plan on moving my coffee/reading time in their in the a.m.  There's something so homey about having this empty space filled that just puts a smile on my face. 

I was reading in the paper today that you can do a few things to your home that will really make a difference.  Now to some of you I'm sure this isn't new but I like to do these things every once in a while and it does make difference in the look and feel of your home.  This is especially good in you're on a budget or trying to spend less money on your home.

1.  Try rearranging furniture in your room.

2.  Repurpose items that you have already.  Use an old tool carrier for a remote control holder.

3.  Add some seasonal silk flowers or fresh ones from the grocery store.

4.  Add soft lights, use candles, dimmers, battery operated lights to add that ambiance to your home.

5.  Move around your accessories.  We all like this one the most!

I did a few of these things in my pictures.  I moved my table.  I added the silk daisies and moved the grey graniteware from another place.  I also got some new spring scents from B & BW this week.  I'm trying the Strawbarry Patch and Lilac Blossom.  Another one of my favorites that just says clean and fresh is Fresh Linen. 

my table

How it looks in the space

Hopefully, you will find something that you can use in this post or it will inspire you to do a bit more with what you already have.  If you already knew about all of these things because I know how savvy my followers are it will just be a friendly reminder to do them!

Have a blessed Sunday,

Carey

Twinkling Candles say it's Christmas Time

I just love the glow of candles.  There is nothing that says Christmas more than a warm glow from a candle.  For years I have bought red, ivory colored pillar candles only to burn them a few times and worry each time that they will drip all over the place or ruin a new tablecloth or runner.   Sound familiar?  Well, I just love these new little creations.  I suppose you could spray these and make them more prim with spices if desired but I like them as is....See what you think.  I bought them at Meijer, kinda like a Walmart or K-Mart.  They were under $10 and I think I will get a few more in different sizes to accent different places for a long mantel/table with greenery to be tucked into without worry.  I think you can find the same ones at flamelesscandles.net

This is what I did with mine.  Kinda of a  long story, but I'm sure you can relate.  I originally saw these star candle holders in a country sampler in someone's house and I did everything but call the owner to track them down. LOL!  My DH even tried making me some with some metal but we just couldn't get all the detail and aging without the proper tools, bless his heart.  However, I made a trip to the farm store one day and there were my candle holders.  They had an insert for a tealight that I removed so I could put my jar candles in them.  Now, I just put these battery operated candles in them.  The best part is you put your D batteries in them swith them to timer and they turn them on when you want them to come on say around dusk.  Then never touch them again, just wait and they'll turn on all by themselves the same amount of time the next night.  I think they stay on for 6 hours and off for 18.   I just love them.  The best part is coming home late and they're waiting for you, to welcome you home.

Here's a closeup of them, I bought the ivory color and they're about 4-5 inches tall.  It's made of real wax and actually looks like a wick inside.  It flickers like a real candle too. 

Here's a close-up of the bottom.

I'm going to get some similiar ones for my windows,  I need at least 12 just to cover the front windows of my house.  Yikes!  I'm trying to get ones with timers like these with either a black base or a pewter base.

Happy Decorating Ladies,

I'm tired after all my decorating today.  Pictures are coming soon, I promise.

Carey

Latest addiction!

Anybody else out there addicted to candles, tarts and all things fragrant?? I have a problem.  Just ask my DH and my cupboard (or 2) full of candles and tarts.  If I smell something that I really like which isn't every time I shop I usually just get it.  If not than I start obsessing about it and stress myself out for no reason.  LOL! I had read somewhere not sure where I read this that the Bath and Body works scent Leaves was something to behold.  I was thinking it smelled like burning leaves so anxious to smell it, I set out to find it.  It was something all right not burning leaves but apples, my weakness.  The website decribes it as golden nectar, juicy mandarin and red delicious apples are paired with cinnamon sticks, mulled cider spices and freshly harvested red berries.  Pure heaven! I decided to buy it immediately.  The sales lady told me that someone from a distant town had bought up all the big three wick ones so I took my little one home and really enjoyed every hour of scent.  I went online, it was sold out.  I went back the next week sold out! Then my sister and I went shopping and I finally scored some more at a different store in a nearby town.   Now that the holidays are here I have two new favorites Spice and Fresh Balsam, I love them! I also bought Fireside.  I haven't purchased the spice but I plan too.  The Fresh Balsam isn't a typical tree scent it has many other notes inside it.  If you're stumped I think these make great gifts for people. 


Have a wonderful day, and I hope you're burning something wonderful at your house!

Carey

Great Mail Day!

I love mail and yesterday this was on my porch. If anyone out there in blogland would come to my house to visit you would know that I always have a candle burning. One of my favorite companies I just recently placed an order with I dearly love is scentsible scents. I bought this a few years ago in Kentucky when I was on a caving trip with my dh and after checking out the site I have purchased them again and again. My all time favorite scent is Primitive Gatherings.

Here is the description on their website:

A wonderful combination of fruit juices and spices are kettled together to offer a warming sense of welcome.
Dark amber is the color of this welcoming scent

I have also tried old homestead, hayride (a great fall scent), spiced apple, strawberry jam, vintage linen, spiced cranberry and pumpkin spice. They are all pretty good. My favorite is the primitive gatherings though. I also decided to try lemon curd. Anybody have a favorite candle line? I'm a self confessed candle addict. I'd love to hear what you like out there. Leave me a comment.

Have a great Day!

Carey