Autumn Evening tablescape

Good Evening! That's right, I said...good evening!  I am having an evening autumn table scape on the porch!  If you live here in the south you would totally understand.  See, if you want to experience any type of cooler weather right now, you might try dining on the porch in the evening.  Even that is not a guarantee of cooler temps though.  Unfortunately, my outdoor thermometer this evening is reading 83 degrees.  Can you believe that?  Oh well, let's just imagine it's cool and were having a lovely autumn evening dining on the porch. OK?

Place mats w/crocheted edge; Tuesday Morning

Green Barrante Wheat dinner plates; Made in Portugal, church sale

Burgundy Salad Plates; Pier 1

Franciscan Ivy bread plate; consignment store

Acorn dish; Michaels

Initialed flatware; Tuesday Morning

Libby Green Goblets; Dollar tree

Ceramic Pumpkins; Dollar tree

Pumpkin Cream & Sugar; Yard sale

Black Checked Napkins; Ole Time Pottery

Cloche glass; Carolina Pottery

Scripture Pumpkin; Carolina Pottery

Small Black tin creamer w/floral; Hobby Lobby

Metal Canape Dish Holder; GW

Square Bowls in dish holder; Ross

Apple and Pecan Pie tart candles; Michaels

Well, I think that covers it!   I hope you enjoyed my setting.  Please be sure and check out all the other beautiful tables capes this week at Tablescape Thursday.

Thanks for visiting!

Mary

How do I Save Bulbs?

I had planned to take you all on the last half of my walk today for Outdoor Wednesday but I've changed my mind.  Well, I am a woman you know and so entitled, or so I've been told.   Yesterday, I did a few switches in my planters and came across something I'm hoping to get a little advice on.  This got me taking a good look around at all my outdoor planters and how weary everything was looking.  So I've decided to do a fascinating post on the poor pathetic state of my out plants instead.

Yesterday I added these purple and yellow violas to my deck planters.

The blue daze in the center is staying for now.  It's only looking somewhat sad after I revived it with some much needed water.  I guess I just plain got lazy on watering.

I love these guys and they will look wonderful if I keep up with them.

Here's the other deck planter on the other side of the deck.  I also added the two yellow Mums on each side of the deck after pulling out the Pentas that were about 3 ft. tall and nearly dead.

Can you see I've been quite busy!  My potting bench looks like a...well... potting bench!

Here's where I would like some advice.  I pulled these out of the deck planters.  They are bulbs that grew from the potato vine.  Pretty cool huh?  Does anyone know if I can store these somehow over winter to use them for plantings next year?  It's not crucial, but hey, if I can do it, I'd love to know how.  I just love when plants multiply and return, don't you?

The trouble is I often forget if I've got a bulb or stems somewhere I've cut down.

Take this planter for example.  I had totally forgot that last year I grew this Mexican Sage in this pot.  You can still see the geranium I was trying to grow in the center of this pot.  I kept having these stems pop up all summer trying to over take the geranium and I kept pulling them thinking they were weeds.  I only remembered after I let it go for awhile and one stem got really tall and bloomed.

And speaking of plants that multiply.  Check out this plant I bought from an estate sale this summer.

I was able to start a new pot from this plant.  It had these leaves that grew out to have bulbs and more leaves on them.  Very cool.  I just snipped them off and planted them in this pot below.

I can't wait until this plant matures too.

This big plant growing behind the deck chairs here is supposed to be an annual.  But it loves where I planted it and keeps coming back.  I've had it several years now.  It will totally dry up to have the stems cut down in the winter.  I cannot remember the name right now, but I think it starts with an L.

It has big spiky purple and pink blooms.

  Please indulge me for a few more shots of my plants around the back deck and backyard.  I tried to focus on the best looking ones that are still hanging in there.

Now my poor yard is another story.  I really want a sprinkler system!

I have to say my ferns all seem to be hanging in there despite the lack of water.  I put them here in the backyard early on this summer because they were getting to much sun on the front porch and dying.

Let's go around to the front for a few more quick peeks, Oh, come on..

I moved those large planters over by the bench from where the iron stands are now.  The stands were by the front door and I moved them down here by the steps.  Much easier to keep watered this way!

The deer came and ate the other leafy green plant that was behind the blue daze.  I guess they don't like the taste of the blue daze.  Yay!

Do you remember I planted these Gardenias just this spring.  Look how much they grew!  I love it!

My purple Lantana finally spread out nicely but not as dark green and lush as usual.

Lastly, I'm hoping these mums will fill in a bit more in my stands here.  That is if I can keep them watered.  I really do enjoy gardening I just have been rather neglectful this summer.

  What about your yard?  How are your plants looking?  This is the time to transition into fall plantings, have you done so yet?

Drop me a comment and let me know about those bulbs too if you know. I really better get on with that walk now, maybe you can come next time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday!
Mary

Embracing Changes

Our family is in the midst of change.  I can feel it coming!  It's not just in the air with the change of seasons outside.

   It's in the lives of each and every member of my family.  Like the beautiful leaves outside so are the members of my family, each with it's own color during seasons of change.  Some are still leafy green and full of life while others are sadly withering towards the end.

  We can no more stop the arrival of fall then we can the changes of life.  Instead, we can appreciate them, embrace them and enjoy each and every opportunity that arrives when facing a new season of life.  Do you do that?   These are just a few of my thoughts lately, as I see the season of change around me.  My leaf is not such a bright green anymore but neither is it the dry greyish white before it falls.  It is changing colors though, maybe somewhere between orange and crimson I think! 

Change often brings about many different reactions in people,  but with me it brings about an anxious energy to get things done, to tie up a few loose ends.  I have several projects that have been on the back burner for quite some time.  Some of those projects have been waiting for years others, not so long.

I finally framed my bird prints purchased from a yard sale this summer.  One still needs the frame repainted.  I'm thinking white with a chocolate glaze.

 The other really needs another mat but I decided to make a background for this one until I got around to buying a mat for it.  I really like how this turned out and am thinking I may leave it this way for awhile.

The frame I got from a thrift store at the beach this summer, I had this scrapbook paper sitting in a drawer upstairs and just love it!  Only it was not long enough but was too wide.  So I cut the width down and added the extra paper to the top and bottom then glued a strip of ribbon across the seam.

Then, I simply placed the small matted bird print I already had on top.  I'm happy with this change!

This small desk was another consignment store purchase that I got a few years ago for my oldest sons room.  He used his laptop on it but never really cared for it all that much.  I just love the size and style though it is certainly nothing special and probably some prefab kit someone put together. 

This is how it looked when I bought it, this ugly brown color.   I recently decided to move it downstairs here in the kitchen foyer where our bench used to be.

I have always intended to paint it but have just never made the time to get it done.

Well, I finally made the time.  It's perfect here for now. This will be a great place where we can drop the mail and recharge our cell phones as we come in and out the basement door. 

There's still plenty of room for our shoes and coats too!

Recently you saw my newly stained place mats in a tablescaping post.  Here's how they looked before I did the stain.  This is one of many I still have not stained.  I am going to leave some unfinished because I do like this look as well.  Luckily I have so many I can have some of each.

This lighter unfinished look is nice for spring and summer settings.

First I stained them with a little minwax.

And let them dry overnight.

Then I took them outside to spray paint them with a clear acrylic spray.

And let them dry overnight.

And they are ready to be used anytime.

Finally, one project I have been meaning to do for years!

Do you see that runner on this foyer table?  I actually made it for another table sometime ago.  I was just using it here as I have many other pieces of fabric through the years.  I have rotated so many fabrics runners on this table it is utterly ridiculous.  Deep down I have always wanted to make a runner that fit this table exactly the way I wanted it to fit.  It wasn't that it would be hard, I just couldn't find the fabric I wanted to use.  I have even bought fabric for this foyer table that I haven't used.  My fabric choices were either to light or too dark or too solid or too busy!  A recent fabric purchase brought just the right look, and yesterday I whipped out the little runner I've been meaning to get done all these years.

It's simple and checked and is sure to look good year round.   Oops, I see a loose thread in this photo, just ignore that.   LOL!  I bet you were thinking I had been putting it off because I was going to match the shape of the table.  No!  I really just couldn't find a fabric I really wanted to commit too.

I think I'm going to love this one for quite some time.

It feels great catching up on a few odds and ends.  With these small things behind me I feel so much better.  I know the little things shouldn't bother you but they do me.    I always wonder why I put things off like I do, I guess we all do that at times.  I still have many more to go and am thankful for this time in my life when I am able to embrace the little changes that I can.

I am linking this post to Transformation Thursday because life is all about change, embrace it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary