Boo To You - Outdoor Wednesday

I have a secret up my sleeve
It's getting close to All Hallow's Eve

Ghosts and Witches will abound
To see what candy can be found

Thanks to Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for hosting...you can find her and other great outdoor posts here.
All the best,

Spooky Portrait

For Metamorphis Monday, I'm offering a quick and spooky decoration for your pictures/portraits.  You can use this same effect for wall hanging portraits/pictures as well and you can use a plain brown bag wrapping rather than the fabric I have used....would look very neat with a brown bag wrapping and tied in twine, like it was being stored...and just leaned against the wall. 

I used the idea of Dorian Gray....he stayed young as long as he did not view his portrait, which he kept covered.  As long as he did this, his portrait aged and he did not. 

Start by finding and printing a set of evil eyes...you can find many choices on the Internet.  Print and position on your existing picture on top of the glass....tape and then throw a piece of dingy looking fabric over the picture - cut a jagged slit over where the eyes are positioned so that they can glare through and walah....an instant spooky portrait.  Tea stained muslin would be a good fabric for this as well.

Join our hostess Susan at Between Naps on the Porch here, for other metamorphosis projects from so many talented bloggers.  Happy Halloween!!

All the best,

Halloween Party Invitation

Wow.  Halloween has just creeped up on me....where did the last 14 days go...the last time I looked, it was Oct 1.  It's time now for me to shift my party planning and execution into high gear.  I have completed and mailed the Halloween invites for this year's party.  Next will be putting together my food list....getting my recipes together, etc. 

All the best,

Tablescape Thursday - Smoky Mountain China Mart Goodness

Thanks to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting another Tablescape Thursday.  Please bounce over to her site and check out the other great tablescapes.

When I win the lottery (notice that positive voice) I am going to have a Dishroom, just like the White House, and I'm going to fill it with every type of dishware and flatware that I can get my greedy little hands on.  I think I'm addicted.....do I need an intervention?

While on my recent trip to the mountains, I visited the China and Gift Mart and took in all the beautiful dishes.  I wanted to share some of my favorites.

This Christmas set from Youngs is really beautiful.

Each plate is marked with a wonderful verse. 

This Christmas collection from M Bagwell is so cute...lots of whimsy.

Black and white polka dots, another collection from M Bagwell...absolutely divine.

A classic and more traditional Christmas collection.

Hope you enjoyed this little stroll through some of my 'future' collections.  As soon as my ship comes in, I plan to stock it with all this deliciousness.  Man, I hope we don't sink.

All the best,

My Lexi Poo

Lexi is my 'middle' Grandbabe and is expecting a little brother in December.  She is our 30 year old, 2 year old.  She gives us lots of joy.....her latest thing is calling everyone Hon....it is the funniest thing and she picked it up from my Mom.  The other day, she was jabbering away and asking questions, like always and I was working on something that needed some concentration.  I told her to hold on a second and be quite for just a minute until I finished....she looked at me seriously and said, "I'm trying to talk to you, Hon."  After I stopped rolling around on the floor laughing, I told her to go right ahead and talk away.  These are the kind of moments that make life special. 

All the best,

Falling into Decorating

Some of  my Fall and Halloween decorating this year.  All of my arrangements are very informal and come from my horde of florals.  I don't make permanent arrangements, as I change with the seasons etc.  I find that as long as I have something to anchor the stems in within the container, I just poke and stick until I find something pleasing to my eyes. 

I found this 'log' to use as a display riser....love it.

Cloches, how I love you all.

Yes, those are popcorn ceilings, but be polite and just ignore them...focus on the decor please.

A skull a day, keeps the dermotologist away.

I keep my Mummy in a jar.

Another fall arrangement.

A take on Hitchcock.

All the best,

Traveling with Jammi and Mike

Out early this morning and had a buffet breakfast at Bennetts.

I have a thought for 'redoing' my own version of this picture....this is my inspiration.

Mike had to take advantage of our balcony on the parkway to check everything out. 

More of the fall decorations.

Construction continues on the Titanic museum....I think this is going to look great when finished.

Nighttime falls on this first day of October and it's time to call it a day.

the best,

Smokey Mountain Eye Candy

My mission today is to document some of the fall decorations around our favorite getaway vacation spot.  And don't worry....this message will not self-destruct. 

Scarecrows are everywhere and just like we human folk, they come in every shape and size.

Check out these scarecrows at the Dixie Stampede....I love the horses...If  they get hungry, they can just take a bite of each other.

My man, Mike has been a great sport all day by stopping everytime I yell that I need a picture.  It's time to feed him...he loves wings and this place has some really yummy ones...so, in we go. 

Go Vols....these scarecrows know how to stay true to Rocky Top.

What is not to love about fall?????

This pumpkin is huge....the farmer had to build scaffolds in order to tend it.

More travel pictures tomorrow.  It will be shopping day and a visit to The Incredible Christmas Place.

All the best,