Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.
~Carol Bishop Hipps
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
~George Eliot
The back of this over-sized vintage, technicolor post card says,
"FALL FESTIVAL TIME" Pretty SARAH McCRACKEN of HOG FALLS, IOWA sitting pretty after winning first prize in the annual Pumpkin Hatching Contest.
I never knew pumpkins hatched!
In this month of Thanksgiving, I want to take some time to give thanks. I know it may sound corny.....or not. But I may get a little thematic on you for a while, so bear with me... here is my first installment of thankfulness. I will begin with a quotation (teehee)
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."
Fall is that funny time of year, I look forward to all that it is, cool, colorful, changing, crisp, cozy, but it has its bittersweet bits as well. It is a nostalgic time of year for me. Looking back, I have been thinking about all the things my mom taught me. I never got to thank her for these lessons. With my gratitude for her, I will share them with you:
1. Save everything, you never know when you will need it. I think our studio was meant to be. Kerry and I certainly had a head start getting it set up, with all the wonderful art supplies that my mom had collected over the years.
2. Surround yourself with beautiful things, in the garden, on your walls, in your home. Those things don't have to be expensive, just put care in what you do and how you do them.
3. Never save the good china, silver or crystal for a special day. What is the point of having all those special things away in a cabinet, or in a box?
4. And, if it breaks, that’s okay. After all, they are just things.
5. Always have enough good food and drink in the house to entertain at the drop of a hat.
6. Everyone is beautiful, in his own way. This one drove me nuts as a teenager. I actually think it was part of a song lyric from the 70's that my mom tormented me with--does anyone recognize it? Always the optimist, my mom could find beauty in anyone or anything. I appreciate it now.
7. Be inclusive, the more the merrier. Holidays and parties were grand affairs at our house!
8. Never turn away a friend. Whatever a friend or relative needed, my mom was sure to try and accommodate.
9. Laughter is necessary and contagious. My home was always filled with laughter and happiness.
10. Be kind, it’s that simple.
It has been almost 9 years since my mom died. It was too soon, too sudden, and we had way too many plans for her to go. But her legacy lives on in our studio. And I hope that I learned enough of her lessons so that I can continue her vision.
I 
just wanted to share a few of our Halloween decorations.
We made a scary, spider infested hallway. We hung fake leaves, Spanish moss, and webs from the ceiling. On the floor, we brought the forest indoors by making a runner out of burlap, Spanish moss and leaves, as well as loads of fake spiders and bugs. 
Using Martha's inspiration, we made "spider egg sacs" out of white nylons, fiberfill and plastic spiders. Clear thread suspends three egg sacks as well as spiders from the ceiling. The overall effect was creepy.
Also from Martha, I made Apothecary style candy jars. The labels were easy, downloadable and printable from her site. Finding black candy that wasn't licorice flavored was the hard part. (I can't stand licorice!--I couldn't stick to all black. I did find a mix of Halloween colors, though).
And from Somerset Home, Kerry and I each made a magnetic calendar to countdown to Halloween. Sort of an advent calendar idea. It was fun to find all the different images and items to use for the numbers and details on the calendar. The back is sheet metal covered with tissue and sealed. Each number and the month are magnet backed. The kids have enjoyed putting up a piece on each date. We have a November topper, too, so the fun won't stop tomorrow.
Now that it's almost time to take it all down, what shall I put up for Thanksgiving? Turkeys flying from the ceiling? Just wait and see....
Our studio is currently under construction.... nothing too major. Kerry and I wanted to get organized. We also needed to clean! For the most part, we close the studio during the summer to be with the kids while they are out of school. While the studio is closed, it is hot. There is no air conditioning in the tiny building that was once used as a school for coal miners children. Imagine that... the little room filled with hot, sweaty, rambunctious children.
Another Rocky Mountain Wildflower, Blue Lupine. This one is related to the Texas Bluebonnet, I believe.
Meanwhile, school starts for the kids in a little over a week. Next week are "Meet the Teacher" Night and Early Assessment Days. This weekend is our last real weekend of the summer.
When we're they're all back in school, Kerry and I will be going full blast to get our Fall jewelry and events ready for you. We are excited for what we have planned!
