An Autumn Retrospective

It's spring.  We're still freezing here in PA, but it is spring. Right now, I'm cutting things back, getting the lavender ready and pruning the roses.  I'll write more about that in another blog.  In the meantime, I wanted to show a few pictures of fall and winter (since I ditched the blog and all).  So.  Read on and stay tuned over the next several days.

In all things creative, it's easy to get into a rut.  I find myself battling this in my gardening and decorating regularly.  Those are the times I hit Barnes and Noble (such a punishment) and Google images.  I almost always find something to inspire me.  Now and then you just need to grease the wheel, ya know?  I hope these images will help you think outside the box an bit.  I had a ton of fun doing it, and so will you.

I'll start with the barn.  I have been drooling over this barn for a year.  My client renovated it to be used for entertainment and it is bursting with possibilities.  For the fall, I decided to make the new fireplace the focal point of the room, so I went all out with color.  I dug around her basement (and my garage), and was able to find boxes, an old shutter, some banged up wooden candle sticks and a few other things to give it some interest.  Then I twisted some grapevine and bittersweet vine around it all and added some mums and corn.   For a little added fun, I made a topiary out of pumpkins and squash. 

 
  
This picture was taken a little later in the fall after a project made it necessary for me to redo the mantle.  In the green bucket, I have the fall remains of black-eyed susans.  I love the way they look. 

Around the rest of the barn, I decided to be as muted as possible, so I purchased tons of small white squash and white pumpkins.  The challenge was trying to get all of them to be similar in size and shape.   Then I put them in every spot I could . 

Along with the white, I hung up some of the hydrangea, grass plumes, and lavender from the property to dry.  It gave the entire space fragrance and a quiet, peaceful feeling.

While you may not have a beautiful barn to decorate, there are many spaces around your home that can use some of these touches .