Pumpkin on a Pedestal Centerpiece and Shabby Tablescape

Here is the fall centerpiece for my dining room table this year.

                                                           

Total Cost? $4.25

                                         

I started with this flea market find. I am not exactly sure what kind of stand it is, if its for a large pillar candle or something, but to me it seemed like a perfect pumpkin pedestal for the center of my table. And for a dollar, who cares what it actually is. 

I really liked this pumpkin a lot (its real). I bought it at the flea market for $3 and I was satisfied with it here, but then I remembered all that vintage lace I'd found on my awesome shabby weekend a couple of weeks ago http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-shabby-weekend-september24-2011.html

And so I  dressed it up a bit...

The lace I added around the pumpkin goes along with the lace pattern on the ironstone plates in my "Pumpkin Soup" place settings and the antique lace tablecloth from an estate sale ($1)

And I almost forgot to show you the tarnished utensils I found at the flea market last weekend. Just what I had gone junkin' for that day. I paid $5 for all of them. I was wanting more tarnished sliver for the table and to match that old set of salt and pepper shakers dated 1881(flea market, $1) 

Check out that 1800's lace collar I draped over the back of the chair in the backgound in the picture above. Its almost like we have a ghostly Edwardian dinner guest for Halloween

                       And just for Halloween, a touch of witchy wit

                            

I have a few more spooky additions that I will add for Trick-or-Treat and for my Halloween parties, so stop by at the end of October to see them!

Linking up to:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://www.itsybitsypaperblog.com/2011/09/wickedly-creative-halloween-ideas-linky.html
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/2011/10/87th-table-top-tuesday.html
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/

www.oneartmama.blogspot.com

http://www.thevintagefarmhouse.com/2011/10/creative-things-thursday-and-features.html

"Pumpkin Soup" White Wednesday Oct. 5, 2011

Pumpkin soup, anyone?

For my table this fall I used the antique lace tablecloth that I found for $1 at an estate sale last weekend and several different pieces of my flea market ironstone for my place settings.  I just stacked a bunch of the dishes on top of each other and put a little ghost pumpkin in each bowl. Although I have really been inspired by so many glittered, bedazzled and painted pumpkins on blogs this year, I think the little white pumpkins are perfect just how they are. All the different shades of white look quite elegant and ghostly at the same time, I just can't get enough of it! Guess that's why I am loving White Wednesday so much! (I will be posting with pictures showing the rest of my table tomorrow.)

                                                          Enjoy your White Wednesday!

Heading on over to http://www.fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/

Salvaged Antique Crown Molding Planter and Window Box

2013 Update: Revisiting this post and linking up to new fall blog parties this year!

Well I am just so excited to show you this gorgeous fall display that I created in my very shabby-salvaged -tin -crown molding turned- flower box! I am so thrilled with how it turned out, especially since it was a "use what I had" creation and cost very little.

Before

This piece is a remnant of tin crown molding that was salvaged out of a 100+ year old hotel in Portsmouth, Ohio. Cool just how it is, huh? My husband and I purchased it this spring from a flea market vendor for only $5.00.  That talented hubby of mine then cut it down a bit and added some wood to the back to make it into a shelf/planter to hang on an ugly bare spot on our porch wall. It is suspended from the porch railing by a $2.00 chain from Lowes that we spray-painted black.

This is how it looks for fall and Halloween:

                                                                              After

I don't know why exactly, but I am crazy about it! I think its just so creepy and beautiful at the same time.  Maybe its the spooky tones of greens, purples, grays, and blues along with just a touch of orange in the pumpkin and Spanish moss that bring out the oranges in the rust. It just all came together so well. I am not one for symmetry and even numbers in design, so balancing the kale on each side would not have been something I would usually do, but the differences in shapes, textures and colors of all the fruits and materials used provides enough variety to make it work. Normally I would plan to do something completely different next year, but I really think I want to do this same arrangement again year after year.

I used several varieties of autumn kale, the one and only orange pumpkin that grew in our pumpkin toss away patch from last year's pumpkins,  a favorite blue hubbard squash, a small dark green (almost black) gourd with a cool stem, some orange Spanish moss from the dollar tree, and some gray creepy cloth from the dollar tree.  I have about $10 in the whole thing if you count the tin crown molding itself.  Love this!

 

I love how it looked right before a big rain when the sky was dark and gray

Here is my complimentary window box design:

I will add a few more spiders and some spider webs when it gets closer to
Trick-or-Treat for fun

                                                                 

                                  Do you  love it too???

2013 Parties:
Grey Dey Thursdeys
Knick Of Time Tuesdays

Proudly featured! Vintage Inspiration Fridays http://www.commonground-do.com/2011/10/vintage-inspiration-friday-59-fall.html

Linking up to
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
http://frommyfrontporchtoyours.blogspot.com/
http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/
http://mommahenscoop.com
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://frommyfrontporchtoyours.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/

The 13 days of Halloween!

October is almost over and I have been so busy with home renovations that I have not kept up with this post which I originally called "The 31 days of Halloween." I had intended to post something new each day of October, but alas my junking and re-decorating took up so much time I unfortunately neglected to keep it up. I have decided to rename it "The 13th days of Halloween" instead,  and so with time running out, I'd better get back to it!

October 28th

 I found these pumpkins (the funkin style plug-in kind) at the flea market for $1 each. I had to buy them for that price. I had planned to repaint them and use them outside somehow but we had just finished redecorating our guest bedroom and it needed some Halloween touches. I was already using my husband's antique hat box in the room and then I remember the vintage lady's hat (flea market find, $1) that I had stored inside the box. I immediately knew that we needed a Mr. and Mrs. to greet our guests. Mrs. Pumpkin is resting on a shabby white ($1 flea market) candle holder.
                                       October 27th 
A Witchy Welcome! Here in our entryway I hung the cutest little girl's witch costume that I found at a yard sale for $2, a few other vintage looking decorations purchased at yard sales for $1 each.

 October 26th
This is a creepy clown toy from the early 1900's. I found him at an estate sale for $1 and thought he would make a great Halloween decoration with a little TLC. He was originally pink and blue. Here is the post about the redo: http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2011/10/creepy-antique-toy-clown-halloween.html

                      




October 24th


I took the little vintage blow mold owl and put him on a wreath I had remade. I hung it on an old shabby white window. I posted more about it for White Wednesday over at Faded Charm: http://junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com/2011/10/white-wednesday-oct-26th-2011-hoot.html

                                October 23rd 

Creak. Creak. Creak...


Here is a bit of my Halloween porch decor. Look at the rocking chair. How spooky can you get for Halloween? So spooky in fact that my husband made me put it outside. I was going to use it inside but I have to admit that after walking past it a couple of times in the basement it also gave me the heebie-jeebies. I bought it for $10 this summer at a yard sale. The lady who owned it had previously bought it from an auction, so no telling who or what rocked in this one! 
                                      October 22nd
I love vintage blow molds at Halloween-time. Seeing these guys lit up always reminds me of Trick-or-Treat as a little girl. In this picture I had just started working with some of my vintage Halloween collection, just messing around with the display. I  decide to include my favorite retro candy bowl with a design of witches on broomsticks circling around the magical goodies. Findlay, our Scottie, wasn't so sure about all the Hocus Pocus...

Vintage blow mold collection in the day time, unlit. The little green owl is my newest flea market find. I took out a few things from the previous picture and added an orange and black feather boa with purple lights to the front, (hard to see in this photo) and some popcorn balls and lollipops for more vintage flair.

                                     October 21st 

 With its ghostly shape and misty shades of grays and blues, this favorite squash creates a nice trio with the Jim Shore Heartwood Creek collectibles (estate sale finds).

                                                                      October 20th

Here's a simple and sweet little way to add some vintage Trick-or-Treat to your table. Mary Jane candies still have the same packaging as years ago. The only time I ever had these was around Halloween. I always ate the "good stuff" first (meaning chocolate), but these little cuties weren't too bad either. 


To add a little more charm I cut Mary Jane off the package and put her in the bowl because she was just too darling to throw away. 

Classic candy corn in a dish---adds a quick and easy touch of Halloween 

My husband is getting a little aggravated at me telling him 

to get his hands out of my decorations!

OCTOBER 19th

                                     Halloween----A primitive holiday!
Today I am highlighting some of my primitive Halloween collection. Although most of my decorating is vintage/shabby chic and quite eclectic, I absolutely go crazy for primitive Halloween and fall (and Christmas) stuff too. Some of the best Halloween and fall displays I have ever seen have been at small family-owned primitive shops (such as The Olde Homestead Ashland, KY) or at primitive craft shows and festivals. Extreme grungy prims can be very creepy and unique, and they mix right in nicely with vintage Halloween.


You may recognize some of the items in these pictures from other posts, but I rarely ever use my decorations in quite the same way as the previous year to keep them from getting boring and to give my guests something different to enjoy when they visit. New items include the black, orange and purple bittersweet garland and the cutest altered art witch hang tags that I just found on Ebay. I love the whimsical phrases on each one such as, "She had one too many skeletons in her closet!"

 This new garland with purple and black berries and orange
bittersweet is too cute! It also has little glittered ghosts and witch
hats along the branches. I tied my
new witchy hang tags here.

Mr. Scarecrow is another one of my favorites. He comes out in
 early August and hangs around through
late November to smell Tom Turkey roasting in the oven on Thanksgiving day. The
four little guys in the basket were .25 each along with the wooden Jack-o-lantern
with the moon hat. I purchased the
Halloween dish towel for .25 and the pumpkin-head witch
for $1 at a yard sale. I love her purple dress and stripey-tights, and of course that vintage Halloween smile!

That's all for tonight--- Only 13 days to go!

White Wednesday September 28, 2011

 I'm really enjoying this new display in the corner of my kitchen. I have used an old salvaged window, a gorgeous vintage doily, and my favorite antique shabby white chair. Loving how the design in the chair along with the chippy paint and lace doily just scream "vintage!" I have a total of $7.25 here! You can see more of this vignette and lots of similar beauties in my previous post, What A Shabby Weekend.  

Chippy paint+three shades of white+ornate scrollwork+lace=vintage love. 

May today be merry and bright, and may all your Wednesdays be white!