Autumnal delights ~

The days are still very warm here but the nights and mornings are cooling down and a feeling of fall is in the air. So...I decided, it was definitely time to start my autumnal decorating.

 

I brought everything up from the basement. So many pretty things, I don't know exactly where they will go ~ from year to year it is fun to mix it up a bit...

I also made a trip to the local bridal path, my source for eucalyptuses branches which add so much to flower arrangements. I will combine them with berries for fall and then later with flowers I have dried over the summer for winter bouquets.

 I have a pretty good idea of what I will be doing for the next few days. How about you, are you all ready for the up-coming festivities? Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner!

 

It's such a fun time of year.

 

 

Miss Twiggley's Garden ~

A couple of weeks ago while I was grocery shopping I found a display with seeds for growing pet grass. Since Miss Twiggley is an indoor cat I thought it might be nice for her to have a little greenery to nibble on. I have also heard that it helps with hairballs and no matter how many times a day I comb her, with her long fur and dense coat this can be a problem.

 

 

I planted some of the seeds and they quickly germinated ~ within a week this is how they looked...

 

 Then a couple of days ago I found pots of Catnip at Home Depot. Well, of course I couldn't resist, so now Miss Twiggley has a little garden, complete with a couple of friends.

 

 

And what does she have to say...well...it goes something like this:

 "I am completely exhausted, no one told me that gardening was so much work!"

 Miss Twiggley does something rather unique: She puts her favorite toys in her water dish and then just leaves them there until I take them out. Does anyone out there have a cat that does something similar? It's cute but I wonder why she does it, I asked the vet but she didn't know either.

Un petit quelque chose ~ Gobble gobble

 I am really looking forward to later in the fall and the holiday season; I am fatigued with heat and the last dregs of summer, as here in Southern California September acts like just another summer month. So  this adorable turkey at Home Goods had no trouble at all making his way into my cart. I love that he is so colorful and glittery. I have a thing for turkeys, nice ones are hard to find. I have no idea exactly where I will put him, but wherever, he will definitely add to the Thanksgiving season.

 

Gobble ~ Gobble

 

Now I really must think about Halloween!

 

 

 

 

 

A bit of this and that ~

After I came home from walking this morning I cut out this fabric for a new skirt. I love this soft rayon print, I think it will be nice for the winter months and combine well with so many colors.

 

 

Then I went to Trader Joe's, Marshall's is right next door and I always pop in to see if they have something new and interesting. Lucky me, they had some Colonial Candles, my favorite brand. I thought this pear fragrance would be perfect for fall.

 

Next on the list: Home Depot for air filters...leaving through the garden area I spotted these little six packs containing a variety of Stonecrops; succulent love! I know just where the are going...more about this on a later post. 

 

 

 In the afternoon, while Miss Twiggley was taking a little snooze...

 

 

...I finished my skirt! 

 

 

All in all a very satisfying day. I hope you had a good day too.

Absolutely impossible ~

I have come to the conclusion...

 

...that it is completely, absolutely, totally, impossible,

 

 to have too many Dahlias!

 

Glorious, glorious, flowers, small, big, and between, and so easy to grow; the only drawback is staking but definitely worth the trouble. I can hardly wait until next spring to plant more.

 

 So I am already planning for next year. Swan Island Dahlias have the most delectable catalogue with wonderful selections, and White Flower Farm has a collection called: Shades of Pink. I think I am in Dahlia heaven! 

 

Have you making plans for the next planting season?

 

This post has been linked to: http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Something to look forward to ~

It has been hot, hot, hot here in Southern California and the poor garden is looking pretty sad. But the nice thing about gardening is that there is always something to look forward to. Soon it will be time to plant bulbs, and seeds for winter annuals. I don't plant all of my annuals from seed but there are some choice flowers that just aren't available in my nursery, particularly some of the taller, old fashion annuals such as Rocket Snapdragons, Giant Imperial Stock and Calendula Officinalis. In my opinion all better performers their newer, shorter growing cousins. I had to mail away for the snapdragons and calendula seed but the stock I was able to find locally.

 

 

 

To germinate the seeds I am going to try something new, I have been saving all of these little plastic containers with lids that fruit and my favorite Trader Joe's macaroons come in, I think they will make excellent little greenhouses. Later after germination  when the little plants are big enough I will move them into pony-packs. I think this is also a fun way to recycle. 

 

I love both seeds and bulbs, they hold such promise of beauty.

 

Thank you for visiting!

Revisiting Parisian Chic ~

This is what happens when you read a book about style...

 

...and look in your over-stuffed closet and realize that you need to go through and get rid of, many of the things that you no longer wear, or will ever wear. Clothes that you sift through when you are looking for you favorite item...and think, someday I will wear this.



 

Rereading Parisian Chic is what prompted me to rethink my wardrobe. She of course mentions the classic "must haves" for any women of style, some of which do not relate to me because of the warm climate I live in, my life style, and petite size, but the concept of building a wardrobe on quality instead of quantity, with classic pieces really appeals to me.

 

In the future, I plan on making fewer, more selective choices when I shop, in more neutral colors with an emphasis on accessories. Meanwhile, I think I need a few more empty bags!

 

Thank you for visiting I hope you have a wonderful day!