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Why I Love Autumn...

It's the leaves.

I love going to my parent's house in autumn, simply because they have a large wooded lot, and every autumn their yard is FILLED with leaves. Seriously. You can't even see the grass anymore. Raking is an all day activity.

And they have the *best* leaves, too... their yard has leaves from oaks, chestnuts, and a wonderful red maple in the front. I love the fiery red dotting the brown and orange carpet of autumn.

I know I should really be there to visit with my parents, but I can't help finding excuses to go to their house before they get around to raking just so I can play in the leaves.

What do you love about autumn?

GLC Fun Day

I'm *finally* getting around to uploading all of the pics from my camera, so I'm a little behind with posts. I have definitely NOT made my blogging goal this past month!

Anyway, here are some pics of the Breyer Youth Fun Day that the Great Lakes Congress model horse club hosted on October 24th:

Fun mechanical carousel made from Breyer Stablemates that Bentley Sales Co. had in their booth.

GLC members Kerri Johnson and Liz Cory

GLC members Jamie Rott and Cindy Chrisos picking out Stone "Chips" at the P.S. Cord booth

Youth showers listening to the critique of the sport breeds class

My favorite picture of the day: a "Snow Horse" entry in the Youth display class

More Owls...

In preparation for Indie Wed in January, I've decided that I need to streamline my sales process for craft fairs, since my meager little "money box" is just not going to cut it anymore. So, I went looking around on Etsy for the perfect craft fair apron.

After paging through quite a few "it's okay, but I'm not in love with it" offerings, I came across this one and absolutely fell in love:

This apron is offered by Etsy seller Boojiboo, and she offers several great retro-style aprons in her store from patterns she has designed herself.

It arrived today, wrapped in a pretty orange ribbon...and I have to say, I love it even more in person! The owls are very retro-looking(a definite plus for me), and it fits perfectly!

Swap-O-Rama

I *love* getting mail. (Who doesn't?) Today in the mail was this absolutely wonderful package from fellow Etsy Wisconsin Street Team member MineFull. I am participating in the WIST ornament swap this year, and she was my ornament "Secret Santa".

This is the adorable snowman ornament I received from her:

For my ornament, I decided to try something new, and created a little tree from a felted wool sweater. I added beads for ornaments, and a vintage rhinestone button for the star:

I have to say, I am definitely hooked on this swap thing now. I may be heading over to Swap-Bot to find some more swaps to participate in!

Thrifting...

On a whim, I stopped by Goodwill on my way home from work today and perused the furniture section. I normally don't find anything that appeals to me (or I see it being carried off by some lucky person as I walk in), so I was pleasantly surprised to come across this guy:

While it does have some issues (the original cushions are disintegrating under the icky-colored slipcover, and a couple of the support springs are a tad loose), it was sturdy and fit nicely into my mid-century aesthetic. And it was only $10! How can you beat that?

I'm currently researching where to find new springs, but the cushions are easily replaced, and I've already found a great fabric for them (Amy Butler Martini):

(I'm still trying to decide which color scheme I want....)

Sadie has given it her seal of approval, I have a feeling I'll be fighting her for this one. :)

Owl Love

Lately (and and somewhat inexplicably) I have become obsessed with owls. I think I somehow associate owls and the great autumn weather we've been having here on the IL-WI border. Here are some of my favorite owl items on Etsy:

Retro Owls print by FerntreeStudio

Owl mobile by EvelynX

Adorable upcycled wool felt plush owls by woolcrazy

iPhone case by KapomCrafts

Screech owl necklace by lulubugjewelry