A Touch of Autumn

When it's time to decorate for Fall I always take out my old magazines and look through them for inspiration.

It's fun to shop your own house for decorations. Or maybe even the backyard. I was planning to go with a neutral palate. Perhaps I have read one too many Jeanne D'Arc magazines lately.

I brought out the velvet pumpkins and the Fall wreath.  It looked boring. So I added a strand of battery operated twinkle lights I had tucked away for Christmas and voila just the right amount of bling it needed!

I picked up this little Fall wreath and decided to put it around a flameless candle. The brown transferware gravy boat finished the vignette.

 I looked to see what Fall touches I might add to this corner of my kitchen. I decided it did not need anything more. It has a lot going on already . It's good to know when to say when.

Percy for once was staying out of my way as I put a few decorations in place.

But then of course, he had to photobomb my shot. I knew he wanted his coffee. Yes, he is a caffeine addict. He gets high on the smell of coffee. He has tried numerous times to snag a sip of coffee. Luckily he has not and never will succeed. He's wired enough!

I had a great weekend. I decorated, spent time with the kitties, did a daytrip to Hamilton and another one to Concord. I'll post about all my adventures throughout the week so don't forget to check in often.

The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch

The best and the brightest students in the world attend MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Cambridge. It is a very prestigious college.

On Saturday, I attended the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch fundraiser at MIT.  Before I reached the Kresge Oval where the event was held I saw this sign. This may be Not Art but across the street there was art a plenty!

This year's event was the biggest ever. The students in the glass blowing class had created 2000+ pumpkins at the MIT Glass Labs. 5-7 students created each pumpkin.

The day could not have been more perfect as the afternoon was warm and dry. I viewed each of the small pumpkin patches. Pumpkins varied in size and color and in price. Most were under $200 and some were under $100. I did see one for $1000. These women told me they already had two pumpkins in the car and they came back for more!

What a one of a kind gift this would make. I really liked this one but it was over my budget.

And this one was going home with this young man. I heard his mom say she really liked it but it was a little expensive. He said, "Well, you do have a birthday coming up". What a sweet son!

We were told not to pick the pumpkins up by their stems because they could break but this one looked pretty sturdy.

This woman liked them all. I think she was having a hard time deciding. Some people were buying more than one. Early Christmas shopping perhaps?

I think this woman was making her final choice with a little help from her friends and family.

            It certainly was a beautiful day for looking at pumpkins and fundraising. I hope the students made lots of  money!

The Vintage Bazaar, Salisbury, Massachusetts

The emu greeted us at the entrance to the Vintage Bazaar and he/she had a lot to say.  Probably because there was a lot going on at the Vintage Bazaar.  There was much to see and we had only a few hours to see 130 + vendors. Obviously, we weren't going to get to everyone.

It was a little cool in the morning so it was perfect for shopping. The grass was a bit wet but I didn't mind. Later in the day it was much warmer.

The displays were first rate. I have never seen such beautifully merchandised spaces in my life. Everyone had such unique booths. They were pure eye candy.

I told this woman I was giving her the best booth award. Her booth stood out from the sea of canopies. Anyone who adds a chandelier to their booth is tops in my book.

See the chandelier? Not only was the display great, the jewelry was lovely too. Nicely done.

Ooh, I really liked that chalkboard in the silver frame! Of course it caught my eye, I have a chalkboard obsession.

I love this. Christina calls herself a Treasurer Broker. Wouldn't that be a great job? I might just have the qualifications.

Wish I could have taken this home. It made me laugh and many others chuckled too.

This woman had  the Asylum sign in her both. She sold some wonderful soaps and she gave me a free sample. It was called sleeping angels. Smells heavenly!

We stopped by the Buttermilk Baking company tent for some molasses cookies. They were delicious and I will be visiting their shop in Newburyport soon. Lovely people too.

These dogs were so cute! The older dog led the puppy. The puppy obediently had the older dog's leash in his mouth. The two of them were adorable and they were never going to be separated.

Another great display. Nice sign at the booth's entrance. I enjoyed speaking to the ladies in this booth.

Loved the coasters and the drawers holding them. Very unique and practical.

Pauline Gould does absolutely beautiful work with crochet and knitting.  The colors she uses are fantastic!

My sister modeled the mittens that I eventually purchased. They are so soft! I love fingerless gloves and mittens for Winter Photography. Keeps my whole hand from getting cold.

Pauline was more than happy to model her work for us. I loved the scarfs too. Pauline has an etsy shop too  in case you were wondering.

This woman was a sweetheart. She did wonderful artwork inspired by vintage children's books. Lots of kitties in her pieces so of course I was interested.

Here is one of her pieces. So adorable! Lovely frame too. She had quite the selection.

I stopped by Pop and Circumstance's booth. Becky was enjoying her first Vintage Bazaar as a vendor.

Of course I had to buy a few of these cute "tea" spoons! They will make great package toppers.

I really, really wanted to bring this little cabinet home but I didn't. It was in great condition.Looking at the photo now, I wish I had purchased it. It would look great in my new office which is still unfinished.

What a great space! The vendors really went all out at this fair. The name of the shop is Bohemian Cottage. I am sure I will do business with them at some point. After all, I loved everything in the booth.

What a cool bench! I was thinking this would be great in my dining room at one side of the table. Have you ever seen that in a magazine? One side is a bench and the other side is chairs.

There were so many nice things in this booth. I wish I had more time to look but I had to leave to go home for an appointment.

Such lovely linens. The vendor had a beautiful selection of pretties. I could have dropped a bundle at this bouth given more time.

I think this dress form is a sister to my Vivienne. My dressform is more into clothes. This one is clearly into jewelry. This vendor, Sand, Sea, and Steam had the most innovative displays.

I love steampunk so this was right up my alley. And the vendor was the nicest young woman. A real joy to speak to. She is so passionate about her work. And as I said her displays were phenomenal.

My friend Diane is a painter. She had a fabulous display of her work. You may remember her as my cat Oscar's foster Mom.

Diane sold cards too. I love her artwork and someday I will own one of her paintings.

This vendor was busy and you can see why.  She had great salvage pieces. I almost went for the spindles.

Ir was a perfect Fall day and my first exposure to The Vintage Bazaar. I am sure it will not be my last.

Beth's Bakery and Cafe, Sandwich, Massachusetts

The first day of vacation in Sandwich, we lunched at Beth's Bakery and Café on Jarves St. It was within walking distance of the inn so it was the perfect spot for a quick lunch.

Of course, I am a sucker for any chalkboard menu so I knew I would like the place. Hmm, homemade mac and cheese, yum!

It was quite warm that day but we still sat outside on the deck. Good people watching and there was a breeze.

The café used to be a Puritan Church. My sister wanted to know if Jarves St was church row because the inn used to be a church, the café was a church and the stores down the street were formerly the first Catholic Church in Sandwich.

We both had the mac and cheese. I opted for the fruit cup instead of the salad. It was all very good.

Here's the inside of the café. Lots of goodies to choose from. We didn't have any fancy drinks or desserts.

 

This is the view from the deck.

 

One morning I walked down to Beth's for my morning coffee. They had just opened and I was the first customer. I ended up meeting Joe ,the owner, and he gave me the history of the place. Beth is his wife's name.

Yes, the place was a Puritan Church once and much later it was a USO Hall.

Now it is a cute café with beadboard walls and simple decoration. A nice local place for coffee, breakfast or lunch. The owner told me he changed the name from Beth's Special Teas to Beth's Café and Bakery because people thought it was a tea shop. He said he rarely had male customers when the name was Beth's Special Teas.

There was quite the collection of antiques hung high above the restaurant. I love the old sewing machine table. I just got one at a recent yard sale.

He told me he got the stain glass windows from a builder who had salvaged them from an old building. Joe had them in his basement for years. He thought they were pretty but he had no idea how he would use them.

When he bought the building, he realized he had the perfect spot for the doves. He said unfortunately because of the way the glass was cut he could only put them in as descending doves. Either way, they are beautiful.

I enjoyed speaking with Joe, and Gail, who made my cappuccino. She was so pleasant and efficient I was sure she was Joe's wife. I asked if she was Beth. She laughed and said no she was not an owner.
Everyone on staff was great.

If you are in the Sandwich area check out Beth's Bakery and Café on Jarves St. You'll be happy you did.