Frosted Spooky Candleholders.

I love our tumblers and will find ANY excuse to take photos of them in our decor. When not 'in use' we have them sitting on our bar with our absinthiana.

I recently stumbled upon a post where someone hacked their own version of silhouetted candles. Nicely done, I think, but I'd like to take it a step further and combine it with these instructions found on Country Living.

STEP 1: Measure the height and circumference of the glass candleholder you want to transform.
STEP 2: Scan or download a copyright-free black-and-white illustration onto your computer (we used antique drawings from The Clip Art Book, from $7.59; Gramercy). Using Adobe Photoshop or a similar photo-editing program, adjust the image's size and orientation to fit your vessel's measurements (it may help to print a sample first).
STEP 3: Once the image is the correct size, load white vellum into your printer and print. Gently set the image on a flat surface for a few minutes to allow the ink to dry.
STEP 4: Trim the vellum so it measures exactly as tall as your candleholder and half an inch wider than its circumference.
STEP 5: Wrap the paper around the candleholder and secure the overlapping ends with double-sided tape. Fit the glass with a candle and light.

I'll be back in the next week or two with our own versions. We need to purchase vellum this weekend for a couple of projects. But for now, I'll get this up for anyone to try.

Wheat, also at Gumps

Oh yes, wheat is another favorite.
Murano Glass Wheat Stems [set of 6]
'Delicate golden glass wheat stems are created by master craftsmen on the island of Murano in Italy. Arrange as shown, or in a vase with fresh flowers. Heads are glass, stems are silk-covered wire. 20"L.'

Delicately beautiful!

On Sale at Gump's

Gump's, in San Francisco, was one of my grandmother's favorite stores. She had a wonderful sense of style and I fully understand why she loved this place so much. I decided to check out what they had on sale today. This is what I found.

Cornucopia Baskets
'Symbolizing abundance, our cornucopias make a festive harvest centerpiece filled with your own gourds, greenery, or dried flowers. They're woven from weathered rattan and stand on a stable iron base. Imported.'

On Sale.

Colonial Wax Candle
'With candle and base sculpted from a single piece of wax, these shapely points of light cast a ghostly glow for up to 15-18 hours. Place on a dish to protect surfaces. 17 1/2"H. Imported.'

On Sale.

Autumn

We set up our autumn table today. We're actually using the coffee table in our bedroom. My mother has the domain of the downstairs, and I think she needs the distraction at this time. Sometimes it can be hard to get into the 'season' of things here as the foliage doesn't change. Leaves generally just die. We do get the most amazing sunsets this time of year.

Everything we used we already had in our possession, including a few things that were purchased for the wedding. The greenery came from the yard and I'm not sure what we'll swap out for Samhain. We may keep most of this and add our raven and maybe some webbing.


The Goddess pitcher is an antique Michael collected several years ago. The 'votives' are actually Carew Rice tumblers that were given to my parents as a gift for their wedding.


That's an antique horn that has been in my family for generations. More of my mother's wedding china...


The tea cup was a gift to my grandmother and I cannot for the life of me remember who it was. I will get that from mom.



Oh wait, I lied. The glass terrarium in the background was scored at the thrift store for $0.99. The vintage perfume bottle was purchased on eBay a couple years ago.


You can see Michael's sickle that we used in the 'day after' photos, in the front.

I love my hobnail vase. I've had a lot of bad luck with broken pieces in the past and hope to build up a collection one day.
{Photo credit: Evita Smith & Michael Judd}

More in the silhouette style.

I just can't get enough of this, but it's a little ingrained in me.

{Photo Credit: marthastewart.com}

Make it!

{Photo Credit: marthastewart.com}
Make it!

I'm not sure if I'm glad these weren't around before the wedding.

It would have been really cool to have recreated the part of the invitation with the trees and our silhouettes.

{Photo Credit: marthastewart.com}

Make it!

Living Centerpieces

{Photo credit: Stacy Bode}

We crafted the boxes from old fencing we had in a scrap pile. We made them in the shape of a hexagon, which was an important element tying together our incorporation of bees along with our cake and the mead.

The acorns are from the same batch that I used for Michael's boutonniere. We collected them a couple of years ago.

Measuring to make the cuts at 30°

Bottoms on with drainage holes and screens:

{Photo credit: Evita Smith}