fall neutrals

apple country!

we are lucky to be so close to apple country.  every year we spend a weekend taking in some fall- north georgia beauty and stopping at all of the orchards.

seed saving

when dry fall weather comes, it's the perfect time for seed collecting. if you've been admiring some vines or flowers this summer, grab a couple of pods and save some seeds.  just let them dry well in a warm room, then store in an envelope and label, making notes of color and growing conditions (part shade, full sun, does well in shade, etc.).  save for next year or give some as small thank you or get well gifts.

whipstitch!

i was in atlanta the other day and we visited the

whipstich

fabric store and sewing lounge.  i was smitten with all of the fabric designs, classes, and all of the sweet details throughout.   whipstich is a perfect place to visit if you are going HANDMADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!  i can assure you that you will leave this place, completely inspired and ready to make.

last of the marigolds

this past weekend a frost was forcasted which meant the last of the flowers!  i headed out to rebeccas house and we picked loads of marigold heads.  i brought them into my shop and we made necklaces with them all day long.  all of the families had a blast making them and we smelled like sweet marigolds all day!

enjoy!!

southern sweet potato pie

a perfect pie for this cool weather. check out your local farmer's market for some fresh sweet potatoes.

recipe follows

ingredients

pie shell

2 cups of mashed sweet potato

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice and nutmeg

directions

heat oven to 450 degrees to prepare your pie shell

-cook slightly until it begins to brown

-remove from oven and lower oven temperature to 350 degrees

-mix all ingredients together and pour into pie shell

-cook for 40 minutes

-serve along side praline pecans and ice cream

treehouse !

talk about instant inspiration!

kristen has fulfilled her dream of a kid's shop that's full of creative and planet-friendly toys, crafts and clothing for babies, toddlers and more.

it's called

treehouse kid + craft

, and when you enter the store, you can feel the upbeat, creative energy that tells you that a store can be more than just a place to buy things.

there's so many handmade touches in the creative displays: the windows are full of cute handstitched fabric mushrooms on beds of moss...bell jars with fantastic little elf worlds constructed within are placed here and there.

there's a craft area for kids, and a huge handstitched tree of life wall hanging (

from kristen's handmade wedding

) to admire and inspire.

congratulations,

kristen!

- - - - - - - - - - - -

treehouse is located at 815 w. broad street in athens, georgia.

plan a visit soon or visit their website:

treehousekidandcraft.com

!

harvest time!

well, even though it's been so warm, it's the time of year where we could get a frost any time now, so this weekend we went ahead and picked all the green tomatoes, hot peppers, and harvested the sweet potatoes. here's a look-

UFO house

on a drive through the outskirts of chattanooga, we passed

this

home.  yep it's a private residence.  i sure wish that we could have seen the inside, it's probably pretty great!  enjoy!