A ghetto fabulous fall

Alternately titled "A lazy girl's guide to first tier fall decorating" or " how to recognize our favorite season without schlepping out the bins o' fall."

What?  It's like one of those puzzles where you have to shift everything around just to get to the piece you want.  I'm getting tired just thinking about it.  Thankfully there were some pine cones and jars in my dining room closet, and it was an opportunity to get in on the bunting craze. 

Still working off the same pile of scrap book paper from crafts of yore, this time it was a hunt for oranges and browns.  I think it's adorable, S asked if it was a used car lot.  Clearly, he is not in on the bunting craze.

Said thrift store jars, said pine cones.  Stack o' books with orange polka dot ribbon.  Bam.  Fall.

Ghetto fabulous!  You see how i affixed these?

Staples!  And tape! 

 And yes, those are two previous attempts at snagging the ribbon that didn't go very well.  Remember, this is the lazy girl's guide.  And lazy girls don't look for staple removers.

 Bunting over here, bunting over there.

Bunting, um, no where else just yet.....Let's go see what's in the dining room...

Ooh, corks and pine cones.  What fun textures.

A layering of table runners...I thought the white made the leaves pop.

Who else is in tier one of decorating out of laziness?  Or are you full throttle head to toe Halloween? I've got to get to those bins. 

Party along with me here-Fall Mantel Party, Under $10, Countdown to Autumn, Fall Festival, DIY Showoff Fall Festival, Fall Open House, Hooked on Houses,

Letters about coffee

Dear Starbucks,

Are those pumpkin spice lattes you have this time of year really that good?  Everyone seems to be over the (harvest) moon for them, yet i have yet to try them.  It's your location that keeps me away-your parking lot is the size of a postage stamp.  Cars circle 'round like vultures and two or three tail you to your car.  I don't need that sort of pressure when i'm trying to back up.  Also, your pricing is ridiculous.  Shall i bite the bullet for this once a year treat?

Dear Wawa,

New pumpkin spice cappuccinos?  How similar to Starbucks, and yet your price is so right.  Shall i see what all the fuss is about?  (After sipping) Ooh, child, this is fabulous stuff.  I can see why people get excited over this drink.  Thank you for selling 16 ounces for, like, a dollar.  This is my new favorite fall treat.  I am already thinking about the next Wawa run i can make.

 Do me a favor, ok?  Bring this back every year.  Don't tease me like you did with your winter time sugar cookie cappuccino, because where's that been these last two seasons, huh?  Believe me, i look, and i've been disappointed.  Gingerbread is most certainly not the same. 

And, um, i promise that wasn't me taking all those packets of sweet n low.  That was somebody else super excited to be stuffing them in rocking their burnt orange fall bag.

Yours in good drink,
the cape on the corner

 

Follwing the path to fall

Ok.  Enough wallowing.  Who am i kidding, of course there'll be more wallowing.  I'll forever wallow.  It's my blog, and i'll wallow if i want to.  But.  Amidst all this wallowing, what do i see?  A good and proper sign of fall.  A perfectly placed, "hey, you there, look here" sign, literally showing me the path that will bring me out of wallowsville.

Look at this perfect little leaf and its rain drenched outline.

 

"That's right", i thought to myself.  This is most wonderful time of the year.  I want to want to decorate my home with leaves and pumpkins.  I want to link up to fall blog parties, and enjoy what others are creating.  I want to be able to enjoy this delicious autumn. 

  Thank you, friends, for your kind words during this time of great despair. 

 Thank you, little peaceful, perfectly placed leaf, for showing me the way out.

Stop all the clocks

Stop all the clocks by W.H. Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Monday, after a 6 month battle with pancreatic cancer, i buried my father.  He passed away on Thursday, August 25th, at 4:20pm with my family and i by his side.  To say we are devastated and distraught is not nearly saying enough.  I don't know how we will live without him. 

Southern Spain in pictures

Not really feeling it, you guys.  Let's just pretend we're in Southern Spain and Tenerife, ok?  I've never showed you any pictures from our adventure back in April, and today seems like a good day to do so.

Alhambra, Granada

Casa De Los Balconies, La Orotava, Tenerife

Candelaria, Tenerife

Granada

Alhambra, Granada

Granada

Playa de las Americas, Tenerife

Reflection of Alhambra in boyfriend's glasses.  Hehe.

Punta de Teno, Teno lighthouse.Westernmost point in Tenerife.  Violated rental car agreement to get out to this lighthouse.

Mijas

Papas arragudas, Canarian cuisine from Tenerife

La Orotava. Amazed at how you just walk right out into the street from your door.

Playa de la Tejita, at the base of Montana Roja.  We asked our hotel where a smaller, closer, less populated beach was.  They suggested this.  Nude beach.  Naked, old men, running on hot sand.  Not exactly the spanish scene i had in mind.

All the wines made in Tenerife.  We bought 4 bottles.  3 made it home safely.  The most expensive, the one
intended for me, broke.  Tip-wrap each bottle individually.  Just because it survives one plane ride intact does not mean it will survive the long one home.

 

El Tiede, Tenerife, tallest peak in Spain.

Everyone keeps asking where we're going next, and i think we'll stick a little closer to home.  Any statestide suggestions?? 

Also, i'm one follower away from 400!  Woo hoo!  Lurkers/readers-Can we make this happen?  With a bit of a buffer, too, if you don't mind? 

You can catch me here: wayfaring weds and weekend bloggy reading.

And i quote

For the gallery wall, i'm definitely feeling typography involvement.  Maybe some song lyrics or just a nice saying.  This is when pinterest and etsy come in extra handy.

OR  this scandalous idea, guaranteed to give you a one up on your intrusive in laws who pop over all the time more than a little occasionally.

From Daily Candy's website: Inspired by Yves Klein’s abstract expressionism and Andy Warhol’s performance art, Love Is Art founder Jeremy Brown has hit upon a sophisticated approach to expressing your love. Couples strip down to their birthday suits and roll around in specially formulated black paint while doing the deed. The end result is a graphic work of art that wouldn’t look out of place on a gallery wall. Brown spent months researching materials and, after looking high and low, came across a hypoallergenic cotton canvas and nontoxic pigment that won’t irritate sensitive parts.

How's that for personalized artwork, eh?  Eh?

via pinterest, pinterest, scenicglory, tessyla, pennywishes, capow, tenderbeasts, handz, lovesugar

Stick 'em up

The winner of the Uprinting giveaway for 250 stickers is.....

Wow...this actually does happen...comment number 1 is...

Meg at The Pendleton House!

Congrats, Meg!  I'm so excited you won!  I'll be sending you an email in a moment!