Glam Pumpkins

Happy Halloween!  For mutual a couple of weeks ago we decorated pumpkins.  I decided to paint mine with some metallic paint.  It turned out rather nice, don't you think?

Glass Pumpkin Patch

A couple of weeks ago we made our first visit to the Morton Arboretum.  They were having a Glass Pumpkin Patch to celebrate fall.  There were artists from Illinois and California and various other places.  We watched a demonstration and enjoyed seeing the different sizes, shapes, and colors of glass pumpkins.  Aren't they great?

1803 Candles

We visited another local orchard the other day, and they carried products from 1803 Candles.  They are located in Waterman (about 15 miles from here), and they make soy candles and wax melts (and potpourri).  I got the wax melts in the Honeysuckle Vines scent, and they smell heavenly.  I think I need to make the trek to their store now!

World Market Earrings

We finally made it to World Market.  Have you been?  It's a fabulous store.  I found some great earrings for $5.  I got these three pairs - they were made in India.  World Market also carries food from around the world.  I'm going to have to go there more often - especially now that holiday season is around the corner...

Thomas Siciliano, Papermaker

Another out-of-stater at the Best of Missouri Market was Thomas Siciliano, Papermaker, from Minnesota.  He makes handmade paper with embedded plants that have been painted.  His beautiful work can be found in his Etsy shop here.

1933 Designs

1933 Designs participated in the Best of Missouri Market a couple of weeks ago.  Kurt Moeller makes decorative items from old whiskey barrels and sells on Etsy here.  His booth at the Market also featured jewelry and key rings made from old printing press letters.  This photo (from Facebook) shows what his booth looked like at another festival.  At the bottom are gift tags - also made from whiskey barrels.

Indie Mats

I picked up a couple of cute mats from Indie Mats at the Best of Missouri Market.  They are made in Missouri and designed to help you create great wall displays without the cost of framing (or the nail holes in your walls).  The mats come in a variety of sizes and patterns (including some Amy Butler designs) and can be coordinated for multi-picture displays.  I'll have to try mine out and let you know how it looks!

Sprouted Designs

A returning favorite of mine at the Best of Missouri Market was Sprouted Designs.  Amanda Gray-Swain offers lovely screen printed cards, flour sack towels, scarves, and kids' clothes.  Last year I bought a set of dogwood notecards.  This year I saw this bunny design printed on a onesie, and it was so adorable.  You can find Sprouted Designs around St. Louis and in an Etsy shop here.

MG Designs

One booth that caught my eye at the Best of Missouri Market was filled with fabulous pennant pillows.  MG Designs offers decorative pillows made from vintage travel pennants.  Mimi Griffith is based in St. Louis but also has a shop on Etsy.  The St. Louis pillow is vintage inspired and comes in a variety of colors.  

The Whimsical Workshop

The Whimsical Workshop from Ohio was also at the Best of Missouri Market - they opened it to vendors from other states this year.  The Whimsical Workshop had a lovely booth full of beautifully carved birds.  They offered larger and smaller versions on swings.  I liked the cardinals and bluebirds.

Sherwood Linders Luminaries

Another interesting vendor at the Best of Missouri Market was Sherwood Linders Luminaries.  He cuts coffee and soup cans with a torch to make these incredible luminaries.  My grandma always put luminaries along her walk on Christmas Eve, and I loved it so much.  These would be very durable, and they make pretty patterns.

Tinker, Dicker, and Doc

Last Friday we attended the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  It's always a fun event with lots to see (and taste).  One of the vendors was Tinker, Dicker, & Doc, LLC.  They're based in St. Louis and make candles from soy wax and essential oil.  My favorite was lavender, of course.

Recycled Woollen Rug

Now that it's getting to be colder, I'm thinking about a lovely throw that I bought at Petworth House this summer.  The National Trust offers recycled wool throws (they call them rugs) at the gift shops of many of their properties.  They are made in the UK from recycled wool, which makes them colorful and all different.  (Mine has dark greys and blues and reds.)  They're nice and warm, too!

Dried Lavender

We lost a couple of our lavender plants last winter, but the two that survived did really well this summer.  I dried a bunch to harvest the buds.  I kept some of it to put in a vase, too.  I have really loved growing lavender.  Next year we'll have to plant more!

Rachel and Leah

This month's book club pick is Rachel and Leah by Orson Scott Card.  He has written a Women of Genesis series about various women in the Bible.  This one tells the story of Rachel and Leah and Zilpah and Bilhah and Jacob.  It is thought-provoking to consider the complexity of their story.

General Conference

I liked this picture of the Conference Center, and I'm looking forward to General Conference this weekend.  I hope you enjoy watching and/or listening! 

Rio

Rio de Janeiro is a place that I will probably never visit in my lifetime, but every time I see a picture of it I am fascinated.  The Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I borrowed this picture from Wikipedia - you can see the Christ the Redeemer statue at the upper right corner and Sugarloaf Mountain to the left of center.  So interesting.