More Fall Wreaths!

Thanksgiving is almost here, which signals the end of Fall and the beginning of the Christmas season in most people's books!

I thought I'd share the rest of my Fall wreaths before it's too late! I did so well at my first craft show that I decided to enter another one a few weeks later! They are actually a lot of fun! I am planning on doing some more shows in the Spring and again next Fall as well! Now I just need to work on restocking my inventory!

It makes me really happy and proud when someone buys one of my wreaths! I hope they cherish them for a long time as part of their seasonal décor and love them as much as I do!

If you missed my post last month about my first set of Fall Wreaths, you can see it here!

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Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner

A few weeks ago my husband and I went to the historic Embassy Theater to see the travelling Broadway production of Dirty Dancing. It had us reminiscing about our trip we took a few years back to The Mountain Lake Lodge, which was the setting for the classic film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

We stopped by The Mountain Lake Lodge as a side trip on our way to Gatlinburg on a rainy Fall afternoon. I had stumbled across all these pictures on Pinterest of "The Lodge" and I knew I just had to go one day! Not only do I love anything having to do with movies, but it looked so beautiful there as well!

Nestled in the mountains of Pembroke, Virginia, The Mountain Lake Lodge sits atop a vast lawn sprinkled with rustic cabins, a gazebo, and even a disappearing lake! The property still looks much like it did in the film, Dirty Dancing (with the exception of the lake - you can see why here.) Visitors can even rent out the cabin where Baby's family stayed or eat in the same dining room where Baby first caught a glimpse of the rebel Johnny Castle.

While walking the grounds and visiting the little museum, we learned a lot of behind the scenes facts about the filming of Dirty Dancing. The movie was filmed in October of 1986 and the filmmakers actually had to spray paint the leaves of the trees in order to make it look like summertime! And did you know that Dirty Dancing was actually filmed in two separate locations? Most of the movie was filmed in Virginia, with The Mountain Lake Lodge serving as Kellerman's Resort, but many other pivotal scenes (including the dance at the end and the famous "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" line) were filmed in Lake Lure, North Carolina. After visiting The Mountain Lake Lodge we were psyched to go to Lake Lure and continue our little Dirty Dancing movie tour. We actually did go there on another trip south and I'll have to write about that adventure someday too!

We weren't able to stay at The Mountain Lake Lodge due to the timing of our trip, but I would love to go back and spend the night. The Lodge actually hosts Dirty Dancing Weekends with all sorts of themed activities! If you are in the area, even just passing through like we were, I highly recommend stopping by the Mountain Lake Lodge. Even though we were only there a few hours, it was still an amazing place to visit and walking around the beautifully manicured grounds really makes you feel like you are in Dirty Dancing yourself. Even if you're not a fan of the movie, it's still worth the stop! I can't wait to go back and "have the time of my life!"

The beautiful mountains of Virginia, home to The Mountain Lake Lodge.

I love driving through the mountains! It's pretty flat here in northern Indiana.

When you first arrive at Kellerman's, I mean The Mountain Lake Lodge, you pull right up front to unload your suitcases, just like they did in Dirty Dancing!

It doesn't take much to imagine that you are right there in the movie!

Here's Baby's cabin!

And the gazebo where you can take dancing lessons from Penny. She used to be a Rockette, you know.

The poor little lake. Hopefully someday it will refill itself again. This whole area was once covered in water!

One of the beautiful walking paths at The Mountain Lake Lodge. I really think Fall is the best time to go anywhere!

The dining room in The Lodge, now a restaurant called Harvest.

Although it was a gloomy day, the view from the porch was still gorgeous.

"Have the time of your life!"

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DIY Rustic Fall Floral Arrangement

Last year around Thanksgiving I made an awesome faux floral arrangement for the centerpiece of my Fall table. It was so beautiful and easy to make that I had been dying to make another one this year. I also wanted to make something to put on my little table at my craft shows to dress it up a bit.

This year's arrangement is a little less formal and not necessarily for my dining room table. It's more rustic Fall farmhouse style with it's yellow and red Fall flowers, orange hydrangeas, and cotton stems, and of course, it's mason jar vase!

I went to Hobby Lobby and got several different Autumn picks. If you're unfamiliar with what a pick is, it's the little flowers, pumpkins, and Fall accoutrements that have a stem or something to stick in a wreath or floral arrangement. I also got a single Ball mason jar there to put them in.

When I got home, I arranged the flowers the way that I liked them best and tied them off with a rubber band. That way, they would stay in place and not flop all over the jar. Then, I simply put them in the mason jar! That's it! Easy!

Use as many picks as you need to fill the jar and whatever kinds you like! I was going for a Fall mix and I really liked the tall berries sticking out of the flowers. It added more height. I also really liked the fact that there were some leaves in with the flowers to give it some interest. And of course, you can't go wrong with a cotton stem! 

I arranged the flowers how I liked them best.

And then I rubberbanded them together at the base of the flowers to hold them in place.

Simply put them in the jar and you're finished! A perfect Fall floral arrangement for anywhere you need a pop of Fall color!

DIY Ghost Gourd!

 Halloween is my favorite holiday and I especially love decorating my home for it!

For years I've wanted to do a gourd craft, but all the tutorials out there seemed to require a lot of work, starting with drying out the gourds for almost a year! I was so happy when I discovered that my favorite pumpkin patch sold already dried gourds!

I decided to do a ghost gourd for Halloween and it was super easy! All I needed was white spray paint and a little bit of black paint for the face.

Dried gourds tend to be very ugly and dirty looking. I tried to scrub off the dirt and flaky stuff as best I could with a scrub brush. There were still a lot of uneven areas, but it's natural and just added to the rustic, spookiness of the ghost! Most dried gourds will also have moldy looking spots on them, so I used a spray paint that covered mold and water stains. It worked perfectly and I feel okay with it in my house now!

This was really my first time using spray paint so I got a few drips and runs here and there. Afterwards, my husband told me to use short bursts of paint and don't get too close to whatever you are painting. Now I know for my next gourd!

My DIY Ghost Gourd was so quick, fun, and easy, I will definitely be making more of them! 

Gourds come in many different shapes and sizes! I dug through this pile of already dried gourds to find the perfect ones for my Ghost Gourds!

My gourd, all spray painted and ready for his face! Obviously, wait for the white paint to dry before you put the face on!

Next step, paint the face! I used this black enamel paint because I already had it. It's a bit like carving a pumpkin. You may want to draw on the face before you paint to make sure it's how you want it!

Exactly what I wanted! I love when that happens! This little guy is the perfect addition to all the rest of my Halloween decor! You can decorate both the inside and outside of your house with gourd ghosts!

BOO!

 Happy Halloween!

My Fall Wreaths

 I love a good wreath! It really makes your front door pop and welcomes guests to your home. It is the perfect finishing touch for your front porch decor!

For the past several years, I have been making my own wreaths. They are actually very easy to put together and I love to design my own. I made my first wreath about ten years ago when I moved into my very own apartment. I got a very cheap and flimsy Fall leaf garland from Walmart and fashioned it into a circle with floral wire. That was it, and it served me well for almost a decade until I decided to make a new one. Then, it was like I could not be stopped! I just kept on making more wreaths, not just for Fall, but for every season and holiday possible!

Now, I have decided to take my wreaths public and hopefully make a few extra bucks! I entered a very prestigious craft show here in Fort Wayne, The Deer Ridge Holly Days Craft Show, and they actually let me in! Making wreaths, planning out my booth, and praying that someone will buy my wreaths has consumed every waking moment here lately! That is why I have been slacking on the blogging front, so I thought it was time to do a post about my wreaths!

I did a photo shoot last weekend because I am going to have a book of my wreaths that people can order from at my craft booth. I used an old, chippy antique door we salvaged as the backdrop and it worked out perfectly! Right now, I just photographed the Fall wreaths. I have a lot of Christmas wreaths I've made and I need to make more, but it's so hard to get into the Christmas mood in September and October! I'm all about Fall! It is my favorite season after all!

Here are some of my Fall wreaths that I've done so far. I have a lot more that are half finished that I need to work on and I better get on it, because the show is in two weeks! Yikes! I am nervous and excited at the same time! If you see any you like, and are in the Fort Wayne area, stop by the Deer Ridge Craft Show on October 21 and buy one! And say hello too!

Wish me luck!!!

 

The Johnny Appleseed Festival

According to the calendar, Autumn officially arrived on September 22nd. But in reality, the Fall season began in the Fort Wayne area the weekend before, with the 43rd annual Johnny Appleseed Festival. Held every year on the third full weekend in September, The Festival is the official kick off of Fall around here!

Full of delicious food, unique crafts, antiques, and even part farmers market, The Johnny Appleseed Festival honors the legendary John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed), who is actually buried here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In case you're not familiar with him, "Johnny" went around planting apple trees all around the eastern part of U.S. in the early days of America. A little known fact about Johnny's apples is that they were used mostly for making hard cider instead of for eating! 

The Johnny Appleseed Festival is probably my most favorite time of the year. Not only do I love a good festival, and Fall in general, but this festival holds a special place in my heart. When I was in grade school, my church and school had a booth at Johnny Appleseed that I worked for several years! Dressing like a pioneer is a requirement to work The Festival and it was always so much fun to steal away in your pioneer woman dress and bonnet and go play in the creek with your friends.

This year, we had an extra special visitor to The Johnny Appleseed Festival! Mo Rocca from CBS Sunday Morning (and My Grandmother's Ravioli) came to Fort Wayne to film a segment for Sunday Morning and partake in all things apple! Centered around his grave in Johnny Appleseed Park, The Festival offers plenty of food made from apples, from Apple Dumplings to Apple Pancake Roll-Ups. They even have the world's best Ham and Bean Soup (and cornbread!) It's not been released yet when the episode will air, but I am keeping my ears open! My mom and I ran into them filming all over the festival, so who knows, we may be in a few shots!

Even if it's ninety degrees out (like it was this year!), this festival just gets you in the mood for Fall! Everywhere you look there are pumpkins, apples, and mums! The sound of bagpipes, drums, and cannons fill the air and the smell of campfires permeate everything! I dare you to visit the Johnny Appleseed Festival and NOT want to go home and make caramels, drink cider, and decorate your home for Fall!

Some of the "pioneers" hard at work cooking up a batch of caramel corn!

Here's Mo and the crew filming!

I couldn't resist this bucket of wooden gourds! I had to get one!

Fall abounds everywhere you go at The Johnny Appleseed Festival!

Johnny Appleseed Park is actually a campground the rest of the year. It's a really beautiful area.

Every year we get at least one of these ceramic mushrooms. My goal is to have a whole little forest of them like this!

The farmer's market area is perhaps my most favorite part. It's full of gorgeous flowers like this!

And this! You can purchase bunches of them and make your own bouquet!

I loved these wooden witches!

And the matching ghosts! I wish I would have gotten them now! Next year!

There are just so many cool crafts at the Johnny Appleseed Festival!

Of course, stopping by the grave of the man that started it all is required!