...a little fall color...

...I love Trader Joe's...

...so many wonderful fresh flowers to choose from...

...last week I spent a whopping $3.99...

...and simply had hours of fun...

...plus even more hours of enjoying these lovely fresh flowers in our home...

...the colors were so pretty together...

...one magnificent sunflower...

...anchored the bouquet...

...in size and color...

...a white pitcher became the perfect vase for them...

...I added a little fern from my garden...

...oh, my...

...the detail and coloring on each flower...

...simply amazing...

...beautiful contrasting colors...

...the sunflower is still around...

...in its dried state...

...still gorgeous...

...and giving joy...

...of course, I had to play with textures in Photoshop Elements...

...should I have this one printed on canvas? ...

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile.” 

― William Cullen Bryant

...more treasures in the guest room...

...the bedside table is small...

...well, so is the guest room...

...because it has a glass top...

...it's a great place to display some family treasures...

...some of these gems are from antique stores...

...some from my Gram's sewing box...

...delicate and sweet old glasses...

...old dotted swiss curtains form the soft foundation for the arrangement...

...wonderful old tatted lace...

...tiny white buttons...

..little thimbles and scissors...

...and the most delicate blue pin cushion...

...yes, that's me on the right...

...the handsome young man is my big brother...

...and the precious baby is the apple of everyone's eye...

...my Gram was listed in this program...

...she was in high school at the time...

...notations list the prize winners ...

...we always knew she was one of the best...

...sweet lace gloves...

...and of course, the old curling iron...

...the vintage valentines are addressed to Gram's husband, Glen...

...perfect little needlepoint coin purse...

...wonderful old hat pin...

...a hairbrush with a silver top...

...just a little glimpse...

“You only live once, but if you do it right, 

once is enough.” 

― Mae West

...what is it about vintage lace that makes me love it so...

...wonderful symmetry...

...lovely texture...

...oh, so romantic...

...exquisitely elaborate...

...charming creative elements...

...tidy little scallops...

...sweet florets...

...gorgeous tones...

...in perfect balance...

...perfect for layering...

...flawless detail...

...ladies who made these were so inspired and resourceful...

...love, love, love...

...these lovely whites make my heart happy...

...all found in my guest room...

...our oldest granddaughter and her husband are going to visit...

...they will be here soon...

...we can't wait...

...sharing my love of white pumpkins...

...little white pumpkins were in our market this week...

...they're the perfect element for fall decorating...

...in our small white cottage...

...cute from every angle...

...they were moved to every corner of our home...

...looking for good light...

...for the perfect shot...

...on this old chippy white cupboard...

...nine little white pumpkins sit in a line...

...perfectly behaved...

...just waiting for me to snap their photo...

...sigh...

...of course, the reality is...

...we are still having 99 degree temperatures...

...fall is still a little wait for us...

...but a girl can hope...

...and play...

...and play some more...

...pure happiness...

"The highest form of bliss is living with a certain degree of folly."

~Erasmus

...playing school...

...as a child I used to love to play school...

...and then for many years it was my career...

...I truly loved teaching...

...now when September comes...

...I still think about school...

...but I'm so happy that I am now able to pursue other things...

...this image was processed with PicMonkey...

...usually I work in Photoshop Elements...

...sometimes I set up a photo shoot...

...and never 'play' with any of the photos....

...these are some muslin pears that I made years ago...

...they are painted white with little sticks for stems...

...and a little white leaf...

...they have been photographed more than anything else in my home...

...always such good models...

...easy to pose...

...always ready...

...I love the simplicity...

...and the vintage tones...

...I named this one 'back to school'...

...how lucky am I to be able to enjoy my photographic journey...

"Old times" never come back and I suppose it's just as well.  What comes back is a new morning every day in the year, and that's better.

~George Edward Woodberry