GETTING FESTIVE

Justin and I are REALLY hoping we get a few trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Unfortunately, we live on a tiny dead end street that's off the beaten path...so it's definitely possible that no little ones will venture down here. But if they do I want our porch to look welcoming....so I gussied it up in the spirit of the season.

I got some really beautiful pinky purple mums and a couple of ornamental cabbages. I love the purples and minty greens with the bright orange of the pumpkins.

I decided to stick with that color palette for my Picasso inspired jack-o-lanterns.

I ended up painting them with screenprinting ink because I happened to have some lying around the house...but I doubt it's waterproof...so I gave them a good coat of matte varnish. Hopefully, now they will be able to withstand the elements.

The only part I actually carved out are the eyes. I LOVE the way they look all lit up at night.

I took Martha's advice and used a strand of twinkle lights wrapped around a jar to light the inside of the pumpkin. It's much brighter than a candle...and I won't be quite as worried about burning the house down.

We finished off the porch by hanging up some colored globe lights in orange, pinky-purple, and clear.

They make the front of the house look a zillion times happier. Justin and I are kinda tempted to leave them up year round.

WATCHING THE LEAVES CHANGE

Fall is truly magical upstate. I love waking up each morning and seeing the bright, beautiful leaves out my bedroom windows. And with all of the trees up here it's like every room in the house has a brand new view!

This is what I see when I walk out the front door...

And this amazingness is right around the corner...

I'm not that into the earthy palette usually associated with fall---browns, burnt oranges, yellows, maroons---but I REALLY respond to the crazy neon oranges and electric reds that I see on these trees around town. Apparently it's impossible to capture with my camera...but I swear, they look radioactive.

ACCESSORY INSPIRATION

My accessories game has become really predictable. I pretty much ONLY wear necklaces. Specifically long jangly pendant necklaces. Every once in a blue moon I'll throw on some bracelets or a brooch or two...but thats about it. As far as rings are concerned, I just wear my wedding band. Never anything else. And I haven't worn earrings in like a decade.

But I'm ready for a change. Dare I add STATEMENT EARRINGS into the rotation?!

I'm talking Edie Sedgwick style over-the-top, long, dangly, shoulder-grazing earrings.

Go big or go home. Who's with me?

PUMPKIN, SAGE, and PECORINO RAVIOLI

I know posting has been spotty around here lately....but we've had LOTS of guests the past few weeks. So much entertaining means we've had a chance to try our hand at cooking some new seasonal dishes. Our latest: pumpkin, sage, and pecorino ravioli.

Justin and I make homemade pasta a lot but this was our first attempt at ravioli. It turned out pretty darn delicious...and now all we can do is talk about all the things we can fill ravioli with. FIGS! KALE! GOAT CHEESE! PROSCIUTTO! So many possibilities!

The recipe we used came from the cookbook In Season, by Sarah Raven. Her recipe isn't available online so I scanned the page from the book with the ingredients and directions in case anyone wants to give it a whirl. It's posted here.

RAINY DAYS and RUMMAGE SALES

Today is the kind of gray, rainy day that usually makes me want to curl up under the covers and never get out of bed. That is unless the church around the corner is having a rummage sale. Then I'm up and out the door by 9.

I got a few things we have been looking for: fireplace tools, a log holder, and a magazine rack.

And wouldn't you know it, they had a vintage raincoat for each of us! Justin's has tiny yellow and white stripes and mine is red with a plaid interior. Cute, practical, and perfect for the walk home. Now all we need are duck boots.

BOOK VILLAGE and BIBLIOBARN

Last Sunday, Justin and I drove up to Hobart, NY...the self-proclaimed "book village" of the Catskills. It's a sleepy little town that has several used and antiquarian bookstores on its main street...and not much else. Our favorite stop was Bibliobarn...which is a few miles up the road in South Kortright. It's a treasure trove of old books housed in a converted barn and run by a couple of adorable old hippies. It's a magical place full of good vibes. And guess what. It's for sale! The whole kit and kaboodle -- the barn, the books, and the five sprawling acres of loveliness.

HELLO FALL

We've been DYING to use the fireplace ever since we moved in back in April...but the weather didn't really call for it. Finally, the evenings are getting cold enough to deem it appropriate...and last night we gave it a whirl.

Justin is quite the little fire builder (thank you Camp La Junta). He had it up and going in no time. We had our fingers crossed, and thank goodness, the smoke was indeed going up and out the chimney and the whole thing seems to work like a charm.

The cats were mesmerized by the whole process. Steve kept a safe distance from the actual fire...but Julian, in his usual fashion, wanted to be as close as possible. You'd think he would have learned his lesson after singeing off half of his whiskers from a too-close encounter with a candle a few weeks ago...but, no.

It's looking like fall is gonna be as dreamy as I'd hoped.