Happy Halloween!!!!

Happy Halloween everybody!!!!! Hope everyone has a spooktacular day and weekend - gonna be a busy one around here - trick or treat - church's fall festival - got a
50th wedding anniversary to attend - oh my - busy but FUN.

These are the lil' pumpkins I'm getting ready to deliver to my lil' boy's kindergarten class - all personalized - and the girls get a lil' ribbon on theirs. Jus' a lil' something fun - since I know they will get SOOOOOO much candy!

Everybody have a splendid day!
Oh and P.S. - PJ and Cathy Jean - sorry I didn't pick up my BOO - I need more hours in my day - don't you. But thank you for thinking of me and BOO back at ya!

Cathy Cobblestone

One down, a few to go...

Well, this was the biggest pumpkin we had and my lil' boy couldn't wait to get his hands and lil' pocket knife on it. Obviously, he had lots of help from his daddy and papa. He had so much fun - but boy, was it cold.



Lit up on the porch last night - the next one is gonna be all mine - I think it'll be polka-dotted - imagine that!!!!

Have a great Wednesday!
Cathy Cobblestone

One Last Picture of...

...my pretty yellow mums. It is supposed to be down to 29 degrees tonight - BRRRRRRRR.... and I was afraid the freeze might get them. I will cover them - that might help. They are jus' still so pretty - I hate to loose them. Just a suggestion for ya though - I strongly recommend this particular variety of mums. This was the first year we had grown this kind - yellow "Bethany". It is a season extender mum - which means they bloom later and longer into the season. As many of the other varieties have already faded - these are at their peak. So if you can remember that name "Bethany" - you might want to pick some up for next year - they are one of MY new favorites.

You know how I explained to you all earlier that all mums have women's names - and I said there were none named "Cathy" that I was aware of - well, my dear, sweet friend Amy e-mailed me a picture of a beautiful orange-bronze mum named "Cathy" - that I believe was featured in Southern Living. Thank you Amy - I so enjoyed that - I'm thrilled to know it exists - I'll have to hunt them down for next year. Thanks for sharing with me.

You all have a beautiful and blessed Tuesday - I believe we will be carving pumpkins tonight!

Blessings,
Cathy Cobblestone

Oh What a Happy Day!

Well, my friends, this is a lil' picture story of that wedding I worked on last weekend. Now, it was in the country, I mean REALLY in the country and Mike and Kathy wanted something that fit them and their new log cabin. Her instructions, no I should say requests, were - simple,rustic, and us. She was just a joy to work with and I hope I helped make her special day one she will always remember. She wanted strictly autumn colors and nature's bounty so here we go...



I took our last load of mums, straw, and fodder down the country road over an hour away from my home..



...one of two pick-up truck loads of pumpkins...



...where they said "I do"...



...the entry to the tent...



...the beautiful pond right beside where the ceremony took place..



...on one table...



...then another - full of gourds, cabbage, bittersweet, mums, and baby Indian corn...



...where they lovingly stood nestled at the edge of the woods...



...their beautiful log cabin - still in the works - stone work on bottom yet to be finished - all of the work is being done by them - isn't it beautiful?...



...another table...



...and yes, another table - it's easy to decorate when Mother Nature gives us so many beautiful things to work with...

...here is another view from the hill...



...this is a pocket wreath filled with Purple Melissa mums and lil' bit of greenery placed by the entry door to their home...



...the flower girl's basket - tied with dried yarrow and nandina(Nandino?)berries, ribbon and raffia - she dropped leaves down the grassy isle...



...simple boutonnieres made from cut mums and nandina berries tied off with raffia..



...the bridal bouquet made simply from nandina greenery and berries, cut orange mums, lime green zinnias and a few zebra grass plumes...



I actually decorated the day before the wedding so I didn't get to see the lovely bride - but I'm sure she was beautiful and the day was gorgeous - 65 and sunny. So Kathy and Mike - best wishes and many blessings to you. Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!!

Have a great weekend friends - now I've got to change gears and get my shop decorated for Christmas - Oh My - where does the time go????

Cathy Cobblestone

Love that Reflection!

Here is a simple snapshot of that wedding I worked on last weekend. I took this picture from their log cabin porch that overlooked this pretty pond. It was a beautiful setting. I simply love the reflection in the water - so very pretty and peaceful. I'll share more with ya later!

Happy Wednesday!
Cathy Cobblestone

It's a Beautiful Monday!

I woke up to frost on the pumpkin, a light fog with the sun starting to peek through and cool, crisp air - I LOOOOOOOVE it! I enjoy this time of year - sooo very much. I just wanted to wish you all a beautiful start to your week and encourage you to find joy in whatever it is you do. I found this quote I thought I'd share with you today....

"The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of Right just before you. Do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." -Robert Louis Stevenson

Have a great week!
Cathy Cobblestone

Its Sweetest Day!

Not really for sure what this day means really - but if I had to guess - it is to do something really "sweet" for somebody. That's what I'm going with anyway. So I thought I'd share with you a super SWEET thing my sister, Steph, did for me. Now yall know I love red and I REALLY LOOOOOOOOOOve polka dots - so she got me these oh so cute gum boots jus' 'cause. She said when she saw them - she jus' new I had to have them - well thank you Sis, I love them and I love you!!!

And this "sweet" lil' swiss dot apron I have on - I got it last weekend when I went to that blessed gathering - I do believe it had my name written all over it - don't ya think?

So go and do something SWEET for somebody today - it'll make their heart happy and yours too!!!

Hope you have a good rest of the weekend!
Cathy Cobblestone

Have you ever seen.....

An African Kettle Gourd? Well, my dear friend, Punkin' Joe, has been growing these for several years and people come from all around jus' to get one of these. The reason - because they are jus' so cute painted up when they dry. Now, granted it takes nearly a year for them to completely cure - it's worth the wait when you can paint it to your likin'.

So here's one I painted for my friend Margie...



Remember to clean all gourds with a lil' bleach water to keep the mold from returning once it is dried. I sprayed painted this one and just used some acrylic paints for the scarecrow then clear coated it so it would last a long time - be sure and drop it though. I did that once, :(

Well friends, I'm off to do another wedding this weekend. Last one of the season - so I'll share some pics with you next week.

You all have a blessed weekend!
Cathy Cobblestone

P.S. - Those gourds make the CUTEST painted snowmen!!!

The Blessings of Friendship

What an incredible weekend I had - filled with laughter and fun in a beautiful place known as Freedom Valley. My good and sweet dear friend, Frannie invited women from all over the country to come and be a part of her special place which is almost like a "rustic" fairytale land. Above you will see her main entry to her sweet cabin..



...such a beautiful and magical lil' place.



This is known as her lil' schoolhouse...



... and what she calls her tree house. It was so very peaceful there.




This is a picture of the farmhouse table on her back porch where a lot of creative hands worked all weekend making such fun things...



We also got to visit another special place known as Sugarbucket Antiques - had an incredible lunch and a fun "fryin' pan toss". Thanks Kathy for your wonderful hospitality.




This picture was at the entry to Luna's farm where we learned about picking, carding and spinning wool. It was such a fun and beautiful evening.



These are some of my wonderful new friends making their wool pumpkins. We all enjoyed that project and loved our dinner even more. Luna had all the tables set out in the yard - farmhouse style, dressed in burlap and candle light. We had an incredible harvest stew and homemade bread - it was a delightful night.




This is Luna spinning wool...



This is a picture of my clay pumpkin tree - Cindy, a wonderful folk artist created this pattern and taught the class - we had a wonderful time.



Some of my friends making their dolls. An absolutely fantastic class taught by sweet Jo, she instructed us on carving faces, using recycled products and adding our own embellishments. We had a choice of a crow, Santa, angel or raggedy ann. It was truly hard to pick - they were all so cute.




Here is an oh so cute - Raggedy Ann.

Well, I've gone on and on and I could some more. It was a true blessing to get to be a part of this weekend. I rarely ever take off work but this was worth every minute of it. Thank you to all my friends, both new and old - memories were made that will last a lifetime. Many laughs, tears, and joy filled the weekend - and I was extremely blessed by the whole experience.

I'm hoping all of you had a wonderful weekend too and I wish you an even happier week.
Cathy Cobblestone

Have a peaceful Autumn weekend!

Hope everyone has a peaceful, restful, and blessed weekend. Have a seat and enjoy the beauty that is all around this time of year.

Autumn blessings to you all,
Cathy Cobblestone

GOURDeous GOURDS....

They are so simple to grow - yet so beautiful at the same time. Gourds are one of my very-very favorite fall things. Stripes and solids in an array of colors - many shades of the season - even some "warty" ones - all unique and interesting on their own.




My lil' green birdcage display - filled with some of my favorites. Fill up a bowl with gourds for a beautiful fall arrangement - add in some baby ears of Indian corn, some twigs of bittersweet and there you have it - a GOURDeous centerpiece.

Everybody have a great Friday! This weekend I'll be going to my friend Frannie's to meet with farmgirls from all over the United States. We are visiting a sheep farm, making a "gourd" garland, learning to make dolls - oh - I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I'll be sure and tell ya all about it next week.

Blessings to you all!
Cathy Cobblestone

Fall Wedding Baskets

I jus' had to share with you a few pics of some baskets I made up for an outdoor fall wedding last weekend. The wedding was taking place right about sunset down by the creek - simply beautiful.



The bushel baskets were filled with Purple Baron Millet, vibrant colored mums, ornamental kale in white and cabbage in purple along with a lil' bit of trailing dichondra.



I think I had told you guys before that all mums usually have women's names. Well, these are Yellow Bethany and Red Regina. Have you ever checked to see if you share a name with a chrysanthemum? Might be interesting to find out. I have checked and unfortunately - there is no Cathy. Let me know if you'd like to find out - I'll share with you your special color.

Hope everyone is having a great week. It actually rained here today - what a blessing. It's been nearly two months since we had any rainfall - so it was wonderful to see it fall - hope we get some more tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday to ya!
Cathy Cobblestone

A Happy Fall Weekend to Ya!

Hope everyone has a beautiful fall weekend - it is gonna be another pleasant one here in Kentucky. It's been absolutely gorgeous here this week - so very "fall-like" - cool crisp air with lots of golden sunshine. We could use rain but until then, I'm gonna enjoy the rays.

Our wonderful Arts Council has finished our "quilt square" for our barn. I'm so excited about it - I'll try and pick it up this weekend. I'll be sure and show you pictures when we hang it.

This picture above is of that lil' window frame greenhouse that I made filled with fall fixin's. If you all need any instructions - just click on the link in the sidebar. It would be a great fall weekend project.

Many blessings to you all friends.
Cathy Cobblestone