Seriously, where is the time going? I'm starting to get that 'edgy' feeling in my bones. I seem to get it this time very year. The onslaught of family birthdays and then Christmas. I vow to get ahead of myself every year in January. I vow to relax and not get so fidgety. It's no use. It just is the way it is. It's me. ARRRGGGHHHHHHHH.
Anyway. The past couple of months have sped by at an alarming rate. I am drowning in school appointments, school trips, school social events, and the ever increasing house maintenance. I'm not sure how people manage to look like they do all of this with such ease. Because I well and truly SUCK at it, I can tell you.
Cold brewing, and Autumn well and truly setting in, I sort of threw it all up in the air and decided that blanket finishing was in order, AND, an October Mantel was also in order.
Okay well, on the blanket front, I sewed in the last loose thread this morning, and it is officially finished! Woo hoo. It took a while to do the border as I kept changing my mind as to what I wanted. I settled for something hopefully quite simple but effective in the end.
OH MY WORD, total blanket love, may I just say. It got the thumbs up last night as Big Bear snuggled up to me on the sofa as I sewed in ends. Half draped over him, he proclaimed that this was indeed a rather nice blanket that I had made! Praise! It actually makes it all worthwhile. The blankets get used and abused and loved for sure.
I'll do a proper post with pics later on in the week if the light stays okay. It will be for my bed, but it may stay downstairs and sofa lounge for a while. It's quite big, so a few of us can squish under it at one time.
Now, for the October Mantel. If you have read my blog for a while, then you would know that I am no stranger to a bit of a Mantel make-over. It's my one little place where I do really rather like to faff with stuff. I usually change it here and there each month, even if only a teensy tiny bit. However, I find October difficult. It's Halloween month, and, again, if you've followed my blog for a while, you'll know I have a deep loathing for that pumpkin orange colour. My two worst colours, that pumpkin orange shade........and black. YUCK. So, October, colourwise doesn't really do it for me.
Now, I do admit, that in the last few years, I've began to tolerate other shades of orange. The palest shades of orange...and really only when teamed with pinks. But, that deep dark horrid shade of pumpkin orange, I still cannot get on board with. Sorry all you pumpkin orange lovers.
Anyway, Getting my pinterest fix, I began to see all the seasonal pics flood in, and low and behold, I saw the most delicious seasonal gatherings....and not a hint of orange in sight.
I gathered a few white pumkins and got a couple of others that were orange (I know, I actually put a couple of orange ones in a basket to buy. I was proud of myself that I did it without vomiting), and then I got home and quickly painted them pink. ha!
Voila. An October Mantel I am actually happy with. I feel seasonal, but in my own non orange way.
Gotta love Pinterest.......and paint.....
xxx
I have to say that I love orange and did my little vintage caravan Bertie in 70s shades of orange and green :-) I have followed you for a few years now with different blog names to my name as my life has changed so have as my blog. I am not really pastel kind of girl but I have always loved your colour choices you have class, style and grace and I have to admit that I rather love your white painted pumpkins they look really pretty and calming. Loved both of you previous posts with the bright and pastel photos my favourite being your bright :-) Look forward to seeing your blanket I started a double size bed one for back in January when we were supposed to be moving to a cottage I chose a mixture of pastel and bright but I am struggling with it I am just not happy with the paler tones so I am looking at google images to see what I can do to make me fall in love with it and keep going with it. And I am rambling now lovely post as always, dee x
ReplyDeleteHi Delia,
DeleteThank you so much for your comment. It always fascinates me how different people have such different loves for different colours. Maybe a lot of it has to do with childhood memories. I was a child of the seventies and brown and orange were heavily in. My mother used to knit with those two colours and I just couldn't stand being dressed in it! Maybe that is where it has come from! I also cannot take lilac. It actually gives me a headache, yet a friend of mine, that's her utmost favourite colour! I went to a sons school meeting last week and it was in the gym hall. The gym walls were painted this bright, almost neon lilac. I must have looked so odd, as I had to keep my eyes closed, or head down whilst the teachers talked, it was that unbearable for me!
I've started projects before and half way through, been less than enamoured with my colour choices. It's hard when you have invested so much time into something and you are just not feeling the love. Hopefully, you can feel inspired again with it and have a lovely blanket for your bed! Take care x
Haha! You do make me laugh! Pink pumpkins - love them! I'm not the hugest fan of orange either but I do love a rich apricot. Guess what I did this morning though? I had a very orange moment. I went to the florist and asked if they could help me put together a few autumnal stems for £8 (which happened to be how much money I had in my purse). Five enjoyable minutes later, I had a happy posy of ORANGE and yellow flowers! Ha! They actually look like sunshine in a jar. When I was a child, I had a room completely decked out in Pierrot - do you remember that? Google 'pierrot bedding' if you don't and you'll see what I mean. I now have a strong dislike for black, pink and white together as a result. Ack! xxxx
ReplyDeleteIt's weird, because I do love the rich autumnal colours of Autumn, I love it in nature, but I love it if it stays outside!!!!! I just can't have it in my house and stare at it for too long! Oh I sound so weird!
DeleteOMG Pierrot! SO DID I!!!!!!!! I had a dove grey carpet, pale pink walls and a diamond pale oink and grey wall freeze. I had Pierrot bedding and these really rather grotesque pierrot dolls. One was on a string (with clown like hair) and I woke in the middle of the night to the moonlight gleaming on him hanging off my window. It looked like it had hung itself and was laughing at me. I seriously got the shivers after that and never wanted Pierrot again!!!! xxx
Brilliant - I love the pained pumpkins. So much prettier than all that orange! :) x
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I haven't done it earlier! I can live with a nice autumnal scene now!!!!! x
DeletePink pumpkins are perfect! Who says October has to mean ORANGE!!??
ReplyDeleteExactly! x
DeleteYou clever girl! Painting your pumpkins. Maybe I should paint mine purple... :) BTW, have you seen the interesting discussion Heather at pinkMilk started? Blogging v. IG/FB/Piterest/Twitter... What to love and what to not love. WIll blogs survive or not? I dived in this afternoon on her IG feed and might just jump in on the discussion in my own blog post if I find time for it. Very interesting indeed... Where are we going in High Speed Technology world? Blogs suddenly appears to be like slow ancient turtles compared to Formula 1 IG feeds.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your blanket. And PS I suck at house chores and all that stuff too.
Xxx
Annette
I missed Heather's discussion if it was on IG. It's an interesting one though. Blogs have definitely taken a big nosedive in the last few years due to the growing popularity of IG. It's a shame, but that's just the way it is. We are forever moving ahead with technology and something always falls out of favour. Having been on IG, I can see the appeal. It appealed greatly to me at first. It was quick and instant and my blog suffered because of it. For me, the cons of IG started to outweigh the pros. Once it started being the popular choice, it was time for me to leave the party. I just have this aversion to doing what's popular. I think because blogs started to fall out of favour, it became more appealing to me than ever before. I actually found the instantness of IG was too much. You felt like you had to be on it all the time to be as instant as everyone else (when they commented or liked or posted etc). It was sensory overload too, and all of the same thing. I'm such a visual person, and was on it because it was all about the photo. But then Facebook took it over, and it became just like facebook, more of just a social site rather than an image sight, and that wasn't for me. I find blogs are more indepth, yet have a bigger barrier, and that works so much better for me being the kind of person that I am. It's all a very personal thing though isn't it. I'm glad I weaned myself of IG, and I like not being a slave to my phone. I think, for me, just blogging gives me the right balance in my life, and I don't feel guilty for needing to be on my phone all day, when I could be using the time more wisely, to enjoy what is actually right in front of me in real life. Although I have had thoughts to give up my blog, really seriously recently, it's not because of people not being here to read or comment because they've left for IG, it's really about me using my other platforms (flickr and ravelry) to just record and show what I am up to. It was about whether I need to waffle about myself, and my shyness issues I have struggled with since my blog was born. I still think there are plenty of people who like to read blogs, and there are plenty of people who like the slow pace enough to write the blogs. Maybe it's just the ease and quickness at which you can comment on IG that is appealing. It can be a bit of a faff to reply to a blog post, and a lot of people feel disheartened if they spend a lot of time and effort on a post and no one comments. For some bloggers it's about recording your life and the comments are nice, but not the important thing. For others, no comments means a lot to them, so they'll get their fix being on IG. I do love to read about people lives. I like to feel that I am not alone in how I feel with this that and the other, and reading certain blogs, I get such a sense of 'yes it's okay to be me'. I do love the connection of being in the blogging community. For those of us who have stuck it out, when so many have left for IG, I think maybe words and depth have more importance. I'm sure some will disagree. I can't even begin to imagine what IG is like now. It's all about shops, and celebrities now so I am told. Yikes. I couldn't think of anything worse!
DeleteOh Vanessa - I have been giggling over your comment about the lilac wall and having to keep your eyes closed / head down!! I know exactly what you mean, I just cannot bear to look at crochet blankets in charity shops that have been down in nasty cheap acrylic wool in ghastly colours - I honestly fear it will put me off crochet for life if I look / touch these monstrosities!!! Sometimes in my local wool store those novelty fluffy/glittery yarns have the same effect and I have to get past them quick as they make me feel quite queasy. I am dying with suspense over your new blanket - please pretty please show us soon!! You mentioned it was mainly all one colour. Sometimes doing things in just one or two colours is difficult for me as I think what really floats my boat is colour play with a lot of different shades - I can get bored easily - so you ever find that's a problem for you?
ReplyDeleteLots of love
Vanessa Arran
I'm laughing Vanessa! Neon crocheted blankets! Yes I know that you mean. Some are very hard to look at. I'm not sure who thought neon yarn was such a great idea!
DeleteDo you know, I think I am such an eclectic person, but I need balance. If I have a while working with lots of colour, then I need a project after it that is plain, just to balance it all out. I have had pastels all over the summer, and I am really craving colour. I actually loved the pattern of this blanket so much, that being in one colour wasn't difficult at all. It was also really all about the texture, so it needed to be plain. It's practically all brown, but I have to say, without a doubt it's up there in my top 3 blankets i've made so far. I didn't get bored at all making it, and relished working on it just because I was so keen to see it in all its glory at the end. xxxx
LOL! Love it! I use to not like orange at ALL, then somehow that changed with time but,I totally understand the love hate emotions with colors. I too remember the 70's brown and orange plus, THAT green. ;P I look forward to seeing the blanket!
ReplyDeleteah yes the green! ha ha! x
DeleteHa! Love that you managed it without vomiting! Well done you! I love your mantle. The soft orange ones have grown on my and look especially good with all shades of pale blue an aqua I think also! But your pink is even better yet!
ReplyDeleteI was actually very proud of myself Jen, that I managed to get them in the basket! I saw some pale blue/green ones and I thought they looked very nice. Hummmm, maybe, just maybe I could get on board with a soft orange one.....but I'd have to put it next to a painted pink one! Or maybe I could buy a deep orange one, get it home and paint it a softer orange?!!!!! Ha ha! My pumpkin peculiarities are reaching new highs!!!!!!!!! xxx
DeleteI like those white pumpkins on your mantel! Orange is NOT my favorite colour either but I can tolerate it in smaller doses like some flowers in fall....and often a pumpkin or two......but you dont find much orange in my house. I have thought like you that maybe I dont like some colours together because I also grew up in the 70´s and I dont fancy those colourcombinations......I guess I had enough of it back then.....
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing your new blanket! I wonder what kind of yarn you use for those big blankets....??? It would take quite a lot I guess and it could be rather expensive.....do you use wool...??
I also think every year that NEXT year I will start VERY early with christmasgifts.......but....almost always the same thing......so far I have not one thingand its going to be November in a few weeks.....
Hope you have a good day!!!/ Jeanette
It's so funny isn't it how your memories of colours really affect how you decorate, or wear colours next to your skin. All my big blankets are made with acrylic or acrylic mix yarns. I realised early on that my blankets all seem to be big and I would be bankrupt were I to use gorgeous wool yarn for them. I always thought that my blankets were made to be used a lot by the Bears growing up, so they wouldn't really last years and years. I do search about though for yarns. Some acrylic yarns fair better in certain dyes than others, so it's a case of mix and match for me. I will use the gorgeous, expensive yarns for small projects for me or the house.
DeleteI have a ridiculous amount of family birthdays in the last 3 months of the year, and I always am so consumed by those, that I am always late starting to prepare for Christmas. That leads to stress and just loathing it, so I always feel tense at this time of the year. I'm not sure there will be anything I can do to make it easier. It's just one of those things...sigh...... x
I am definitely not an orange pumpkin person either. I have tried it but it wasn't for me. I have since tried a couple of the smaller squashes that are green and white and we do like butternut but it is still no to the orange. Your blanket sounds great and can't wait to see and your mantel pictures are lovely. Unfortunately D has too many of his antiques our our mantels to be able to make a seasonal mantel. Maybe I'll look through what he's got and swap things about to make it more seasonal.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post and the prior comments. Think I am with you on preferring to view orange outdoors. And yet, I do love orange juice as one of my first sights every morning. I've also be able to use just a drop of soft orange as an accent in some fair isle mixes that would otherwise have been just a little too blue-y green cool colored.
ReplyDeleteSince I live in NYC, black is a frequent color choice for clothes!
No smart phone, no IG hereabouts. I do like the blog medium.
Well, no more time to ramble on right now. Best wishes to you. xo
I love your non orange mantel!! It is beautiful!!! Although I am not glad that you are feeling the oncoming onslaught, I am glad to know that it isn't just me feeling that so thank you for saying it, it made me feel less panicked that it was just me! xx
ReplyDeleteI guess misery (anxiety?) does love company! I'm completely stressed out, kitchen in the works, dishes and stuff everywhere, handmade Christmas gifts waiting to be made, knitting to finish, sewing, etc.. All I suddenly feel completely compelled to do is rearrange the living room! No! Not good. The past few months have flown alarmingly fast for me and I see no slowing down in my future. Ugh. I do love your painted pumpkins. So far we have one tiny pumpkin in the house, after 6 year old boy spotted it and asked during a rare, just mommy and him trip to the store.
ReplyDeletea lovely post and painting pumpkins I love it xx
ReplyDeleteAlways loved the veneer of an oak table. Or an oak anything.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't worry about things, I don't have kids, don't have many obligations, and do have a minimum of 14 days off a month & my house is a mess. I once read you should always do what you do when you're procastinating
Enjoy
Love that you paint a pumpkin or two... makes my crocheting a pot noodle cover seem fairly normal behaviour! The painted - and non-painted - pumpkins are looking so pretty
ReplyDeleteOh my word! That is genius! I'd crochet a pot noodle cover too!!!!!!!! he he! x
DeleteI love your blog and am not on any other platform. I don't have my own blog yet, but intend to, so I do hope there are still blog lovers out there! A blog is more like a conversation, at a normal pace, and I love the mix of writing and photos. Those that I follow all show their writer's distinct personality. Keep blogging!! Jen
ReplyDeleteYes, orange. Orange is a colour that is a bit a pain in the butt, I think. I run away from bright and neon orange, but pumpkin-orange ... not so bad. I think it has to do with the season as I happen to like Autumn nowadays. I've learned to appreciate softer tones of orange, though.
ReplyDeleteLove your white pumpkins, they are truly beauties.
Corine
blog.thelittlefarmhouse.nl
Lovely mantelpiece! How clever to paint the orange pumpkins pink! Must admit I do love the orange pumpkins, but I am an autumn colour person! Popping in as part of my blog commenting challenge 300 in 30 days.
ReplyDelete