For some reason, I always seem to take down the Halloween decor really quickly. I have reverted back to basic fall touches in a few key spots in my home. This beautiful armoire is one of my favorite spots to decorate. For the next few weeks, it will sport "late fall slash peacock" style. I have been enamored with Peacock inspiration this fall; I have a Pinterest board devoted to it.



I think it's a nice addition to my fall decorations. The colors are so rich--a nice contrast to the warm oranges and yellows of fall.


A peacock feather added to my vase of pussy willows is so easy {with a new copper glittered fern giving nod to the coming holidays}. A clip-on bird in the same color family was another fun add on.


A clock from Home Goods that I've had for ages to add that essential bit of black that I love.
 


I've added a sprig of leaves for the touch of fall. The pretty ruffled knit throw was put there out of necessity when not being used. The goldens are way too interested in it and it's much safer up here.

They do look like little angels here but they do have their moments. One of their favorite indoor games is tug of war with an old baby blanket that Marley arrived with. Besides, I like how the throw looks up there!

I have a little table on top of my backyard deck. It's a favorite spot to sit and enjoy the yard, but I also enjoy decorating it for the seasons with something simple.

This year it's a clay jack-o-lantern all dressed up with a new coat of paint. It used to be a bronze color, but it became chipped and definitely needed a makeover. I used the same process I use on much of my furniture, a quick sanding on the rough spots, a coat of primer and some ivory paint with tobacco glaze to shab it up a bit. A coat of satin polyurethane should help this new finish withstand the weather.


It's just a simple addition to brighten up my view from the kitchen for Halloween. Do you ever decorate in the back yard?





As usual, Marley is wary of any newcomers, including clay pumpkins!



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Vintage Halloween Decor... it can be cute, scary, or even... weird. I think this little retro witch is all of those.  A few weeks ago I happened to hit Goodwill on the opening day of their Halloween Shop. It wasn't planned.

 
If you remember, I picked up a few little trick or treat buckets, one of which was a lovely Empire Plastics kitty. I mentioned that a few larger items made their way into my cart as well....



and here they are. Although this witch was the one that caught my eye, the second figure was even better. It's an Empire Plastics figure. The clue was in the face... modern Jacks don't have the same wide-eyed skinny smile.


His second half is just a silly ghost with a goofy smile.



But together... the pair is  pretty cute. Not too spooky, not even weird... like the witch. It was a very good day at the Goodwill.


These light up figures are large, hard to store and don't appeal to everyone. I like them... I guess that's all that matters. I have a little neighbor girl who loves all the light up Jack-o-Lanterns in my windows each year. Won't she be surprised to see what I have added to the decor this year!


P.S... not everyone in the house is thrilled with the new decorations. Hopefully Marley's attitude will change before they go out October 1. 




 

I stopped at the Goodwill shop in my area today to drop off some clothing and household goods for donation. Of course I had to stop in the store and see what was new. Today was the first day the Halloween Shop was open according to the sign on the window. They must have had a storage unit full of Halloween items. There were racks and racks of costumes, home decor and on top of every rack throughout the store were plastic pumpkins!


I picked up a few; I like to send one to each of my daughters at college as Halloween nears, filled with goodies from home. I always look for something a little different and not too big. I found three to bring home (even though I only needed two). Yes, some may think it's early to be posting about Halloween, but if you are looking for vintage, now's the time to shop. If you'd like to see all my Halloween posts, click HERE.





I think I will keep the kitty bucket. It was made by Empire Plastics, a maker of many plastic blow-mold figurines through the years. They are no longer in business. As I was taking photos of this bucket that tongue reminded me of an earlier post I did featuring one of my golden's "smiling"



Each of these buckets were marked 49 cents. I also came home with a few{much} larger pieces... {couldn't help myself, they were so cute!} they need to be cleaned upa bit and then I'll share them in a future post. Happy hunting!

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 The peonies are in their glory in my garden. I have cut a few to bring in the house to enjoy and put them in one of my most recent thrift store finds... this pretty silver plate vase.


There aren't as many blooms as in year's past and I'm not sure of the reason why. Someone told me that you shouldn't cut all the blooms as it will result in fewer for the next year, but I'm not sure if that is true.


Then I began to notice many bare stems... like blossoms were plucked off the tips of them.


And sure enough, I found them.... all over the yard.


Funny how they were picked while they were still in their tight, rounded shape; like little tennis balls almost. And there is someone who loves tennis balls in my house....


Yep, it was Marley. Both of the dogs love to romp in my garden, pulling their favorite weeds to munch, but never have I seen them eat flowers... until now.  Luckily Marley responds well to an "ah-ah" while he's in the middle of doing something and knows that sound means he's doing something he shouldn't. I've only found a few peony balls since then so I'm hoping the attraction has stopped. He is a cute garden pest though, isn't he?









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at Snowflakes and Dragonflies. 

Lastly, hop over to A Few Pennies to see glimpses of her gorgeous garden. I love how this frame, one of her newest thrifty finds, is set in the garden. I think it was just placed there for a quick photo but I actually think a frame as a garden element could be kind of cool. Wouldn't it be neat to wrap a frame in chicken wire and let it become covered with ivy or morning glories? I would use something more simple for this purpose, this one below is just too pretty to cover up!



Linking this post to:
Oregon Cottage Tuesday Garden Party
DIY by Design
Fishtail Cottage: Cottage Flora Thursdays 

Thanks so much to each of you who linked up last week. I truly enjoy visiting each and every one of you to see what you've been up to! I'm ready for another week of fun, so let's get the party started...

Two easy requests...

• Please link just one specific post you want to feature, not your whole blog (to do this, click on the title of the post you want to link and it will open on it's own page, then copy that url
• Please link back to my blog with either the party button or a text link. 

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