~ a few of my favorite finds ~

 Hello there, friends.
Is it just me, or has this entire summer, and even year, just flown by?
Fall is my most favorite season of all. Perhaps, that is due to the fact that my birthday is in the Fall... although it is still a little ways off.
I have heard that you love the season in which you were born, but I don't know if that's true or not.
For me it is !
I'll bet you've all been super busy.
I've been busy too.. you know, it is canning season, and yard sales are starting to wrap up for the season.
Drat.
Wish I lived in a year round yard sale kind of climate....**smile**.
I've found some great things this summer at yard sales, and I've also found a few smart tips to help me out with canning.
So, lets get on with this post, shall we?
  ~ The above galvanized pumpkin is a new favorite find.   Found at a near~by gift shop.  It wasn't in~expensive, however, it will last for years and years and years, and it is quite pretty, and makes my heart smile .

 ~ See that 8 gallon pickle crock sitting under the console table? It was a yard sale find, from a few weeks ago. I hesitate to tell you what I paid for it... honestly, it was a steal. My sweet husband and I went to a yard sale of an older couple that had left the state, and a friend of theirs was selling the stuff for them that they no longer wanted.  Between my husbands finds, and mine, we made a package deal with them, and I would say that I paid a dollar {whoo Hoo} or less for that gorgeous crock!

 ~ A lot of candles found at a consignment store in St. George in the Spring.
I loved the sizes of the candles, not necessarily the scents or the colors.
So, I gave them all a make~over {ya'll know how I love to make~over stuff !} with extra wax, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and nutmeg.
I call them 'Cake Candles' , although that may not be the official term.
Love them now~ and they smell nummy too!

 ~ Another favorite find... sweet watercolors.
Just 25 cents a piece.
They are quite large, and older.
The top one, of the red mill, I framed for the dining area. I adore that sweet red mill and waterfall.

 ~They are all signed by Katie M Kinney... near as I can tell, and the date on each of them is 1952.
Perhaps they aren't great works of art, but I certainly love and appreciate each one of them, and I am happy to add them to our home.

 ~So, of course it's canning season.
Happily one of my favorite finds, has been fresh tomatoes on our little plants.
We planted just a handful of tomato plants this past spring, and did our best to keep the deer out of them.  Still, I just didn't quite have enough tomatoes to make salsa.
So, I stopped by a cute little farm stand in a near by town, and low and behold, fresh tomatoes!
I love that little farm stand in the Fall... for they have the best pumpkins, but I had no idea that they would have fresh tomatoes. Nice surprise!

 ~ Well, I just whipped up a batch of salsa pronto.
Much to my dismay, our pepper plant just couldn't produce enough peppers, and our local grocery store wanted a small fortune for just one pepper.
So, off to the dollar store I went, where I bought 7 one pound bags of all natural fajita mix... peppers and onions.
And, all the prep work was done! No tears from chopping onions, and no time consuming prep work for chopping and de~seeding peppers. Nope.
Just tossed a cup at a time of the fajita mix into the food processor, and presto.. chopped onions and peppers.
I feel like a genius! For just a dollar, all my peppers and onions for salsa!

 ~ A cute find... inspiration to make this sweet little hanger, via Pinterest.
There are such cute idea on Pinterest for Fall!!
I made  this cute little candy corn hanger in no time at all.  Just waiting for October to decorate with it.

 ~ Favorite find... polka dotted napkins on clearance at one of my favorite little boutique stores.
Just a dollar a package, for either the large polka dot napkins, or the small polka dot napkins.
So, I bought both.
Snagged a few recycled jelly jars out of my stash, a brush on of DIY modge podge, and a few other small embellishments, and VOILA... sweet little Halloween votive.
Gosh, I love 'em.

 ~ Favorite find, and favorite Fall activity..... "Swiss Days'' in Midway.
Love, love going to Swiss Days.
Lots of cute booths and cute ideas. Really helps me get in the creative mood.
Snapped a picture of this sweet sign.  {Sorry to the lady in the sandals and jean.. the booth was too crowded and I had to snap a picture as fast as I could }
What a darling up~cycled window frame.  Barn wood takes the place of the glass, and a sweet saying painted on the wood.
I just happen to have an old window frame laying around here... someplace....

 ~Another booth with cute accent pieces.

~Although, this had to have been one of the cutest things in this booth.
Simply, cute.
A round chalkboard, and a sweet saying.
Going to have to make me one of these!

~ Attitude of gratitude
~ Feeling thankful for sweet friends, craft days, and for all things Fall
~Grateful for my sweet husband, and wonderful kiddo's.  We all got together over the Labor Day weekend and had dinner. Thankful for those that had a ways to travel to be here, and I'm thankful that they made the effort.
~Thankful for a dehydrator full of pears, bottles of homemade salsa, bottles of homemade jam and a pantry filled with quick mixes. I am feeling more and more ready for falling snow days, each and every day, and grateful for a heart that feels that it is important to prepare and be a good steward over all that we have been blessed with.