Welcome, Autumn!

Karina Manucharyan

Autumn is such a glorious time of year!

A season when the chilly air calls us

to snuggle into our sweaters while sipping our

favorite warm drinks from mugs.

Enjoy my selection of things that speak of autumn.

Crisp, cozy, autumn.

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall."

-Oscar Wilde

Alan Shapiro Photography

Curious Print Pattern

"Wild is the music of autumnal winds amongst the faded woods."

-William Wordsworth

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

-Albert Camus

"And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep 

and autumn was awakened." -Raquel Franco

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."

-William Cullen Bryant

"How beautifully leaves grow old! How full of life and color are their last days!"

-John Burroughs

Want more?

October Gallery

Autumn Starts to Chill the Air...

The Surreal Portraits of Giuseppe Arcimboldo

The surreal art of Giuseppe Arcimboldo amazes me!

Such wild imagination and creativity to come up with the 

many portraits he pieced together with flowers, fish, fruit...and such!

When I learned that Giuseppe was born in 1527, I was surprised to realize 

that these bizarre works of art were painted so long ago!

From a distance, we see a portrait; up close, we appreciate each element.

Fascinating, wouldn't you say?

above: Spring

below: Earth

Summer

Air

The Seasons

Autumn

The Water

The Winter

See more of Giuseppe's work here.

Charming, Primitive Angels by Country Craftworks

Oh, how we love angels!

They're quite the collectors' items, aren't they?

They remind us of God's promises and His loving care for us.

"For He shall give His angels charge over you,

to keep you in all your ways." Psalm 91:11

Cristine Handler of Country Craftworks stitches lovely 

primitive angels in a variety of sizes and fabrics.

Such fine craftsmanship and attention to detail! 

She welcomes custom orders, too.

These are the Tapestry Angels. Beautiful fabrics with elegant style.

This Irish angel is an example of the top-selling "Apron Angels."

An angel in a plain muslin gown is purchased, 

then waits to be dressed in apron & wings sets.

Each set comes with something to place in the angel's hands,

such as this adorable basket of apples.

Here's where the fun comes in; 

change your angel's aprons & wings seasonally or for each holiday.

Of course, Christmas angels are very popular!

 Cris designs angels to reflect a variety of hobbies and interests:

sports, musical instruments, and even the US Armed Forces.

 Did somebody say "sports?"

A shout-out to our own Philly teams!

Here's a smaller 10" angel, shown on its wood display stand,

which is included with this size angel and larger.

Oh-so-charming!

And how cute are these little guys?

See more of Country Craftworks here:

Website

Facebook

My readers receive a 20% discount on online orders
 during the month of September!
Enter coupon code PAISLEY at checkout.

Country Craftworks participates in various local craft fairs, and is 
always at the hugely popular Kutztown Folk Festival in Kutztown, PA.

Photos taken with permission from Cristine Handler.

Rollin' Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

Hooray for summer! Each year on the first day of summer, 
I sing a song made famous by the incomparable Nat King Cole. 
It's just a good old fashioned fun song that is guaranteed to make you happy!
I have to share it with you, so you can learn it and sing along.

For your listening and toe-tapping pleasure,
courtesy of a BBC special back in 1963 called 
"An Evening with Nat King Cole," and YouTube, is
"Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer!"

Another of my posts:
"When I Fall in Love" ~ Nat King Cole

Glorious Tulips!

seattlepipeline

How can anyone resist tulips?

Not much announces spring better than a big bunch of them.

They're so lush planted in huge groups, as opposed to spindly single blooms.

If it's tons of tulips you're asking for, I've gathered a gallery 
of gorgeous, glorious blossoms for your viewing pleasure!

verbalistseducation

How I'd love to walk through these fields,

or drive by them, 
or fly over them.

Aaah, best of all would be to float over them in a hot air balloon!

Then to land and have a picnic lunch right in the center of them.

Sigh. If only...

digital.mypassionmedia

photographyblogger

Aerial views - a colorful, crazy, calypso quilt!

atimetolaugh

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toptenstop

April Showers?

Yeah, a bit pessimistic, but very true and so funny!

Let's ignore the frizz and laugh along with each other

through every one of these bad hair days.

And don't forget your umbrella.

(From Ford, of all things.)