Our visit to Nihtila Farm was a filled with all things fall: pumpkins (of course!), corn stalks, apples, gourds, hay bales, and plenty of great photo opportunities.
More fodder for the freezer—this time pumpkin puree
The crew hauling their loads
Roasted pumpkin seeds
And a couple of big ones ready to be carved
Happy Pumpkin Season!
I knit mine with wool, as opposed to the wool/silk blend the pattern calls for. You see, I fell in love with this color and had to make something with it, and quick. The final product is a bit beefier than it was intended to be but, given New England winters, that's not such a bad thing. The scarf/wrap is pretty, and the long ladders of dropped stitches give it interest. Once I got in the rhythm of the pattern, it was a cinch—or so I thought, until it was almost complete and this happened:
The longest drop-stitch ladder of the entire piece stopped dropping (I am sure there's an official term for this but I don't know it) about halfway down. Right smack-dab in the center of the scarf. After I spat out a few expletives, I reminded myself that knitting is just an evil ploy to exercise our patience, then moved past the glaring error. I'm happy to report I'm over it, and today I wear my Clapotis with cozy pride. (But in the interest of full disclosure, I do still have nightmares about it.)
I made this remembery capsule for some friends of mine as a wedding gift and finally gave it to them last night. I say finally because, well, they got married in 2006. I know, it is so far beyond the wedding gift etiquette, I should be ashamed of myself.
This no-longer-newlywed couple is not your average duo. They are hikers, skiers, fishermen, engineers, crafters, marketing gurus, gardeners, business owners, oh—and they just built a house, much of it with their own hands. They truly live life to the fullest, and they have sought experiences in many places around the country and the globe.
It was only fitting that their wedding gift reflect their many adventures together. I chose topo maps for the notable locations where they have spent their time and put each one in a token, with the corresponding date.
Each token fits neatly into the capsule.
The tokens are made from two copper discs, riveted together, with the map sandwiched in between. 
Tiny sterling silver skis were soldered to the top, to make the box more personal for the bride and groom (ok—you're right, maybe I shouldn't call them that three years after the fact). 
The apple peeler/corer/slicer. Seriously, what did we do before this?
I thought a few crocheted apples would help celebrate our abundance. (As you may already know, I'm crazy for these crochet patterns—this one is by Amy Gaines. I have mentioned them a couple times before: here and here). 
And some more of those caramels, because caramels should never be too far from so many apples. 
Mud puddle fun!
A little project I have been working on. I'll show you more, including what's inside, soon. (It's a gift, and I have to give it before I can fully share it)
And, quite possibly, the world's biggest apple. It measures six inches in height and 13 inches in girth (yeah, I really did measure it). Do you think this apple alone could fill an apple pie?
We don't really have one dedicated spot in our home to showcase all our finds from the world outside. Instead, we have bits of nature scattered about the house—artful arrangements here, haphazard piles there. Some are permanent works in our collection, like our shells and sea glass, others come and go, are used to create art, or eventually get tossed back outside to make room for current finds. 
We really love our cache of nature's prizes and seasonal artwork, so we're excited to participate in the Seasons Round Exchange for the first time. It is an exchange of items from our nature corners, centered around an appropriate seasonal theme. The exchange's creator came up with the idea as a way to keep the magic of the nature table alive for her children. The hope is that the exchange will bring the joy of the seasons to our homes and hearts.
A local fountain surrounded by mums.
Butter Caramels to die for (thanks to "A", who made a whole pan of it, but this is all I had to work with just a few minutes later). Recipe from Candy Making Basics.
The birdhouse squash are finally starting to grow.
Art with the art supply leftovers (or, fun with crayon shavings).
A dead tree with lively autumn vines.
I knit this little fishie for him and it quickly became his favorite. The simple pattern, from Teach Me To Knit, came together in no time at all.
Instructions called for tying the fish to a thread and dangling it from a stick but, as you can see, Pepper prefers it no strings attached. More fish are in the works, as this one is already thoroughly abused.
He's so fun, but no matter how wild he gets (clawing up the back of the chair, stalking unsuspecting toes), it's never long before he's fast asleep again.
The SpyWear line has a notably contemporary edge to it, in contrast to the other lines, but simplicity and a featured form is what makes all the new pieces relate to each other. 
This year, in an effort to cut down on the waste in the girls' lunchboxes, I made a bunch of snack sacks. They were so simple and quick—I made 9 of them in one sitting. I didn't have a pattern, so I decided to wing it and take my cues from a basic envelope. Once they were constructed, I added a few pieces of Velcro to keep the contents from spilling out.
It'll be 8 weeks until we can taste these dill pickles, and we are waiting as patiently as we can. We tried a new recipe this year and we're holding out hope for crunchy spears this time.
This savory stew was flavored with a very special bay leaf.
And these are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to ever come out of our oven.
Handmade by DCR Creations, these backpacks were custom made for the girls in prints/designs they got to choose themselves. When they arrived in the mail, we pulled them out and immediately started exploring them. We marveled at the quality handwork, we were thrilled with the cute theme-matching fabrics used for the linings of all the compartments, we found the water-bottle pocket, and then the girls noticed something else: the smell! They were lightly scented with just a hint of fruity aroma. This was their favorite feature of all and if they had the chance, I'm am sure they would ask you to smell those new backpacks, too. 
We considered it a small victory to have sourced some great backpacks that served as an alternative to the inferior mass-produced ones. This gives us hope that we will be able find quality, affordable handmade products whenever the need arises.
DCR Creations is a mother-and-daughter run business that sews backpacks, wallets, aprons, totes, lunch bags, and so much more. Most products they offer can be custom-made in any fabric you see on their website.
You can find Little Garlic Press at Material Objects in Portland, at Design Hive during the holidays, or at her Etsy shop (her shop is currently empty, but check back soon as she'll be adding new items).
like climbing trees (can you find the 2 little trolls in this photo?)
Special treats, like chocolate-slathered frozen bananas
Enjoying the backyard scenery (read about this carpet of flowers here)
a little bit of work
and a spur-of-the-moment zip line (why not?)
It was rescued from my parents' old cottage, destined to become a TV stand and storage piece for us. When we brought it home, it was a pinkish-brown, as was most of the furniture in that cottage. (I'll have to ask my parents why one of these days). I painted it bright yellow, then a watery crimson so the yellow radiates through the red. It brings color and character to our living room.
But I'm not here to talk about our junk drawer, or the makeover the dresser got. The thing that makes this piece of furniture a prized object in our home is it's secret (apparently, we are partial to furniture with hidden surprises. Remember the table?). Our resident woodworker fashioned a special place for a modern amenity in this antique piece. A flip-down drawer front reveals our DVD/VCR player hidden inside the top drawer. We just flip it back up to hide it all—keeping the big silver box out of sight.
I have never been particularly fond of decorating my home with various technological components, so this was a great solution. I did have some reservations about modifying such a nice, old piece of furniture but in the end, functionality won out—and I'm glad it did!
This trellis was built by "A" only three years ago. The vines have completely covered it, creating a green "room" that houses our hammock. And it just so happens to be this very week that the vine explodes with tiny white flowers that drip off the top of it. We call this place our "secret garden," our little hideaway right in our own backyard. 
What about you? What is your favorite thing about where you live? Is it artwork, an architectural feature, an outdoor element, a prized piece of furniture? Do tell.
