Fall...it's upon us....finally!

Fall is near.  The air is cooler...sometimes, lol.  Yesterday was hot, today was a bit cooler, and this evening is downright chilly....I LOVE it!  I'm slowly decorating for Fall...nothing major yet.  A large pumpkin on the porch w/a big black 'H' on it for our last name...this is sitting atop a few faux fall colored leaves, and it's sitting on top of a vintage silver handled urn...gorgeous.  I recently touched up my decor on the wrap-around front porch.  The wicker furniture all got new red seat cusions (courtesy of a junk store for $1.99 each, w/orig. price tags of $17.99, lol).  Then I tossed a few of the throw pillows (I repurchase new-used toss pillows for the porch every spring, throwing away any that are discolored, faded, dirty, mildewed, etc.); what I do is pick them up at yard sales and such for less than $3 each...there's a few that are good quality and can simply be recovered (when I have the time, lol).  I swept and cleaned and cleaned and swept, rearranged, and cleaned off tables, and such.  I have mismatched vintage teacups & saucers (chipped and such, paid a quarter or so for each) setting on the tables that have vintage doilies and such (again, pd 50 cents or so each, they have snags or holes and/or a stain here and there) on top...all those were cleaned and replaced, and ta-da, done, fini'  All in preparation of Fall....there's leaves that have fallen back down by the garden fence.  I take the dogs out for a walk in the evenings (when it's nice out) and sit in the $5 wicker chair I have sitting back there, and watch them play and run among the leaves, the love it...and I love that it's FALL , lol (can you tell? lol)

Some of the vignettes in my home...

These are a few of the vignettes found in my home.  The antique white cabinet was a gift to me when I was quite young from my late grandfather, who'd done some trading w/a man, so he said, and that it was found in an old barn, again, so he said, lol...but who really knows.  It sits kind of in the middle of a walkway, as you enter from the foyer, and my hubs HATES it there, lol, and wants it moved, but la-di-da, 'I WIN' lol.  The bookcase is at the bottom of the steps from the second floor and holds all my antique book collection (books that are 100 yrs old or older), 1st editions, etc.  I like to display vintage/antique photos everywhere, so you can see some of them on top of the white cabinet and bookcase, as well as the tiger wood sideboard/dresser in the dining room (above, also).  That antique drawered dresser was scored at an auction that I use to frequent for $35!  The regal mirror above it (yes, very old) was scored at one my favorite junk-guy's stores for $10!  The antique stoneware pitcher holding hydrangeas, was scored at a back booth in a huge antique mall for only $18.  The antique red desk was found at the same auction (different night) for $35, as well...I didn't paint it, it came adorably chippy...score for ME!  I use the vintage picnic baskets for storage of some of my vintage linens, and candles..and one of them is actually used for, yep, picnic supplies, lol.  When the hubs and I take a wine tasting tour, which we have a tendancy to do once in awhile, we take that picnic basket, which holds our wine glasses, romantic table cloth and napkins, corkscrew, salt/pepper, etc.  Well, there you have it...well, some of it, lol.  It's ever changing, also...those pics were taken a couple of months ago, but the tops of a few of those furniture peices have already been rearranged and redecorated at least 2 more times...they look a bit different, and of course, they change w/the seasons.  I thought maybe you all would enjoy seeing some of my style of decorating. 

I'd LOVE to see some of yours...feel free to email your pics and thoughts and ideas and such, I'd love to hear from you!

isn't this lil cake adorable???

Don't you just LOVE this cake?  What do you think it is?  If you look closely, you'll see a light bulb...your mind will wonder...hmmmm, what kind of light bulb is that?  it looks a bit odd...not like any I use in my lamps or anything.  Then you look even closer and wonder, hmmmm, I've never seen that kind of piping on a cake before...then it HITS you!!! wow!!! it's a tiny, battery operated tea light candle!!!! decorated to be a cake!  it's so delicate.  so small.  HOW in the world did this person put such tiny piping of clay on this cake?  The bottom is a lace border, of course...easy enough.  Rhinestones glued at intervals around it...another easy call.  The sprinkles on tip are a type of sequin, placed strategically on top...yet another easy task, as well as the pre-made bisque roses that can be purchased at a craft store...but the piping around the edge...how did they do that?  it looks like a star tip, a reverse rope, to be specific. hmmmm, I'm gonna figure this out, I will...and when I do, I'm MAKING it, lol....actually, I think I'll prolly make one anyway, aren't they just too cute?  it obviously won't have the piping, but I'll come up with something!

Guess who stumbled across a VINTAGE Burberrys bag for 3 bucks?!

That's right...MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  It's actually a briefcase style bag, a little too wide at the bottom to be just a briefcase, maybe a weekender of some sort.  I'm having difficulty locating the print anywhere on the web.  It is DEFinitely authentic, the quality is SUPERB, the stitching is fanTAStic, the leather is exCEPtional, the hardware is quality brass (not that cheap crap, or painted stuff)! There's NO WAY this bag is not authentic.  It is definitely vintage, as it says 'Burberrys of London' 'Made in Italy' and Burberry dropped the 's' at the end in 1999...soooo, with that said, I've researched until my brain is fried, lol...my next step is to send it to Burberry itself for authentication...the prob there is, if I'm wrong (but I'm not), and it's not actually authentic, they won't send it back, I'll lose it, along with the $3.67 I paid for it, lol...and it's a GREAT bag, don't wanna lose it.  Is there anyone out there that knows VINTAGE Burberry?  Everything I research is all either vintage clothing/trench, and the Nova plaid/check and on current type bags...but nothing vintage, rare, or pre-trademark plaid.  Anyone know a good site to look at about vintage Burberrys?  believe me, I've been to everyone of them that Google has sent me to over the past 3 days, lol, no luck.  help???