I decided to have an autumn tree this year -- well, actually I decided last year, and scooped up the things I would need at the "after-autumn" sales! :)
Here is the result -- it's in our family room. I put gilded fruit, leaves, even some little glass squirrels & acorns, along with bittersweet garland, and orange lights, of course! Oh, and a pumpkin for the topper!
I just love the way it glows in autumny-colors!

My Autumn Tree

Thank you all for visiting my blog this week as I shared about our wedding! All of your comments were much appreciated! I mentioned earlier about trying to get a photo of our invitations that we made.... this is the best picture I could get.... I embossed them and then colored them with pastel decorator chalk.....
Thanks again to everyone for joining me as I took a pleasant trip down memory lane this past week....
And now, back to our regularly-scheduled blogging! :)

A horse-drawn carriage

After the reception, the bride and groom rode around town, then back to pick up our boys to ride along ~~ this is my favorite photo of them from that day ~~ they, of course, had taken off their jackets soon after the ceremony!
I felt like a princess ~~ a beautiful way to begin our new life together.

My Wedding Dress

The top photo shows the back of my pink wedding dress...... There were little fabric roses with *pearls* in the center......
To the right is a closeup of the beautiful cream embroidery & beading detail.
When planning the wedding, a friend and I drove to Cincinnati to a bridal shoppe, which happened to have this pink dress in stock, in just the right size ~~ the only one like it ~~ I feel that it was meant to be my wedding gown for our special day!

Our wedding cake........
Three tiers, with ivory cream basket-weave icing, and real flowers cascading down the cake....... It was also absolutely delicious!
Instead of a wedding topper, we had a bride&groom musical globe for a keepsake; you can see it in the far bottom left of the picture.

I had kept everything about my dress a secret until this moment (though he had correctly suspected it was my favorite color of pink.....) He was waiting on the arbor with his best man Bradley, and I was joined by Andrew after I stepped through the gate, who walked me to my waiting groom.

Our Front Porch on Our Wedding Day

The sign on the wicker chair in front of the door instructs guests:

~Wedding Guests, Please Enter At Side Gate~

I painted the sign, adding an arrow, directing them to the area you see in the photo below....

This is the side gate; through which wedding guests entered the back yard where the ceremony would take place. You can see the arbor awaiting us -- that is where we stood to be united in marriage ~ Chris built this arbor especially for our wedding. We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding, and I had been checking out various park settings, when a friend suggested "why don't you get married in your own backyard?" What a perfect idea! I spent all summer planting flowers for the occasion, and Chris, who was living in an apartment at the time, came over after work and on his days off, to help. We had so much fun working together and making plans for our special day. We even made our own invitations (which I'll try to photograph and share as well). ~When we moved, we brought this gate with us, it now is at the entry to our back woods, as is the treasured arbor ~ The little wooden stand on the left holds a pretty book & pen for the guests to sign~

These photos were taken separately shortly before the wedding (we followed the tradition of not seeing each other before the ceremony!)

The groom Chris wore a cream tux, and our boys were similarly attired, with black accents. I am wearing a gown of palest pink with cream embroidery and pearls, and standing beside me is my Man of Honor Andrew ~age 12~, and our little guy Bradley ~8 years old~ Best Man.

Hand in Hand..........
My dear husband and I will be celebrating our Eighth Wedding Anniversary one week from today, on September 26th. I thought it fitting to take a trip down memory lane and revisit that beautiful day, so I will be sharing about our wedding throughout this week. This is a picture of our hands together, soon after we were joined in marriage!

Autumn Joy Sedum

Our Autumn Joy Sedum growing in a side flower bed by a vintage gate.....
I just planted this about a year ago.......
One of the many things I love about living in the country is all the room we have for flowers & garden art!!

A Homer Laughlin plate I picked up at a church sale yesterday for a dime! I think the colors will go well in our living room.

Inspired by a photo in a magazine, I decided to create a window treatment for the doors in our bedroom. I took the two lace panels that my mom gave me at our garage sale, and pinned them with vintage cameos. I love the softness this has added to the doors.

One of the little shoppes in my autumn village......
I have always loved miniature villages; it's like looking into a secret world...... almost magical......

They make me happy!

This light-up Autumn Village is among my favorite fall decorations. I have this on our family room mantel (though this photo is from a previous year -- we haven't had a fire in the fireplace yet this season!)
Please don't forget to check my nature blog, as I will be sharing outdoor fall decor & scenery there!

Autumn......

I know it's not officially here, but it's my favorite season! (I suppose if I posted about Christmas last time, it's not jumping ahead too much to talk about autumn!!)

This is a picture of autumn decor in our living room...... I use more muted shades to blend with the colors of the room....

Three guesses as to what I'm thinking about, and the first two don't count!!

I just love Christmas, and really start dreaming and planning for it at this time of year!!

(This is a little pillow I created but sold...... Maybe I should make one to keep?)

A Birdcage atop our bedroom amoire......
The vintage bluebird postcard was a gift from a dear friend who knows I adore bluebirds!
I did something fun with this birdcage for Christmas last year........ those who didn't see it will get a chance soon!

A Dining Room Vignette, Created from Yard Sale Finds!!