Gourd Harvest

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. The crisp air is invigorating and the vibrant colors are so breath taking. When decorating for the holidays I prefer to use things from nature whenever I can.

Nothing adds more color to your fall decorations like colorful gourds. So on a beautiful Fall day I headed to the garden to start harvesting them.  

The bright yellow gourd blossoms peeking through the fence greeted me.

Our gourd crop was very bountiful this year. So after scattering them throughout the house in different areas I had enough to do a little fall decorating in the garden too.

 

I placed a squash in the center of the bird bath and surrounded it with gourds. There isn't much blooming now in the garden so it adds a little color to it. The birds probably aren't going to be too happy with me for using their bird bath, but it's just temporary!

I gathered a few in an old egg basket and placed a little crab apple branch on top for a little added color. Then I set it on a little bench in front of a stone wall. Now the garden is ready for Fall too!

Unique Vases ~

Often times when I find vintage salt & pepper shakers at an auction or flea, they're missing a lid or one of the pair. Since they aren't a complete set they're very reasonably priced. I like to use them as small vases for my flowers. These little misfit shakers are the perfect size for small areas where there isn't a lot of display space. It's nice to be able to add a touch of color from the garden to these areas.



This yellow vintage shaker holds some brightly colored Ganzia and a few variegated Hosta leaves.

These pretty Mountain Bluet flowers are tucked into an old jadeite shaker.

A green vintage shaker displays some Coneflowers from my garden.

These sweet Violas look at home in this dainty shaker.

A small shaker holds a few tiny Coreopsis blooms.

An old milk glass salt shaker contains purple Pansies.

This old Hoosier shaker is filled with some Bee Balm.

The Pairing Of Two Vintage Pieces ~

At first glance the red Hoosier top that we found at an auction wasn't  a very attractive piece. It was  actually quite a mess! Looking past the ugly finish on it we realized that it was structurally in very good  condition. We weren't quite sure how we would use half of a Hoosier but we liked the style of it so we bought it.

 

My husband began to strip away the many layers of paint that had been applied to it throughout the years. As he removed the layers he found that the original color had been a turquoise with small Bing cherries on the door panels. So our plan was to restore it to the original color.

 

 

About that time we found this great vintage porcelain top table with turned legs and curved leaves @ a flea market. We thought that the two pieces would go well together. So our plan changed and we decided to use the colors from the table to unify the two pieces.

 

We removed one of the leaves of the table and took it to Lowe's to have the paint color matched. The interior was painted the creamy off white and the exterior the green of the table top edge. My husband attached the top to the wall and we placed the table underneath it.

 

 

There is a bread box inside the left side of the Hoosier top. The  cute design on the door are punched holes for air vents.

I often times leave the door on the right side open to be able to see some of the items displayed inside. ~ An old sugar sack is displayed hanging over the door.

Among the items displayed in the Hoosier top are Jadeite, green depression glass, Hazel Atlas hoosier salt & pepper shakers, old enamelware, an old scale, etc. .......

 

 

I love the little drawer with the vintage glass knob on it! If you look above the knob on the pull out leaf you will see the makers mark.

 

 

This is the side view of where the leaves slide in under the table top. We haven't done anything to the table except to scrub it. Eventually we may strip and paint it the creamy off white. It has some marks on it and some chipped paint but I'm okay with that ~ It just shows that it's been well loved!

 

 

A look from above at the curved pull out leaf. I love the shape of the leaves.  I love using vintage pieces in my home and potting shed. Pieces from the past and their history are so interesting!

 

Thinking Outside The Pot ~ Unique planters

I enjoy finding vintage pieces that I can repurpose as planters for my flowers. It adds a unique feel to my potting shed & gardens.

These pretty pansies found a home in my Grandpap's old coal bucket this Summer.

 

Old egg baskets can be used in many ways. I lined this one with an old feed sack and placed ivy in it.

This old scale was an auction find from a couple years ago. I planted Lobelia in it and hung it on the little porch of my potting shed.

This succulent ground cover will grow anywhere! I put a couple pieces with some soil in this vintage flour sifter and it grew like crazy!

I love this old metal toy wheel barrow that I found at a flea. It makes a sweet little container to plant a few chicks in!

The Lobelia that I planted in my little wash tub has such dainty blue flowers. I tucked an old washboard and a couple vintage garden tools in the back of the wash tub for added interest.

This old wooden tool box insert is filled with a chick feeder and some of my chicks planted in an old toy wheel barrow & a graniteware ladle. 

This wooden tote was lined with plastic and planted with petunias.

A new spin on a "potted plant" ~ An old enamelware bed pan planted with Ivy and hanging on my potting shed. Every garden can use a little bit of humor in it!

A few chicks tucked into an old graniteware ladle.

My old blue enamelware bucket planted with pink petunias. It's so much fun searching fleas, auctions and antique malls for vintage pieces to use as planters! Use your imagination! ~ You might be surprised at the ideas you come up with!

Classic Garden Duo ~

I love terra cotta pots & use them a lot in my outdoor gardens. They have such a natural organic look to them. I think one of the most classic garden duos is terra cotta pots & geraniums. They look as though they were meant to be together! This old milking stool makes a nice stand for one of the geraniums on the little porch of my potting shed.