Autumn in the Pacific Northwest

Autumn is my favorite time in the Pacific northwest. There are enough deciduous trees to bring forth amazing brilliant colors. In my design work and fabric choices, I seek out the rich, saturated jewel-tone colors: deep crimson, regal purple, warm amber golds, and a light touch of sage green. The trees and shrubs seem to sing their own "Hallelujah" chorus before settling in for a peaceful winter sleep. The pumpkins and assorted squashes are scenes from our island pumpkin patch. Hundreds of pumpkins sit in the fields saying "pick me, pick me." It reminds me of the words from a poem by Richard Brautigan: "I saw hundreds of pumpkins bump in with the tide.It must be Halloween in the sea."

The Halloween tablescape was a spontaneous, use-what-you-have creation. I am an avid collector of props. Even if there is not an immediate use for the items, they find their way into my shopping cart. There they sit in a storage, waiting for that marvelous time when they make their magical appearance. I wanted a bit of the macabre so a ghost pumpkin was chosen from the local pumpkin patch. From my collection of crows, I placed a couple on the top to watch over the festivities. To bridge the space from pumpkin to urn, gray Spanish moss was tucked in. Leaves collected from walks were scattered about, along with "Grinch" green unidentified stuff glued onto styrofoam balls I had found sometime ago.Gargoyle and Dracula statues, along with rubber rats, from the dollar store added that wondrous feeling of eerieness. I used a black and white scroll pattern tablecloth with yards and yards of cheesecloth yardage for the overlay. The pillar candles on heavy candlesticks added the finishing touch.