It's beginning to look a lot like. . .

Have you been to a store lately?  Apparently the Christmas season is upon us.  Tinsel and holly are filling the aisles. . . or rather large blow up santas and light up . . . everything, are filling the aisles.  But not at our shop.  For now it is still filled with harvest fun.  Need a Thanksgiving centerpiece? Some fun fall oak and dot garland? A corn husk wreath or leaf felt place mats?  A canvas harvest banner? That's what you'll find if you come shop our booth (along with great furniture and all year round decor, of course).  After all, it IS still mid October.

Halloween is a little over-rated in my book, but Thanksgiving I LOVE.  It's autumn, it's family, it's great food.  Really, what's not to love (except perhaps the inevitable rain)?  But honestly, Thanksgiving kind of gets the shaft.  Things go from haunted orange explosion straight to blown up snow globes that my dog barks at all day (not in MY yard, mind you).

That being said. . .

As creators and sellers of seasonal stuff, we must think ahead.  And since we are participating in a holiday bizarre that gets stocked October 28th, we are getting in the holiday spirit around here.  Not too much happening yet, but I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of winter whiteness, soon to be headed your way! And just to mess with my mind a little, I even listened to Christmas music while I worked today.  It feels a little sinful thinking of Christmas in the midst of my most favorite time of year.

As much as I LOVE fall and Thanksgiving, I dive right into the Christmas spirit the second I wake up the day after Thanksgiving (though I don't go seeking that spirit among crazed, bargain seeking, sale shoppers. . . if you know what I mean).

How early to you start pulling out the Christmas decor?  And how do you decorate for the season?

Harvest

Yesterday brought us the first day of Autumn, and tonight is the harvest moon.  What better time to throw a Harvest Party?

Traditionally, the Festival of the Harvest has been celebrated for hundreds of years, dating back to pagan times.  It was generally celebrated on or around the harvest moon and after Christianity joined the celebration, it was celebrated the Sunday closest to the harvest moon.

As my favorite season, I hardly need further incentive for celebration, but this was an opportunity not to be missed.  Here is a glimpse at our preparations.

In addition to the typical harvest fare, much in the line of a Thanksgiving feast, decorations consisted of harvest related items--corn husks and wheat stalks and displays of fruits and vegetable freshly harvested.  We created corn husk wreathes and adorned our table with a "Thanks Tree".  Leaves with harvest related words hang from our tree, but guests could also write things they are thankful for and hang them on the tree as a reminder during the feast and festivities.

A man was traditionally chosen to be the "Harvest King" and lead the way in from the final harvest to the festival, but the corn husk crown was adorable on our girls as well.

Leading the way, the Harvest King would fashion a corn husk doll from the last sheaf of corn and carry her on a stick to represent abundance.  These are simple to make and are a fun activity for the children to make.

And of course we must not forget gunny sack races.  These girls couldn't get enough of them, and our party hasn't even begun yet! Our sacks are made of a little burlap and craft paint.

With the weather in our favor this week, we took our whole party outdoors.  So to add to the ambiance, we created a little outdoor room by hanging linen curtains around our arbor.  You might have also noticed we did not use totally traditional colors for our harvest party.  As lovers of light and bright, we stuck to whites, creams, and other pale tans and browns with accents of blue.  I love any excuse to use my ironstone and Fire King dishes. One need not always use golds and oranges to carry the feel of autumn in a party or seasonal decor.  I love to decorate in colors that go with the style of my home.

We hope you have enjoyed our party preview and wish you a HAPPY HARVEST!

***Today we are linking up with The CSI Project***