Obsessed with Amber

A girl can never have too much amber. This girl can't anyway.

So, for a flourish of fall around the house, I pulled out nearly every piece of amber glassware I own. And the amber-colored vintage jewelry, amber-beaded tassels and garland and amber-toned ornaments. Then, I threw together a dining room decor full of warm fall color and sparkle. 

To add polish and cohesiveness, I called into service my vintage beveled mirrors and, finally, sprinkled the room generously with satin fabric pumpkins and turkey feathers. A simple recipe for an autumn feel.

Front and center on the buffet, I stacked vintage cake stands and topped them with an upside-down small amber bowl that forms a pedestal for a larger right-side-up carnival glass bowl. I embellished the centerpiece with vintage brooches, beaded tassels, garland and satin pumpkins. Can't you almost smell apples and cinnamon, pumpkin spice, caramel and perhaps a hint of dried leaves?

What a nice warm glow . . . a vintage Fostoria juice glass forms the pedestal for a pretty pumpkin.

The vintage mirrors add special sparkle and interest under the room's arrangements. Love the etched detail on this mirror.

Flanking either side of the buffet's cake stand tower are arrangements of amber-colored goblets, more satin pumpkins and beautiful iridescent feathers courtesy of our flock of backyard wild turkeys.

On the dining room window seat, which catches the southern sun, I positioned a beautiful amber-colored, mirrored-glass mosaic bowl on top of another amber cake stand and filled the bowl with small pumpkins and gourds. The mosaic mirror glass dances in the sunlight, throwing bits of light around the room, changing character and intensity as the day goes on. The cake stand is embellished with amber-beaded garland and positioned on another vintage mirror with beautiful etching.

A large satin pumpkin atop an art glass cake stand adorns the dining room table. Amber-colored fabric-and-bead ornaments on an oval vintage mirror round out the centerpiece.

And, finally, I wrapped the chandelier in evergreen and strung it with an amber prism garland to round out this sensuous fall decor.

But wait! There's more! When you look now, you'll get amber vignettes in the foyer and amber tableware in the kitchen awaiting Sunday guests.

Don't worry--I won't bore you with the rest of it. Not today, anyway.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
{Primp} Your Stuff Wednesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm  
Wednesday Bunny Hop at Bunny Jeans Decor and More
Potpourri Friday at 2805
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Autumn Arrives Party at Savvy Seasons by Liz
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Saturday Show Off at The Rosegarden in Malevik
Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper
Sunday Blog Love At Cherished Treasures

Postscript: Turkey Talk

If you saw my earlier post, Turkey Crossing, you've read about the adventures with our wild turkey flock. This is a postscript to that story.

The past few weeks, the turkeys appear to have been molting. Barney and I have found a number of feathers in the yard. Barney wants to fetch and chew them up, I want to gather them up.

So, I've been gingerly collecting them and spraying them with overpowering shots of Raid to kill any mites  or other microscopic insects. And, I have given more than a passing thought to the potential for bird flu and any other disease they might carry. But, so far that hasn't stopped me from collecting these beautiful specimens.

My collection of feathers isn't large, but I have enough to put to good use in my early fall decor.

The large feathers are a nice complement to a beautiful art deco Gonder pottery vase I picked up for a couple of bucks at a garage sale this summer. The striped feathers are from the wing, the dark feather with the bronze edging is a (shake a) tail feather. This sparse, but striking, arrangement now sits on our hearth.

The smaller feathers, with their fluff and iridescence seemed perfect for one of my vintage amber vases. I accented this arrangement with a couple of blue jay feathers I found in the yard. This pretty collection started out on the distressed sofa table, along with the frog princess lamp and a vintage clock. The personality of the small bouquet seemed to tie in nicely to the whimsical setting.



Ultimately, it ended up in the center of the dining room table atop a gorgeous handmade cake plate and under a cloche. This presentation pairs with a stack of three amber cake plates on the dining room buffet. I wish I could have provided photographs of the final groupings, but my photography skills aren't good enough to compensate for the heavy glare of all the glass and mirror in the dark red dining room. Here's the best shot I got.



At the end of a summer in which the heat and humidity took a tremendous toll on my cutting garden, it was fun to create a couple of little bouquets that look fresh and colorful and will last for years to come.

Linking to:

Motivate Me Monday
Sisters of the Wild West
Homemaker on a Dime
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Very Merry Vintage Style
Coastal Charm
Blue Cricket Design
Stuff and Nonsense--Fridays Unfolded
Designer Garden
A Creative Princess: It's a Party
Farmhouse Friday

The CSI Project