Hello, Friends, How are you? I hope you are well and encouraged. Seasonal decorating requires balance. I want our house to look festive but too much decor gets on my nerves. If it gets on my nerves, I'm tempted to pull it all down and then I've just wasted my time. You probably know this, if you have been around for a while but I just adore vintage collectables and our vintage items usually don't get on my nerves. Pulling them out of the tote each year is so much fun. Figurines with a squirrel motif can look creepy or cute and cute squirrel accessories are hard to find. Squirrels are infamous for being naughty but they are highly prized as a fall collectable. They are darling in a vignette. Bill found an adorable squirrel bookend years ago. This wooden mammal is just delightful on the mantel next to the new Victorian clock. Bill thinks this bookend is holding up his books somewhere. He doesn't realize that he's been absconded for decor. Bill doesn't spend a lot of time gazing at my amazing mantel displays. I found this planter on Etsy last April. CUTE! The planter below was thrifted. I loved that thrift store but it's out of business. My brother handed down a calendar duck plate to me a few years ago so I thrifted a few duck figurines to display with the plate. A mallard sits proudly in our new to us dry sink. I haven't gotten the plate out yet. I'll do that in November. Pumpkin collectables are an obvious choice for October decor. I have quite a few favorite examples in my collection. It's been broken and re-glued but a ceramic pumpkin from the local annual craft show is one of my favorites. The crafter did well with this one. I never saw her at the show after that year. A glass pumpkin from the old Cloth World is also a favorite. eBay searches haven't yielded another to match. I love the curling stem. It has a very Morano glass look to it. In the last year or two, I actually prefer beautiful faux pumpkins for inside decorating. This year, Tuesday Morning had several from Poland. I chose this one. I love it. This one was hard to photograph but it reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. Everything looks special under glass. An acorn salt and pepper set came from my mother in law. Years ago, my friend picked up a pair of brass quail at a garage sale. It took me several decades but I finally found one for a price that I'd pay. It's a cutie. Bill loves paintings depicting autumnal color. Three real baby boo pumpkins surround a new oil lamp. I picked this one up at Ace recently. It's got great fall ambiance and it's practical. These are the only real pumpkins in the house. A prized needlepoint pumpkin from sm Wollman Designs was snagged last year. They sell out quickly because they are so beautiful. That is all for now. I'll try to sneak in a few more October posts. At this point, I have no plans to reopen the Keep In Touch link party. I'm enjoying a more laid back approach to blogging these days. As always, thank you so much for stopping by. Let me know if you love seasonal collectables. Katie