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I made a Halloween wreath for the door using orange roses, chinese lanterns, crabapple, eucalyptus, hydrangea, and even some green tomatoes! The spiky bits around the edge, I don't know what it's called, but if you look up close, they look like little teeny weeny pumpkins. Unfortunately the weather is wet and windy and I thought this may get a little too battered outside, so I decided to use it as a table decoration.  Sadly my husband won't be sharing Halloween with us, as he is taking care of his mum.So I decided that we would have a lovely meal this evening  instead and go mad with the table decorations! I made Rioja-braised lambshanks with garlic and chorizo. Absolutely delicious, but not for the faint-hearted, the sauce contained 250ml. of Balsamic vinegar as well as the red wine. The recipe is by TV chef Lorraine Pascale and if you would like to check it out, here's the  link . We had Poached Pears with Blackberries for dessert, but everyone was too full to eat it!...

This time last year my kitchen was a deep cream colour with some of the cupboards in a dark pink. I loved it, it was warm and cosy. When the Spring came I found it too dark, I wanted light, and so I painted the cupboards white, and the walls an off-white. It was such a contrast, and so bright, i loved it too. However, as the sun goes lower in the sky and the weather has been very wet and windy, I found that I wasn't liking it quite so much, it seemed dull and cold. My daughter and I had been making some papier mache toadstools, and this was my inspiration......of course.....a touch of red was what was needed. Those clever Scandinavians know that, their mostly white interiors do almost always have a little red somewhere, and it really does draw the eye in. So I set to and made a little corner where I could display red things. My daughter is so excited, she thinks Christmas has come early! We have a little 'toadstool' mania in this house at the moment. This rather lovely glas...

I found the above images on Etsy. They are the work of Susan Templin at Firstlight Photography . I think they are wonderfully evocative and atmospheric. How do you feel about Halloween? I have to admit, I am not a big fan. I love the autumn, the harvest, the pumpkins, fires, cosy blankets, apples and all. I am just not too keen on the scary, spooky stuff. I have to make an effort to decorate for my daughters sake, but I try to keep it to cute cats, pumpkins and friendly witches. Neither of us are too enthusiastic about bats, spiders, snakes and de-capitated things....uuuurrgghh! So with this in mind I will show you some of the more pleasant Halloween things I have found. All the above images are from Pinterest . Look at these adorable Folk Art patterns for cute creatures you can make.....I love them! The three above are from The Cheswick Company on Etsy .   The above images are from http://www.countrystitchesonline.com/ . Brenda also has a lovely blog http://withthyneedleandthread.b...

Image from Tumblr . Wreaths, are one of my most favourite types of flower arrangements. They are so uplifting when you see them on someone's front door. I have never been to America on Thanksgiving weekend, but I know I would just love to see all those beautiful door wreaths. This is my own image, I apolagize for the quality! In Ireland, they tend to be only used at Christmas time, and usually they are either artificial or made from holly with a plastic decoration here and there. I would love to see people be a little more adventurous, and make their own. Depending on what you use, and the weather, they can sometimes last for quite a long time. I have known mine , made with fir, eucalyptus and roses last for a month, with perhaps only the odd rose needing replaced.   I would love to see people have a different one for each different season. I do try to do that in my own home. When I drive or walk towards my home, it really gives me a little lift to see it there. I also love...