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End of October Finds and Inspiration – (Saturday Spotlight)

Hello friends! Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight, where each week, I like to highlight a different theme or topic to inspire you.  Wow, we’re at the end of October already!  Hopefully, you’re enjoying some beautiful fall foliage where you live.  Here in New Jersey, the leaves have been pretty amazing!  Now as we head into November, I thought I’d share some random things that didn’t make the blog in October.  Come join me…

*For your convenience, please note that this post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking my links below, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

End of October:

A Look Back at the Month…

Yes, this is a photo of the vibrant red leaves in New Jersey!  It’s been a gorgeous fall despite the dry summer we had…

Bright red leaves against blue sky - end of October

As beautiful as it is in New Jersey, you can’t beat Vermont in the fall!…

Fall in Vermont:

Beautiful places and spaces…

A few weeks ago, I shared some beautiful fall ideas from my trip to Woodstock, Vermont but I didn’t include any photos from my visit to Farmhouse Pottery.  So, here are a few photos from my October visit to their flagship store…

Farmhouse Pottery store entrance with pumpkins - October shopping

On this visit, I was able to walk through their studio to watch the potters at work…

Potters working in pottery studio

As always, the shelves will filled with all the handcrafted items.

Pottery on shelves

And their fall displays were as beautiful as ever!

fall merchandise displayed at Farmhouse Pottery store

For a few more scenes, watch my Instagram reel.  If you are ever in Woodstock, Vermont, be sure to stop in this lovely store!  

A couple years ago, I shared some photos from my Christmas visit to Farmhouse Pottery, if you want to take a look.  And of course, be sure to check out their beautiful website for more!

Here are more of my “fall out-takes”…

An October DIY Failure:

Believe me, not every DIY project ends up being successful! 

If you ever feel frustrated when you see all those bloggers with amazing creations, this might make you feel better…

Cutting plastic for tray

Recently, I had the bright idea to update the breakfast tray I painted over the summer. 

First, I was going to lay a piece of fabric across the top and then buy a piece of plastic to place over it.  That way, I could give my tray an updated look but the plastic would keep the fabric clean and flat.  Then, I started thinking of all kinds of decorative items I could lay under the plastic each season…it was going to be great.

Well, let me tell you, it’s not that easy to find a piece of pre-cut plexiglass.  So, I had the bright idea to buy a cheap plexi-glass covered poster frame from Michael’s and cut it myself.  (It was way too expensive to have them cut me a custom size). 

Instead of using an x-acto knife, I took out my scissors and started cutting away.  As soon as I started, little cracks started appearing across the plastic and as I cut more, shards of plastic started falling off.  Not only was the plastic totally unusable, but I made quite the mess! 

Needless to say, I have to come up with a better solution.  So, that was my DIY failure of the week!

Even though my DIY was a failure…(or should I say “learning experience”), I definitely had some successful purchases this month…

My Successful Purchases in October:

If you’re like me, you love coffee table books! 

This month, I ordered a beautiful decorating book written by blogger extraordinaire, Leslie Saeta from My 100 Year Old Home.  Since the book just arrived, I’ve only had time to skim through it but I can’t wait to sit down with a cup of tea and devour every page!

coffee table book - October purchases

While we’re talking about relaxing, we finally purchased the mattress I’ve been dreaming about for years…

Yes, our Westin Heavenly (R) Bed mattress arrived this week!

mattress on wood bed

Whenever we’ve stayed in a Westin Hotel, we’d always vow to buy one of their mattresses.  Well, after many years of talking about it, we finally ordered one!  We’ve only had it a few days but are loving it so far! 

If you’re interested, we bought our mattress directly from the Westin store when it went on sale but Pottery Barn also carries them.  While I was deciding, I went back and forth to compare prices between the two to watch for sales. 

Also, since the mattress is thick and has a pillow top, I ordered the low profile box spring.  That ended being the perfect fit for our bed…the regular size box spring would have been too high.

Even though it’s only the end of October, I’ve already bought a few cute Christmas decorating items. 

This week, I ordered these adorable Christmas salad plates because I was afraid they would sell out fast!

Red and white snowflake plates from World Market

World Market

When setting a holiday table I like to use salad plates to mix and match with my other dishes.  Plus, if you just buy the salad plates, you can create a whole new look without spending a ton!  Anyway, be on the lookout for an upcoming Christmas table setting using these dishes!  *Update:  You can see that table setting as part of my Christmas Home Tour!

For even more end of October ideas, here are some finds from around the internet:

As always, I hope I inspired you with all these creative projects and ideas! 

What projects did you accomplish in October?

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9 Comments

  1. HA – I’m glad I’m not the only one who has those learning experiences! 🙂 Thanks for a great post and so many fun things – I’d love to visit Farmhouse Pottery someday! Happy last day of October my friend!

    1. Thanks Barbara! Yeah, sometimes those projects don’t go as planned! Happy last day of October to you too!

  2. Bonjour,
    Petite suggestion d’une lectrice française ; pour couper de plexi, il faut marquer le plus possible la rainure avec un cutter et ensuite plier le plexi en suivant la rainure.
    Bonne journée

  3. Do you know I have lived in Upstate NY my whole life and never have I gone to Woodstock, VT. It looks so quaint! I’m adding to my list to go in November!

    1. That’s funny but I totally understand. There are many places near me in NJ that I’ve never visited…and I’ve lived here my whole life too! Definitely check out Woodstock when you can. You won’t be disappointed. And if it snows when you’re there, you’ll think you’re in a Hallmark movie!

  4. I just realized how far behind I am in reading blogs, when I saw this is about closing out October! I have always wanted a Heavenly bed, and we are now in need of a new mattress, so thank you for putting it back on my radar!

    1. I’m behind as well! Yes, we were long overdue for a new bed and have been very happy with it so far!

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