Comfort and Joy!

What are two great gifts to give this holiday season?  Why, comfort and joy of course!

In honor of those two fabulous gifts, we have created two gifts for you.  First for comfort these "comfort and joy tags" - use a standard single hole punch and ribbon to tie one to a bottle of wine (comfort and joy, and for great wine gift ideas, ask Bobbie) a container of hot cocoa-mix, or perhaps something warm and comforting like a hand-knit scarf or mittens.  To help create joy, these 1 inch mint-candy circles- punch them out with a one inch punch (need one?  You can get one at a craft store like Micheal's, or you can order one here) you can even cut them out with scissors if you  like.  Scatter these little bit of joy everywhere, hang them from your tree, make a garland, toss them in the air like confetti, we do not mind, do whatever you wish, as long as it brings joy!

Some of you may be looking at these thinking...hey that is the Peppermint and Spearmint collection, and you would be right!  Bobbie an I are working on your fantastic party set as I type (Okay Bobbie is, I am typing).  We still do not have a winning theme set chosen, so if you have not voted yet, please do (click here for a quick trip to the choices), and get a FREE gift for voting!

To get your Comfort and Joy set, our gift to you, write to us at info@shysocialites.com
Want to talk to Bobbie or myself personally?  You can write to us at
Bobbie@shysocialites.com
or
Daisy@shysocialites.com

Let's make this blog-a-zine fun and interactive, share a post here about something that brings you comfort or joy or both!

Thank You

Decorate your fireplace with pumpkins

Decorate with pumpkins! Do you have a non-working or ornamental fireplace that you just don't use? Are you tired of the same old dusty white candles that you put in there years ago to spruce it up? Well, I am. Quite some time ago I moved into a lovely home with a non-working fireplace that I had every intention of doing something with, eventually. Years later it is just a black hole in my family room and has always been a bit of an eyesore. I've tried candles, mirrors and flowers in there to give it some pizazz. Alas I came across this great idea to fill it up with pumpkins! Pumpkins come in so many shapes, sizes and colors. They are super duper affordable this time of year or you can grow your own for free. And the best part is, they last for months! Just fill up your fireplace with a myriad of pumpkins. Don't be afraid to stack them on top of one another and have a few spilling out the front onto your hearth. Have fun with it, add candles and foliage. For an all out fall theme you can add a bail of hay and a scarecrow!

Pumpkin Planter

Greet your guests with whimsical pumpkin planters on your porch steps or make bring them inside and add that wow factor to your dinning room table scape at your next autumn dinner party. And its so simple to do, here's how...

1.)Gather up some seasonal flowers from your local garden center or supermarket. Keep them in the containers you purchase them in.

2.)Find some pumpkins big enough to accommodate your flower containers.

3.)Cut an opening in the top of your pumpkin just big enough to fit your flower containers and scoop out the pumpkin guts and seeds (save those seeds for roasting!) Drill or carve a small hole in the bottom of the pumpkin for water drainage.

4.)Drop your flowers (still in the container) into the pumpkin, if they sit too low you can use rocks, crumbled newspaper or packing peanuts in the bottom to give your flowers a boost. Voila!

Tips:
Pumpkins will last longer if kept out of direct sunlight.

You can fill the pumpkins with potting soil and just plant the entire arrangement (pumpkin and all) in the ground once the pumpkin starts to rot, although this method does not last as long as the pumpkin will start to decompose from the soil.

Use a variety of flowers and leaves such as drapey vines, tall wispy grasses and colorful flowers.

Paint or draw faces on your pumpkin for a Halloween flair. Group several pumpkin planters together for a bold look.