reflections of autumn

It's really autumn here in Belgium, not a sunny one which makes all the changing colors burn, but dark, grey, rainy, cold... no sun since 2 weeks...

I sometimes nag about it... and then I think I have no reasons to complain... This is how our climate is and all by all I consider ourselves lucky in this part of the world.

No demolishing storms who swipe over the country, letting the people behind with human losses, no house, no food,...

Human kind thinks it's ubermighty... but we are so small in the universe and just a peanut against the strenght of nature...

When things like this happen, I feel so helpless... I don't watch TV anymore, cause the images make me physically sick. I keep updated by the radio and the news, but I don't need to see it with my own eyes to know there is help needed.

I once thought as a teenager I could "save the world"... I still want to change the world, but in little steps in my own little world around me, my family, my school, my handicapped children,... and I monthly support organisations who are able to make a difference in the bigger world.

I could save the money monthly for myself and sometimes need it,  but as I donate monthly I actually don't réally miss it.

We both support humanitary organisations ( Unicef, the Red Cross, Doctors without borders, we adopted a streetchild in India so she can go to school and Invisible Children, an American organisation who tries to get childsoldiers leave the army of Kony and help them to return home), but I also support Greenpeace cause the environement needs our support if we want an earth where it's good to live for future generations.

Maybe it's just a drop in the ocean, but I'm convinced it helps...

So, if you donated to an urgent cause like the Phillipines now, consider a small donation monthly. The organisations can change lifes for better, but they need a constant support to do their jobs.

This grey autumn makes me reflect on my life... and maybe that's not so bad :)

So, yes, I will be happy to see the autumnsun, but let me show you some of the good sides of this grey autumn...

This is how autumn looks in my garden. Is it because the sky is grey that the colors of my hedge look more colorful then usual ? 

Look at all the shades of colors there are in a simple hedge ! This must inspire for a creative project...

And if it's grey and dark outside, let's go inside in my house.

I gathered all the physalis in my garden and put them on my LED-lights above the piano.

It's the first thing I do in the morning ... getting these orange lights on. They transform the room from dark to warm.

When I come home from school, these lights immediatly make me feel cosy at home.

Halloweendecor changed to an autumndecoration. It's far too soon for me for Christmasdecorations.

These will come AFTER the childrenscelebration of Saint-Nicolas (6 december) and will leave the day after Epiphany.

I hate to find stuff in stores months before the event. They talk about " going back to school" in june... when summervacation even needs to start, in september they promote toys for Saint-Nicolas and in october you can visit Christmasfairs in the shops, in february you already find chocolate eastereggs... 

I refuse to buy stuff months in advance... Part of a celebration is the longing for.. but not months in advance... At least that's my idea :)

It' s autumn here, so this gets reflected in my home.

Leaves of my Gingko Biloba, hydrangea and the physalis in my garden, the leaves of the  Parthenocissus with the beautiful oranges and red from the wall of the old factory behind our garden, give an instant autumn color to the display. 

They are for free, no need for storybought ones, just pick them up on your walk outside :)

The little pink fawn was one of my latest handmade beauties I bought. I saw this little feltfigures on a craftshow but they were quite big. I asked the elderly woman if she would want to make me a small one. After a few weeks i got the call: "it's ready" :)

The handmade bears of Annebearheart are part of the scene of course and carry a physalis that the insects already started to transform.

A selfmade easel-4 drawer box I made to sell, first finds a place between the leaves. Lots of stamping, distress inks, distress markers,washi tape...always fun to change a white sheet of paper in something pleasing for the eye :)

My "halloween" ATC book in orange made with stencils and sprays and my green waxpaper ATC book fit in the colorscheme, just like my halloweenblocks that I just turned to show another side...

A few years ago I made 4 canvasses, one for each season.

This one was a collage with glossymagazinepapers that I whitewashed. I added soms fake leaves and sew through the canvas with thread to mimic a spiderweb.

Spiders love my old house... and often I find a beauty between the most different stuff, like between the stems of my brushes... I always leave them for a while.. I can't make such a web, so why destroy it... Then one day I grab the spider and put it outside, where their web may last a bit longer...

The two kids are my sons, now 24 en 22, but then 5 and 3 years old sitting on the frontdoor on Aran's first schoolday... Time flies, so savour the moments as they present them to you... don't rush into the future... it comes sooner then you think...

I printed their photo on photopaper and glued it to foamboard. I then cut it out with a craftknife and glued it on the canvas. 

I did the same with the word "herfst" ( "autumn").

I love to use these handmade canvasses each season. They make me smile seeing the "vintage photos", bringing memories back immediately.

A metal owl overseas the whole scene, considering if he's a wise owl or a ninny... I think he's like me... sometimes wise, sometimes a ninny...

My leftover physalis are in an old glassdome with LED lights... Love this homemade lamp :)

Reflections of autumn... they are not bad ... make me convinced I'm a happy person, enjoying the little things in life...

And this photo of a light in a physalis...makes my muse awake... hmmm. these would make gorgeous fairywings...

greetings from Belgium

Inge