When Autumn Leaves Begin to Fall...

Days like today make me grateful to be alive.

The air is crisp and breezy, the sun is out (although quite low in the sky), birds are singing, and fat little squirrels are scampering about busily trying to remember where they stashed their nuts.

Fall is in the air and I'm loving it. This may just be my favorite time of year. Thoughts of frosty air, snuggling into warm sweaters, pumpkin pie, butternut squash soup, and hot tea fill my brain. I can hardly wait! Sure, Spring is nice, but there's just something about the anticipation of hunkering down for the winter inside a warm room and a good book that really gets me going.

The coming seasonal changes inspired my recent work as well. For years I've been hanging onto some beautiful porcelain raku buttons by Rama. I bought them when I was still sewing, thinking they'd be fabulous on jackets or coats. Then I stopped sewing, but clung to the idea that I could use the buttons somehow, someday. That day is here! I'm using them as focal features for beaded necklaces.

Sure, they dangle a bit oddly now because the shanks are centered at the back. I'll give them a touch of epoxy where the bead strands meet the buttons at the back to give the connections more "ummmph" and they'll be perfect.

The colors in the buttons are so pretty: rusty reds and magenta, teal blue, soft celery greens, and a touch of copper. Perfect for Fall pieces.

This ginkgo leaf is probably my favorite. The necklace is a work in progress; hopefully it'll be finished by the weekend.

Gorgeous forest greens and soft neutral browns really set the tone in this piece:

I used leopardskin jasper and jade beads for the centerpiece.

For now, I think I'll put on some shoes and head out for a walk while I hum my favorite Nat King Cole song, Autumn Leaves. Here it is for you to sing along with:



Who cares that my bead tray beckons, or the dishes need to be washed? This day is just too pretty to waste inside!