Last week I promised to get my autumn theme tablescape done to show you and inspire you to set a pretty table at your home. This year, I wanted rich color, so I began with a dark burgundy tablecloth and a hexagonal table topper.

The place settings have copper color chargers, white china plates and my autumn leaf salad plates.

I got out the gold tone flatware as the warmth of the gold is wonderful with the autumn colors. Crystal glasses and individual salt and pepper shakers are on the right side.

On the left, gold napkins are held with wood napkin rings. My pumpkin bowls are ready to hold a steaming hot serving of butternut squash soup. My recipe is on my post Cooking Up an Autumn Feast.

The centerpiece is simple, with my lidded pumpkin that can serve as a soup tureen or cookie jar. I set it on a ring of silk fall leaves on the table topper, simple and easy.

So there we are, a nice fall inspired table to enjoy meals all through October.

In my quest for crunchy chicken wings for football games, I tried another idea. This time, I spread the wings with mayonnaise and rolled them in panko bread crumbs that had been mixed with seasonings and a bit of olive oil. I baked them at 375º on a rack for a crunchier coating.

These were pretty good, nice and crunchy!

This past week, I finished the party goodies for Safelight’s shelter Halloween party. I ordered some things online and found a bit more in the stores. It was fun opening up the boxes as they came in!

This treasure box was a bit complicated to assemble, but I eventually figured it out. There were no instructions!

The box was filled with 48 little two piece airplanes, enough for both adults and kids to have one. I taped the assembly instructions to the underside of the lid.

For the adults, I decorated white lunch size bags with a row of rolled jack-o-lanterns.

Then they got a couple of cute stamps in purple and green.

The kid’s bags are brown with fun stamps on them.

I opened up all the bags and placed them on the cutting table to fill. There are 24 adult bags and 24 kid bags. The little treasure chest in the middle got some Snoopy and Woodstock stickers as well.

For the adults, their bags contain a Halloween flashlight. I was going to do some cards that had a theme of ‘lighting the way to a bright future’, but I ended up just doing some inspirational cards with stamps I had. One thing I did have to do was buy batteries for them, though. I put one in each flashlight, and made sure it worked before putting them in the bags.

The adult bags have a card, a flashlight, a pumpkin spice caramel, a fall wrapped fun-size chocolate bar, a Reese’s peanut butter ghost (or bat), and a tiny slinky-style plastic toy. I put those in the adult bags so they could decide if the size was appropriate for their child, should they choose.

In the kid bags are pumpkin stickers with fun face elements so the kids can make their own jack-o-lanterns. There are crayons to use to draw on the bags, and a bottle of Halloween theme bubbles with wands. Their bags have several fruit chews.

I only had 12 of the Snoopy and Woodstock stickers that came with the treasure box, so I put those inside. They can figure out who gets what.

Then, I got these big stickers. When I ordered them, I thought they were smaller and would fit inside the bags, but they are huge! The package is 12 x 18 inches! So, they can just be handed out with the treat bags.

On the spa bags, I am slowly getting everything I need to fill them. Naturally, I had things I had to reorder as they didn’t come in with the shipment. So, now I am expecting those things to come in on October 10. I have friends coming over to my house on the 16th to help me put the spa bags together. This gives me a few days leeway if the shipment is late, or I have to buy things in the store that get left off the order. I’ll give you an update on everything that is coming in soon. We’ll have all the cards and case sets we need for this next delivery. My revised timeline for the next delivery will be the week of the 20th for both the spa bags and the Halloween treats. If you are making case sets, you can breathe easy, and ship after the holidays. I think the second half of the project will be sometime around February. I have enough cards and money to do both deliveries.

This week is fairly clear, so I hope to make progress on the Fall Fortnight projects. I am hoping to get the lovely Benartex fabrics in on Tuesday. I hope to get a sample sale up soon as well, I have several great fall inspired table toppers for sale. I’ve made so much for the Fiber Fair coming on October 25, and I know I won’t sell it all. For locals, the event will be on the sidewalk in front of Beginnings Quilt Shop on Saturday, October 25. There will be a number of local fiber artists selling handmade goods, gift baskets, rope bowls, and more. Stop by if you can!

What are your plans this week?

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Fat Quarter Shop’s October specials – Get 20% off the Basic of the Month – Eyelet by Moda, 30% Off the Notions of the Month– from Acorn Precision Piecing Notions, 30% off featured Halloween Patterns of the Month , and see the Book of the Month selection Halloween Memories & Cross Stitch Book by Susan Ache. Then, check out Today’s Flash Sale and see the Precuts of the Week. Check out the new book Fat Quarters by the Dozen Quilt Book featuring twelve quilts, each made with twelve fat quarters, background fabric, and binding. Plus, it’s time to sign up for the Jolly Box Limited Edition Mystery Quilting Box for 2025! Santa’s Elves have been hard at work with Fat Quarter Shop to pack this mystery box full of holiday cheer. Inside, you’ll discover exclusive festive fabrics, multiple projects, and extra-nice notions you won’t find anywhere else! Reservations open now.

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