I shop...

Ummm....sometimes too much. And sometimes it is not always for things I need. The other day...was one of those days, filled with wants, not needs. Life is short...enjoy it doing what you love, right?! So, inspired by my blog friend Melissa, I thought I would show you some of my recent fun purchases!

I had these pictures in better order when I uploaded them but somehow managed to screw them all up here and just didn't feel like rearranging them again. One of my favorite places to shop, especially with autumn coming, is one of my local Yankee Candle shops. I just get a warm fuzzy feeling when their shops are all decked out for fall. And with a fabulous coupon in hand, it was time to stock up on some lovely fall scents. That little car air freshener was a total impulse purchase. They were hanging right next to the register and it was so cute I had to grab it. Now I can decorate my car for Halloween, too!

I also spent some time on Amazon the other day. As much as I love bookstores, I also love that I can just bring up Amazon any time of the day or night and browse all the books I want. I finally bought the book above, Pumpkin Chic. It is a Country Living publication. It is fabulous! All about decorating for the season with pumpkins and gourds. Amazing photos!

The other day on the way up to the White Mountains, we stopped in Derry NH at Cracker Barrell. I am not a big fan of CB's food, but I love their quaint little gift shop. And I know they carry Gooseberry Patch books. I collect the GBP seasonal books and some of their other books. Pretty much every year they come out with a new Autumn cookbook and a new Christmas cookbook. I hate to order from their site because their shipping costs are ridiculous, so since I knew we would be driving past CB I planned to stop in to see if they had the new books. They didn't have the Christmas one yet but they did have the fall book, Autumn With Family and Friends. I was happy with that. And I will have the Christmas book very soon...trust me!

GBP, despite them being a company that does some things I find disagreeable, is still something dear to my heart. It is because of GBP that I have met some of my closest friends. I have posted about this somewhere on my blog in the past, so I will try to condense. In a nutshell, after I bought my first GBP books in a gift shop I checked out their website and found they had a message board. I checked it out and found a group of women so like me! In to crafts and holidays and decorating and shopping and home and hearth! I was thrilled. Most of my friends are not in to any of that stuff. We all bonded online then suddenly GBP decided to shut down their message board. They didn't like that not every single post was about GBP. And they moderated everything. It took forever for them to put up posts. So we all kept in touch via emails. Eventually one of our friends found a site where we could set up our own private message board, and now, over six years later, our site is going strong and we are all closer than ever. At this point, most of us have met at least a few of us despite us living all over the country. We have seen each other through weddings, births, illnesses, deaths, happy celebrations, and trying times. And it all started with a cookbook!

Another Amazon purchase, Merry and Bright. This is also a Country Living publication and one I have had my eye on for a long time. All about decorating and entertaining during the most festive season of the year!

This was also part of my Amazon order, Home For The Holidays, which is a Hallmark publication. Again, all about decorating, entertaining, with fun crafts and recipes thrown in!

I picked up this frame at Marshalls recently. I love the rustic, Tuscan look. And it is in that oil-rubbed bronze patina that I love. I plan on making one of those monogram frames that are so popular now.

I picked up this antique brushed gold colored sunflower garden stake when I was at Cracker Barrel the other day. The center is amber colored beads. I plan to tuck it among my shrubs in the fall. It is not too big so it should be a subtle decoration among the green of the shrubs.

Another Cracker Barrel find, this little Trick or Treat plate is so funky and adorable. I plan on propping it up on a little plate easel and adding it in to my Halloween decorations.

Cracker Barrel again. This one will be placed on a plate easel at Thanksgiving.

And my last little Cracker Barrel plate. This one was just funny and I just had to have it. I think I will put it on a plate easel and place it amongst the desserts on Christmas Day!

I can't go to Yankee Candle and not buy candles! And this time of year is when my favorite types of scents abound. So I picked up a trio of fall yummies, two old favorites (Autumn Wreath and Spiced Pumpkin) and a new favorite (Farmers Market). I have always been drawn to warm, spicy candle scents, or scents from nature. So over the next several months all of my favorite scents will be featured!

Yeah, so, I really love these little car gels. They last longer than those cardboard air fresheners, and they are subtle, in both scent and appearance. MacIntosh Apple is my favorite year round (though in the summer I do love Sun and Sand...it smells like Coppertone!). I think a lot of people love MacIntosh because it is one of the few sold in a three-pack.

So you see, definitely not stuff I had to have out of necessity. I can live without all this stuff. But I also live to have fun...and sometimes shopping for frivolous stuff is fun!