That treat bucket of mine is glowing pretty brightly and I have an instant way for you guys to get that bright of a glow. I was at Dollar Tree a few days ago and saw some little lamps. They're pretty cool for $1.50! You light them up with either 3 AAA batteries or a USB A to USB C power cord. This lamp doesn't include either of those. You can buy the cord and a USB to wall plug adapter at Dollar Tree, though.
Something cool about this lamp is that it has three settings - cool light, warm light, and neutral light. You know, like the basic light bulb choices. You tap the top of it once to change settings. There's a dimmer feature on it too but I haven't tried that yet.
I would like the option to recharge the lamp with the cord and then have it powered for a while. You need to either have it plugged in or filled with batteries to see light. For my purposes, I don't mind having it plugged in, but there might be another time I'd like the lamp to be mobile without needing batteries.
This is the cord I got at Dollar Tree. It's a perfect pumpkin orange, isn't it?
I like these novelty cords with some little rubber design at the end. Usually, it's a tiny piece of food. You plug the cord into the back of the lamp, like this:
This is the actual plug adapter I bought at Dollar Tree. It has one USB port in it. You can't necessarily expect to see these at the store on every trip. It's sort of hit or miss. Whenever I do see one of these, I get one.
I had this old Halloween treat bucket already, and the lamp fits inside of it perfectly.
The cord just hangs over the back and plugs into the wall.
I'm getting a good glow and I don't have to worry about real candle safety, having batteries run out, or needing to recharge anything. I know I could put a regular fake candle in there, but I just haven't gotten as much brightness out of those.
So, if you already have a treat bucket, cord, and adapter plug on hand, this could be a quick and cheap decoration for you too! 🎃
The remaining autumn leaves have become as vibrant as possible around here and those on the ground have mostly flown away by now. With today's 20-30 mph winds, I've definitely seen them flying! I photographed some trees and plants at the local park at just the moment when they were at their peak and before they flew away.
How great are these leaves? This photo is actually my desktop wallpaper right now.
Stepping back a little, you can see those leaves on the shrub/mini tree next to the gazebo. The leaves looked almost electric at that time of day.
Here's a close-up view through the gazebo. Isn't that moss on the roof cool? I just noticed what I assume is a greened copper pipe under that roof.
What perfect late afternoon light! My favorite time to take outdoor photos is somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 PM. I think you get the best balance of bright and warm light around that time. I was just thinking about how that might change with the seasons, but really 3:30-4:00 works best for me year-round.
This area is the herb garden. Of course, it's more full of herbs in the summer. The hardy ones are still out now, though. Even with the garden somewhat died back, I think this area looks cool. The trees are adding a little drama at this stage of the year.
Here's "Autumn Snow" Candytuft, reminding me of a snowy owl.
And here you can see where the "snow" part comes in! It looks like snow falling from a cloud! And I suppose because this happens in autumn, it's "Autumn Snow".
There are several stone benches around the gardens, mostly in tribute or memorial to people. I especially liked the legs on this one. The plant theme is perfect for its location. This was the perfect time to be photographing stone designs as well as nature. All the details showed up in this light.
Tall, fluffy grasses in their seed stage:
This is one of my favorite photos of the day. I always enjoy a leaf on the walkway photo. 🍁🍂🍃
This tree is a "Katsura" and was donated to the park in 1957. It was already 38 years old at that point! Now obviously when I took this photo, it was a little late to observe its leaves. But I just read that in autumn, this tree's leaves give off a scent similar to candy corn. Maybe if I'm near this tree next September or October I'll give the leaves a sniff.
You can just pretend you are walking along with me here.
Closer and closer... Do you see that metal lamp hanging up there? It's shaped like a flower. Those lamps do light up in the summer evenings. I just noticed what I think is a green gourd in the upper left?
And closer still. I love this picture. It's like a doorway to another world when you close in on the exit. And that doorway is absolutely glowing with the light on those leaves.
Isn't this park/garden beautiful in fall? I feel a little warmer just looking over these photos.
If you play this while looking over the photos again, I think you'll find it relaxing. It would work especially well if you view the photos as a slideshow. I do that by clicking on the first photo to enlarge it and then going forward with the --> key.
Hey everyone! I hope you're staying warm. Anyone in the Midwestern U.S. knows what I'm talking about. Feeling more or less snowed in or frozen in, there hasn't been a whole lot of blog material to work with. However, something popped out on a shelf at Target that definitely fits with this blog's theme. It was this "Pumpkin Nutmeg" candle:
This candle smells so good! After searching through a shelf of fall and Christmas candles for a pumpkin nutmeg scent, I'd only found one and it was a blend with two other scents. Well, that and one that was in a funky looking container. Then, on a side shelf with some towels, stationary, random stuff, etc. was this! Just look at this beautiful glass vessel it's in.
And it glows in such a pretty way in the dark.
Another cool feature is the wick. This "Nature's Wick" brand is one I'd never heard of before.
The wick is wood and it makes a crackling sound as it burns. I'm finding it really relaxing to listen to this candle. If I close my eyes, I can imagine that I'm sitting in front of a fireplace or campfire. And that makes me actually feel warmer!
I'm not sure if this container will become a holder for other candles or a vase in the future.
I have one other find to share with you guys:
This lighter came from Menards, but I've also seen them at Dollar Tree. Either way, it's $1.00. They come in all kinds of colors, but I loved the pink one! I'd actually watched some YouTube reviews of this lighter and people loved it, especially those who smoke pipes. I guess it's just the right length for pipe lighting. You get a super powerful flame out of this. It's a little different because you press a button to get a light, instead of the old flicking of the metal. You know what I mean. The brand is crocs:
A guy on YouTube thought maybe the croc shoe people branched out into lighters, but I think this is a different crocs. :) Whatever the case, I recommend it! It worked well in lighting the candle I just shared.
So, have any of you used a lighter like this one or burned a candle with a wood wick? Those were two fun new experiences for me. 😁
