Fall Fabric Wreath and Pumpkin Crisp

Thought I would take a bit of a mental break from all of the Christmas thoughts in my mind to bring you a little bit of Fall.

Fall Fabric Wreath by Love Elaine

I just love this new fall fabric wreath - its bold and bright yet subdued, just like the season itself. You can't go wrong with bright orange, deep brown and sage green.

With the change of season and the onset of cooler weather, I've been in the mood to cook and bake wholesome, hearty meals! I thought I'd share a new recipe for a dessert that is sure to be a new favorite in my family - it is boyfriend tested and approved, so enjoy!

Pumpkin Crisp

Prep: 15 min.

Bake: 1 hr., 5 min.

Stand: 10 min.

Yield:  Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (18.25-ounce) package butter-flavored yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts because of a food allergy. These can be optional if you don't like nuts or have other food allergies)

1 cup butter, melted

Ice Cream or Whipped Cream (optional)

Ground nutmeg (optional)

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture; sprinkle evenly with pecans. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with Ice Cream or Whipped Cream, if desired. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

This dessert went together in no time - it is super easy and makes many servings! Perfect for a family gathering or leftovers for those with a sweet tooth! What new recipes are you trying with the change of season?

Work Not In Progress

This week's post was supposed to be very different - as I had planned on making a ton of progress and finishing a custom order for a bride by today and sharing lots of amazing photos with everyone! However, Hurricane Irene had much different plans for me, as we are now on day 5 without power. I must say that we fared better than most, as the storm hit the Richmond area harder than we were expecting, and many people are still without power. Some even had trees fall on their homes and cause a lot of damage. And, to make matters worse, the current estimate for power is FRIDAY! By that point we will be a week without power.

Tree down on power lines in our neighborhood.

View from our front porch during the storm - luckily no homes or cars were damaged!

So, no power = no sewing. And no sewing = no finished products to show you. However, I do have this photo as a sneak peak of some linings I was able to cut during the day on Sunday.

Don't you just LOVE the bright colors? I am so in love with all of these patterns! Anyone want to guess what they are going to be?

Hopefully, our power will be on soon and I can get back in the sewing room to finish these custom orders! And with that, I'll leave you with something I did get to finish last week - a gorgeous pink & green fabric wreath!

Hope everyone on the East Coast weathered the storm! Hopefully I'll have some updates on finished projects soon!

Fabric Wreaths for Everyone!

So here it is folks - my first giveaway here on Love Elaine! And, it just so happens to be on the heels of my first giveaway on Young House Love. For those of you not familiar, go check it out now - but don't say I didn't warn you that you will soon be hooked. John and Sherry are fellow Richmonders who share their DIY tales of fixing up their second home and raising a family. Seriously, one of my favorite blogs EVER! So, RUN, do not walk through the interwebs to sign up for the chance to win one of the three giveaway prizes - yup, each person who wins gets their own custom fabric wreath!

Fabric wreaths are a hot commodity right now in my etsy shop! They can be made in any color combination and in sizes from 6 inches to 18 inches, with a bow or without.

So, since I'm in the giving mood, I thought I would add one more wreath to the pot for a Love Elaine reader! Here are the three ways to enter:

• Leave a comment below with your favorite color combination for Spring/Summer
• Follow the Love Elaine blog and post a comment to this post that you did
• "Like" Love Elaine on Facebook and post a comment to this post that you did

The winner will be announced on Monday, May 9! Good Luck!