Today was a rainy day at MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, but that didn't stop this fan from visiting the shop for their Fall Festival weekend,
The grounds were all decked out with lush mums, pumpkins and gourds...
...and the courtyard still had the outdoor furniture and umbrellas sitting on the brick patio.
The huge sandwich board sign in the porte cochere shared the weekend festivities:
We were able to go into the ceramic studio and interact with the artists as they painted:
The ceramics are all fired 4 times, at different stages of painting! This is an example of Courtly Check after 3 firings:
This is the station where each artist mixes their own paint...
...and the measurements are listed close by - some measurements are listed as "round spoonfuls", as this is why the color hues vary on many of the pieces. If you are looking for perfectly matching pieces, M-C is not for you, as each piece is painted by an artist and not a machine!
This studio is not very large but there were about 8 women painting on this day!
The farmhouse was also open for a few hours...
...the front stairs were simply decorated...
...and the porch was loaded with plum colored mums:
Looking the other way you can see Cayuga Lake:
The front door had a pair of unique, festive arrangements:
Pumpkins galore were scattered throughout the house...
...and a huge one was centered on the dining room diorama table...
...as well as upstairs on an ottoman:
The swan pond can be seen out the back door, and during the Barn Sale, this area is loaded with anxiously awaiting customers!
The side porch of the farmhouse was also decorated with mums and pumpkins and ready for visitors to sit and enjoy - - too bad it was a gloomy day!
At the other end of town is the Pumpkin Hill Bistro, where we had lunch...
...a cute little farmhouse...
...with views of a vineyard...
...and pretty gardens...
...and a unique country decor - but more importantly, great food!
We continued our day shopping in Skaneateles and stopping by the Chocolate Pizza Company!
Stop by later this week to see the lovely fall table settings in the M-C store and farmhouse!
Patti, I've been eagerly awaiting your photos of the day's trip. Glad you girls had a great time despite the rainy weather. The tour of the studio is interesting. It reminds me of the painting studios at the Quimper factory in France. Handpainted pottery is truly an art form that is disappearing. We are so lucky to have pieces of this pottery.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your day.
OMGOSH! How fantasti, Patti! What a lucky girl you are! I hope BJ is a follower here and hope she doesn't fall to her death in her excitement that someone actually visited there! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteDespite the weather, this festival must have been heaven for you to visit! I think I would have gone crazy looking at all of the Mackenzie-Childs creations if I had your talent of re-creating so many beautiful items! It's amazing and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletePatti, I was hoping you'd share your day! Always a treat to visit MacKenzie-Child's! We are going to their fall festival tomorrow.
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