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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, October 6, 2017

What the Heck? It's the Glass Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Valley Nursery in Poulsbo is a perfect stop on the way to Heronswood sales.  Valley opens at 9:00; Heronswood at 10:00 and they're only a few minutes from each other. At this time of year,  nurseries aren't usually very crowded right at opening so on this particular day, it was surprising to see the parking lots almost completely full and the place buzzing with people.  Asking another patron if there was a special event of some sort going on I was enthusiastically informed that this was the day of the Glass Pumpkin Patch.  I'd heard about this event at a local nursery but never checked it out, after all, I've seen a lot of glass and expected a few glass pieces to be scattered around sort of like this:



Who would expect to be wowed by the number and variety of pumpkins offered?  An entire area of the nursery contained table after table of glass pumpkins.



Every shape, size, and color of pumpkin seemed to be represented.  Black with dichroic is especially fetching.

Don't be frightened, glass ghosts are really quite friendly.

Orange for traditionalists.

 For the more adventurous...

For Seahawks fans.




How exciting to know that these were all made within short walking distance of my house.

This event has quite a following and even has a signature pumpkin each year. 


There were quite a few autumn/Halloween-themed non pumpkin items as well. 




Loved this gold iridized number.




These  reminded me of the orange balls on the backdrop of the Sonny and Cher Show. 






A few signature pumpkins from years past. 

A black and white affair. 

I'm a patriotic person but this pumpkin color scheme didn't really speak to me. 





What fun to see all of these variations on a theme.  




Pumpkins as far as the eye can see.  So many gorgeous pumpkins; how do people choose?  
What an unexpected treat!  May your weekend be filled with equally delightful surprises. Remember, the Glass Eye Studio fall sidewalk sale is this Saturday  from 9:00 - 1:00.  Twice a year, this wholesale glass producing studio is open to the public and sells their wares, including items imported from China at half of their regular wholesale prices.  Prototypes for possible future items are for sale and seconds are dirt cheap.  In addition, artists affiliated with the studio set up their own tables and offer their wares at prices far below what they'd have to be at a gallery.  Y'all come!

26 comments:

  1. Those are stunning! I would have fallen prey to temptation - more than once.

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    1. They were gorgeous! Maybe you should visit this area in the fall, hit the Heronswood sale, visit Far Reaches, and shop a glass pumpkin patch. I hear that you can rent a U-Haul here and drive it back to Wisconsin. :)

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  2. A fun surprise for a glass-man such as yourself. It is impossible to pick a favorite pumpkin, and who can be satisfied with just one. I can easily see a new collection/obsession starting at this event.

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    1. I already have a small but growing collection of glass pumpkins but they've come from the Glass Eye sale or end-of-season sales at Fred Meyer.

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  3. So lovely. I especially like the black with dichroic.

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  4. Good lord! That's a lot a punkin. I hope they sold most of them, packing back up would be a pain...

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    1. When Alison and I visited close to the end of the sale, there were still quite a few to pack up. They do this event at nurseries all over the region so there are still lots from which to choose. I'm thinking we need to invest in the bubble-wrap industry.

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  5. Oh my! My local botanic garden has a glass pumpkin show this weekend but my guess is that it won't be anything like this. Once again, the PNW sets a high bar...

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    1. There's a whole lot of glass blowing going on in the PNW.

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  6. This is incredible! I wouldn't have thought there'd be so much interest in glass pumpkins. So did you get one or are you waiting for the sidewalk sale? Now I see where you get your cool props. ;)

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    1. I was surprised that there were so many and that glass pumpkins have become so popular. Even our local everything store (Fred Meyer) has an assortment of them each fall. Didn't get any pumpkins at this event having spent too much on plants already.

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  7. Oh my gosh! What beauties! I'm afraid I'd have come away from there with more than one, but to have to choose which ones would be hard. I did love those black ones, and of course with my limited budget, I'd have to buy small ones. There is just something about colored glass that speaks to my heart.

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful pumpkin patch.

    Have a great weekend Peter ~ FlowerLady

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    1. They were all so beautiful! Glass speaks to my heart as well. Hope you have a great weekend too!

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  8. Since I am going through my blue phase I was especially drawn to the first set of blue pumpkins. What an enormous about of pumpkins. You surely got one or two of them?? I also like the leaf bowls. I have a couple of those. It is fun to use them during parties in fall.

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    1. I didn't get anything as I needed to get to the plant sale at Heronswood and it would have taken me a long time to decide on just one pumpkin. Came back after the plant sale but had already spent money buying plants.

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  9. So many pumpkins! were people buying them? They seemed a bit pricy from what few tags I could see.
    We are planning to be at the Glass Eye tomorrow.

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    1. There was quite a crowd and people seemed to be buying. They were too pricey for my wallet especially because I was on my way to a plant sale.

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  10. What is really wonderful is that they are locally made. I love glass pumpkins.

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    1. You can't throw a rock without hitting a glass studio in this area. They're even more numerous than nurseries.

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  11. Wow, that is a lot of glass pumpkins! Who knew? The small pewter shop in Boston always has a big display of glass pumpkins and I always wondered why. I guess it's a thing! Hopefully they are cheaper there, though.

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    1. These are a bit expensive for something that's seasonal. I started an unintentional collection of glass pumpkins many years ago with three cheap tiny ones that a friend had made as an experiment. Who knew that glass pumpkins were a thing? They seem to be everywhere now.

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  12. Wow! and Wow again! WEren't you lucky that day. Wish I lived in your neighborhood.

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  13. Oh, wow! Should I get in the mood for Halloween now? In Germany Halloween is not as crazy and as much celebrated as in the US. But in the last 20 years it got a little bit more popular here.
    I definitely would have also bought some glass pumpkins. They look very nice.

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  14. And glass pumpkins won't go soft or get eaten by pumpkins.

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  15. I mean squirrels, eaten by squirrels, not cannibal pumpkins.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.