Answering the I ♥ Fall Tag (because I epicly do!!!)

 As many of you may have gathered by now, I absolutely adore answering tags, be they here in written form or over on my (very sporadically) updated YouTube channel. I like to keep things interesting and don't post tags here all that often, but aim for at least a couple a year.

Sometimes folks will kindly tap me to answer specific tags that they're playing along with, at others I'll discover them independently myself and feel a desire to answer the questions they pose.

Though occasionally tags (such as 100 Questions to Inspire Rapid Self-Discovery) get in-depth and personal, most are just plain fun. As well, I find them to be an excellent partner for the weekend, when few of us have the time or burning desire to delve into lengthy and/or heavy posts.




{Pure, unbridled elation fills my heart and sets me to throwing my hands up in cheer the moment fall rounds the bend again!}


Today, on the very first Friday of my absolute favourite season of the whole year, I though I'd take a stab at answering the I ♥ Fall Tag, which has been floating around the web in various iterations for at least four years, if not longer.

This tag is speedy, easy, and totally enjoyable - so I highly encourage all those for whom it also resonates with to play along as well (please be sure to leave a comment with a link to your own post or video, if you do, so that I can delight in reading/hearing your replies, too).

I ♥ Fall Tag Questions

1. Favourite fall lip product? My trusty tube of MAC Diva lipstick. It's the perfect vampy, blackberry juice hued colour to compliment so many of autumn's muted and jewel toned ensembles (not to mention, all things black and mysterious looking, too!).






2. Favourite fall nail polish? There are sooo many that I love! Narrowing it down to a single choice is not easy, but if I must pick just one, I'll have to go with the wildly beloved modern day classic, Lincoln Park After Dark from OPI (which, perhaps not all that surprisingly or coincidentally, is quite similar in hue to my lipstick choice above).



3. Favourite time of the day during fall? It's a two-way tie for me between the (truly!) golden hour and dusk, when the heavens takes on the inky, marbled look of the illustrated skies in that most awesome of Halloween classics, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.




4. Favourite fall candle? Back in 2014, when Target still existed in Canada, Tony and I picked up one of their Limited Edition brand Pumpkin Cheesecake candles that is so incredibly delicious scented, we not only haven't actually lit it yet, but we keep it out on a tiny shelf in our kitchen - where it gently perfumes the air - all year long. That one takes the (cheese)cake for me in this camp.
5. Favourite fall accessory? Any sort of vintage or vintage inspired autumn jewelry, especially if it stars maple leaves and/or pumpkins (such as this elegant antique amber and sterling silver brooch that is available in my Etsy shop).




6. Haunted house or fun fall hayride? Both, pretty please! But, if I could only pick one, haunted house all the way! I love experiencing safe thrills and chills comes October.





7. Favourite Halloween movie? Hands down, no questions asked, for all of time, Disney's 1993 gem of a film, Hocus Pocus. 





8. Favourite sweet treat to eat come Halloween night? Definitely handmade caramel apples, which I whip up a big batch for each All Hallows Eve (because, as we all know, calories don't count on October 31st! ;D).





9. Have you picked your Halloween costume for this year yet? I have indeed, but I'm not telling anyone (but my darling husband) what it is! :) I always save my reveal until the big night it itself and even like to surprise my parents with my costume choice.

Edit: When I penned this post recently, I thought I'd hit on my costume for this year, but now, I'm not as sure and am quite 50/50 between two (one of which I wore in a past year, but didn't share here yet). No matter what I go with, I'll be posting about it in November. 




10. What is your favourite thing about fall? Everything!!! In particular though, I adore how the season exquisitely marries light and dark in so many different ways, the stunning fall leaves, autumnal foods, and the various elements that I highlighted here back in a 2014 post called 5 things about Halloween That Make Me Disproportionately Happy.

(To learn more about a specific image used in this post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.)

♥ ♥ ♥

There are scarcely words enough in the languages of the world to even come close to adequately describing my elation over fall's return. While I will miss summer's powerful heat (and generally very outdoor photo shoot conducive weather), this season is so entwined in my soul that I always forgive it instantly for sending its predecessor packing.

From the fact that autumn has always felt like the true new year for me (as touched on previously in posts such as this one) to the sublime colours that Mother Nature drapes herself in to my most beloved of holidays, Halloween to, yes, really and truly, pumpkin spice everything, no other time of the year makes me quite as content, gleeful as autumn does.

Naturally, this leads me to want to "blog (and wear) all the fall things", so you can bank on a fun bevy of seasonal posts here as each week and month of this fall progresses.

Such will include scrumptious harvest fare, All Hallows Eve themed entries, cold weather styling ideas, and plenty of vintage and handmade autumn perfect finds. In fact, you could say that season is going to be as rich in fall related posts as a mug of warm apple cider is in gorgeous spiced aroma!

Here's to a brilliant, beautiful, and exciting (not to mention, playfully spooky) autumn for all of us!


*PS* Have you heard? There's two times the giveaway fun going on right now!

Here on Chronically Vintage, I've teamed up with Wise Apple Vintage this week to offer one lucky winner the chance to take home a $75.00 USD store credit to their awesome online vintage decor and collectibles shop. Enter that giveaway on this post.

And over the blog of my lovely friends the Boyer Sisters, I myself am giving away a $75.00 store credit for my Etsy vintage shop, as well as offering a limited time coupon code there for 25% off on everything in my store between September 21st and October 10th. Pop on over to their blog for your chance enter and to avail of this deep discount when you shop Chronically Vintage on Etsy.

Say Hello to September with Mid-Century Golden Harvest Pumpkin Pie

After one has been blogging for a number of years, there are certain things that you just naturally assumed you've covered on your site by this point in time. For example, I was shocked to recently discover (unless I've completely forgotten and now cannot find a post about such) the fact that I've never blogged a vintage recipe for a straight up classic pumpkin pie.

Seriously, how that can that be? Back in 2011 I did share a lovely mid-century recipe for Coconut Pumpkin Chiffon Pie (which is off-the-charts tasty!), but again, I can find no concrete evidence that I've shared a more traditional pumpkin pie recipe here.

Given my unending love of both autumn and pumpkin foods, that really is surprising, I know! As they say, no time like the present - and when the present just happens to me my first blog post of September, the month that ushers in fall's return, now seems like a thoroughly good moment to do so.

I know, believe me, I know - many of us are keen to savour these last final days (or weeks, if we're lucky) of summer weather are are still thinking "grill" not "casserole". While I do have one foot planted squarely in that camp for sure, the side of me that waits with boundless enthusiasm for autumn's return is already a.) decorating for the season and b.) gearing up in the kitchen for it.

I'm a huge fan of pie across the board. No matter the season, I'm there with pies aplenty and haven't let not being able to eat gluten (due to celiac disease) stop me from still whipping up plenty of pies the whole 'year round.

As much as there are varieties that make me go weak in the knees during winter, spring and summer, none quite do it for me like autumn's richly fragrant, earthy hued, gorgeously spiced versions - very much including apple, pear, sweet potato, and today's offering, Gold Harvest Pumpkin Pie (which is a classic single crust pumpkin pie with a charming ring of chopped nuts on top).




{Dessert fads may come and go, and plenty of variations exist out there on this dish, but at the end of the day (not to mention the end of the summer!), sometimes you simply can't beat the sublimely tasty treat that is a classic pumpkin pie like this fun 1950s version. Vintage recipe image source. Click here for a larger, easier to read version of this image.}


Growing up my mom made (and still makes to this day) an incredible pumpkin pie - think magazine cover worthy flaky crust, a creamy (but never runny) filling, and just the right amount of sweetness and heady spice. Her version has been the benchmark against which all other pumpkin pies, be they homemade, from a restaurant, or store bought have been judged.

Her classic version dates back to at least her own mom, my maternal grandma and is strikingly similar (minus the ring of chopped nuts) to this wonderful 1950s take on an incredible fall time treat.

We always had airy lashings of whipped cream (usually homemade, not in an aerosol can, though either does the trick fabulously!) and as such, I make a point to ensure that there's plenty on hand when I bake up a pumpkin pie, too, which is a beautiful fall time ritual unto itself for me.

 {1950s Reddi Wip ad image source}

I rarely stop at just one pie, but if that's all that happens in a given autumn, it's frequently for Canadian Thanksgiving in early October or Halloween at the end of the month.

No matter when it appears on the table, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be there at some point - and unlike with most recipes, I rarely deviate much from the traditional iteration.

Like a great roast turkey - another much adored treat of the season - a marvelous pumpkin pie recipe needs little to enhance it. The combination of a buttery crust, satisfyingly squishy filling, and the unmistakable flavour of pumpkin + cinnamon and nutmeg is culinary perfection in my books.

If you do want to jazz things up a bit though, crumbled pralines in the filling is fabulous, as is a drizzle of caramel, butterscotch, or chocolate sauce on top, and whipped cream (as mentioned above) and vanilla, caramel, toffee crunch, apple, pear, or even pumpkin itself ice cream are delectable partners for this incredibly iconic fall time dessert.

And, as always, if shortening ("Fluffo" brand was used originally here in this recipe) isn't your cup of tea, then certainly feel free to swap in another suitable cooking fat, such as butter or coconut oil, instead.

I know that not everyone is a huge fan of this particular dessert, but if you are, I hope you'll join me in ushering in the return of fall - when it does actually arrive - with a slice of the age old classic that Pumpkin Pie.

{Fall themed 1930s magazine cover image source}

It is to our taste buds, what the spectrum of jewel tone fall autumn leaves is to the eyes - and both are elements of the season that I can never, ever get enough of.