AUTUMN: Book Pumpkins with Paper Bag Stems

Continuing with my bookish inspiration this autumn, I made two pumpkins using paperback books...

I know making things using folded books & magazines is a craft that has been around for a long time - my Mom was making angels, trees, and Santas using magazines back in the 60's, and she and I made a few for our holiday decor back in 2016. They are an easy and cheap way to make pumpkins, too, and with the plethora of books in my garage, I figured I'd revisit the past a bit - simply because it fits my current theme! 

You'll find a basic 'book pumpkin' tutorial AND a quick paper bag pumpkin stem tutorial in this post. Continue reading for more... 

AUTUMN: Make Peat Pot Pumpkin Stems

 

I was cleaning out my gardening tools storage area, and came across a stack of small peat pots / seed starter pots in a bucket. The bottom pot was a bit damp, and when I picked it up, I accidentally squished it - and an idea hit me!

With a little bit more water and some experimentation, I turned those peat pots into stems for various pumpkins - it's a little bit like working with paper clay or papier mache'.

Continue reading for my easy tutorial... 

AUTUMN Inspiration: October 🎃

🎃 I tend to think of October as being 'Pumpkin Season'... maybe because I love pumpkins so much that I have created so many new versions of them! (Honestly, I am just not into scary / spooky Halloween - at ALL.)

I love the colors and elements that nature offers us in this season, and the ability we have to 'feather our nests' and make them cozy and welcoming for the colder months ahead. One of my favorite fall activities is harvesting natural materials and bringing them indoors to grace our homes before their life cycle ends. And I have always championed that we can diy our own autumn decor to make it exactly what we want, in our favorite colors, that expresses our own special style. 

I've rounded up some fun pumpkin decor ideas, projects, and tutorials below to inspire you this month... and if you'd like to see ALLLLLLL of my autumn diy projects from the past 14 years, they are here!

AUTUMN: Book Page Leaf Wreath + Bonus!

It does seem like Deb's got a THEME going this fall, does it not? 😉 Yep, I'm letting my bookish obsession off the shelf as I make seasonal decor using BOOKS!

This wreath is a new iteration of an idea I have played around with for years: making replicas of leaves out of paper. I pulled out my box of old tattered damaged books again, and worked some autumn magic with them... 

Continue reading for my tutorial on making the leaves and then attaching them to a foam wreath form... plus an additional way to use paper leaves in your fall decor!

AUTUMN: More Book Pumpkins!

Before I continue into this project's tutorial, I have a question for my fellow creatives: Have you ever been 100% certain that you did something, and that there is photographic evidence of that something, and you can actually SEE it in your mind - but can not find ANY of the photos, or the blog post you swear you published, to prove it???? 

As I was posting my last project, a previous one came to mind and I intended to link it as 'Related Content'... but I can't find it. I am absolutely certain that I created this before, and posted it here on my blog and on Pinterest and my facebook page, while I was in my 'Yellow Era'.

I can't find ANY evidence of it. I've searched my computer files, my facebook files, my Pinterest boards, my blog posts (even drafts that never published). ZipZeroNadaNuthin'.

Guys, I have a photographic memory. It is stunning even to me how my brain works visually, and this conundrum has me spinning in circles because I know what I know. I made this same exact project using yellow books, and photographed it on my faux mantel. And yet I can find no tangible evidence of that... 

So I am doing what any somewhat sane but confused creative person would do: I'm making the thing that I thought I had already made. I'm taking photos of the thing, and I'm sharing them here on the blog. (And what do you want to bet that at some point in the not too distant future, those 'lost' photos and blog post are gonna' show up out of nowhere?? I'd bet money on it.*)

Continue reading for one of the easiest tutorials you'll ever see from me....

AUTUMN: 'Bookish' Pumpkins

SO, a funny thing happened as September began...
I had NO IDEAS for new pumpkins. Not a one. Which is entirely unlike me, because y'all KNOW about my love of pumpkins. My muses were still on vacation, I guess. AND THEN... on our delightfully rainy Labor Day Weekend, I stumbled across an idea!

I was re-sorting several boxes of books by size in our garage, and one stack of books suddenly slid sideways onto the floor and formed a half circle. As I bent to pick them up, I saw something... a shape, a whisper of an idea. I sat some similarly hued books aside, kept working on my task, and then brought those books into my studio to try out the idea growing in my head.

Here's a sketch of my idea for a 'bookish' pumpkin:

I had to play around with the books awhile to get it right - after two different iterations, I was finally happy with the result. 

Don't worry, this project is 'temporary decor' - nothing is attached permanently, it's all removable, and no books were harmed in the making of this bookish pumpkin! 😉

Continue reading for my tutorial...

AUTUMN Inspiration: September 🍂

🍂 Easing into Autumn with a palette pulled from nature and inspired by the treasures of the season...

September weather in So Cal is still hot (we call it 'Locals Summer') and the skies are mostly bright blue... yet the light begins to change, the inland nights cool just a bit, and the leaves began to dry out. Sadly, they don't change color. But fall is in the air, and it signals a coming change.

A new side of nature unfurls all around me outdoors, and inspires me to bring a touch of the beauty inside to enjoy as decor. Hues of green, brown, tan, and shimmering gold capture the ephemeral light of early fall and set the stage for all that is on its way as the harvest approaches... 

May these ideas and projects inspire you to notice the approach of autumn!

tropi-FALL: faux bamboo painted tiki bar

I recently unearthed some of my VERY old project images from a forgotten online source, and though they are very rough, I wanted to share them anyway... since this project plays a part in my current love of tropical style. 

This isn't a tutorial, folks. I'm just sharing a fun project from my past. I was a decorative painter for a decade, painting murals and faux finishes in homes and furniture for my small retail store. 

Back in 2002, my friend and co-worker at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Linda, asked me if I could 'revive' an old piece she had in her garage. I went over to her lovely home on Mercer Island to see it...

...and oh, what I SAW!