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....

These simple 'book pumpkins' (not to be confused with the 'Bookish' pumpkin from my last post) are so easy to make, you can get your kids involved! 


Grab some books in colors you love and varied sizes, along with some bookmarks (or simply cut strips of paper) and some book pages to make leaves. A little bit of plain cello tape will help, too.

Insert a bookmark or strip of paper (mine is woodgrain) into each book - and to make it interesting, place some straight up and down and angle a few others. Use a small piece of tape to hold them in place if needed. 


Arrange your books standing up on a shelf or table in a pleasing arrangement (an odd number of books works best). You can open them slightly to help them stand up, and also lean them on one another for support.

In my last post, I shared a how-to for making leaves using book pages, so I'll include that here. For this book pumpkin project, you'll need one leaf per book, plus extras if you want to scatter them on the surface.

I used two book pages, and began by giving them a wash of watery green paint so they looked a bit aged. When they were half dry, I used a brown pencil to sketch out two leaves on each page, all in varied sizes. 

Then I cut the leaf shapes out, and bent them over a glass bottle - so they would finish drying with a curve in them.

Once your leaves are dry, simply tape them to the bookmark 'stem' or tuck an edge into the book and let the leaf flop forward:

A few leaves scattered at the base of the books looks interesting - and helps hide UPC codes on the covers.
 

 

I grabbed the twisted paper bag 'stem' from my 'Bookish' pumpkin and added it to this display for interest... if you'd like to make one of those, the link to that previous post is just below.

* OH FOR... I found it!
I DID make them, I DID get a video of them, and I DID post it online - not here on the blog, but on Instagram back in 2021! No photos, just a reel, so here's a link to it on my Insta feed.

And that's not ALL: When I found that reel on my dwk account and went to leave a comment on it, I was somehow logged in (on my laptop) as my hwf account that I have been locked out of for three years!!! Good Grief, Charlie Brown... I am so confused. 

Related Content:


'Bookish' Pumpkin tutorial

autumn, books, pumpkins, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, fall, paper crafts, seasonal, seasonal decorating, tutorial, book pumpkins