modern wood bowl mushrooms

yep, i'm stubbornly holding on to the fall season over here!
our triple-digit summer temps didn't drop until Halloween week,
so i am in no rush to hurry autumn along.
(i can actually sit outside now!)

after sourcing a few wood bowls at a local thrift shop,
i wanted to make fall decor from them, and

these incredibly easy mushrooms only took ten minutes to create.
and i love the woodsy vibe they have!

continue reading for a truly simple tutorial...

happy halloGREEN!

( you had to have known that was coming! )

it's Halloween day, and no one is reading blog posts...

but i thought i'd put this up, anyway, 

to give my green pumpkins one last bit of the spotlight.

it's been fun creating new versions of past projects

along with completely new original pumpkins this fall...

continue reading for a quick recap and links to all project tutorials

NEW! Faux Pumpkin Cake

yes, Deb loves sweets - edible or not!

and since Halloween is all about the treats,

i just make my own calorie-free versions -

like faux caramel apple pumpkins and this faux pumpkin cake.

in trying to finish up my yearly 'pumpkin palooza' projects,

i had an idea for a pumpkin slathered with frosting to look like a cake,

but wasn't sure if i could make it look the way i wanted it to...

after searching online for images of 'pumpkin shaped cakes'

(click here to see what came up). 

i was scrolling Instagram and saw THIS:

but WAIT - that's not a cake. it's EMBROIDERED fabric!

artist Heather Rios is INSANELY talented at making fake look real.

she shares her astounding works of art on Insta at @heather_rios_arte

Heather's idea of showing the inside of the 'cake' 

impacted and changed my original plan -

and made me reach for a particular material in my stash

to approximate the texture she gets in her artwork.

continue reading to see how it all came together!

pumpkins made from garden clippings!?!

you've heard 'Necessity is the mother of invention' before...

it couldn't be more true of this week's pumpkin creation!

we've had a HOT summer and early fall here...

once the temps dipped *just* below triple digits,

i finally braved the heat outside and took care of some garden tasks,

including trimming the vining branches of our jasmine plants

that were reaching menacingly toward our windows!

that led to a whole new way to embrace my 'trash to treasure' ethos:

i turned my garden clippings into pumpkins!

continue reading for the details...

Faux 'Caramel Apple' Pumpkins, Take 2!

this isn't actually a 're-do' of a past project - 

it's that i had so much fun coming up with this idea

to turn a green faux pumpkin into a green caramel apple

that i think this sweet faux food creation deserves

another fifteen minutes of time in the spotlight!

i've just changed the color accents and am sharing it again!

continue reading for my original tutorial...

NEW! Sweet Sweater Apples!

one thing always leads to another 'round here....

after i turned some old green sweet sweater succulents

into green sweet sweater pumpkins (see my last post)

i had some different sweater succulents left over.

i've not only turned them into something different,

but have come up with yet another sweater creation"
Sweet Sweater Apples!

continue reading for details and a quick tutorial...

Make My Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins + Succulents!

every autumn, i get a huge uptick in blog traffic
searching for my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin tutorial.

they're a fun bit of seasonal decor that i am proud of creating back in 2007,
they've been published in major shelter magazines a few times,
and i love that people want to make their own versions of my babies!

every year i make new versions of them, and create a new post

just to make it easier for the tutorial to be found.

and yes, this year, i have green pumpkins!

but i didn't make them this year... i RE-made them.

because they weren't originally pumpkins...

back in 2019, i created my Original Sweet Sweater Succulents,

using my 2007 Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin method...

this year, i've made two simple changes to them
to turn them into pumpkins!

continue reading to see how easy this was...
and for links to both tutorials. 

Ping Pong Paddle Pumpkins, Take 2!

yes, I'm still over here re-imagining alla' my pumpkins!
this time, i dug into some boxes and found a past project
that's been on my mind...

i originally made the ping pong paddle pumpkins in 2019
(i'm linking the original post & tutorial below)
and it just felt like time to find them 
and give them a fresh new look - in green!

continue reading to see how they looked before,
and how easily i changed them...
(because i bet you have something you could do this to!)

'Shroomkins, Take 2!

how many times have you stared into a seasonal decor storage bin
and thought "This stuff just isn't ME anymore"?? it happens to all of us!
preferences and style change over time,
but that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on new decor.

this year, i'm giving some of my existing fall decor elements
a new look that fits my current style - without spending any money.
i'm calling this approach 'Take 2'!

i first made these fun " 'shroomkins" back in 2022
by cutting styro pumpkins in half and adding stems made from pool noodles.
and of course, i painted them yellow back then:

then i used my photo editing program to show them in other hues:

now, two years later and in my 'green era' (Deb's Version ;) ) 
i wanted to give them a new look. enter 'Take 2'!

continue reading for details of the new version...

Easy Yarn & Twine Pumpkins

fall has not yet 'fallen' here in Southern California,
 but it's definitely pumpkin season for me!

first up, i'm sharing this incredibly easy way
to turn everyday items into pumpkins for your autumn decor...
these were made using yarn / twine skeins and thread spools.

i've embellished them a bit using elements
that go along with the 'sewing/knitting supply' theme
because i just can't leave well enough alone - 
yet there is NO sewing or knitting needed for this project!

continue reading to see how to make these in just minutes...

going green (in every way) with my fall decor

fall is coming....

yes, that sounds ominous to me! maybe to you, too.
as hot as it has been in So Cal this summer,
i'm enjoying long days of being off the grid.
i'm not remotely ready for it to end.

but that encroaching seasonal change is motivating me!
so i've been giving some thought to this year's autumn theme
for my projects and content,
and i've come up with a plan that i can live with...

<<< continue reading

Published Again! Farmhouse Style Magazine

another of my diy home decor projects is included in
the Fall 2024 Issue of Country Sampler Farmhouse Style Magazine...

the pegrack / coatrack that we made
using a vintage porch post, cut in half lengthwise before we bought it,
is part of the 'Architectural Adaptations' feature in this issue,
with a special mention of the unique hooks on ours.

continue reading to see a peek from the magazine
AND a few different ways i've styled this feature...

Published! Farmhouse Style Magazine Fall Issue

after a prolonged summer break, i'm back to share some happy news:

a new version of my original 'glass globe pumpkins' has been published!

you'll find the new versions above in the Fall 2024 Issue

of Country Sampler's Farmhouse Style Magazine

continue reading for a peek at the magazine
and an easy tutorial for making your own versions...

easy upcycle: spice bottle bud vase

one last post before i take a break for the month of june...

 this 'discovery' came one DAY after my last blog post,
which was all about using bottles as flower vases. 
(i'm consistently a day late to the party)

this project will be a perfect way to enjoy our roses all summer long!

continue reading for an easy-peasy upcycle diy...

easy summer decor: all bottled up!

Memorial Day Weekend is here (in the States, anyway)

and that means it's time for the big 'summer kickoff'...

the project i'm sharing today is a re-do and throw-back

to some of my patriotic red, white and blue summer decor from the past

(i've linked that below this post)

but the new version fits my current 'green era' obsession.

 it's another 'throw it together in a minute' decor trick

that can be replicated in SO many ways on a table, mantel, bookshelf, and more. 

'summerizing' your living spaces is an easy way to embrace the season...
quick additions of simple elements will change the feel of your home!

continue reading to see a few of the ways i've used glass bottles...

vintage bowl mushrooms!

this project may not 'bowl you over' (geeze, i'm old)

but i hope it will inspire you to use things differently in your home decor.

in this case, i've gathered up some kitchen items

to create spring decor elements that work in many other places.

continue reading for the easy tutorial...

paint a faux 'rusted' metal mailbox

after sharing an epic paint fail (and a fix!) in my last post,

i thought i should share another paint project - one that went WELL!

inspired by this photo of a rusty green vintage metal mailbox on Instagram

(courtesy of  @thecollecteddesign on Instagram),

i grabbed a small vintage metal mailbox that i had found at a yard sale

and transformed it into a more beautiful mailbox - using paint.

yeah, i'm THAT kind of crazy, attempting this after a big mess!

but thing is - it worked. and it didn't just WORK, it worked out AMAZINGLY!

so, i'll share the steps i used to 'age' an already vintage mailbox -

including one of my 'top secret' (until now) faux finish tricks.

continue reading for all the details...

welcome to an epic crafting fail. and a fix!

prepare yourselves, friends... 

this project was actually going to be included as a photo prop in my 'posie pots' post.

and then everything that COULD go wrong WENT wrong.

so it wasn't included, and it's taken some time and effort

to reverse the damage and proceed with the project as intended.

ah, the joys of creating LOL! this is what you DON'T see on social media!

i've decided to feature it in its very own post

because this stuff happens - and for those who don't create a lot all the time,

it's helpful to know that 'ruined' does not equal 'toss it in the bin'.

there's usually always a way to save a project gone wrong!

continue reading to see the before, the scary during, and the after...

terra cotta pot mushrooms

my favorite seasonal decor is the kind that happens

when i'm just playing around with things in my studio - and an idea hits me.

i love using things in ways OTHER than how they were intended to be used,

both indoors and out.

these terra cotta pot mushrooms are one of the easiest things i've made,

and they are a perfect spring accent for your home AND garden spaces.

continue reading for an insanely easy tutorial to make your own versions!

vintage floral jewelry 'posie pots'

the old saying is 'April showers bring May flowers'...
but i'm ready for flowers NOW!

i call these 'posie pots', and the idea for them bloomed
when one of my memories met with a few images on Instagram - 
i'm sharing those sources in the post below, and a tutorial
so you can make your own spring decor or maybe a Mother's Day gift
 from vintage enamel floral pins!

continue reading for all of the details...