last-minute 'pumpkin party' decor

ever wondered how deb's muses work?
here's an example of the crazy ways things connect in my brain:

while in the process of cleaning up my studio
(an Herculean task, let me tell you....)
i found a plastic bag filled with some yellow paper party supplies
that i had picked up while out thrifting - and promptly forgot about!
the paper goods were immediately removed from the bag,

and tucked into a drawer where i keep all of the scrap paper & magazine tearsheets
so i wouldn't forget about them again - i'm in that drawer at least once a day.

just hours later, i scrolled through social media and saw a photo of a big fat bow,
thought 'that's cute', and kept scrolling. then i stopped.
in my mind, the big fat cute bow merged with the paper party supplies,
and became 'a pumpkin party' in my imagination...
pumpkins bedecked with ribbons and bows in a 'party' setting.

the combination of the two - plus some stickers and more party decor - 
turned out cheerful, happy, and so easy to create
and it took me just minutes to assemble the vignette shown above...
which makes it a PERFECT last minute decor idea,
and a great 'no carve' pumpkin decorating project for kids.

continue reading for the details...

'dipped' faux concrete pumpkins

one of my most popular fall tutorials since i published it seven years ago

has been my faux concrete painting tutorial.

i've used this treatment on just about every kind of pumpkin,

as well as on styrofoam wig heads, lamps, urns, and even a swan planter
to achieve an elegant 'statuary' effect.

this year, i'm combining that faux concrete look

with a current trend: the 'paint dipped' accent color.

it's been applied on the legs of furniture, the bottoms of picture frames, and more

in many popular shelter mags, websites, and products...

but i haven't seen it done on pumpkins yet!

both paint applications are quite easy - with endless variations possible.

continue reading for more details, a link to my faux concrete tutorial,

and a secret hiding in the photo above!

gradient pumpkins

want a really easy way to decorate for fall?

one that makes use of things you already have?

choose one color, and gather up everything you have in that hue.

then arrange items from light to dark - or mix 'em all up.

and if what you have is a mish-mash of colors,

you can always paint things a new color! that's what i did.

continue reading for some simple transformation ideas...

floral painted pumpkins

i recently went thrifting in Palm Springs
 and found some beautiful vintage china with yellow roses and gray & brown leaves.
the moment i saw them, i pictured a new version of a project that i created last fall:

 last November, i painted some of my ceramic pumpkins
with floral motifs that matched my brown English Staffordshire china collection:

they were a HUGE hit on social media (thank you all!)
and even won a creative 'pumpkin decor' challenge!
last year i also painted some mini pumpkins with the Jewel Tea 'Autumn Leaf' pattern
to match my grandma's ceramic collection.
i envisioned a similar paint treatment that would match the 'new' vintage yellow rose china,
creating the perfect additions to a beautiful fall mantel or table this year.

many people get a similar effect gluing pretty paper napkins onto pumpkins. that's ok.
but i love to paint, and i'm able to replicate the design from the plate, so i do it that way.
honestly? it's not hard. and it doesn't have to be perfect.
the end result is a very elegant fall decor accent that i made myself - and that no one else has.
  i LOVE that part!

continue reading for more details...

painted pineapple planters

i'm in a tropical state of mind, if you can't tell...
since i can't visit the island this year, i'm creating a tropical vibe here at home!

when i ran across an item at the 99 Cents Only store recently,
i immediately saw how i could easily transform it into a tropical decor accent...

continue reading for the easy how-to!

new! Sweet Sweater Pineapples!

sweaters? in SUMMER?

over the past 14 years, i've come up with all kinds of ideas using sweaters as crafting material,

and created nearly a dozen different 'Sweet Sweater' Originals...

a few of those are food:  pumpkins, popcorn, ice cream - and now, pineapples!

the tropical vibes are so strong with this one,

i can almost hear the ukelele music playing...

pour yourself a mai tai or some pineapple juice

and 

continue reading to for my sweet n' easy tutorial!

Sweet Sweater Scoops!

the heat of summer is upon us...

and lucky for us, this 'tasty treat' won't melt as the temperature rises!

as soon as i saw a very simple item at a thrift shop,

i knew i would make it into some of my original Sweet Sweater Scoops TM

(part of my 'foofoo faux food' obsession)

reminiscent of icy lemon sherbet, just looking at these cools me down...

continue reading to see how to make them -

and you won't BELIEVE what they started out as!

sunny paint palette wall art

bored yet?

no, not you - your KIDS!
i know, we're barely into summer vacay. but i know kids!
if you're looking for simple, cheap, 'trash to treasure' craft projects to keep 'em busy,

this post will show kids how to make their OWN sunshine!

last fall, i played around with some of my disposable paper & plastic plate paint palettes

and made paint palette pumpkins (link at end of post)

today i grabbed a few palettes that i've used as i paint all.the.things yellow,

and found ways to turn them into happy sunshine art!

continue reading for a few easy scrap paper crafts to brighten up your days...

sunny garden plant markers

this 'sunny' summer project is the third in a series...
designed to bring a fun, colorful vibe to my garden this season
and hopefully to inspire you to try something similar in your home!

every gardener loves to ID the plants they grow,
and this cute plant marker project is an easy way to use stuff around the house
to make an artful impact in the yard!

continue reading to see what i used and how easily these are made...

sunny yard art

welcome to part two of my 3-post sunny garden art series!

today i'm sharing the fun sunshine 'sculptures' that i created outta' old metal...

things.

i honestly don't know what they are. i found them at a junk shop.

they were galvie, so i bought 'em and brought 'em home.

then i never used them. 

until i imagined them alongside the sunshine 'wreath' from my last post! 

continue reading to see the start to finish details...

not to mention a COMPLETE RE-DO of these with a Disney theme!!!

sunshine door decor

talk about sun salutations!

i was staring at some junk that was sitting in the garage the other day,
decided it looked a bit like something from a place i love,

and came up with another way to make a sunny project

that's perfect on your front door, wall, or even garden fence!

this is an easy one to make,

using only a few pieces of metal junk, paint, a wreath hanger, and some zip ties...

*** as a matter of fact, it's SO EASY that i just RE-DID this project
with a *bit* more of the original inspiration included! ***

continue reading for details on the original project AND the changes i just made...

farmhouse may-keover: bedroom

i've spent all month sharing the farmhouse makeover with you,

with a tour from the front porch to the powder rooms

to share ideas for a quick decor touch up.

last but not least, let's visit the main bedroom...

and guess what? since my friend is smarter than me,

there are BEFORE pics!

continue reading to see how we added artful style to her new 'nest'...

farmhouse may-keover: guest baths

we don't generally think of decorating a bathroom.

(a gut job, remodel, demolition - sure)

sometimes, though, a 'cosmetic' makeover 

completed with some simple decorative accessories is enough...

as part of the process of giving my friend's house a budget-friendly new look,

i spiffed up her two powder rooms with a few basic styling tricks.

continue reading to see a refreshing change...

farmhouse may-keover: dining room & kitchen

go ahead, you can sit and stare at that beautiful view...
i sure did while i was there! 

the view from my friends' front porch is stunning, 
and that's what you see when you look out the bay window in her dining room - 
also visible from the living room. 

today's post shares the things we did to start refreshing her dining room,
and moves into the very simple ways we gave her kitchen a fresh look... 

continue reading for some 'fast, cheap, & easy' decorating ideas!

farmhouse may-keover: diy 'artful' chair

you may have noticed that i glossed over something special in my last post...
something sitting in the living room, next to the fireplace mantel.
it's a chair. it's furniture.... but it's also SO much more!
it's art. it's personalized. it's whimsy.

i'm a strong proponent of including a touch of whimsy in every room.

but what IS whimsy?

it's personality. charm. a unique 'something' that no one else has.

it could be a thing, a color, a pattern, an architectural oddity in the room

that just catches your eye the moment you walk in - and makes you smile.

when my friend mentioned an idea that she had to me,

i KNEW it would be a showstopping addition to her home.

i knew it would be the whimsy she craved and a perfect finishing touch

in her newly refreshed living room.

so we wasted no time in getting started!

continue reading to see the before, during, after (and afterafter!) of our re-styled revived chair!

farmhouse may-keover: living room

i'm structuring this 'MAY-keover' series of posts
as if you are walking into and through my friend K's farmhouse...
first, you saw her grand front porch and welcoming entry hall
(link at end of this post)

today, we'll focus on her living room

and all of the simple changes made that completely transformed it...

continue reading to learn some easy tips for re-styling a room on a budget!

farmhouse may-keover: front porch & entry

spring is here, it's MAY - 

and that means it's time for another budget-friendly DIY MAY-keover series!

this time, i helped a friend redecorate the farmhouse she inherited from her parents.

her Dad built it, her Mom loved it, and now it's hers...

and i wanted to help her express her own style, to make it her HOME.

she's given me permission to share the changes we made with you,

and i know you'll find inspiring and usable ideas!

continue reading to see some of the simple, affordable ways we added style

to this beautiful farmhouse...

upgrade a serving tray with a dollar store placemat!

spring is arriving, summer is on the horizon...
and hopefully this year, those seasons will bring opportunities to entertain again.
you can never have enough serving trays, that's for sure!

this idea makes use of a simple, cheap material to give any tray a refreshed look.

continue reading to see how easy this is!

when life gives you lemons...

for the first time in the five years we've lived in this house,

our lemon tree yielded fruit!

i'm not sure if it was just that the tree is finally mature enough to bear fruit,

or if it was the strange regimen of digging coffee grounds and eggshells into the soil all year

along with the citrus tree fertilizer and Miracle Grow a few times...

but something stimulated the growth, and we got 16 lemons this winter!

you know what they say: 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade'?

well, *i* say, 'when life gives you lemons, DECORATE with them!'

and i did!

continue reading for some easy tips...

(even if life didn't give you a lemon tree or lemons!)

'paint chip' inspired painted dresser

i always say that paint is a magical ingredient in decorating....

it can change things faster and easier than any other element!

i recently envisioned a new paint treatment for an item i've had for years

(actually, it's been in my family for THREE generations!)

and am so happy with the results.

continue reading for the reveal!