Tropi-FALL: Square Tiki Pumpkins

It's almost September - and that means it's PUMPKIN SEASON!

Back in August of 2020, I was BORED and came up with this fun idea for making unique tiki-style fall decor. I figured if you can paint on a pumpkin, you can paint something else to LOOK like a pumpkin.

After all, who needs plain ol' pumpkins when you can have TIKI pumpkins?!
(or - and hear me out - Disney character pumpkins or Harry Potter character pumpkins, whatever your vibe is!)

I recently realized that I've never shared them on the blog and since they fit right into my current Tropi-FALL vibe, now is a perfect time to remedy that.

Read More for an easy tutorial plus detail shots....

Ready for Tropi-FALL?!

August? Already?!

Not ready for summer to end? Neither am I!
But I can get on board with a different kind of 'summer into fall' decor...

So in this post, I'm going to re-share a roundup of my past creations that bridge the seasons of summer and fall with a beachy, coastal, tropical, tiki style vibe. I call it 'Tropi-FALL'! (And if you ARE ready for fall, you can jump right in!)

Putting them all in one post gives me a break from having to promote new blog posts each week this month, giving me space to enjoy time with friends at some fun events... because although the hot weather will last into October here, summer isn't sticking around forever. I want to enjoy it! (And yes, I'm testing out this 'one project/one post per month' method to see if it helps me with some things I have been struggling with.) 

Continue reading for a look back at four of my faves...

Thanksgiving tablescapes in green

 
i'm pulling one out of the archives today,
sharing a look back at this lovely Thanksgiving tablescape from 2014
(plus links to a few others!)

continue reading for some Thanksgiving table looks inspired by nature...

DIY flocked acorns

i have a photo of a bunch of green acorns as my screensaver,

and the luscious tones moved me to try and replicate them - in paint.

then i saw a video showing how to make a faux 'flocked' paint finish,

and i just HAD to try it!

continue reading to see how easy this one is...

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...

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...

woodsy brown Thanksgiving tablescape + 25 more!

a few years ago i created a lovely Thanksgiving table setting

and never shared it on the blog!

i just ran across the photos in a file, and decided they need the spotlight...

even though there's not a single touch of yellow in the photos ;) 

(i think i DID share it on Instagram that year)

the rustic woodsy warmth of this table decor exemplifies fall to me,

and i loved the way the elements reflect traditional style.

continue reading for the details...

diy tomato cage 'cornucopia' door + wall decor

are you one of the few people in the world

who is looking for some Thanksgiving decor?

who hasn't moved on to decorate for Christmas already?! 

i'm one of you - and my next few posts will center on this holiday that i really love!

last November i shared my tutorial for making a cornucopia

using a wire tomato cage and some burlap.

this year, it's been elevated from the tabletop

to hang on the door as a gorgeous 'wreath'
or as welcoming 'wall art' anywhere in your home.

continue reading for all the details (and a link to my previous tutorial)

painted 'chocolate' pumpkins on a sweet sweater cake

a fitting conclusion to my recent faux food project posts,

this one really takes the cake....

this project came about because i had some tiny styro pumpkins,
which made me start thinking about making a very REAL cake

like my Mom used to make every fall when i was a kid.

it was always a round two-layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing

and adorned with tiny orange candy pumpkins all along the top edge.

i loved that cake.

we took them to school fall celebrations and church harvest festivals.

we took mini versions - cupcakes - to friend's houses.

we never brought any of it home, either!!! everyone loved it.

instead, i decided to make a fall 'cake' in my own style...

because deb does NOT need more calories!

continue reading for the before and after...

easy 'dot' candy pumpkins

it seems this fall has affected me by making me crave candy and sweets!!

this happy project was born when i found THESE at the Dollar Tree:

'member those?!!!

'dot' candy on paper strips was one of my FAVE sweet treats as a kid

(confession: i would sometimes stop at the local Circle K market while walking to school

and spend my lunch money on candy instead. BAD little debby!!!)

when i saw these GIANT candy versions, i grabbed a package

and got right to work when i arrived home...

...continue reading to see how easy this pumpkin decor is for adults & kids alike!