AUTUMN INSPIRATION: 🍁 November

Now that Halloween is behind us, let's welcome in November! It's a month of transitions...The light, weather, and even time all change. We move from the high-energy public celebration of Halloween into the cozier home-centered celebration of Thanksgiving - along with thoughts of the upcoming Christmas holiday season.

Some people rush from one holiday to the next, and for a good many years that included me - but as I age, I am enjoying the liminality of the time between the big holidays. Time accepting that the very ordinary hours and days and seasons can be very enjoyable without having to redecorate the whole house and yard each month, without the pressure of being ahead of everyone else. I'm just not cut out for that anymore... and I'm okay with it.

The day after Thanksgiving is when I usually haul out the Christmas decor... but I know most people don't wait (My daughter Bethany is already decorating for Christmas, and she's AMAZING at it!) If you DO wait, I've included a link to a post sharing how I 'sneaked' some holiday decor into my late autumn/Thanksgiving decor, just to give you some ideas for blending the two together. 

I hope the ideas included below will help you enjoy all of the gatherings, festivities, and decor in November - before the big holiday rush. 

Continue reading for November inspiration!

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 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!

Spring Inspiration for April 🍃

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'April showers bring May flowers'... after we've done a LOT of work in the garden!

Working in the yard or garden is an activity that we garden lovers can really 'dig in' to in April. Whether you've got pots of herbs on your kitchen windowsill or a full herb, veggie, and flower garden in the back yard - or anything in between - enjoying the relaxing pastime of growing plants is inextricably linked to springtime. 

Even if you aren't a gardener or plant lover who loves having dirt under your fingernails, you can still bring the beauty of a garden into your home as Spring decor - with art, books, fabric printed with flowers, and faux foliage and florals.

I'm sharing some garden-inspired ideas for this month, along with something to help with your spring cleaning enthusiasm, and a few new publications to inspire you. I hope that you'll incorporate the garden aesthetic into your spring decorating and activities... enjoy!

SPRING Easy Crepe Paper Leaves

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Spring cleaning gets me into trouble...
I unearth things I have forgotten about, the Muses jump into action with ideas, and the next thing you know, Deb is busily crafting something instead of cleaning something. Anyone else out there fall victim to this malady?! 

As I pulled a box off of the shelf in my studio closet, a roll of bright chartreuse green crepe paper fell on my head. (The Muses are not concerned with niceties when they want my attention.) I sat it on another shelf, turned around, bumped a small branch lying on the closet floor - and the roll of crepe paper fell off of the other shelf to land right next to the branch. I kid you not! 

The unruly Muses put an idea into my head, and I gave up on cleaning to give that idea a tryout. It worked, was FAST, and so I'm sharing it here in this unplanned blog post! (It's the first day of Spring, which I assume is why the Muses are in action)

Continue reading to see how to bring a touch of spring to your decor in a jiffy - even if the trees aren't budding where you are...

Spring Inspiration for March 🌱

D is for Daffodil. And Delight. And Deb!
This month, in honor of my birthday, I'm sharing some of my favorite things about Spring with you...

I've included a lot of references to flowers to get you into a springtime mood. I'll be picking up some bunches of daffodils and a basil plant at Trader Joe's, as well as wandering through some plant nurseries and garden centers, selecting annual herbs for our garden. 

There's also some beautiful music, a few inspiring quotes, a candle that I can smell even when it's not burning, a sip of something delicious, places I love visiting in springtime, and of course a few decorating ideas and tutorials to help you bring spring inside your home right now... 

AUTUMN: Faux Tree Bark Pumpkin

One of my lovely long-time readers messaged me recently,

asking if I am planning to share any specifically Halloween decor ideas this fall.

I replied privately, but will share with all of you that no, I am not.

I'm just not into Halloween anymore, even the 'cute' side of it.

Back in January 2024, I decided to focus on creating for seasons not holidays

and my content has reflected that. Yes, I DO create for Christmas!

(The 'Holidays' are the fifth season and there's no escaping it!)

My fall content focuses mostly on pumpkins (IYKYK) and leaves, 

and on bringing the beauty of the season indoors

 to enjoy from September through November.

Today's project is a new way to replicate nature: faux tree bark.

I've had fun experimenting and coming up with techniques

that you can do to re-create my project... continue reading for my tutorial!

SUMMER: NEW Sweet Sweater Tomatoes!

A departure from tropical decor this week...
Summertime isn't complete without ripe, juicy tomatoes - and I've come up with a fun new Sweet Sweater Original creation that captures their appeal!

Whether you love fresh-grown summer tomatoes in a Caprese salad, on a grilled burger, or just on a plate with a sprinkle of salt, they seem to be the design accent of the season... everyone from Target to World Market to Pottery Barn has tomato products right now.

My idea was inspired by a fuzzy red 'tomato' pillow (more like a giant pincushion) that I saw in the Bullseye's Playground bins at Target - made from red microfleece and felt, it was... cute.

Yet I knew I could make it BETTER. With a SWEATER! ;)
Yes, sweater decor in summertime. I am obsessed!

Continue reading for an easy tutorial...

SPRING: Mother's Day Party Decor - 4 Themes

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend... are you ready?!
If you're in need of some last-minute table decor ideas, I've got them for you...

Today's post features a lovely garden-inspired table + accessories in multiple shades of green with natural elements incorporated. (If you're new here, you know that Deb is in her 'green era' - but if you've been around since I started this blog in 2012, you might recall me sharing this info in a previous post. Proving that my preferred color palette has ALWAYS included greens!)

Continue reading for some easy last-minute ideas to make Mom's Day special, including links to more Mother's Day decorating inspiration...

SPRING: Revisiting the Garden Bar!

 

Since this is the time of year when most locales have favorable weather for gardening, I'm re-visiting an old project - the one where Deb turns a folding patio bar into a potting bench! It was a fun project to create for my Mom one Mothers' Day, and I thought it might inspire you to try something similar this spring.

This particular project came about because my Mom was struggling to pot up some plants for her backyard on her glass patio table. Not the optimum surface for messy work. Not five feet away from her, against the house, stood a folding metal outdoor bar - sitting there, unused, except for large parties once or twice a year. Me? I didn't see a bar... I saw a potting bench! 

I quickly dragged it over to the edge of the patio, against a shady vine wall,

set it up, gathered a few accessories and gardening staples, and the Garden Bar was born!

continue reading to see how it all came together...

SPRING: Pine Cone Carrots!

My sweet lifelong friend Kim came to So Cal on my birthday weekend, and even though it was to attend a concert, she made time to meet me for lunch. She gave me a gift that is just SO fun that I had to share it with you: I give you Pine Cone CARROTS! 

Kim and her guy J teamed up to gather pinecones on her Northern California property and transform them into carrots for her spring decor. Kim followed a tutorial but she can't recall where she found it - so I'm going to do my best to give you a quick rundown of the project.

Continue reading for a 'tutorial - lite'!

SPRING: 'bunny ears' floral bouquet

 

With April's arrival, Easter draws closer... and while I like to focus on 'seasonal' decor rather than specific holidays, sometimes ideas pop up and I just have to run with them!

Back in 2023, I created a small floral project for Easter using tiny white ball flowers and some daffodil leaves. This year, I was looking at the green hydrangeas that I used in the 'floral bouquet in a purse' project shared a few weeks back, and decided to replicate that older project - in larger scale. 

Continue reading to see how easy it is to create this fun bouquet...

SPRING: repurpose tea tins as planters

 

In springtime, I focus a lot on decorating for the season with moss, plants and flowers. That includes coming up with fresh new ways to display them - and that's where this idea came from...

If you can buy food that tastes wonderful and is packaged in beautiful tin boxes that can be re-used, why wouldn't you? I not only love the intense flavors of the teas that Harney & Sons of Great Britain makes, I adore their packaging... and have found several ways to re-use the lovely tins. (This post is not an ad, or sponsored) 

Continue reading to see how I 'planted' the tins in just minutes...

SPRING: flower-filled purse door hanger

March is here and spring is coming!
I'm always so glad to see the earth awaken after her winter nap, and love to use flowers and other garden references in my spring decor...

This project builds on one I've created before (linked below this post) and is an easy way to add some springtime charm to your front door or indoor walls!

Continue reading for tutorial...

WINTER: create faux 'wrapped' bulbs

A classic trend in winter decor is a nature-focused Nordic vibe, using natural elements that celebrate winter while hinting at spring. I've always love white flowers in winter, as they reflect the idea of snow-blanketed gardens.

This year, I've created some faux versions of wrapped bulbs and nestled them in snowy white ceramic containers. This simple project has brought a winter-y feel into my studio, and will transition perfectly into spring in the coming month.

Continue reading for an easy two-part tutorial...

Published: My 'Living Nest' in Farmhouse Style Magazine

 

Last Spring, I made a 'Living Nest', and shared it here on the blog. Shortly after that, I was contacted by Editor Lisa Sloan at Country Sampler Farmhouse Style Magazine to ask if they could include my project in their next Spring issue.

Of course I was thrilled, said yes, and sent in some images. The issue has just released, so let's hear a little commotion for a previous project!

continue reading for more details...

WINTER . make a simple rosemary wreath

the Christmas decor is all packed away! whew.
now i'm enjoying a slow, calm 'ease into the new year' approach: simple changes, adjustments, and routines that give my creative mind space to wander (and wonder!) without stressing out as i keep up with my responsibilities. 

the simple rosemary wreath project that i am sharing today is something that can made in just minutes and with very little effort. (i don't know about you, but i LOVE easy DIY projects!) let me show you how easy and simply charming this project is - and how you can make it even if you don't have an herb garden.

continue reading for tutorial...

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...

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...