Tutorial: Bleached Leaves

I've had a few questions about the bleached leaves seen in my last post, 

so I thought I'd share some information... it's not hard to bleach real leaves!

NOTE:
it is up to the user to observe smart practices and use common sense 
while undertaking this craft project...
*make sure to wear protective eye wear, face mask, gloves, and long sleeves 
to protect from splashes and fumes.
*make sure to have a first-aid kit on hand - including an eyewash vial.
*make sure to work in a VERY well-ventilated area where fumes will not build up.
*make sure to keep ALL pets and children of any age away from this project
at all times.
*make sure to follow all of the safety directions below.

Supplies:

*a large rectangular Rubbermaid storage bin with lid
(you'll sit the lid on top but will NOT seal it closed)
*a gallon of chlorine bleach [generic brand is ok for this]
*an equal amount of cool clean water
*real leaves 

leaf-gathering  tips:

*waxy leaves don't do well. thicker leaves, like oak and maple, get the best results.
*use leaves that are as dried out as you can find – greener leaves get 'gooey'.
*don't raid from public places or your neighbors' yard without asking!
*check with local landscape service companies to get free branches & leaves from their yard trimmings.

Process:

*lay the branches of leaves as flat as possible in a large Rubbermaid-type storage container.
 

*fill container with enough 1/2 and 1/2 mix of COLD water to bleach to cover the leaves. place the container cover on top - but DO NOT SEAL IT.
 

***Keep ALL Children & Pets AWAY From This Project!***

*check on them every two hours or so. when they have lightened to your liking, pour a gallon of cool clear water into the container to dilute the bleach solution. 

*carefully dump or dip the bleach solution out of the container into a large bucket. dispose of the solution in your toilet or bathtub drain - NOT into your driveway, gutter, or yard.  

*rinse leaves in clear, cool water to get the bleach residue off.

*lay flat and let them air-dry.

*you may have to use a drop of hot glue to re-attach them onto the stem/branch.

*spray them with clear spray paint to 'seal' them against weather if you want.

this method works on cheap fabric leaves from the dollar store, too!

click here for this NEWER blog content:

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make sure you catch my most recent blog posts here!

front porch fall decor: raid the garden shed!

 when it's time to spruce up your front porch decor for fall,

look no further than your garden shed or garage.

the stuff you have on hand out there will make seasonal decorating EASY!

look at that top photo. what do you see?

galvanized buckets. a watering can. a plant stand, maybe.

those are PROPS, people! and with PROPS, you can get BIG effects FAST.

here's the 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' scoop

  on how this vignette came together:

i grabbed an old black iron plant stand and literally slopped some white paint on it.

[go to ReStore or other thrift shops for paint for projects like this.

it doesn't have to match anything else, it just needs to be some kind of white or gray

or whatever color you want it to be. quarts for a buck, gallons for three - 

paint isn't cheaper anywhere. and you're keeping it out of landfills, too!]

one galvanized bucket sits in the plant stand, lined with with an old burlap bag.

one bucket went on the ground, upside down to serve as a pedestal.

[maybe you have harvest baskets, or wire locker baskets to use]

the rusty white metal watering can is balanced on the back edge of the lower bucket.

it leans against the wall. and it has no bottom.who cares?!

some of my large 'slopped-on-white-paint'-ed  pumpkins

(one terra cotta, one resin) are the focal points in both galvanized buckets. 

a few cream-colored resin pumpkins sit on the ground, just for good measure.

[Dollar Tree stores have small sizes of resin pumpkins - for a buck.

look for bigger ones at thrift stores. and yes, you can paint them!]

and here's the best part: that COOL grass you see in the bucket?

dead daylily leaves. yep. 

after summer was over last year, the foliage died.

i cut it off the plants and put it on a shelf to save it.

(that may stretch into the realm of hoarding, i'm not sure...)

but it was FREE 

and the dark color contrasts so well with the gray siding and the white pumpkins!

so, handfuls of the foliage went into the top bucket and the watering can.

[what about using plain old grasses/WEEDS, 

the ones growing on the roadside?]

some small bunches of real bleached oak leaves tuck in to finish it all off.

[get these at a craft store, like Michaels or JoAnns or Ben Franklin]

you can also get fabric leaves at the Dollar Tree store 

and soak them in a bleach & water solution until they are colorless.

keep them away from kids while doing this!

[or head to a vacant lot, your yard, or a friend's yard to gather leaves from trees. 

just don't raid your neighbor's yard without asking!]

the 'fall' tag was made using a white index card and some scrapbooking stickers 

[from the Dollar Tree store]

it hangs from the watering can handle with a metal shower curtain hook.

[if weather would have affected it, i could have covered it with clear packing tape]

that's all it takes to style your front porch for fall!

so tell me....
what's in your garden shed, waiting for the spotlight?! 

this photo was shot THROUGH the screen door... 

i love how the screen texture ages the look of the image.

might be a good idea to print that photo and hang it inside,  

so i can enjoy my porch decor as much as my neighbors!

psssst: see what i did for my holiday season front porch decor

shared online:

 Debra's Common Ground | Fabulous Fall Fun

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

bountiful pumpkin harvest!

many of you have ordered a set of the Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins from me(thank you thank you thank you!)

and now you might be wondering... "ok.... now what do i DO with 'em?"

here's a quick rundown of ideas for displaying Sweet Sweater Pumpkins, 

with photos from some of the displays i've created over the years in my home and at shows....

As shown in the top photo:

1. pop a glass dome over them!

place a selection of pumpkins on a silver charger, china plate, or glass cake stand,

and as my friend Sue Kirby says, "DOME IT, DARN IT!"

it's a great way to create a simple centerpiece that is easy to move

 2. heap them into an urn!

 this is a simple metal garden urn that i PAINTED to look rusty, crusty, and aged.

it sets off the softness of the pumpkins perfectly.

grand as a dining table centerpiece, on a counter, or on an entryway table.

 3. mix them with natural elements and glassware

this photo shows a glass footed bowl, filled with pumpkins of several types,

bleached leaves, a bird nest, and some dried roses.

there's a lot of texture here to keep it interesting... rough, smooth, natural, man-made.

this is on a sideboard, but it would also work in an entryway on a table or shelf.

 4. go simple: lay a few on a white ironstone tray, or a wood bread board

perfect for display on a tabletop or shelf.

this is the photo that appeared in FOLK Magazine's fall 2011 issue.

 5. mix and match

pumpkins made from several different materials (sweaters, clay, resin) 

are placed together in a small vignette atop a sideboard.

 7. spill them out of harvest baskets

this works great on a porch, a sideboard, a large counter space, or in a retail display.

real fall leaves create a soft bed for them to sit on.

 7. go for the gold!

gather baskets, containers, candleticks, and pedestals... and paint them GOLD.

heap baskets full of pumpkins, lift a pumpkin up on a candlestick,

and bring a bountiful harvest to your table or display.

the photo below is a close-up of the shot above,

and hones in on some of the details of the display:

lace doilies under some of the pumpkins and vintage sheet music tucked into baskets as a liner, 

and the different levels that the pumpkins are displayed on. 

so those are a few of my ideas... not all of them, tho ;0) more to come.

 i ALSO have some posts coming up that show how you can 

ADD details to your pumpkins to personalize them! stay tuned!

All year long, you can use my tutorial, to make some of your own: CLICK HERE

over the tablescape!

here's a quick decor tip that truly works any time of year:

i just happened to do this in the fall with the 'Tattered & Torn' room scheme

that's been featured in a few recent posts...

i had a perfectly serviceable chandelier

[mine was an old brass one from the 1980's, bought for a few bucks at a thrift shop.

sprayed with KRYLON WHITE GLOSS ENAMEL APPLIANCE PAINT.

it sticks to EVERYTHING]

that i popped some wicker 'top hat' shades on, but it needed some more pizazz

i simply screwed in a few cuphooks up in the ceiling and hung some curvy old wire lampshade frames from them.

yes, i meant for them to hang crooked and wonky - it's more interesting that way!

stagger the sizes, the distances, the heights.

in this photo above, the frames hang ON the hooks.

in the top photo, you can see how  i dropped those wire shade frames down lower

by suspending them with velvet ribbons.

they work either way - AND you can also embellish the lampshade frames!

add ribbons, flowers, crystals, or add some vintage photos & papers 

using wooden clothespins to hold them on. 

what else could you hang like this?

birdcages. branches. baskets. wire garden fencing. bike wheels.

i just HAVE to share this here (already did on facebook):

i saw this cool wood wall made from RE-CLAIMED old wood in a casino on the las vegas strip! yes, i did!
[my logo wasn't on it]

you know that old door that i showed in my last post?
i say go big or go home - do a whole WALL of old doors or wood planks,
then add old hooks up high to hang seasonal decor from!
what a backdrop in an entryway!
.

taking a page out of Deb's book...

this last post for a series of photos shows a few more ideas for simple seasonal changes...

the table up above is a round wood pedestal table, painted green.

It was just an 'ok' table until I added some detail to it:

a selection of pages from old dictionaries, ruined books, sheet music,

and miscellaneous items like vintage bingo cards and postcards

are laid out artistically on the table top and reflect the brown tones in the fall decor.

then the glass top from a round patio table is laid over it all to protect it all.

what else can you do with old book pages?

*paper a wall or a wainscot below a chair rail

*use as matting for photos in frames

*paper a CEILING (pretty advanced stuff)

*decoupage onto furniture

*cover lampshades

...and i know you must have some of your own ideas, so

share a link to your projects in the comments!

[i love buying old or damaged books for pennies at libraries as they are sold with missing or torn covers, ripped pages, etc.

i never feel guilty about using the pages in crafting & decor projects, because it is giving the books a second life]

i found this old door at a salvage yard for TEN BUCKS!

[ReStore is the architectural salvage end of Habitat for Humanity.

they re-sell used building supplies - often antique & vintage items -

to raise funds for their building projects. it's a GREAT cause to support!]

i was lucky - there were four old coat hooks already on the top of this door.

[but you could add some old hooks to any door for the same effect]

i simply leaned this perfectly peely door against my wall,

and then used it as a 3-D 'inspiration board' and organizer next to the front door.

it holds baskets and assorted items that change with each season:

you can see some leather purses and bags,

along with natural materials like bleached leaves & grasses,

that coordinate with the fall palette in the rest of the room.

it's an easy change with every season, using items i have on hand...

Gettin' Scrappy

in a previous post, I shared some simple ways to change the look of a room for fall.

here are a few more photos and ideas from that 'tattered & torn' room...

sofas are just more comfy filled with pillows, don't you think?

i love pillows that add texture and interest to a room,

so i usually make my own covers from scraps of miscellaneous fabrics i have on hand.

the ones shown here are made from .... oh, come on, you know this... old sweaters. o yeah. i did.

i had some really soft, comfy old sweaters in creamy colors that i loved -

but they had stretched out a bit and i couldn't wear them anymore.

[i had streched out a bit, too, but let's not go there....]

i thought that i could still enjoy the softness of the sweaters if they were covering pillows, so...

The How-To:

*cut the arms off of the sweaters and flip the sweater body inside-out 

*sew a line up both sides and across the neck hole

*turn the cover right-side out, and pop a throw pillow form inside

[you can get cheap pillows at Ross, Marshalls, or the thrift store.]

*hand-stitch the bottom edge closed

*when you want to wash them, cut the threads and the pillow comes out -

and because it is the bottom hem of the original sweater, it doesn't unravel in the wash.

*put the pillow form back into the cover, and re-stitch it closed.

i didn't make these as 'envelope'-style covers because sweaters SAG,

and when i am cuddled up on the sofa on a rainy fall day,

i don't want the sweater cover sagging and falling off the pillow under my head.

another of the pillows is covered in a muslin fabric, and i DID sew that one with an envelope closure.

[i had some remant scraps in a box, but you could just as easily buy the fabric -

muslin is about $3 a yard.] then i tied a thick piece of string around it for interest.

another thing you can do with fabric scraps is change the look of your lampshades!

it's simple, really - wrap a bit of fabric around the shade, and pin it to help it keep its shape.

no glue, no fuss, no muss.

the two lamps shown above have two types of fabric on each shade,

just layered over one another and then pinned together.

[the fabric is pinned in smaller at the top, so it doesn't fall off the shade]

a simple string tied around adds interest and keeps the fabric in place, as well.

you could also use removable tape to secure the fabric.

mine is loose and unstructured - yours might be cut to size and crisp.

or maybe you will use strips and tie them vertically around a wire lampshade frame...

[i actually have another post planned to share ideas like that!]

just match your own style!

and i have to say, the ivory fabric over the white shades made the light in these rooms GOLDEN.

[i looked ten years younger in those rooms! man, i miss those lamps.....]

Tutorial: Vintage Sheet Music Fall Leaves!

my last post had a photo of my Sweet Sweater Pumpkins  to announce my giveaway, 

but there was more to the photograph than i used - as you can see above.

i wanted to show the details of the pumpkins and the little crown pin that i found at the flea market

[which fits oh-so-perfectly on the pumpkin]

today, I'm going to focus on another part... the leaves. 

i just had to do something CRAFTY to the setting when I was working on it.

going out and getting real leaves off the tree wasn't working for me

[mostly because the leaves here in SoCal are still green....]

so i decided to make some leaves.

this was a fast project, and is one of my

'Fast, Cheap, & Easy' TM tips that know you love,

so I thought I'd share the how-to with you today!

Supplies:

vintage paper (sheet music, dictionary pages, book pages, sewing patterns)

sharp scissors

a real or fabric leaf (any size or variety) to trace

pencil or pen

thin ruler - metal is best, if possible

a real branch (any kind, any size) with lots of small branches attached

tacky glue or hot glue

a container to hold the real branch

some kind of filler for the container to stabilize the branch

(popcorn kernels, rocks, sand, candy corn, etc.)

1. lay vintage paper flat, and use pen/pencil to trace around the real/fabric leaf.

fit as many on each page as you can, 

and try to place the real leaf in different directions as you go - 

this will keep all of your leaves from having the writing on the paper

going in the same direction.

2. carefully cut out each leaf using scissors.

3. fold each leaf over thin ruler edge, 

creating a sharp crease down the center of every leaf.

4. using the pencil/pen, curl the leaf edges either up or down.

(don't curl them both ways on the same leaf)

this makes the leaves look a little more natural. 

oh, and if a leaf tears while you are doing this?

no worries. real leaves tear and it will just look more realistic ;0)  

5. fill container with filler, then place branch into position.

6. using hot glue or tacky glue, 

place a drop of glue on either side of the center of each leaf - 

but JUST at the BASE of the leaf. 

the glue dots should be the size of the eraser of your pencil.

7. quickly take the leaf and bend it around one of the smaller branches.

hold it there until it sets (just a few seconds)

continue gluing all leaves to the smaller branches.

8. after all leaves have been glued to the branch, and the glue has dried,

go back and GENTLY GENTLY
[is it just me, or does anyone else hear Westley the Farm Boy from 'The Princess Bride' saying that?!]

bend the leaves a bit.  

just 'nudge' them to make their shapes look more individual.

you know me, i love the whole 'pale neutral palette'.

but leaves can be made from any paper at all:

wrapping paper, comic books, old book illustrations, magazine pages...

be creative and if you love color, get some!

what else can you do with paper leaves?

*hang them on monofilament line from a chandelier or curtain rod

so they dance with every little breeze

*sew them into garlands and use to drape windows

*make a 'flower' out of them to adorn a wrapped package or a corsage

*sprinkle them all over a table centerpiece of fall fruits and veggies

and of course...

*use them to enhance a display of Sweet Sweater Pumpkins!

shared online:

Vintage Inspiration Fridays @ Common Ground

Chic & Crafty Party @ the Frugal Girls

Saturday Night Special @ Funky Junk Interiors

Deb's Glass Globe Pumpkins

In fall, 2011, I was playing with some 'junk' that I had around the house. 

these white glass LIGHT COVER GLOBES
(you know, the old 'porch and hall light' kind?)

presented themselves as a great material to be turned into something else.
I washed them, and was turning them over in my hands as I dried them when I thought,

'I could put a battery operated votive candle inside....'

and suddenly they weren't light globes anymore. they became Glass Globe PUMPKINS! 

you may have seen my photos of these on Pinterest,
because I shared them on my (old) Hummadeedledee blog after making them
and then here on HOMEWARDfound in 2012.... and they sorta' went crazy online ;0)

these are SO simple to make for your own fall decor - they are one of my original 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' TM ideas!

all you have to do is find some white glass globes.

try to find different sizes and textures: hobnail, ribbed, smooth, crackled,
or, if you are lucky, a scalloped one like i found  [they generally cost under $5 each at thrift shops]

new ones can be found at places like Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware stores...
but please do not steal them from your neighbors' porch lights!!!

carefully wash the globes in soapy water, and let them dry.
then add a 'stem' on the end of the globe that has a small hole (or no hole). 

the end of the globe with the large opening will be the base that it sits on.

here's how I created the stems shown in my images here:

 1. twist a bit of aluminum foil into a 'stem' shape - long or short, up to you.

push one end of the foil stem into the small hole at the top of a glass globe.

starting at the base of the stem (nearest the glass globe), 

wrap cotton string, hemp twine, yarn, ribbon, fabric strips, 

or any other material around the foil to hide it. 

use hot glue to adhere the material to the foil stem as you work from base to tip.

then bend the stem into a pleasing curve, and you're done!

2. hot glue a wooden thread spool to the top of a glass globe without a small hole.

wrap some string, twine, burlap, muslin, or ribbon remnant around it and tie a knot.

EASY!

you can display these pumpkins indoors or out!

by adding a strand of mini-lights, a battery-operated votive candle,  or a glow stick inside the large opening,
they will light up a room or porch with a soft glow. please do not use a flame to illuminate them.

My Pumpkin Story....

I've been collecting pumpkins my whole life, and I love to decorate with them in fall.

my grandpa used to call me, his first-born red-headed granddaughter, his 'Little Pumpkin Eater'.

his nickname for me started a collection that my mom and I have been adding to for decades.

that's what seasonal decorating is to me: meaningful.

every time I come up with a new pumpkin creation of my own to add, I smile

and imagine how grandpa would smile if he could see them.

I hope these make you smile, too!

shared online:

Funky Junk Interiors 'Party Junk' | DIY Pumpkins

 Off the Vine Pumpkin Crafts | Eclectically Vintage


C.R.A.F.T.com | Monday Funday #34

Jennifer Rizzo | Fabulously Creative Friday 


Debbie Doo's | Primp Your Pumpkin 

 Yesterday on Tuesday | A Crafty Soiree

Want MORE great pumpkin ideas from Deb?

Check out my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin Tutorial