Vanilla... Nice, Nice, Baby

I guess it's not hard to see where my inspiration came from for this decor scheme....

smile.

My autumn color palette always - ALWAYS - includes tones of vanilla.
From pale cream to warm ivory, I love this color.

Mixed with soft brown-sugar tans and golden caramel hues,

 it's warm and inviting and comforting....

and craving-inducing
(especially when I am burning a vanilla scented candle, which is every day!)

My last post showed you the wall o' shelves in my office/studio,

decorated for Autumn in my fave hues.
Today, let's look across the room at the breakfront/sideboard/dresser area:

(Let me give you your bearings, because this image can be confusing...

There is a wall behind the dresser-top display, 

with two mirrors and my inspiration board hanging on the wall.
That's why you see the wall o' shelves on the left and another dresser on the right - reflections)

My inspiration board is long and narrow, to fit in the space between the mirrors.
Every season, I swap out the photos and quotes pinned to it.

Oh, and the 'bulletin board' itself?
Cardboard boxes, laid flat, sized to fit the space, covered in gift wrap, and nailed to the wall.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEasy.

 On the dresser/sideboard top, I mix and match and add stuff every season

to create an inspiring and pleasing vignette.

This season, I used wood and galvanized metal for depth,

with my ubiquitous white dinnerware to lighten it all up.
(dishes are not just for serving food, you know!) 

Add in creamy tones in bleached leaves and my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,

and then the final details:

 A perfect cashmere pumpkin sits under a handmade wire dome / 'cagelet',

displayed on a cool white ceramic pedestal bowl with a plate on top.

 I made this wire folly YEARS ago (inspired by Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy!)
and I love changing it up every season.

I know, I know...

every time I share photos of this, I get messages and comments about making a tutorial...

truthfully, I haven't had the patience to break it down into the 20 steps it will take.
Not sure anyone would hang around to even READ a 20-step tutorial!!!!

 I tuck little sentimental details into my display here because I can see them when I am writing...

those two ceramic tiles were made my by creative daughter Brianna in her high school art class.

One is sunshine, one is rain... they sum up life for me,

and remind me every day of a sweet little redheaded girl who has always loved art.
I'm talking about Anni - but that applies to ME, too! ;)

One last area in my office is the dresser to the right of my long desk...

the dresser belonged to my Grandpa Ward, and I treasure it.

On top of the dresser, a classic alabaster lamp (found for TEN BUCKS at Goodwill!)

casts a warm light onto another gathering of creamy vanilla decor...
wood yardsticks, old papers and neutral gift wrap are stored in a miniature milk can,

and more Sweet Sweater Pumpkins are displayed,

one topped by two crowns under a wire dome - made from a tomato cage!

( and THIS one I DID create a tutorial for right here )

 I still have a bunch of bleached leaves and sweater pumpkins that I didn't use in the vignettes,

so I filled up two canvas totes and plopped them into my vintage wire shopping cart by the door.

 I think they just look like two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream!

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My no-sew Sweet Sweater Pumpkin Tutorial is available FREE here.
Find my Bleached Leaf Tutorial here.

I Admit It, I'm Plain Ol' Vanilla....

While I love the occasional seasonal addition of a bright, happy hue to my decor,

I am basically a vanilla girl. 

Warm, soft neutral colors are my preferred palette, 

and my go-to design choices year-round are always pale and soft,

like a melted bowl of vanilla bean ice cream with caramel sauce.

Great. Now I'm hungry!

So anyway, each Autumn, while everyone else is decking their haunted halls 

with orange and rust and yellow, (or maybe black and purple)
I am creating serene, luscious, warm & cozy vignettes from shades of vanilla and brown sugar.

In Autumn, my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins in neutral tones are ALWAYS on the menu,

(see some of the ways I have used them in the past here)
 and this year is very, very vanilla....

In one area of my office/studio, I have small wall shelves over a daybed.
These provide a canvas for an ever-changing seasonal display for my collected treasures.

Here on these shelves, my pumpkins nestle into containers of many kinds:

Creamy sweater pumpkins perch on top of 

a rolled-up canvas military belt and an old roll of medical tape, 

as well as in a little galvanized bucket.

 My miniature clay pumpkins sit on the shelf and on the back of a vintage toy truck
(that reminds me of my Grandpa Ward's truck each time I look at it)

Coffee mugs with my initials serve as pedestals for a sweater pumpkin 

and a tiny 'found objects nest' that I made.

More sweater pumpkins simply sit on the shelves, paired with small ironstone pieces.

BTW, the 'bottom shelf' you see in the photo below?
Not a shelf, actually.
It's a wood window box turned sideways, sitting on top of a bookcase headboard.
Using it this way gave me added display space AND storage for the piece.

I simply MUST include a nod to my favorite year 'round decorative element: Mister Big Bear.
My mom gave him to me over 22 years ago, 

and he's been the go-to cuddle spot for sick kids and sick Deb, 

has absorbed a LOT of tears on sad occasions, 

and has charmed grumpy grandchildren into cheerfulness countless times.
He's family <3 ... and he doesn't mind being dressed up!

Follow my original tutorials to make your own:
Sweet Sweater Pumpkins
Mini Clay Pumpkins

Find more sweet vanilla decor in THIS POST!

Linked Up:

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Faux 'Concrete' Painted Pumpkins Tutorial

I was recently inspired by a trip to Roger's Gardens Nursery in Corona del Mar, California to see their fall decor offerings. I spied some HUGE, GINORMOUS concrete pumpkins at their store:

One look at them, and I had a craft project in mind!

My versions would be smaller and lighter in color....

I wanted mine to be a bit more subtle and less scary than Roger's Gardens versions, so I went with lighter gray paint:

Follow my tutorial below as I transform some gaudy orange Dollar Tree pumpkins into concrete classics using my simple faux paint tutorial - including my 'secret ingredient'!

Haunted Mannequin

Once again, the master visual stylists at Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA

have outdone themselves with this years' Halloween decor...
the theme is 'Haunted Elegance', and this Haunted Mannequin is a perfect example.

She's elegant and scary and vintage-looking
AND 

she has secrets!

I thought there were some ideas here that could easily be used to create your own mannequin
for Halloween decor in your home...

The mannequin herself is a simple black cloth figure on a black wood stand - 

you can find those new or simply paint an existing mannequin form black.

Her first secret is her clothes. They aren't clothes at all.
They are TABLECLOTHS!

Yep.
See that cabinet behind her? It's holding damask and netting linens for sale.
The visual crew used it as fabric to create her wardrobe.
(It's kind of a 'Project Haunted Runway' thing going on there)

And there's another secret to be shared:
Her skirt has an underlayer to give it shape.
It's not a petticoat or a hoop. It's more a SKELETON of a hoop - 

created with

(drum roll, please)
WIRE TOMATO CAGES!

( I LOVE using tomato cages as a decor element! See more here!) 

Cut open on one side and then bent and connected together, 

the wire tomato cages are partially wrapped with cloth tape (like medical tape) to hold them together - 

and it looks very musty and old.

Then the layers of fabric are added, tied on, pinned,

bustled and flounced to give her Edwardian-era gothic fashion style...

open in front to allow a peek at the underskirt framework.
A sash of black satin holds the 'skirt' on and is finished with a sparkling pin.

On her back, a swath of the netting tablecloth is gathered up to form a cowl collar on top,

and then fall like a cape behind her.

Her bodice is expertly adorned with bones.

Not an actual 'skeleton' showing her ribs, this effect is more artful and suggestive.
More bones on her shoulders give the effect of epaulets.

Bones can be found at the Dollar Tree or party supply store...

and no, they won't look like these!
However, after a wash of thinned light gray paint
and then some 'antiquing' with a dark gray paint wiped on,

you'll get an old, decrepit look to them.

...and then there's her jewelry!

This stunning necklace was created by combining multiple sparkling rhinestone 

pins, brooches, earrings, belt buckles, and necklace pendants.
The assemblage is pinned right onto the mannequin form, 

but you could hang a real assembled necklace on one, too.

I just love how the designers there come up with fun new ways to use materials

that we see EVERYWHERE for Halloween...
I mean, other stores put tablecloths on tables, for goodness sake.

But at Roger's Gardens, they elevate the everyday to ecstasy!

shared online:

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}

le Style du Jour....

On Saturday afternoon, I spent a lovely and relaxing few hours with friends

as we attended an event at a beautiful local vintage/antique shoppe...
Vignettes is located in Ocean Beach, Ca (near Point Loma in San Diego)

It is one of the prettiest antique shoppes around, 

and the events there are frequent, inspiring, and always CROWDED!

This event was the store's 19th anniversary celebration, 

and the decidedly French theme 'La Vie en Rose' was everywhere.

To my mind,  nothing was more stunning than the 'front room', 

which was all decked out as a boulangerie/patisserie.

 This color scheme is so perfect...

the deep charcoal chalkboards (made on bread boards, did you notice that?)
and blue-green pumpkins create contrast with the warm brown wicker, wood, and bread tones.

 Up close, the details are even more inspiring...
vintage labels made into patches on a burlap-covered bench, vintage signs, 

onions and pumpkins - and more gloriously rich wicker.

Even the simple addition of the word 'VIN' in black paint on a plain old wicker basket

adds incredible interest here.

...and can we talk about that SIGN???!

It's an old walnut and maple footboard,

with the simple addition of some painted lettering and varnish.
Tres Chic! (and tres eeeezeeeee, oui? )

I was looking everywhere, inspired, shooting tons of photos, 

and I kept thinking:
Why couldn't this stunning display inspire 
the color palette, theme, and accessories for a ROOM?
Why couldn't a kitchen look like this?

Why not? Inspiration is everywhere. 

And Francophiles would certainly feel right at home here!

This chair was NOT in this room. In fact, it was in another store altogether.
But if I were decorating, I'd PUT in in this room!

Then on Sunday, while I was decorating my office, I uncovered an old photo

torn long ago from a magazine (possibly 'La Vie Claire'.... but I'm not certain....)

To me, this is EXACTLY what the outside of that sweet boulangerie would look like:

See more from Vignettes on their facebook, website, and blog.

String Me Along...

Another SUPER 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' TM project for fall, with one of my favorite approaches:
Use everyday items in ways they weren't intended to be used.

These 'pumpkins' are made from twigs, leaves, and rolls of twine, thread, and string!

Simply grab rolls of string, twine, thread or yarn that you  might have on hand,

or head to the dollar store for new ones.

Stand the roll up on one end and insert a twig from a tree into it.
Add a leaf or two - and you're done!

Display a few different kinds together, 

paired with other fall elements like canvas runners, wood serving trays and old books.

This is what I call 'temporary decor'...when fall is over, pull out the twigs and leaves,
and tuck your string back into the kitchen junk drawer :)

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #443

cupcakes & crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

Copper Kitchen Scrubby Pumpkins!

 I think this is, quite possibly, the EASIEST crafty idea I've come up with. EVAH.
And it's for pumpkins - go figure :)

This is so easy - I literally made it as fast as I thought of it!

It's got three 'ingredients' and two steps.

Should take you all of... oh, three minutes.... to make.

 Take the copper scrubbies out of the package that you bought for a BUCK at the Dollar Tree store.

 Break a small branch or twig from a tree or bush, and shove it into the middle of the copper scrubby.

Tuck a fall leaf or two into the copper scrubby, right next to the branch.

Tah Dah!
You have a pumpkin!
Or maybe an apple, if your stems are as long as mine shown here ;) 

That's IT.

I ALSO played with one and pulled it apart a bit,
then created a stem by twisting the copper mesh.
I don't like it as much, but that's how crafting is -  Some things work, some don't.

Anyway, that's a truly 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM decor project for you!
No fuss, no muss, no stress, and hardly any money. Just good, cheap fun.

Oh, wait... I shoulda' said Good CLEAN fun, huh?
'Cause they're kitchen scrubbies, right? LOL

PIN-ABLE 'how to' IMAGE:

I came up with this idea last week,

when I saw a bag of copper kitchen scrubbies at the Dollar Tree store.
I bought them then, and it wasn't until yesterday morning that I created and photographed them
(in record time, BTW).
After editing my images and preparing this blog post, 

I decided to do a quick Google search for anything slightly resembling these before publishing.

Though I have never seen anything like them,
I've learned to do my due diligence in the DIY/craft industry, 

because being professional, thoughtful, and ORIGINAL is important.
If I'm inspired by someone or something,  or find out they beat me to it,
I'll gladly credit them.

...and if I'm not the first/original, I'll 'fess up to it... 

I found ONE image from ONE blog post, back in 2012.
So, even though I did come up with this idea on my own,

I am not the first person to do so or to put it online. I'm the second :)
Check out Danyelle's version from 2012 over at Life Is A Party -
hers have the addition of wire as a stem, instead of a branch.
You can also see a pretty sweet little wreath made from the same materials,
in a post from 2010 on the Dollar Store Crafts blog.

Want more of my pumpkin ideas?

painted pumpkins
mini clay pumpkins
glass globe pumpkins 
painted pail pumpkins
sweet sweater pumpkins

embellished sweater pumpkins

... and I'll have another one in my next post!

shared online:

One Project Closer | Creativity Unleashed

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

Thank you, MaryBeth, for including my pumpkins in your Project Inspire{d} Feature!

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