Terra Cotta Christmas: clay pot trees

My creative muses love to yank my chain....

I HAD a plan for holiday content this year on the blog. Yes I did.

and then... 

Surfing through IG one night when I couldn't sleep,

a photo shared by one of my former employers and clients
came across my screen - and wouldn't you know it,

that one photo inspired a whole NEW idea and theme!  

This is the photo posted by Molbak's Home + Garden Center near Seattle

to promote one of the themes of their holiday products this year.
(Back in the 90's, I was on their visual merchandising design team,
and have loved keeping up with their store visuals ever since -
sadly, the store closed down in 2024.)

Those are turned wood trees on the mantel.

but that's not how i interpreted it... 

Instead, I saw a forest of terra cotta trees made from pots!

That one photo inspired me to create decor
that was subdued, simple, natural, and elegant -

along the lines of something from Pottery Barn, Terrain, and West Elm.

In the process, I've come up with different ways to use terra cotta pots
to embody a new theme for the holidays this year...

...continue reading to see three styles of terra cotta trees!

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!

faux food 'caramel apple' pumpkins

a recent rainstorm and cool temps (that have long since vanished!)
spurred my 'fall feels' - and my taste buds for all things caramel.
it's my favorite fall flavor, and i love indulging it...
from scarfing down Werther's Original caramel cremes
to sipping a caramel apple martini on a cool but sunny late afternoon.

with those thoughts already swirling in my head, 
seeing a photo of a green apple being dipped into melted caramel
inspired something else... this fun 'faux food' bit of sweet fall home decor!

how it started:

i knew that a method i had previously used to make faux honey
would work for the glossy dimensional caramel effect,
so i proceeded with this project as i had with that one.
(my faux honey jar is linked below this post)

... continue reading to see how it's going, and how you can make them, too!

have a ball with these pumpkins!

do you have a family full of sports fans?

oh, my friends, you're gonna' have a BALL with this idea! 😉

i was killing time before an appointment by walking thru a 'FIVE below' discount store,

and spied a bin filled with small basketballs in bright happy colors...

there was no yellow, but the minty green one caught my eye!

continue reading for tips on this SUPER fast & easy pumpkin decor project!

faux 'jadeite' pumpkin paint tutorial

i don't collect jadeite - real OR faux - but i love it!
the pretty seafoam - mint - jade greens of jadeite dishes and cookware
remind me of the color of our Shasta trailer (see my last post!)
and because of that, i've found these greens combine well with ANY color.

in late August i picked up a ceramic pumpkin mug at Dollar Tree,
and decided to try my hand at re-creating the luminous look of jadeite -
with paint. and it worked! 

continue reading for my color-matching process and paint tutorial...

fall glamping with Miss Dot!

i'm at a vintage trailer rally at the beach this week,

so i thought i'd share photos of the 'glamping' decor that i created

for Miss Dot at a past rally (2021)...

you've seen a tropical decor theme (from 2022) in a recent post,

now here's a look at how switching out decor elements and a new color addition

creates a whole new vibe - this one's beachy!

(the rally is held in Newport Beach, CA and always has a 'surf' theme)

planning the decor theme for each glamping excursion

reminds me so much of how i played in my grandpa's Shasta trailer as a kid,

spending hours in their backyard decorating and dreaming...

continue reading to see how my yellow obsession extended to our Shasta trailer...