painted toile floral pumpkins

i continue to be inspired by the current trend of painting pumpkins
to resemble blue and white Chinoiserie ceramics.
those colors aren't in our home decor palette, however,
so i painted a few more pumpkins
to match the brown toile pattern on some vintage dishes that i have.

my small collection of toile or 'Staffordshire' English china
 includes dishes from Royal Staffordshire, Alfred Meakin, and AJ Wilkinson.
the 'Brown Tonquin' pattern on almost all of them was designed by Clarice Cliff,
including the beautiful floral on the tiny saucer that inspired my artwork.

it's a beautiful look for fall that fits into classic, boho, farmhouse, and even coastal decor.

continue reading for more details...

screen dome pumpkins & leaves

rummaging through a cabinet one day, i rediscovered four screen food covers.

they came from Dollar Tree and to be honest, i don't think we've ever used them.

so.... me being me.... it was time to turn these unused items into something else.

continue reading to see how easily i transformed them into pumpkins!

(i feel a bit like the Fairy Godmother in reverse.....)

diy wood slat shade / privacy screen

living here in the semi-desert of Southern California means we get a lot of sun.

for four years, i've been struggling with - and have tried - many ways to block that sun

so that we can enjoy our patio and backyard in the late afternoon.

but along with the sun is wind. Santa Ana winds and strong daily afternoon winds.

those winds have torn down every umbrella and shade cloth and curtain i've hung.

finally a bright idea dawned on me - make it wood!

the simple solution was to repeat another element of our landscaping

and create a wood screen to withstand wind and block the afternoon sun.

the best part of this project? it makes use of a pre-made element available at Lowes.

paired with an item i already had, it became the perfect shade screen for us - 

and would work as a privacy screen, as well!

continue reading to see how simple this outdoor diy project is...

painted 'autumn leaf' pattern pumpkins

inspired by the blue and white 'chinoiserie' pumpkins i've seen online recently,
i came up with a similar idea that reflects both an autumn palette AND our family history.

a few small ceramic pumpkins from my collection were refreshed with paint,
replicating the pattern of some china that has been in my family for generations...

made by Hall China in Ohio for the Jewel Tea Company from 1920 to 1980,
this lovely 'Autumn Leaf' pattern is perfect for fall decorating and entertaining - 
my Mom's Mom, my Grandma Ward, used these pieces even before my Mom was born.
Mom has used them every fall for as long as i can remember.
and i've used the pieces that she passed down to me!
they make an appearance every autumn, especially for Thanksgiving.

continue reading to see more of our collection with my new matching pumpkins...

salvaged fan becomes a backyard table!

this big old orange thing might just look a bit familiar to you...
it's the industrial fan housing that i grabbed right outta' my neighbors' trash can
and turned into a pumpkin in a previous post.

honestly? the pumpkin project was an afterthought.
THIS was the reason i grabbed it before the trash truck arrived...
to make an accent table for our backyard fire pit area!
it was a simple assembly, using things i had on hand already
and it makes a world of difference in this area of our yard.

continue reading to see how just three simple elements created this table...

faux terra cotta pumpkins + tutorial

the decor is simple on our porch this year...

just a few select elements combine to give our entryway a fall mood.
(no, that's not a photo of our porch! i'll probably share that on Insta) 

however, real pumpkins are not an option when it's still over 100 degrees.

my solution to that dilemma was to gather up the pumpkins we have on hand

(plus the new-to-me 'Funkin' faux pumpkin that i found at a thrift store

and used in my recent fall harvest scarecrow project)

and give them a cohesive look... 

and i did that with paint, of course!

continue reading for my easy 'faux terra cotta' paint' tutorial...