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10.12.2021

paint + paper picture frame pumpkins

art,wall art,Halloween,fall,home decor,DIY,diy decorating,painting,re-purposed,thrifted,up-cycling,paper,paper crafts,pumpkins,Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,neutrals,white,farmhouse style,trash to treasure,Halloween home decor, Halloween decorating,pumpkin decor, decorating with pumpkins,trash to treasure pumpins,junk pumpkins,painted pumpkins,black and white Halloween decor.
creating seasonal decor accents with paint and paper is my jam.
i love taking something i already have, combining it with scraps of this and that,
adding some paint, and turning it into something new
without spending a cent.

it's 'green'/eco-friendly, no-cost, easy to do,
keeps stuff from being 'stuffed' into storage boxes until it's that season again,
and it's a great way to ensure that my decor is unique and one of a kind.
i'm able to embrace current trending looks - with my own twist.
like..... yellow. yup. still doin' my yellow thing. alllll year long!

while these photos do indeed have yellow in them,
the project is graphic black and white - which is not just perfect for Halloween,
but easily incorporated into nearly any color scheme.
or, you know, altered to fit any color scheme...
you want orange? great! swap out the black for orange!
maybe you embrace all neutrals? okay! use soft sand instead of black with white.

and if 'cute' isn't your vibe, picture these made from elegant gold frames
filled with vintage book pages or wallpaper, with gold-painted wire 'stems'.
i want to inspire you to make it yours!

continue reading for details...

10.08.2021

white wire basket pumpkins

coastal style, beach style, decorating, diy decorating, re-purposing, white, DIY, vintage style, boho style, neutrals, metallics, vintage, thrifted, fall, pumpkins, fall decorating, pumpkin decor, decorating with pumpkins, diy pumpkins, wire pumpkins, fall home decor, farmhouse decor, boho chic home decor, boho chic fall decor, Dollar Tree crafts, Dollar Tree DIY.
i use a lot of containers in my studio (and home) to try to be organized.
wire baskets like these from the Dollar Tree help corral my copious stash
of craft & art supplies, and various small bits & pieces that i use and re-use in projects.

i was today years old when i looked at them and saw pumpkins instead!!!
similar to the gold wire basket pumpkins that i shared last month,
they are SO easy to make.

continue reading for the easy how-to...

10.04.2021

NEW! Sweet Sweater Spookies!

fall,Halloween,Sweet Sweater Originals,sweet sweater spookies,re-purposed,up-cycling,trash to treasure,salvaged,junk makeover,tablescapes,entertaining,just for fun,home decor,DIY,diy decorating,crafting with sweaters,Halloween decor,cute ghosties for Halloween,cute Halloween decor,use what you have decorating,sweater weather.
this is quite possibly the EASIEST project i've ever undertaken...
and it was an idea that popped into my head as i was washing dishes!

i re-use plastic storage bags, washing them after use (unless they are greasy)
then placing them upside-down over a glass to dry.
as i did that one morning, i absentmindedly thought 'hah ha! he looks like a ghost!'
and then i stopped, looked again, and this crazy idea hatched in my brain.

so bear with me, and come along for the craziness!

continue reading for the details...

10.01.2021

'dipped' faux concrete pumpkins

faux finish,farmhouse style,home decor,thrifted,colorful home,diy decorating,Thanksgiving,,fall,DIY,painting,boho style,Halloween,fall home decor,decorating with pumpkins,pumpkin decorating,painted pumpkins,faux concrete painting tutorial
one of my most popular fall tutorials since i published it seven years ago
has been my faux concrete painting tutorial.
i've used this treatment on just about every kind of pumpkin,
as well as on styrofoam wig heads, lamps, urns, and even a swan planter
to achieve an elegant 'statuary' effect.

this year, i'm combining that faux concrete look
with a current trend: the 'paint dipped' accent color.
it's been applied on the legs of furniture, the bottoms of picture frames, and more
in many popular shelter mags, websites, and products...
but i haven't seen it done on pumpkins yet!
both paint applications are quite easy - with endless variations possible.

continue reading for more details, a link to my faux concrete tutorial,
and a secret hiding in the photo above!

9.28.2021

gradient pumpkins

faux finish,farmhouse style,home decor,thrifted,colorful home,diy decorating,Thanksgiving,Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,fall,DIY,painting,boho style,Halloween,fall home decor,decorating with pumpkins,pumpkin decorating,painted pumpkins,color spectrum decor.
want a really easy way to decorate for fall?
one that makes use of things you already have?
choose one color, and gather up everything you have in that hue.
then arrange items from light to dark - or mix 'em all up.

and if what you have is a mish-mash of colors,
you can always paint things a new color! that's what i did.

continue reading for some simple transformation ideas...

9.24.2021

salvaged silver pumpkin coach

fall,DIY,diy decorating,re-purposed,up-cycling,salvaged,thrifted,home decor,pumpkins,Thanksgiving,Halloween,junk makeover,trash to treasure,vintage,vintage style,farmhouse style,fall decorating,fall home decor,decorating with pumpkins,salvaged pumpkins,junk pumpkins,upcycled pumpkins,repurposed pumpkins.
if you've been around for awhile, you know that i've got a thing for pumpkins...
it all began with my sweet Grandpa Ward, who had a nickname for me:
his little pumpkin eater. 
i have always thought he called me that because of my rusty, pumpkin-y auburn hair
and i sure wish i would have asked him about that before he died when i was 15.

because of that nickname, i've collected pumpkins for most of my life.
and every year when fall rolls around, as i decorate with some of them,
i can hear the echoes of his voice calling me that pet name.

this project brings together two special things about my Grandpa:
his nickname for me, and his time building many of the attractions at Disneyland.
and though i bet you can name the film and the Disney Princess connected to it,
there's another inspiration that helped to bring this idea to life...

continue reading for more!

9.21.2021

salvaged silver tray pumpkins

fall,DIY,diy decorating,re-purposed,up-cycling,salvaged,thrifted,home decor,pumpkins,Thanksgiving,Halloween,junk makeover,trash to treasure,vintage,vintage style,farmhouse style,wall art,wreaths,fall decorating,fall home decor,decorating with pumpkins,salvaged pumpkins,junk pumpkins,upcycled pumpkins,repurposed pumpkins.
salvaged silver trays paired with simple kitchen serving tools
become elegant pumpkins in this project,
and can be adorned with just about anything you choose...
the fall leaves here include yellow tones to fit my 2021 obsession!


continue reading to see how easy assembly is!

9.17.2021

gold wire basket pumpkins

coastal style, beach style, decorating, diy decorating, re-purposing, white, DIY, vintage style, boho style, neutrals, metallics, vintage, thrifted, fall, pumpkins, fall decorating, pumpkin decor, decorating with pumpkins, diy pumpkins, wire pumpkins, fall home decor, farmhouse decor, boho chic home decor, boho chic fall decor, Dollar Tree crafts, Dollar Tree DIY.
 i just love finding something that can be turned into something else.
case in point: these gold metal wire baskets from Dollar Tree.
not only are they great for storage & organizing, they are also a 'raw element' for crafts.

i used four of them to create three different kinds of pumpkins,
and it was truly one of my trademark 'fast, cheap, & easy' efforts!
of course, you could do this with old galvanized wire baskets, as well.

continue reading for my easy new tutorial...