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10.31.2023

painted 'chocolate' pumpkins on a sweet sweater cake

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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...

10.24.2023

easy 'dot' candy pumpkins

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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:
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'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!

10.17.2023

faux food 'caramel apple' pumpkins

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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:
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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!

10.10.2023

have a ball with these pumpkins!

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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!

10.03.2023

faux 'jadeite' pumpkin paint tutorial

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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...

9.26.2023

fall glamping with Miss Dot!

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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...

9.19.2023

glass pumpkin gumball machine

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my mom has owned this glass pumpkin since the 1980's... she bought me one then, too!
she says they were filled with Dunkin' or Winchell's Doughnut holes - 
but i don't recall getting any doughnut holes with mine! LOL
(Target has them for $10.00! not an ad)

i've always loved filling them with candy in the fall
(faves include Kraft caramels, Werther's caramels, and chocolate pumpkins!)
but things took a TURN this year...

i was shifting things around in my studio to photograph new creations
and when i emptied out the seashells from my gumball machine,
i sat the glass globe from it next to this glass pumpkin...
and my brain started asking questions like
 'wait... would the pumpkin fit on.... could it work.... ???'
so i played around and found out!

follow along as i show you how easy this one is...

9.12.2023

repurposed crochet hat pumpkin

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i'm a hat girl. always have been. i love wearing them
and have a pretty big collection of hats for every season.
i have thick straight hair and on the many days when it won't cooperate,
i just pop a ballcap or sunhat or cloche on my head and fuhgeddaboutit.

the only hats i don't like on my head are beanies. my forehead's too big.
but when i found THIS beanie, i fell in love with it and had to buy it...
because the moment i saw it, i KNEW it had to become a pumpkin!
here i am using things in ways they weren't intended to be used again LOL

continue reading for my tutorial (which is much like my sweet sweater pumpkin tute)...