Chalk Painted Pumpkins...

I have a thing for pumpkins lately. Seriously. It's a bit of an obsession. Yesterday I published a Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial and showed you some photos of some fabric pumpkins I made last week. A few days ago my DIL, Meghann, and I got together to paint some pumpkins. If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I have my share of painted pumpkin pins.

We started our project by buying some pumpkins from Michael's and Hobby Lobby. Both stores have all their autumn items on sale these days, so they were very reasonable. I like to buy pumpkins and gourds that are oddly shaped, because they look more natural.

Before I started painting I rough them up a bit. Most craft store pumpkins are made of a foam composite, so you can push on them with your finger and make a little dent. They look a little more natural with a few blemishes like real veggies.

I'm not sure I can express adequately how much I love the colors of these pumpkins. We used Waverly Chalk Paint to cover these beauties. I bought the paint at Walmart. Most chalk paint that I found at craft stores were $10 each. The Waverly paints I found at Walmart were only $6 each. (Many people use acrylic craft paints too.)

For this type of a project I would buy the colors you like and add a couple of neutral colors like gray and white. That way you can mix the more colorful paints with neutral colors to make them lighter or darker. This will help you shade and give definition to the pumpkins.

Here is a "before" photo. Frankly, they weren't very inspiring...

Now they are a mix of beautiful soft autumn colors...

This is the first time I'd used chalk paint. I know. I know. I'm way behind the times, but I did love using this medium. Chalk paint gave these pumpkins a matte chalk finish. The paint layered beautifully and was easy to distress.

We used the clear wax and the antique wax to seal the paint. A little buffing after the wax has dried creates a matte finish.

Meghann sent me these pictures of her creations the day after we got together. Seriously, don't these photos look like still life paintings?

Seriously. Gorgeous.

Sneak Peek...

Have you ever noticed that the stem is one of the most important things that make 

an imitation pumpkin look more real? 

In the next couple of days I'll show you how to change a cheap dollar store pumpkin into a 

more expensive looking, realistic pumpkin. 

It's all about the stem...

Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial...

A girl has to keep herself busy somehow, and last week while our house was being painted I had plenty of time on my hands. I got busy making some of these...

Years ago I helped plan a women's conference for our church. Along with workshops and classes, we hosted a lunch for about a million and three women. {A slight exaggeration, but that's what it felt like.} I can't remember how many of these types of pumpkins I made for table decorations, but after that event I swore I'd never make another. It's taken me approximately 15 years to decide I could have another go at it.

These fabric pumpkins are a cinch to make. 

You don't even need a sewing machine!

Materials

Pumpkin: Scraps of fabric, like: linen, corduroy, satin, velvet, muslin, faux suede, etc.
"Leaves" (optional):  Scraps of fabric
Sewing needle
Thread: heavy-duty quilting thread or DMC-type embroidery floss
Filler: white beans or rice
Filler: polyester stuffing
Jute or Twine
Stem: tree branch, cinnamon sticks, or brown felt

Instructions

1.) Cut a circle out of fabric for the pumpkin. Look for objects in your kitchen for a quick circle -- pizza pans, round trays, etc.

• Small pumpkin - Cut a 12" diameter circle, (for a 5" diameter pumpkin)
• Medium pumpkin - Cut a 16" diameter circle (for a 7" diameter pumpkin)
• Large pumpkin - Cut a 22" diameter circle (for a 9" diameter pumpkin)

2.) Hand baste 1/4" from outside edge of fabric with strong quilting thread or cotton ball thread found by the embroidery floss in craft/fabric stores. Use a double thread for both.

3.) Gather edges of pumpkin by pulling the basting threads till it is in the shape of a "ball." Stuff the inside of the pumpkins with 1 to 3 cups (depending on size of pumpkin) of beans or rice. To that add polyester stuffing to the pumpkin until full.

4.) For stem: A piece of a dead tree limb is ideal. Cut the limb in 3" - 5" length. A bundle of whole cinnamon sticks would also work, or cut a piece of brown felt about 10" long and 4" wide. Fold in half lengthwise. Roll felt lengthwise and stitch edge to make a stem.

5.) Finish gathering the top of the pumpkin, insert stem, gather and tie threads in a knot around the stem. If you made a felt stem,you may want to baste the stem to the pumpkin at the base of the stem.

6.) Use jute to divide the pumpkin into six or eight segments and tie at the bottom. I pull the jute tight so it doesn't show much but is in the creases of the pumpkin.

7.) For "leaves": Tear fabric about 10" long by 3" wide. Tear strips along the length of the fabric every 3/4" or so and baste the top of the fabric, like this:

Gather and tie the "leaves" around the base of the stem. See below...

You can also hot glue twine around the base of the stem to hide the jute that is used to divide the pumpkin into segments.

These pumpkins are pretty throughout the fall -- for Halloween or Thanksgiving.

I think they'd be beautiful in a centerpiece or a big basket on a hearth...

Later this week I'll publish a post about some artificial pumpkins that I painted with chalk paint. Here's a little teaser...

"Give Thanks" Plaque Attack...

 Tutorial and Link to Vinyl

It's been a couple of years since I've published a Plaque Attack on my blog. This one is going to be an all time favorite of mine. It's no secret that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it -- being surrounded by family, a fabulous dinner, the smell of autumn, a time to count blessings and express gratitude -- it reaches all my senses and sensibilities. This plaque symbolizes all of that to me.

TUTORIAL

Materials:

• For 5 plaques: One 1"x12"x6' length of pine board ::: For 1 plaque: One 1"x12"x13" pine board
• Dark walnut wood stain
• Vinyl wreath & quote
• Sander & sanding paper

Directions:

1.) I made five plaques at the same time so I purchased a 1"x12"x6' length of pine board and had it cut into five 1"x12"x13" pieces -- with a little remaining. {Take that remaining piece home in case you want to practice beveling the edges of it, before you bevel the edges of the plaques.} Home Depot will make these cuts free of charge, so I always have my wood cut before I leave the store.

2.) I wanted the edges of the plaques rounded (beveled), so I put the hubs to work on his router. This step isn't necessary, but it makes for a more finished look. If you like a rustic look, there's no need for beveling the edges.

3.) Next I used my orbital sander to whip the plaques into shape. It took me less than a minute a plaque to get them ready to stain...

4.) Stain both the front and back sides of the plaques...

It always amazes me how wood takes stain so unevenly, but that rustic, imperfect quality is what I love most about working with wood...

5.) When the stain is dry, apply the vinyl "leaf wreath" -- centering it on the plaque horizontally, and placing the tops of the leaves about one inch from the top of the plaque. After the leaf wreath has been affixed to the plaque, center the quote inside the wreath and add it to the wood plaque.

My friend Sharon has this vinyl wreath and quote available at her online store, Vinyl Wall Expressions. Follow this link to purchase this beautiful golden and white custom vinyl to make a plaque of your own.The vinyl measures 9 inches wide x 10 3/4 inches long.

6.) I put a light coat of Rust-oleum Clear Matte Spray Finish on the top of the plaques once the vinyl was affixed to the wood. This will protect the wood and keep the wood from fading. Done!

These plaques were such a fun project, and I now have five beautiful gifts to give away this month. I think one of these plaques would make a beautiful hostess gift.

The vinyl for the wreath is a beautiful metallic gold color, and I love the simple phrase that sums up Thanksgiving to me.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving...

Last Thanksgiving we were in California celebrating with extended family. This year we are home with a much smaller gathering. Both are good. We'll be in California for Christmas next month, so I'll enjoy the smaller affair here at home tomorrow. I thought I'd share an idea for a tablescape I put together last year for Thanksgiving. I loved the cinnamon stick "vases" and the hollowed out pumpkin candle holders. They were beautiful and rustic and the cinnamon added a yummy scent to the air! You can go here for the post on how to make them...
 

When I count my blessings I number the friendships that I've made amongst my blog readers as one of my favorites. Thank you for the support and kindness you've shown me. I appreciate it so much.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Home Again...

My husband and I calculated the other day that we've been out of state at least once every month this year. In December we're staying planted and our family is coming to us! {So happy about that!} We just spent the last 10 days in northern California visiting my family. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and I even had the chance to craft a little bit. We helped "host" Thanksgiving this year for my family, so I wanted to try my hand at some centerpieces that I had pinned earlier in the month. I bought some inexpensive round glass vases at Michaels (tin cans would have worked too) and some long cinnamon sticks. I cut out a brown paper bag to go around the vase and hot glued the cinnamon sticks to the paper. They had a delightful, subtle fragrance. Then I bought some flowers and collected some greenery and gorgeous roses from my mother's garden. The result was really beautiful...

On Thanksgiving morning my husband, son and I went on a walk and collected beautiful fall leaves in a variety of colors, pods, and berries to put at the base of the vases with some greenery. 

Then I put my husband and son to work carving out little round circles in some miniature pumpkins we bought at the grocery store. We plopped a tea light in those and they were stunning when they were lit!

I left the "cinnamon vases" there, but I've decided I'll have to make some for Christmas at our house. I think they'll be beautiful with some Christmas greenery and white and red flowers!

I came back to an almost finished master bathroom redo. I'm so excited about that, however, I have a lot of painting to do in the next 36 hours, so I'll be AWOL for several more days. I'm so anxious to show you a fabulous redo of some master bedroom furniture we re-purposed for our computer room. {You heard me right.} I'll post that later this week! I'm also going to be using a damask stencil on our bedroom and bathroom walls -- stay tuned for that adventure!