One Last Autumn project

The snow is falling - slowly, and just a flake or two at a time. Light flurries, we call that. We also call that Winter. Sigh.

I have taken down all of the Autumn decorations from around the house, and they're piled on the dining room table, waiting to be packed away for another year. As I gathered, I found a bag of craft supplies purchased several weeks ago and tucked away for "later".

One of the first posts I ever read on The Nester's blog was about her tassels. I've looked many times at her Etsy shop, but just couldn't justify spending the money, even though I really liked what she was making.
Then several weeks ago I came across this tutorial for making large decorative tassels. I'm always game to try a new craft, so I picked up some fringe and trims (50% off), and the candle cups on one of my forays to Hobby Lobby. I already had the pumpkins, and got the big acorn at HL for 80% off.

It took me a couple of hours to put these together, as I experimented with the layers of trim and glued slowly so I didn't burn my fingers. I have to say, I really like how they came out, and I'm looking forward to making some Christmas ones next. It's kind of addictive, really, to see what kinds of fun trims you can find, as well as the toppers. There is a pair of Santas waiting to be tasseled in the near future. My only complaint is that I have to go to either Lincoln or Grand Island to get the bullion fringe. Argh.

I'm not doing much Christmas decorating until we get back from vacation in a couple of weeks, but there will be a few things. Stop back in during the week to see!

Show & Tell Friday

Photos of Autumn/Halloween decorations are all over blogland and have inspired me to try a few new things this year.

The ragamuffin garland done in black and orange adds a festive touch to this vignette on top of the library table. The faux pumpkin on the pedestal, the old books, and the glittery greeting all make me smile. This little scarecrow guy is one of my favorite thrifty finds. The wicker pumpkin is on a glass pedestal candleholder.

Have you been wondering about what I've done with all those little pumpkins I grew in my garden? I took several to work to fill a basket on the check-in counter, and gave many away. There will definitely be mini-pumpkin plants in the garden again next summer! Here's a big bowl of them on the end table next to the sofa.

Here are some more in the kitchen window.

And another big bowl of them back in the sunroom. This bowl also has gourds that were shared by a co-worker. The glass container next to it has wine bottle corks.
More pumpkins on pedestals, anyone? These black candlesticks from Goodwill originally had a light fake marble finish which was fine, but they each have one or two chips around the edges that became less noticeable when they were painted black. See the "Boo" frame? I totally copied that from Joy, and I love it. The letters were cut out with my Cricut and glued to scrapbook paper.

Lastly for today is my favorite spot this year. This is the first year I've seen white pumpkins available in the stores here, and I snapped up a nice one right away. I used self-adhesive vinyl and the Cricut again for the letters. The small white pumpkin (yeah, again with the pedestal) was originally one of those $1 bright orange plastic ones from Wmart. I copied Blogland again and spray painted it. And, um, yeah, another candleholder. The crow is a fun little addition. That bird drove Tucker nuts when I first put it out. :o)

I hope you enjoyed visiting today. Head over to Kelli's and see lots more Show & Tell!

I A-Door Autumn!

Edited 9/10/09:
After I posted this yesterday, fake silk flowers and plastic wheat, and all, I found out there was going to be a P.O.O.P.I.E. party today at the Nesting Place. You'll have to go over there to find out what that means, but this sweet, cheerful little arrangement probably qualifies as a fiasco. Oh well. It's still making me smile.

A little more Fall Nesting going on...

Okay, we all know that we'll have some summer weather again, maybe for a few days or a week, but until then, I'm enjoying this taste of Fall. The air is drier, the locusts are singing, sunrise is later, sunset is earlier, and squirrels are running amok with black walnuts. (Digging little holes and planting each of those hundreds of baby trees I'll pull up next Spring.)

In the spirit of the burgeoning season, I changed the flower arrangement on the front door today. Remember how I've been trying to use what I have around the house to make my seasonal door arrangements? Well, I did pick up a few small picks of cattails to do this one. Oh, and some ribbon.

The sunflowers came from a swag I've had for a few years. Just pulled the sunflowers off the swag and used stems from some of the red flowers I used for summer.

So this whole arrangement totally breaks the #1 HGTV Decorating Mistake since I used fake flowers. Pssst! Some are even plastic - don't tell!

I have to say, this just makes me smile - plastic, silk, fake flowers and all!

Fall Nesting Week

Okay, I couldn't stand it. The weather has been perfectly Autumnal and I needed to get some Fall decorations put up. But I'm not dragging out the totes until I have the den done and put back together. So... last night I did a little crafting and I have at least a temporary display of my favorite season: Remember the sneak peek I gave you of the little something I made for the guest room? I made another, this time for Fall. It's called a "ragamuffin" swag and if you want to know how to make your own, you can look here.

I had the fabric, jute, and some of the ribbon. Today I picked up the orange sheer ribbon and the tulle. I think the little bit of sparkle is a nice addition.

This is tied to the top part of the baker's rack which is currently sitting in the sunroom. I added the few mini-pumpkins picked from my garden last weekend and now I feel better. There is a little corner of Autumn to make me smile.

So if you haven't checked out Fall Nesting Week at the Inspired Room, go take a look at what others are doing to get ready for the best season of the year!

P.S. - I can't wait to show you the den - the new paint color is called "dipped chocolate", and I have to say it, it's yummy! :o)

Nesting Week

It's Fall Nesting Week at The Inspired Room, and I really, really, really want to participate, but I have the contents of the den in my living room right now. Maybe by the end of the week I can get out the Fall decor, because baby, it's cold outside! This morning was a nippy 45 degrees when I went to work. Yippee!

Anyway, don't wait for me (I knew there was a ton of stuff in that room, but I'm not finding much to get rid of. Argh!), go on over right now and look at what others have done. Be inspired!

Spots of Autumn

We don't have much pretty autumn color outside just yet, but that doesn't mean we can't have it inside. :o) Autumn is my absolute favorite season. Cooler temps. No humidity. Gorgeous color. I know I share my love with many of my online friends, and we've been sharing photos of some spots in our homes where autumn is highlighted. Here are a couple of mine: