Tag Archives: diy

Autumn Wreath & Front Porch Reveal

I finally had some free time this weekend to put together a new seasonal wreath (doesn’t everyone craft at 10pm on a Saturday night??)…

I purchased a grapevine wreath and fall floral stems from Michaels. I used a roll of burlap that I had leftover from my Spring Wreath project.

I started by wrapping the burlap around the wreath. Then I trimmed the long stems and arranged the flowers before I hot-glued them down to keep them in place (half of my Christmas wreath wound up in our side yard last year due to wind and a lack of more permanent security measures).

And ta-da! A wreath is born!

And now the whole front porch is decked out for Fall, with some mums lining the steps and a new wreath on the door. Still need some pumpkins and squash to finish things off, but it’s definitely starting to look like Fall around the Kennedy house 🙂

Weekend Update

I know I don’t normally post on the weekends, but we did some fun DIY projects that are coming your way this week –  call this a “teaser” if you will. What does this week have in store? A seasonal front porch reveal, and a side table makeover for under $40!

Stay tuned!

Now, I am off to enjoy what remains of the weekend with some football, coffee and a heaping bowl of this hot-out-of-the-oven apple crisp…

Oh. Yea. This totally makes for my failed attempt at sweet potato fries tonight.

{recipe courtesy of my girl Betty, sans the whipped cream because Tom is lactose intolerant}

Weekly Wishlist: Watercolor Trees by Angie Vandenbogaard

I’ve been admiring Angie’s watercolor trees ever since I discovered Etsy (circa 2008). There’s something about them that just makes me smile. She offers a bright, bold, friendly palette of colors, and I love the unique personality that each print takes on.

After so many years of admiring, I’ve finally purchased one for myself!

This is her “Hello” Print.

And I promise, promise, promise that one of these days, the elusive Family Room Gallery Wall is going to make an appearance (I’m saying this more for me than for you. I need to get a move on!). What I expected to be a quick, throw-it-together display turned into a time consuming “labor of love” where I began second-guessing everything I chose… But it’s all good now. It’s underway. And this adorable “Hello” print will be prominently featured!

You can shop Angie’s prints on Etsy here.

Autumn Subway Canvas

When it comes to seasonal decor, I tend to stick to Winter/Christmas. And by “stick to” I mean Make It Look Like Santa’s Workshop / A Wintery Wonderland Exploded In My House. I. Love. Christmas Decor.

But, I have to admit that I’ve recently had a hankering for some Fall-inspired touches around the house. In the past, I think I’ve been turned off by the predominantly brownish color palette of Fall decor, but with the recent metallics trend… now that’s a seasonal bandwagon I can get on! Whoo! Whoo! (wait, sorry, that’s a train sound. What sound does a bandwagon make?)

Anywho, I came across this seasonal Subway art on Pinterest…

from Antsi-Pants blog

and decided this was totally something I could decorate around. She’s even got glittery pumpkins right next to it! Yessss!

This is actually a printable that can be downloaded (for free!), but I had a Craft Itch that needed to be scratched. I decided with some paint and scrapbooking accessories, this could easily become a personalized piece. So I made a trip to Michael’s, picked up some supplies, and got to work!

I picked up an 11″ x 14″ canvas and figured I’d need at least eight words/phrases to cover it. I made a list of all of the Autumn-related words I could think of, then narrowed down to the ones that best represent what I love about the season.

I wanted a variety of fonts, so I purchased stencils and 3D sticker letters. I also decided to free-hand some of the words, which I saved for last so that I could fill in remaining spaces as needed. I started with the stencils, tracing them lightly with a pencil.

Then I added the 3D sticker letters, free-handed in the remaining spaces, and added a few “accessories” in the form of the sunflower, pumpkin and leaf stickers. Just to add some extra pizzazz!

I’m surprisingly pleased with how it turned out! And how relatively easy it was to do! A little bit more time consuming (took me about 2-2.5 hours from start to finish), but fun and worth it.
I already have plans for a Christmas one 😉

It hasn’t found a permanent home yet, but I have a few other Fall ideas in my mind that I’m hoping to pull together this weekend!

Where do you stand on seasonal decor?

Update: found this fun Fall Decorating Link Party from The Lettered Cottage! Check out all of the other bloggers’ awesome fall decor ideas!

The Lettered Cottage