I’m sharing a new post today on Land of Nod’s blog, Honest to Nod. Check out this tutorial for making napkin holders and place cards using painted leaves.
Tag Archives: autumn
I Heart: October Festivities
October has been standing out lately as my favorite month of the year. We have lots to celebrate this month – our anniversary, Jason’s birthday, and, of course, Halloween. But I also love October because it’s one of the few months when the weather is usually pretty great in Texas, which means lots of outdoor time. The month also seems to spark a renewed interest in cooking and baking for me (not to mention eating … especially outdoors).
Here are a few things inspiring me this October:
- I love the leaf prints by Inaluxe
- Definitely going to try this Banana Nutella Bread
- Fringe balloons. Not the most Fall-like thing, but I just adore this idea. I’ll find a way to work it into the month somehow.
- Leaf crafts. We love leaf crafts and this one is extra cute.
- Soup season is (almost) here.
- I’ve been coming across so many great pumpkin ideas this year.
- Outdoor dining.
I Heart: White + Brown
I’ve been coming across a color palette lately that seems so perfect for this time of year in Texas – white and brown. With temperatures still in the 90s and not a hint of yellow or orange in the trees, this palette is light and earthy, balancing the warmth of outdoors with the desire for richer hues.
Sources (left to right): 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08
Friday Fall-ish Favorites and a Mini DIY
Are you as ready for fall as I am? It’s going to be in the 90s this weekend, but that didn’t stop me from updating my mantel this week. It’s still slightly summer-ish: succulents and what my husband calls “weeds from our yard” are featured prominently. But with the addition of a bit of yarn, they look much cozier, right?
To make the yarn containers, I gathered up some plants, votives and other glass containers along with a selection of yarn. I used a glue gun to place a small line of glue near the base of the container. I secured one end of the yarn and then worked my way up. At the top, I simply tucked the other end of the yarn underneath the previous rows instead of adding more glue. I think it will be easier to remove later.
Are you planning any mini home makeovers for Fall? Here are a few more bits of inspiration:
- Tara’s orange front door is just awesome.
- I’ve never tried gold leaf before, but this diy is screaming my name.
- Still love Sweet Paul’s Halloween feature from the Fall 2011 issue.
- Hard to believe I haven’t tried this yet – you know how I love chalkboard paint.
- More fall mantel ideas
Happy Weekend!
Kirigami Leaf Votives
Last year I came across these patterns for Japanese kirigami leaves, which are really easy to make and result in a beautiful repetition of leaf shapes. Although it’s far from being fall here in Texas, I’m eager to start bringing an autumn look to our home, so I decided to use the kirigami patterns to create a set of votives for our table.
Here are the materials you’ll need:
- Paper (standard weight works better than cardstock)
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Decoupage glue
- Balloons
- String
- Votive candles and candle holders
I started by printing and cutting out the patterns (found here). Next, I folded the paper according to the instructions and traced the leaf pattern onto the paper.
I cut out the leaf, creating a series of attached leaves in a circular shape.
I prepared the balloons in advance, and then dipped the leaves in glue and carefully placed them on a balloon. I let them dry for about 8 hours and then popped the balloons and peeled the leaves away. There was quite a bit of excess dried glue between the leaves that I also had to remove.
Finally, I added votives to the center.
Weekend Top 5
Most of the weekend was spent sick in bed, but we did manage to take one walk to collect leaves and work on a couple of crafty activities at home.
Daily Art: Happy Fall
Today is the first day of fall, but you wouldn’t know it by the 90 degree temperatures. Despite the continued heatwave, we celebrated the day by making prints with leaves that we collected during last night’s walk. Admittedly, not a lot of leaves are on the ground yet, so I had to pull a couple off of the branches. Don’t tell my neighbors.
