Sep
21
2016

Make Your Front Door Fall-Friendly with this Monogram Pine Cone Accent

Do this craft with kids at home on a cozy afternoon.

Make Your Front Door Fall-Friendly with this Monogram Pine Cone Accent

 Do this easy fall pinecone craft with kids at home on a cozy afternoon | DIY

Summer is coming to a close and with that comes the dreaded ‘f’ word.

Fall.

Thanksgiving. Pumpkins. Pinecones. Pie and chunky sweaters - it is the season we love to love, but hate to see arrive.

 Do this easy fall pinecone craft with kids at home on a cozy afternoon | DIY

I always try to do a simple craft each year to welcome fall and this year, I whipped one up that you can definitely do with the kids at home on a cozy afternoon.

Here’s a quick tutorial for how to make a fall themed pinecone wreath with a twist! The twist? It's not really a wreath at all ;)

Beef it up for an outdoor door hanging, or keep it simple like I have for an indoor flourish on a china cabinet or dining room wall.

 Do this easy fall pinecone craft with kids at home on a cozy afternoon | DIY

Here's what you need:

  • A large Monogram Letter
  • A few types of fabric or burlap ribbon
  • Hot glue gun
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Pinecones (use ones covered with glitter for more effect!)
  • Scissors

 Do this easy fall pinecone craft with kids at home on a cozy afternoon | DIY

First things first, paint your letter to your taste. Mine was from a bargain bin and was hot pink, so I just covered that up with a blue I like better.

Then measure out your ribbons to about 6-8" each (vary the lengths) and glue them onto your pinecones at one end.

 Do this easy fall pinecone craft with kids at home on a cozy afternoon | DIY

Measure (or in my case eyeball it!) and then glue the opposite ends to the back of your letter.

That's it peeps! You could easily keep this up through the holidays and just add in more ribbons with jingle bells on them!

 Do this easy fall pinecone craft with kids at home on a cozy afternoon | DIY

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Sep
15
2016

Rustic Wood Pumpkins You Can Make Right Now From Things in Your Garage

I searched Pinterest, so you don’t have to!

Rustic Wood Pumpkins You Can Make Right Now From Things in Your Garage

Make your own Scrap Wood Pumpkins for Fall

I’ll admit it.

I’m a DIY and decor blogger who isn’t really that into fall… I’ll give you a minute to pick your jaw up off the floor.

I know. It’s like sacrilege in my world to even whisper that you aren’t into the season that follows summer and precedes winter. I've always felt like our Canadian summers are so short lived and our winters are so harsh, that I don’t want to make time for those ‘between’ seasons - especially when it comes to investing in decor.

I invest in my summer garden each year and I often allow myself to purchase a new holiday piece (a wreath, ornament or fancy twinkle lights) each year - but fall decor? Nope.

If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it on the cheap and cheerful. The trick is, however, to not do it ‘tacky’.

So this week, I challenged myself to surf Pinterest for a project tutorial that actually felt do-able and that would yield results in one afternoon. I was looking for a fun, autumnal touch for a little nook in our dining room.

Basically, what I’m saying is “I searched Pinterest, so you don’t have to!”

Here was the mood I was going for: rustic, beach, and neutral. Think Fixer Upper meets Canada’s east coast. Our house is right on the water and a lot of my decor reflects that.

What I didn’t want? Bright and garish oranges or anything with glitter.

Well, I ended up making these Scrap Wood Pumpkins (the original tutorial is by Katie from Little House of Four) and I am over the moon. This tutorial actually works! And it helped me get rid of an old piece of trim board we had from a wall demolition in our basement.

Essentially, you start with some scrap wood (pallets work great for this apparently!), cut it down to varying lengths with either a hand saw, mitre saw or (as I used) a circular saw. My lengths varied from about 8” down to 3.5”. Stack them up until they start to resemble pumpkins and glue them together. Glue a topper on (Katie used some cut down twigs, I used a spare dowel rod.)

Make your own Scrap Wood Pumpkins for Fall

Make your own Scrap Wood Pumpkins for Fall

Make your own Scrap Wood Pumpkins for Fall

And there you go!

You could white wash them with paint or stain them a darker tone if that’s your thing. I chose to allow my pumpkins to show off all the imperfections of my piece of wood.

For the full explanation of how to make these pumpkins, make sure you check out the tutorial here. Happy Fall!

Make your own Scrap Wood Pumpkins for Fall

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