Yes, it’s true, I’m a crafty gal around the holidays and now that October is here, it gets me excited and feeling all warm inside. But that could just be my glue gun permanently affixed to my hip which I might as well just leave plugged in until December 26th. 

I’m happy as can be to be hosting a Fall Crafts Link Party today as part of the ongoing series with my blog pals Sarah, Layla, and Rhoda. So glad you’re here, have an hors d’oeuvre! Or better yet, enjoy the virtual eye candy in the form of all the crafty goodness you’ll see linked below. 

Sometimes I think we’ve all gone and done everything we possibly could to a pumpkin, I’m wondering what will be next. As much as I like them in their natural state, I’m always a fan of a little embellishment – I love ‘em gilded and painted too. My first craft you got a glimpse of yesterday and I really bent over backwards man. They are what I call Distressed Pumpkins and they are so easy, there’s no real ‘how to’ necessary.

I’ve never tried this with latex paint, but Chalk Paint is famous for its easy distressing qualities, so I used the ‘Old White’ and it worked really well. Simply paint with one coat then sand with a fine sanding wedge to reveal the skin underneath. 

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Hey y’all!  I’m very excited to be hosting the Fall Craft Link Par-tay tomorrow!  Over the weekend I added a few fun seasonal touches to the dining room.  And I made soup.  Because we all know soup and fall go hand in hand.

Last week, I brought home a bunch of gourds and pumpkins and scattered them across the table, then hung a few festive corn husk pom poms because don’t we all need more pom poms in our life?  Yes, thank you, we do.

I played around with a few vignettes on the table watching the 49ers win (yes!).  This one includes vibrant viburnum leaves from my yard in a vase full of white cannelloni beans (the stems are placed in water in a more narrow glass inside…) which also made me crave soup.

There is no such thing as too many white pumpkins in my book, this beauty is garnished with a few faux berries.

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This is a story of a DIY project that’s kind of like a good chick flick. It opens with the main character – she has a good life, a great idea, and even better intentions, but as a result of her brazen personality and wily cleverness gets herself in trouble and ends up in a miserable position which requires that she completely change her thinking. She ponders her mistakes, comes up with a simpler plan, changes course, makes amends, and in the end she gets her man.

I’m not kidding, the story of my fall wreath is a scary parallel. Sit back, grab a beverage, and listen to my tale. Once upon a time there was a fair maiden who had a grand idea. Let’s call this fair maiden Kate. She had long flowing chestnut hair that glistened in the sun and in this fairy tale, she’s a Size 2.

Kate lived in a town surrounded by rolling hills and fields of natural grasses {cue the slow motion twirling in a peasant cotton skirt to Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’}.  The adjacent fields made her think that a fall wreath crafted out of natural grasses was a totally brilliant idea. Her source of inspiration was none other than this this wheat wreath by the reigning Queen Martha. Inspired, she wandered into those nearby fields of gold and gathered her grasses while she may. 

Back at the castle, the maiden took her basket of glistening golden grasses, clipped them and attached them to a basic cardboard wreath form with floral wire, much like she had in the past with this lavender wreath. 

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Well hello, and happy happy fall y’all.  Let’s kick of the mantel par-tay hosted by Layla with a few changes in the living room.  You’ll see the addition of a floor to ceiling oak tree branch, a new burnt orange throw, and a few decorative new accents too. 

Call me trendy, but yes there are owls on my mantel this season. 

Double trendy points for the golden hue.  I spotted that cool moss covered nine foot tall branch at a local shop specializing in second hand midcentury decor – it was covered with woodland ornaments and I just loved the shape of it.  I asked the owner if he’d give or sell it to me and he said he’d let me have it for free as long as I agreed to buy something in the shop.  Deal!  I choose the 1970’s golden owls ($20 for the pair) – a fun seasonal score. 

The tall amber bottle I found at another local second hand shop, and the lantern is from World Market.  On the other side of the mantel are some birch inspired vessels, found at a local shop here in my town. 

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