pumpkins — pleasure in simple things

Tag: pumpkins

can’t stop fall

September

We had a couple of cool days here in Connecticut and I couldn’t resist taking out some fall décor. Not that I have very much! Because I always resist acknowledging fall, I have never accumulated that much in décor to celebrate it! But I do have a box filled with velvet pumpkins I’ve made and I also own a few pumpkin pillows in neutral colors.

So, on one of the recent cool weather days, I took out my box of pumpkins on my lunch break and used them to update the fern centerpiece on my dining room table…basically, I just added some pumpkins and replaced one of the existing ferns with a white heather. Then I placed a few of the pumpkins in other rooms of the house.

Enough of a change to have something new to enjoy.

A little gray pumpkin in the bathroom.

A little white velvet pumpkin on display in the kitchen.

Have you done anything with your home décor to celebrate the upcoming change in season?

Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. As I hesitate to acknowledge fall, HomeGoods already has Christmas merchandise on display!

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diy tank top pumpkins

September

Every year it is sad for me to sew my first pumpkin because I love summer so much and pumpkins, of course, are a sign of a coming season that is not summer!

Each year, in addition to the velvet ones I make, I like to create some pumpkins from a unique material. This year, I decided to use some repurposed clothing.

Isolation provided for some time to organize everything in my home, and I went through my collection of clothing many times since the pandemic started – fine-tuning all my closets. Because I tried my best to hold on to only those items I truly love, I ended up with a large donation pile of unwanted clothes.

When I started to think of this year’s pumpkins, I immediately thought of the unwanted clothes pile – the perfect place to find some new material! To start, I chose two J. Crew tank tops. Both in colors I love and both with embellishments that could be added to the finished pumpkins.

The pink one has the added appeal of being perfect to make pumpkins to display for breast cancer awareness month!

So…the pumpkins begin!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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autumn in connecticut

October

I know I complain about the end of summer but it is only because I hate to see my favorite season end!

Fall though, certainly has some redeeming qualities…

I was able to appreciate some of them this weekend!

I spent some time with family and when we took the time to slow down a little bit, we were able to reflect and appreciate the outdoor beauty of our state at this time of the year!

Driving anywhere here in Connecticut right now is truly breathtaking.

These few photos were taken just walking from lunch…

I didn’t even grab any photos while we were driving – it was too spectacular to hesitate for a photo! But I loved these groupings of pumpkins!

And, I loved to see how some of the flowers are still hanging in!

I can’t believe these cosmos are still around!

It seems our leaves are at their height of color right now – they seem mighty late this year!

I hope you are inspired to find some beauty in the season where you live.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on autumn in connecticut | garden, inspiration, style

diy mini metallic pumpkins

October

I diversify my velvet pumpkin making each October by introducing a new fabric to replace the velvet. My original creations were velvet fabric pumpkins accented with real pumpkin stems. In recent years, I have used cashmere and chenille in addition to assorted colors of velvet.

As you saw in a previous post, my first pumpkins of the year included one made from tulle. Today, I am sharing photos of my newest pumpkins – mini metallic pumpkins!

My mom gave me the idea when we were together recently. At my mom’s suggestion, I planned on trying metallic pumpkins and white leather pumpkins. I found some great metallic fabrics, but unfortunately, the fabric store I visited had no white leather.

So today, I am sharing my mini metallic pumpkins! They are made in the same way as the original velvet pumpkins – just a switch of material. Fun! What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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pumpkin hanging

September

I was never much on fall. I never really cared for the whole pumpkin spice, warm and cozy vibe. And, I certainly never really cared that much for pumpkins. I always enjoyed carving pumpkins, but other than that, I never decorated with pumpkins or got inspired by them.

It wasn’t until the white pumpkin entered the picture that I opened my eyes to pumpkin décor. I love me a white pumpkin!

Once I started decorating with white pumpkins, I became much more interested in pumpkins as a decorating component.

Of course, making pumpkins from fabric and real pumpkin stems has become a staple to my October routine! But now, every year, it seems there is some new aspect to using pumpkins in décor that appeals to me. A great example of this happened a few years back when I first started noticing pumpkin ‘topiaries.’ I was so intrigued by stacking pumpkins and I started using the technique in varying ways.

For Friday field trip today, I thought I would share this great idea from Terrain – something I’ve never used before – hanging pumpkins! You may have never thought about hanging a handful of pumpkins, but what a great look!

I hope you will be inspired to add this look to your décor this season, or to be inspired to try something new with your pumpkin décor on this first weekend of the season! Maybe you will try using a new and interesting variety of pumpkin in your decorating!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Note: If you don’t live near a Terrain, you can purchase these cool spheres on their website!

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choose a season

September

You know how I try to hang on to the summer as long as possible?

Look what I needed to do at work today:

Kind of ironic, isn’t it?

Putting out seasonal items is inevitable when doing visuals, but it is still hard to admit that summer is becoming a memory.

Have a wonderful weekend – enjoy whichever season you choose to embrace!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

1 comment » | inspiration, style

atlanta pumpkin tower

November

I know this is the time of the month when I usually post the monthly giveaway. I’m changing it up a little this month. Since it is Halloween week, I thought I’d post a pumpkin tower for today’s Friday field trip! Time to say farewell to all things Halloween!

A cool pumpkin tower has become the icon of the Country Living Magazine fairs. The one pictured here was at the fair in Atlanta, Georgia.

A rainy fair, but a great one nonetheless. I will post the giveaway as well as the winner of the pink velvet pumpkins in next Tuesday’s post. I also have more to share on the Country Living Fair – so stay tuned for that!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on atlanta pumpkin tower | field trips, travel

making chenille pumpkins

October

Now that it is October, I guess I can get really serious about my pumpkin making! You know I love making velvet pumpkins with real pumpkin stems at this time of year.

Although I love making pumpkins of velvet, in addition, each year I enjoy experimenting with a new, different fabric for pumpkins. Remember last year I tried some cashmere?

Well, this year my experiment is becoming an obsession! And you thought my obsession was about stems! Well, it is about stems – it’s always about stems lol!

But, the new fabric obsession has become repurposing a vintage material – chenille! It turned out to be convenient timing that cleaning out my linen closet happened at the start of fall. I couldn’t bear to throw out a vintage chenille spread that, in the past, has adorned both the bed of my grandmother and of my daughter. I decided to repurpose the spread into pumpkins…with real stems, of course!

I hope these photos help inspire you to create some pumpkins from a repurposed material – like a treasured keepsake!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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pumpkin tower urn diy

October

Today I am sharing a simple DIY. Remember my ‘ferns in urns’ project? I bought some inexpensive urns at HomeGoods and planted them with ferns for a wedding? You may remember one of those urns was transformed into a fall planter.

You may wonder what happened to the second urn. Well, it got transformed into a pumpkin tower for my mom’s house! I just love stacking pumpkins, don’t you? Pumpkins can get pretty pricy at garden stores when they are classified as ‘specialty’ pumpkins. Not true when you purchase them from Trader Joes!

I found a big selection of what would be called ‘specialty’ pumpkins at Trader Joes for just $6.99 each!

To convert the urn I used for the ferns, I purchased 3 carefully selected pumpkins from Trader Joes and a can of flat black spray paint from Home Depot.

After the sprayed urn dried, I added an old grapevine wreath and some faux greens to the rim before stacking my 3 purchased pumpkins…perfect! An easy DIY to convert one of your planters for some fall décor! Just spend a little time picking out the stackable pumpkins so they work together. Before you go to the store, measure the diameter of your container so you know what size will work for the bottom pumpkin. Either bring a ruler or measure out a strip of paper to the size you need and tuck it into your purse. For the best-looking tower, make sure your smallest pumpkin choice (top spot) has a pretty stem!

Other things you may want to add to your tower are hay, straw, Spanish moss, or green moss. Add your own personal style with the container and accessories you add! To give you some pumpkin tower inspiration, I have included in this post some photos of pumpkin towers created by Terrain in Westport, Connecticut.

If you don’t have a yard for a tower outside, it is easy to create a ‘mini’ pumpkin tower for your inside décor. Buy a pretty container, flower pot, or pedestal at HomeGoods or local garden store and create a smaller version of a pumpkin tower!

I hope I have inspired you to create a pumpkin tower of your own!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

1 comment » | diy, garden, inspiration, style

5 easy tips for fall decor

October

For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing 5 easy tips to help inspire you to create great fall displays. And, even more exciting, I have included photo examples from Terrain – my favorite home and garden store! Here goes:

Highlight one unique piece. Find one really unique pumpkin or gourd and use it as a focal point. It may be a gourd with magnificent coloring, a pumpkin with many bumps, a gourd with a unique shape, or a pumpkin with a really cool twisty long stem! Put a focus on that unique piece by displaying it on its own in a basket, on a table, or under a cloche.

Stack ‘em up. A really easy way to create some drama is to stack up some pumpkins for a fall ‘topiary.’ Since this can be done on any scale, it is a great decorating idea on any budget!

Display en masse. Using any one item in multiples makes a design statement. Put multiples of a piece or plant in a basket or on a chair or bench for an easy but impactful display. The ‘odd man out’ is also a fun way to display pumpkins. Add an ‘odd man’ to a display of multiples. For example, have tons of mini white pumpkins and add one orange pumpkin – or vice versa.

Open it up. If you are displaying a bunch of items, particularly colorful ones, use an open container to give a full view of the items on display. If you look around, you probably already have something you can use – like an old tomato cage or some chicken wire!

Add a pumpkin. A very simple tip, yet an effective one, is just to add a pumpkin or two to any of your existing vignettes or plantings – indoors or out. Without much expense, a few pumpkins can go really far to transform your current arrangements for the season! Maybe add a little hay and some Spanish moss as well…easy!