Hand-Sewn Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

October 23, 2015November 3, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

When I attended the Ladies’ retreat at Wolf Mountain camp this month, I got to participate in their fun Craft time! Woo-Hoo! They were making a couple crafts, one being the adorable fabric pumpkin pictured here. It was made in about 30 minutes and was super easy to do. I chose a paisley fabric for mine, which I thought was so cute. A soft velour would be nice, too. Let me walk you through the simple steps.

You’ll need:

A rectangular piece of fabric
Thread and needle
Twine
Pillow Stuffing
Paper bag for stem

Instructions:

Turn right sides of the fabric together and stitch up the side seams. I’ve drawn it on white paper to give you an example. The right side is the folded edge, the left is open.
Turn fabric right side out and make long basting stitch all the way around the top, leaving a long thread in which to pull and gather the top of the pumpkin closed in a minute. (You’re not sewing the two pieces shut, you’re sewing on one piece of fabric all the way around your circle, so you can gather it and stuff the inside.)
Pull the thread a little to cause the fabric to gather and make an opening. Fill the pumpkin as full as you possibly can with the filling.
Pull the threads around the top to close the pumpkin. Gather the fabric at the top and leave as little bit of the fabric on top as possible – about 1/2 inch. Sew or tie the top closed. You could even close it with a rubberband; it will be covered.
Using the paper bag, cut off a piece, about 4′ x 8-10″ and twist into pumpkin stem shape. Using hot glue, attach to the top of the pumpkin.
Take a long string of twine and starting at the top, leave about two inches, then wrap it vertically around the pumpkin to give it its shape, ending at the top. Wrap pieces of twine around the paper stem. Attach with hot glue, or tie off.
I added extra twine around the whole stem, as you can see in the picture below. You can cut out a leaf shape from a contrasting fabric and attach it with hot glue as well.

I also added little “tendrils” of twine to the top. You could add a little Spanish moss instead. Just be creative and use what you have. Raffia is another possibility.

Wouldn’t it be cute to have several sizes and coordinating fabrics? I’ll add to my collection, I’m sure. I hope you’ll making one of these – they’re so easy and lots of fun!

One another note – We’re having a Men’s Conference at our church starting tonight. You can go here and see times of the services. We’d love to have your husband, sons, brothers or friends if you live in our area! It’s going to be a wonderful time in God’s Word where men will be challenged to be mighty men of God! What woman wouldn’t want her husband to attend that? Let’s be praying for them as they attend!

Stay refreshed,

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Home decor · seasonal decor

Fall Favorites

September 22, 2015October 1, 2015 RefreshHer7 Comments

Did you know that tomorrow, September 23, is the First Day of Autumn? My daughter, Whitney has a birthday today and it often falls on the first day of fall, her favorite season! She’s my favorite first-born. =) Would you pop over to her blog and wish her a happy birthday today?

As I mentioned here, I like to slowly bring the fall decor into my home. The Lord, the Creator of the seasons, brings autumn in gradually, until one day we wake up and find that the seasons have changed.

I looked through summer’s window
and was so surprised to see,
Autumnal hues and colors
were peeking back in at me.
—Denise Cunningham

Isn’t that the way it seems? One day we look out and realize that fall has slowly enveloped us!

In honor of this new season, I’ve gone through and pulled out some of my favorite autumn decor from the past years. Hope this inspires you a little…now that Fall is almost officially here!

I love these little pumpkins and the pop of color they give to the dining room’s turquoise.

The entryway table…

Of course, you have to add some fall touches to the outside of your porch, too!

Throw a cat in there, too, it gives an added special touch!

On the first chilly morning, we love to pull the kitchen table over to the fireplace for a cozy spot for breakfast!

Here are a few from my “old” house…

The Scrabble board set up with fall words…

Then a little twist on a fall wreath…
Find the instructions here

It seems everyone is buzzing about fall this year. Are you on that bandwagon, or are you sad to see summer go?

Lovingly,

Crafting · Home decor

How To Add A Statement Wall for Under $5!

September 16, 2015September 15, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

I am blessed to have a sewing/crafting room at this Empty Nest stage of my life. I used to do my crafting at the kitchen table. It’s pretty great to go in my craft room and be able to leave out my projects while I’m working and not have to put it away so we can eat dinner!

I want to make this a lovely place where I’ll enjoying spending time. I’ve been stashing away ideas on my Pinterest Board, and have been anxious to add some details to one wall in particular. It’s the longest wall in the room, and I had hung only one large-ish picture on it, but it wasn’t enough. It really needed something else. Soooo…

On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I noticed that their scrapbooking paper was 50% off. I started collecting an assortment of patterns and colors that would coordinate well and bought two of each that I liked. I ended up with twelve sheets, which came to under $5 with the sale.

When I got home, I began crafting these paper pinwheels…

(For an easy Step by Step tutorial on How-To Make Paper Pinwheels, check back on Friday!)
I’ll also show how I hung them on the wall with a really simple technique!

I already had three of these pinwheels left over from Alli’s wedding, so I made six more, giving me plenty to add to my empty wall. Here’s the finished project:

I love it for a craft room, because it fits the room’s theme! It’s all about creativity and I think the paper pinwheels say, “This is a place of productivity and imagination!”

I think these pinwheels are adorable and would add a nice touch of whimsy to other places (aside from a craft room), like a nursery or a child’s room. Like this one:

Girl Heirloom Nursery — I think if you switched out the circles with the pinwheels it would be so cute!

Or for a backdrop wall for a shower or party, like here...

I love how they used different sizes. I may add some smaller ones to my collection!

This wouldn’t be the style for some, but I think it’s adorable!

How about you? Do you like paper crafty things on the wall, or do you only do professional and sleek?

With love from my crafting room,

Home decor

Transitioning Fall Into Your Home

September 4, 2015September 9, 2015 RefreshHer7 Comments

On our walks this week I’ve seen little touches of fall – a few red leaves are swinging on tree branches, the corn is cut and turned to silage, the hay bales are rolled, and acorns are rolling on the street like marbles in a little boy’s pocket.

I love how the Lord slowly brings us into the fall season like that. We don’t wake up one morning and find it. BLAM! All the trees have changed colors, the birds have flown south, the days are short and summer is out of here! No, it happens slowly. It waltzes in, swirling and blowing about our feet.

The “Blam!” description has often been my approach to fall decorating. I’d open the boxes and spill it out everywhere. But I’m trying to make my technique mature a little. I’m having to rein myself in, but I think it’s going to happen! I still want to hang onto summer while I can and enjoy its sunshine and warm days, but also embrace the cool nights and changing hues. I believe it’s really best if our home decor echoes what’s going on outside.

So, here’s how I’m trying to do that:

Layering. I’ll start with subtle layers like here on the coffee table. As the season progresses, I’ll add additional layers by placing rugs on the floor, or throws on the side of a chair or the bed. It gives a warm, inviting feeling to the room.

My fall magazines and Scrabble tiles give a natural transition into September and the new season.

What says Autumn more than hot coffee? Coffee beans around a candle are almost as good! I love Susan Branch’s seasonal books! They inspire me! This one is my favorite!

Of course a kitty makes any room more inviting!

I think a bookcase is so inviting and welcoming on its own, but with a few touches it can also say Autumn! I added a few books, leaves and an acorn dish.

So, there’s a little of what I’ve done so far. Little by little, it will be finished – maybe just in time for the first day of Autumn at the end of the month!

Do you transition the fall decor into your home or do you add it all at one time?

Stay refreshed,

dessert · Home decor · Husband · Marriage

All Things Sweet

July 29, 2015August 25, 2015 RefreshHer4 Comments

This week seemed to have a theme…it’s called sweet. Come take a peek from my porch to see why I say that…

A couple of friends shared delicious, peaches from their peach trees. Wasn’t that sweet of them? And oh my! They were sweet and yummy!

They were delicious in our morning yogurt, and on ice cream, but my favorite way to use them was to put them IN ice cream! I found a recipe on Cooking Light for Homemade Peach Ice Cream just before the peaches were brought to our door. As Rachel Lynde from Anne of Green Gables would say, it was “Simply providential!” So after a little bit of mixing and freezing this was the result…

This made for a sweet treat on a hot July day!

Then, on Thursday, it was Free Tea Day at McAlister’s Deli. They have really good Sweet Tea, and we had to indulge! We went to Sonic Drive-in (because it was also national Hot Dog Day) and had our lunch for a whopping $2! Gotta love cheap dates!

While I was praying one morning, Liza Jane came and pushed her way between my arm and the chair and then put her paw up on my face!
How sweet is that?!

I have to wonder sometimes if she isn’t an tool of the devil rather than a little angel; she can be very demanding while I’m trying to pray!

I got to spend Monday early afternoon at the beautiful spa in Johnson City, thanks to a bunch of sweet friends who gave me a gift card! The massage was so wonderful! The pedicure afterwards was a lovely indulgence as well!

Before I went to the spa my husband sent me to have lunch at Wellington’s so that “this day could be all mine.” Again, his love and sweet gestures are over the top and I know I am spoiled far more than my furry feline friend!

The restaurant is so beautiful and the food was great! It got me all ready for a couple hours of spa treatment!

On Friday Alli and I worked on painting her kitchen chairs. They were old library chairs that needed a little spritzing up, and she chose a pretty yellow that will add lots of warmth to her kitchen. Thankfully we got more paint on the chairs than we did ourselves, but we were pretty covered in white primer and yellow paint!

Time with my girls is always a sweet blessing! We laughed, talked, ate lunch and got lots of paint on those chairs (and everywhere else!)!

So that was a good bit of the sweetness I enjoyed since last Wednesday! How would you describe your week in one word?

With love from my country porch,

I looked through summer’s window and was so surprised to see, Autumnal hues and colors were peeking back in at me. —Denise Cunningham

I looked through summer’s window
and was so surprised to see,
Autumnal hues and colors
were peeking back in at me.
—Denise Cunningham