Tag: pumpkins

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Make Your Own Fun Velvet Pumpkins

French Ethereal


Bloggers are  a tight-knit group and often share and get inspired to try out each other’s ideas when we really like something.   It’s not unusual that we do this as we often like the same things and we all like a good craft, decorating and interior design!

So when my friend Julie at My Wee Abode made the cutest velvet pumpkins that looked easy to make, I thought we’d create some here!…



My version of velvet pumpkins in my favorite white!

Supplies you’ll need

* stretchy velvet ~ available online and at your local fabric/hobby store.  I found mine at Joann Fabrics.

* fiberfill for dolls and pillows ~ Poly-Fil Crafter’s Choice dry polyester packing fiber fill ~ a heavier weight than the usual fiberfill stuffing.  Available online and at Wal-Mart and Joann Fabrics.

* shredded foam ~ smaller pieces of shredded foam are available online but I purchased Airtex Shredded Foam from Joann’s.  Julie found a source online which had denser smaller foam pieces;  I did have a thought that you could chop up this foam in a food processor.  😉

* doll needle for sewing ~ these decorator’s needles are long needles with a big eye for thicker thread.  My packet is from Dritz.

* upholstery or carpet thread ~ I hear this comes in colors now but I’ve only seen it in brown and black.  Perfect for making teddy bears, dolls and fixing your sofa when the seams split {ask me how I know this!}.

* rice or small beans ~ used to give your pumpkin weight and to help it stand.

* heavy duty hot glue ~ used to glue on a real dried or faux pumpkin stem, a wooden stick or whatever type of “stem” you choose.

* stems ~ real dried pumpkin stems are available online or make your own stems out of sticks cut short like in these Toile Pumpkins.



Basic instructions

Cut out a circle from your velvet and begin stitching around the outer edge with heavy duty upholstery thread.  Pull it up as you go and begin stuffing your pumpkin.  



Add rice to the bottom of your pumpkin ~ I added a little stuffing on the bottom but it’s your preference to use a little stuffing or not as you add the rice or beans.  Continue stuffing as you finish the gathering stitch/basting around the outer circle. 




Stuff it pretty full with Poly-Fil fiber fill. 





Then as you begin closing the stitching, take a handful of the Poly-Fil, put some shredded foam in the center, roll closed and stuff into your pumpkin creating “shoulders” as Julie called it.  😉  

{We were watching football games as I was sewing so I thought of my pumpkin’s bumps as “football shoulder pads,” Lol!}




This is the part where you may feel like you are dressing a turkey…
😉


Whip stitch across the pulled together edges and pull in the pumpkin’s stitching and catch-in as you sew it closed.  Pull all threads to the center as you sew, as much as you can, pushing the fiber fill around as you go creating the pumpkin’s bumps.  

Tie off your stitches every once in a while as you stitch ~ good for the future in case stitches break so the whole pumpkin won’t fall apart if a few pull out.


Hot glue on your stem then stand back and admire your pumpkin patch! 


Sorry that this  post is a day late getting out to you! Technical difficulties with sending photos from my phone to be received by my French Ethereal email… Ugh!



Check back next week as I will be sharing more photos of the second tablescape created sharing these little cuties.
😉

Sharing with
Dishing It and Digging It
Hearth and Soul ~ April J. Harris




Blessings to you,
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A Soft Romantic Thanksgiving Tablescape…

French Ethereal
Thanksgiving  is a lovely time every year to spend celebrating the day with our families and friends.
 This year we are blessed that our daughter will be flying up from Austin for a few days to spend the holiday with us.
We have so much to be thankful this year and on this happy note I’ve set out to create an ethereal romantic table styling to share with y’all…

courtesy of Courtney Allison
This is my inspiration
A photograph I happened upon while out visiting another blogger led me to an older photograph created by my friend Courtney Allison for her blog French Country Cottage a few years ago.
I just love this gathering of storybook pumpkins and roses and you absolutely must stop by and see the rest of her photographs.
Simply stunning!

Courtney recently published her first home decor book titled French Country Cottage and if you haven’t ordered her new book yet you’ll love it when it arrives! 
{hope that links works for you.}

A lot in common
We have a lot in common as I like soft tablescapes roses and chandeliers as Courtney does, so today I thought I’d share the makings of an easy-to-create Thanksgiving table setting you can use for your own holiday table.

The loveliest pink roses with green outer leaves… sigh!  Very similar to Eden roses found at Heirloom Roses.com.
Setting the scene
Pick out one of your prettiest vintage embroidered linen tablecloths and lay it katycorner across your table ~ almost as a runner ~  then add in a vase of your favorite flowers.  
These store bought pink roses with just a hint of green in the outer leaves grace our table this time.

Use a beautiful vase for displaying your bouquet then
begin surrounding your vase with softly colored
mini pumpkins and sprinkling in a few larger
Cinderella pumpkins for added oomph.


Pretty place settings
Bring out your most romantic china pieces placing them atop a woven grass placemat.
This gives such a nice contrast of textures to your  Thanksgiving table.
Next with the addition of some pretty silver tucked into a floral napkin ring along with a cute checked napkin you’ll have a table set to inspire.
Pretty. Romantic. Ethereal.


Here is  a list where you can pick up these same or similar items to help you recreate this table styling:

buffalo checked napkins 
woven braided placemats
vintage silver water pitcher
vintage silverplate flatware
crystal stemware

This is not a sponsored post ~ just sharing links I think you’ll love. 
🙂

So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?
Having anyone special coming over to
share the meal?  Hope so.  🙂

This little gold pheasant or quail I found last year at a local thrift shop and I think this little feathered friend adds a nice gilded touch to the tablescape…
😉

As an added bonus here is another table styling I created using the same pumpkins and place settings just moved to a table pour deux.

I’ll share more on that next week.
😉

Do stop by  again tomorrow to find out more about the little craft project you see here on the table.
A hint?
See those pumpkins… they aren’t all real.
😉

Also ~ if you enjoy these posts, please consider following me to receive future offerings ~ all the links are on the sidebar.
I appreciate you!
And feel free to pin and share, always.
:X

Sharing with
Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Waste Not Wednesday ~ Raggedy Bits
Dishing It and Digging It ~ Rustic and Refined
Hearth and Soul ~ April J. Harris
Waste Not Wednesday ~ Faeries and Fauna






Hugs and blessings,
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A Quick Post ~ A Soft and Ethereal Thanksgiving Tablescape or Two

French Ethereal
Inspiration comes in all forms  and this quick post is just a preview to a couple of upcoming Thanksgiving posts, a craft and more…


Last Friday  was a beautiful day to be out of doors for some fall Thanksgiving photography and table stylings that I am excited to share more later this week.  

For now, enjoy these photos and check back Thursday for more and a craft on Friday ~ I’ll be sharing where I found my inspiration, too.

Don’t forget to stop in on Wednesday evening after 6:00p.m. for Share Your Style, too!

Can you spot the craft project??
😉

Sharing with
Spread the Kindness ~ Shelbee on the Edge
Style Showcase ~ Shabbyfufu
Friday at the Fire Station ~ A Fireman’s Wife
Dishing It and Digging It ~ Angie the Freckled Rose
Waste Not Wednesdays
WOW ~ Savvy Southern Style
Wonderful Wednesday ~ Ducks in a Row
Make It Pretty Monday ~ The Dedicated House
Image-in-Ing


See you then,
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Fall Elegantly into the Autumn Season in Your Decorating

French Ethereal

Fall is  such a lovely time of year!  I love to pull out all of the stops and decorate with lots of pumpkins ~ real and faux.
This year I have plans for decorating the outside and I am anxiously awaiting for pumpkins to arrive.  While waiting for those great gourds to show up at our local grocery stores and pumpkin patches I thought I’d share a few past pumpkin photos plus maybe a few new ones from this season with you.  🙂

Here is  our dining room and part of the living room decorated for late summer and just a touch of fall with these sweet velvety leaved acorns.  Love these!  They will be perfect with the small velvet pumpkins I picked up on sale at Cracker Barrel and Jo-Ann’s last year at the end of the season.

Velvet anything is really big right now which is sooo nice as velvet just has that nice sheen to it and feels so good on your fingers when touched ~ the best!  I still remember back when my daughter was in Brownie Girl Scouts and we went to see a play in San Diego with our troop.
Amy wore her beautiful deep burgundy red velvet dress and dressed her American Girl in her matching dress with black Mary Jane shoes.  Another friend also named Amy brought along her American Girl and together we all went to the play and it was a lovely flashbulb memory for this mom!  


Here is another tablesetting I created last year when I made this little faux pumpkin vase to brighten up our fall table.

Super easy to create you can watch my YouTube post or if you prefer photographs to follow then here is the post that went with along with the video.  This pumpkin vase was created out of a styrofoam pumpkin found at Walmart ~ I like this because it can be reused from year to year and can also use it to hold candy on Halloween night if you like to pass treats out to your neighborhood kids!

😉



The fun part of any decorating and especially in the fall is getting to move things around and our little maiden moves around quite a bit.
I like dressing this maiden with my inexpensive necklaces as here in our Prairie Home I don’t have a dedicated place to hang up my necklaces.
We did just purchase a hanging wall piece that has hooks which can be pulled out or pushed in flush but I still like to hang baubles on this girl! 

If you have some favorite pieces you like to decorate with think of different ways you can use your piece.  Here I’ve added a linen napkin found at Ikea underneath along with some feathers found out on daily walks with our dog.  Adding in a few favorite teacups just for fun finishes the look.

Adding a lovely bowl of fruit is another nice way to add in some fall color in beautiful reds and oranges.  Also bring out a few woven baskets that might have been put away and forgotten about since last year as they add in their own warmth to our decorating.

And as  you finish putting out just a few fall touches to spruce up your early autumn decor sit back, relax and have a nice cup of tea and a treat of your own.
😉

Sharing with
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Style Showcase ~ Shabbyfufu
Friday Features ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!
Make It Pretty ~ The Dedicated House



Let the fall decorating begin,