Well, we had SO much fun creating pumpkins for our earlier
Fabric Pumpkins Blog Post, and had so many compliments on them at a show we attended over weekend, we decided to share with all of you how wee incorporated them into our personal home decors. These pumpkins are fairly easy to make and perfect for adding a custom look to your house from early fall through Thanksgiving. Just pick a fabric or 2 or 3...that coordinates with your style, and get started... As mentioned in our previous post, Stacy and Christine have different styles and created very different pumpkins, which of course carries over to our differently styled homes! Everyone's home should be a reflection of their personal comfort and style. We would love to see pics of your style with your pumpkins!!
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| Antique Sideboard display - Out 2 Lunch |
My style (Stacy) definitely tends towards a classic coastal look; bare feet, the moon on the water, the breeze in a clear blue sky, the deep shade of moss covered oaks - these are the happy places I travel in my mind, and the decor of my home helps take me there. I grew up on the shores of Lake Ontario, and lived many years of my adult life in Charleston, SC - I am drawn to the water and find peace there. With three elementary age children, peace is a valuable commodity in our house!! When we made our pumpkins, I chose fabrics that echoed the sand, sky and water. In addition the paisley fabric was a baby sling I used with my youngest- I held on to it for over 6 years, waiting for the right project.
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| Beach Pumpkin- Out 2 Lunch |
Fall is one of my favorite times of year, to enjoy the outdoors and the changing of the seasons. However, it IS NOT my favorite time of year to decorate my house. I'm not a big fan of creepy Halloween, so that doesn't leave a lot of options. My children love to decorate their play space with whimsical Halloween, and I am glad to finally have something that captures my style.
Each piece I feature in my decor has meaning for me, from family pictures to handed down furniture, to items sent to us by friends living far away. The fisherman in this area was a treasure we found going through my grandmother's belongings. Although she lived in Kansas and Texas for most of her life, he was the perfect memento to add to the driftwood and fossilized rock my children collected in Charleston.
I love that these pumpkins can add the warmth of fall without replacing my existing decor - they just seemed to fit in seamlessly - other than the large blue pumpkin in this picture. I loved that it was a "life size" pumpkin; lesson learned... consider the space before you create!
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| Fabric pumpkins, milk glass decor - Out 2 Lunch Designs |
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For me (Christine), fall and the holidays are about
textures and feeling. I love the crisp cool weather that comes in at fall. I love the changes all around me from the lush green, hot sun of summer, to vivid colors, and cooler nights, fire places lit up, and jeans, boots, and sweaters replacing tees and shorts. With each season I enjoy and embrace the change-over. I spent the bulk of my formative years in North Carolina, and love the distinct changes of seasons evident in areas from the coastal Outer Banks to the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains! As always, I am drawn to shiny, sparkly, glam textures, as well as vintage styles and nature.
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| Black Velvet Pumpkin |
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My fall most definitely incorporates a mix of
natural elements along with vintage and sparkly/shiny items (milk glass, glam vintage fabrics, shiny accessories with rocks, twigs, etc). With the coziness of fall I also always look forward to incorporating lush textures - my hands-down favorite?
Velvet!
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| Fall Mantle via Out 2 Lunch Designs |
Over the last couple years, my home has taken on a more neutral mid-tones look, incorporating mixes of grays, greens, taupes, and golds in various combinations; so I stuck to those colors with my pumpkins, letting the mix of
natural stems, and
glam fabrics shine. And of course, I paired them with my fave classic, vintage milk glass, plus other elements like: glass, rocks, pottery, and textiles. Some of my little pumpkins even show up in my Fall/Thanksgiving table set-up...but that, dear reader, is for another post - stay tuned! :)
If you follow our fabric pumpkin post and make your own, I hope you have as much fun with them as we did! What I absolutely love about these are their versatility, and how everyone can make them to fit their own style and personality! Happy Decorating!
Cheers,
Christine and Stacy
My center bowl I filled with "natural" pieces, with a bit of a twist. I have two small handmade fabric pumpkins, as well as a handful of handmade matching acorns. The shiny and matte silver fabrics tie in with all the mercury glass. Under the pumpkins and acorns are my gold magnolia seed pods. These are a favorite decorating item for me, always located somewhere about my house. Growing up in the south, I had a couple of huge, old magnolia trees in my yard as a child. These were my climbing trees. I could frequently be found 20+ feet up in the air, lounging on branches, reading or day dreaming. Needless to say, magnolia's have always held a special place in my heart. 
Stacy: To me, fall, and Thanksgiving in particular, has a very warm and organic vibe. It is about the changing of the seasons, the colors of the leaves and the nip of cold in the air. I combat the chill (with which I have a love/hate relationship) by creating a tablescape filled with rich, warm colors. I picked up these cornucopia years ago, when I was newly married, and they have been featured in various locations of our fall décor over time. This year, as we adjust to our move, they needed a new home. I chose to make them the focal point, and build my centerpiece around them. They are filled with fall fruits and vegetables, and provide a great opportunity to discuss early American life with my children (who are studying the complicated relationship between the Jamestown Settlers and the Powhatan Indians in Virginia Studies). 
Did you notice some of those small fabric pumpkins we made this fall managed to transition into both of our centerpiece designs? My pumpkins were a beach color scheme, but this one just happened to work - the fabric had a rustic organic feel, that was the perfect compliment to my design! Completely unplanned, but talk about a versatile little decor piece! Follow THIS TUTORIAL to make your own. 
