Fall in a day's work

Last weekend I had a little crafternoon with Kim of Other Lives. I came with a whole bunch of fall themed projects to try. Kim, just one holey sweater. We spent the afternoon catching up over stitches and probiotic beverages. In the end, I learned a new technique and she darned a sweater.

Two lessons were learned on this bright little Saturday:

1. Good things take time. While I tried and learned two new techniques, one thing was obvious: to perfect these new skills I’d need to make a few attempts to get them right. Here’s a simple reminder to worry less about mistakes.

2. Starting is the hardest part. Frankly this really was the biggest hurdle. Once I began with my cyanotype tests I couldn’t understand why I had waited so long… more on that here.

This week I encourage you to take these lessons into your own fall upcycle projects. Is there a technique you’re intimated to try? Start it! It’ll almost never be perfect the first time but don’t worry about how it’ll come out, just begin. Once you’ve begun you can make more attempts at perfecting your craft.

If you do make an attempt, don’t forget to share it with us in our project threads below. We love seeing what you create.

Finding a great pumpkin project

Pumpkins from old glass bottles

If you, too, have the overwhelming urge to turn everything into a pumpkin this time of year look no further. What we like about this upcycle idea is it reminds us that when it comes to pumpkins we need not be so literal. No need to find the perfect pumpkin shape, an orange base, a thick brown handle, and a couple of (reused or dried) leaves can make anything reference a pumpkin - and that just may be even more interesting than trying to be spot on. This project courtesy of Sadie Season Goods.

Easy Jack-O-Planters

This upcycle makes us smile, and not just because it doesn’t require anything new — except a few small pieces of tape. Turn your flower pots into jack-o-planters by cutting out faces from black tape and affixing them to the front. Can it really be this easy to change out our decor? From what we learned from A Pretty Happy Home, it can be.

Embroidery Hoop Pumpkins

As we think about what makes good seasonal upcycles, we have a few qualifiers in mind. One of which is that materials should be reusable if the upcycle is not likely to be used for many years. For this project, use a standard embroidery hoop you have on hand and fabric leftovers that you can simply remove at the end of the season. To make the pumpkin handles, grab sticks and leaves from your flower walk (see Gabriela’s article below). Be literal, or not, with what fabric choices you use. Orange = obvious pumpkin. Plaid = implied pumpkin. Project via Kippi at Home.

The Kew Gardens Herbarium

Last week we shared a number of recommendations about how to dry and preserve natural materials like flowers and leaves. This week, we stumbled upon the Kew Gardens Herbarium, one of the largest libraries of pressed flowers and plant specimens in the world. Check it out!

New in the blog:

Getting Started with Cyanotype Printing
^{by Molly} 

Nearly a decade ago, I received a Lumi sun-dyeing kit but hesitated to use it. After years of keeping it stored away, I finally tried it during a fall crafternoon with a friend. Inspired by dried flowers and leaves, I experimented with cyanotype printing on leather, using sunlight to create ghostly blue patterns.

Read the post »

Flower Walk: A Stroll Through Summer’s Last Bloom
^{by Gabriela Chagas}

The thought of luscious flowers and citric fruit suddenly made me dread the brownish-orange pumpkin spice creeping around the corner. The warm half of the year went by so fast that I felt like I missed it. I wanted to do everything in my power to properly feel the flower's last hoorah before fall. 

So I went on a flower walk, a last foraging stroll to observe the flora and collect some souvenirs of the season. What better way to give my proper farewell?

Read the post »

From the community:

Betsy shared some absolutely awesome art made from natural materials in our fall upcycle projects thread including many crowns, and even some tiny creatures.

Share your own upcycle projects for our fall upcycle prompt, and we’ll feature them back right here.

In this together,