Autumn is my favourite time of year, but I'm not a fan of the colour traditionally associated with the season. I prefer to decorate with muted blues, greens, and whites than with the more intense colours, like orange, brown, and yellow. I lived in the States for a while, where traditional autumn favourites, like pumpkins, gourds, and squashes, are available in a wide range of colours and widely used for decorating at this time of year. The practice is gaining popularity here too over the past couple of years, but we don't yet have the same variety to choose from. That's why I've started DIYing my own decorations for the autumn season. However, if the traditional bright oranges, reds, and yellows are more your thing, you can still enjoy this DIY; in fact, probably more so, as you'll have more materials to choose from!
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Materials
- Willow wreath ring
- Artificial Mini Pumpkins
(affiliate link)
- Artificial hydrangeas
- Chalk paint
- Chalk paint sealant e.g. lacquer
- Paintbrush
- Curved sewing/upholstery needle
- Craft wire
- Hot glue gun & glue
- String/twine
(affiliate link)I got the wreath ring and the green hydrangea in a local florist: Keane's in Terryland, Galway (who are under new management, so pop in and meet Niamh!). I ordered the mini pumpkins off Amazon (see the link above). The white hydrangea is from Dunnes (they also have burgundy and golden-coloured blooms). The chalk paint is available through The Gaiety in Westport. Craft wire and jute twine is available from Søstrene Grene, and I got the curved sewing needle in Home Focus at Hickeys.
Step-by-Step
Start by painting the pumpkins in your preferred colours. The only limit here is your imagination. I saw a gorgeous display last year in rich shades of burgundy, rust, black, and gold, and accented with pale pink.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BayiDDLBHQ5/?taken-by=thehousethatwill">https://www.instagram.com/p/BayiDDLBHQ5/?taken-by=thehousethatwill
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As I mentioned above, my decor tends more towards the cooler end of the colour spectrum, so the paints I used were two chalk paints by Annie Sloan: Old White and Provence. The Old White I used straight, but I mixed the Provence with the white to create a more muted shade of pale blue.
I gave each pumpkin two coats of paint and then sealed the chalk paint with lacquer from the same brand.
When dried, the pumpkins were ready to attach to the wreath ring.
To secure the pumpkins to the wreath, I used a craft wire threaded through a curved needle.
The curved needle makes it easier to feed the wire in and out of the pumpkin. Just be careful because the point of the needle may not come out where you expect it!
The wire can then be threaded through the wreath ring. Pull tight and then twist the strands together to secure before cutting off the loose ends with a pliers.
Next, I prepared the hydrangea stems. I chose hydrangea because many varieties of the shrub bloom at this type of year. Of course, you can choose any autumnal plant that fits your desired colour scheme.
The stalks were very long, so I trimmed them using a pliers. The green flower head was also too full for my liking, so I trimmed the base to reduce its size.
Again, I used the craft wire to secure the flower heads to the wreath. I just wrapped the wire around the stems and then wound it onto the wreath ring.
Where I needed to make little adjustments to the positioning of the florets, I used hot glue to fix them into place.
For the finishing touch, I added one of the hydrangea leaves, glueing it into place at the back of the arrangement.
Then I tied a twine loop at the top of the wreath so that it could be hung.
And that's it! This is a really simple DIY to bring a seasonal touch to your home. And, of course, making your own means that you can customise it however you like! Do please tag me on social media to share your creations - I love to see how you interpret the ideas I share on here.
