• HOME
  • {A}’s Chipmunk Training Archives

 Homepage

  • The Homestead
    • Home Projects
    • Home Improvement
    • Home Decor
      • Seasonal Home decor
        • FALL Home Decor
        • WINTER Home Decor
        • SPRING Crafts and Creations
        • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • Our Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Organization
    • Re-Purposing
    • Furniture Refinishing
    • Budget
  • Crafts & Creations
    • Seasonal Home decor
      • FALL Crafts and Creations
      • WINTER Crafts and Creations
      • SPRING Crafts and Creations
      • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project
    • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Fan Pulls
    • Free Printable/Downloadable
    • Sewing Projects
    • Giveaways
    • Business Features
  • Recipes/FoodFun
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Main Dish
    • Sandwiches
    • Appetizers
    • Slow Cooker
    • On The Grill
    • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
    • Baking
      • Breads, Rolls and Muffins
    • Snacks
    • Treats
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
  • Homeschooling
    • Elementary Homeschooling
      • Elementary Homeschooling READING
      • Elementary Homeschooling MATH
      • Elementary Homeschooling LANGUAGE ARTS
      • Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Elementary Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
      • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Middle School Homeschooling
      • Middle School Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Middle School Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
    • Language Arts
    • Math
    • History / Social Studies
    • Geography
    • Foreign Language
    • Field Trips
    • Games
    • Nature Study
  • The Big Picture
    • Life In General
    • Celebrations
    • Faith
      • Into the Light; The Series
    • Giveaways
    • Reviews & Sponsors
  • Photography & Lettering
    • Photography
    • truck lettering
    • vehicle graphics
    • Newborns
    • Kids
    • Engagement
    • High School Senior Pictures
    • High School Senior Pictures Sneak Peeks

A Custom Fall Decor Sign

November 3, 2013 By Laura 6 Comments

The details of the season of Fall inspires me so much!
This time, it was to make a custom fall decor sign for our home.


–

I was going through some scrapbooking supplies recently, when I came across a handy little quote book.  Naturally I took the opportunity to take a break from the big task at hand, to read through it, because I was sitting in the middle of an overwhelming mess.  One of the quotes I came upon expressed some of the many little things I so love about the season of Fall, and I was immediately inspired to use that quote as a custom sign for my home decor. The quote read:

Scarecrows, corn rows, pumpkins on the vine.
Leaves curl, wind swirls, Fall is right on time.

There was no credit to the quote, so I did an internet search.  I found the quote has been widely utilized, which tells me I’m not the only one this beautiful little phrase speaks to. I had just never heard of it before.  Still, I found no credit, or else I would feel compelled to give credit where credit is due! (It’s only right to, Folks.)  Whoever you are though, thanks for such a lovely expression of the picturesque moments of Fall, and for the inspiration!

Here is a look at the finished sign, and then I thought I would share the makings of it with you today.


My mental vision of the sign was instant, really. There was no brainstorming session, although I did sketch out on paper the structure of the sign I was asking Michael, my husband, to build. Could I do these things myself? Yes, but why would a girl, when a girl doesn’t have to?  It would take me so much longer, and it probably wouldn’t come out as perfectly. Michael is happy to whip up these things for me in astonishing time, when I ask, and I say that with much appreciation.


The 14 x 25″ sign consists of 10 2.5 x 14″ slats of wood, secured together on the back as seen above, with 2 little strips of pine.
–


Finish build, and ready to stain.

I chose a dark stain.
(Minwax brand; Provincial)

The lettering was laid out in design to have a line of text on each slat of the sign, with a spare slat at the top and bottom, for any artwork.
The lettering was cut out and applied in vinyl.

My vision also involved some hand-painted artwork on the sign.  Oh, these grand ideas are always pulled off so very simply in our minds; aren’t they?  😉
I foresaw pumpkin vines climbing all the way up the side of the sign, and many leaves, swirling everywhere.
But my physical execution of painting these things, proved to be a bit more challenging than I managed so beautifully, mentally.

While, after much effort, I don’t think my pumpkins came out too bad in the end, my vines didn’t climb quite as high and wild, and I acquired far fewer leaves swirling about, than I had hoped as well.  Still, I am happy with the simplicity of the final outcome.

I’m also encouraged, because I realized when I was all finished with the painting project, that I really worked with a difficult medium.  They were acrylic paint tubes I had around and found in a baggie, but really poor and cheap quality.  They were very soft and clumpy, which really made it challenging to paint smoothly, and the paint application itself did not have any longevity for longer strokes.  Having painted with my more high quality acrylic paints on another project some days later, I really saw and experienced the difference, and I won’t make that mistake again.  I look forward to trying my hand at some more hand-painted work soon, with more cooperative paint, and I suspect I’ll have a more enjoyable time in the midst of it, with more pleasing results.

Nonetheless, I do love my sign, and believe I will include it as part of our Fall decor for many years to come.

If you saw the tour of our Fall decor mantels post, you may have noticed the sign then. It was one of four handmade items included on the mantels.
Did you guess any of the others?
I hope this inspires you to try making some simple signs yourself, or purchasing some to include in your own home decor.
~Laura

* * * * * *

Please come follow me here and there:

Save

Save

Save

Save

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, FALL Crafts and Creations, FALL Home Decor, Home Decor, Mantel Decorating (Ideas), Seasonal Crafts and Creations, Seasonal Home decor, Signs, The Homestead Tagged With: fall-crafts, fall-decor, Fall-decor-sign, fall-home-decor, Fall-signs, farmhouse-style-decor, handmade-signs, rustic-fall-decor, sign-home-decor, sign-making, signs

Rustic Autumn Wreath | A Simple Craft

September 24, 2012 By Laura 20 Comments

000_autumn-decor-150x150

 If you’d like to add a touch of crafted Autumn decor to your home, but don’t have a lot of time or energy right now, this wreath is for you! It is so very simple and quick to make.  I think it’s beautiful, and has a real rustic flair that fits right in here at our homestead.

002_autumn-decor-crafts
I hung our wreath in the sun room, on the wall directly in front of anyone coming in through our front door.

It’s so very simple to make, you really don’t even need to be shown how.
But I will tell to you how, and give you a couple of tips as well.

003_fall-wreath
Start with a stick/branch wreath, which can be found ready-made at your local craft store.

The pumpkins I also found at the craft store. They are very light in weight, made of a paper medium, and some kind of painted wire.  They are finished with a shellac, and they came as a bunch in a net bag, much like potpourri comes. So you may want to look in that area.

005_fall-home-decor-crafts To attach them to the wreath, I used a small piece of raffia! I simply slipped it under the wire on the bottom/underside of the pumpkin, and tied it onto a branch where I wanted the pumpkin placed. How easy is that? I cut any excess tails of raffia I didn’t need, but I don’t even care if it is seen, because it just adds to the simple rustic charm of  the wreath, in my opinion.

004_autumn-decor-accents
Then I added some nice looking faux fall leaves.  You can simply just tuck them under the intertwining sticks of the wreath. But if you want to be sure they stay, and/or plan to save the wreath to use year after year, I recommend using a dab of glue from a glue gun at the base of the leaf or stem area, and stick in between branches in an inconspicuous place.  The leaves don’t need to be any more attached than that, and keeping the leaves loose gives it a more natural look.

006_autumn-wreath-decor-crafts
Just follow that technique with leaves and pumpkins, all the way around.

007_autumn-crafts-decor The little birdie is just a clip on, and was also picked up at the craft store at some point. It was one we had, and it not only went perfectly with this wreath, with it’s warm tones, but added new interest.

008_fall-wreath
The wide ribbon is wired, which can be a little difficult to work with, when tying bows or making nice curls. But I found a trick I’ll share with you.
TIP:   When working with wired ribbon, use an aluminum can, cup, or any cylinder object to make nice curls for the tail of your ribbon, or uniform loops in your bows.  Simply choose an appropriately sized cylinder object, relevant to the size you’d like your curls or loops, and use it to shape your ribbon.  You can place the cylinder into the loops to make them nice and round where they curve around, and/or wrap the ribbon around the tails to make nice curls.

009_autumn-home-decor It’s really as easy as that! It can literally be done in 10 minutes.

010_rustic-autumn-wreath
It’s not only a simple and beautiful wreath for this awesome season, but you can say you made it yourself.

Save


Save

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, FALL Crafts and Creations, FALL Home Decor, Home Decor, Seasonal Crafts and Creations, Seasonal Home decor, The Homestead Tagged With: autumn home decor, autumn-crafts, Autumn-decor-ideas, autumn-wreath-tutorial, autumn-wreaths, fall-crafts, fall-decor, fall-home-decor, fall-wreath-tutorial, fall-wreaths, rustic-wreaths, seasonal-crafts, seasonal-decor, seasonal-wreaths

An Autumn Decor Peek & a Wicked Little Bit of Halloween.

October 18, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

We’re sharing our current Autumn decor with you today!  We’re so glad you’re here. Come on in!

autumn-home-decor-2
I’ve been taking a couple of photos here and there, of our homestead autumn decor, simply because it is FUN for me, and I know many of you love to see this kind of stuff.  So, I’m sharing, just as I did last year.  It’s just a small collection of shots, and most all of the decor I’ve done is indoors.  Not much has been done with the outdoors at this point in time, although we did rip out all of the tomato plants and cosmos. It seems we still have some jalapeno and bell peppers growing though, so we’ve left those for the time being.  Marigold plants remain for now as well, adding some color to the near empty gardens now.  The strawberry beds need to be ‘put to bed’ before the first frost!  Which feels like it may be soon!  It’s gotten pretty chilly around here. Especially at night!  We’ve even built a fire or 2 in our wood stove, and it’s given us that nice cozy atmosphere we love through the cold season.


autumn-home-decor
But one thing I do have outdoors,  is this new flag that I picked up for next to nothing.  It was one of maybe 50 designs, and apparently the last one.  It was the one and only I wanted. I made the staff of the store go through quite a bit to get this display one down for me. I really wanted it!  And I got it. And it makes me smile every day.
–

autumn-wreath-home-decor-1
I made this wreath, but don’t be too impressed.  It was already vine like, and I made it into a circle, and hung it.

Come on in and take a little look around, to see a few other seasonal touches around the homestead.

autumn-home-decor-3
Some faux fall flowers, dropped into an antique milk jug.
–

autumn-home-decor-4
Our wall table, and some family photos in a big frame, that I just stuck some faux leaves in.   Above on the wall is a new sign I had to have, for the Halloween season.  I got it on sale too.
–

halloween-decor-details

It’s so suitable for the Halloween season. But I love it because it’s a slang word I have used all of my life.  I’m originally from western MA, and it’s common language out there.  When I came out to the Boston area to art school, I quickly found the whole world does not actually use the word like I do.  Or at all.  But I still use it.  I cherish it.  I find the word wicked useful.
–

halloween-decor-details-1
Great craft and treat ideas in this special Halloween edition magazine of Matthew Mead’s, from last year.
–

autumn-home-decor-5
These are the kid’s.  And….these are the kids. LOL  (They know which one is them.) But here they are sticking in the weave of a basket in the kitchen.  Until they grab them again. Come to think of it, I don’t even know if they are still there.  But I’m not going to look now.  I got my photo.
–

autumn-home-decor-6
An Autumn ribbon that hangs our Prayer List Chalkboard.  I’ve mentioned that I love the idea of changing out the ribbon on our chalkboards, to go with current season and holiday home decor.
–

autumn-home-decor-7
A hedgehog ornament.  Cute, huh? She’s hanging on our season tree (branch).
–

autumn-home-decor-8
Apple cinnamon tea, in a beautiful ceramic mug, that seems perfect for Autumn.
–

autumn-home-decor-9
It’s been a happy Autumn indeed. May the coming winter be as good to us.

Have you happened to do any autumn decorating at all this year? We’d love to hear a little bit about what you’ve done, no matter how simple.  And, if you’ve taken photos and blogged it, leave us a link! We’ll swing by your place!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Filed Under: FALL Home Decor, Home Decor, Seasonal Home decor, The Homestead Tagged With: autumn decor, fall, fall-decor-ideas, fall-home-decor, fall-home-decorating, home decor

Autumn Decorating…Check!

September 25, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

cups-of-cocoa

Seasonal decorating around our home isn’t a chore, it’s an exciting event we make the most of! With Autumn being one of our very favorite seasons, we got right to it the day after it was officially Fall. And what’s decorating without cocoa?  We usually fill the air with festive music as well, as the kids take turns grabbing this and that, to find just the right spot for it.

The decorating is not completely done for this season.  I’ve got some pumpkin project plans for this weekend, and if we really get to it, I’ll be sure to take photos and share.

We’re also trying to get the homestead ready-enough around here, for a large television crew that will be blowing through our home next week and spending the day with us, as they film our family for a new show for Catholic TV.  Just a bit unnerving! But exciting, too. We will be the first family featured for this new program that features various Catholic families, how they live their life as a family, and how they pass down their faith!  Complete reality style tv (minus the drama, of course), with a tour of our ‘crib’, and interviews with some of us, one on one.  We are honored, and humbled, to have been approached to be the first family for this pilot show.  We are normally a fairly private family, but what an opportunity to share our valued faith, and the immense joy we find in Christ’s love — how He is the central and most vital part of our home, and our family.  We feel it’s obvious that God is really asking us to do this….and you just don’t say no to Him! Or we don’t dare, anyway!  So…..we are very, very excited, and a little bit nervous!  We’ll keep you posted with how taping day goes, and airing dates and times, if you’re interested.

Meanwhile…

Happy, Happy Fall, to you all!!

Filed Under: FALL Home Decor, Home Decor, Seasonal Home decor, The Homestead Tagged With: autumn, autumn home decor, Catholic, Catholic-family, CatholicTV, fall-home-decor, fall-home-decorating, home decor

We are wicked happy to have you here! We hope you find much inspiration, help, humor and enjoyment here.




Archives



POPULAR POSTS

* * * * * *

SUBSCRIBE to House of Joyful Noise blog! Every new post, delivered right to your email box!


Privacy Policy

Amazon Affiliates

Never at any additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products from our website. Your purchase through our links helps support our family, while sharing with you the products we authentically use and recommend, for various ideas, and letting you know where you can purchase them. Thank you for your support!

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 HouseOfJoyfulNoise.com · Genesis Framework by StudioPress