I shared my third project for the Better Homes & Gardens contest yesterday and today I have all the materials and instructions you’ll need to make your own. With just a few simple steps, you can make any foam gourd into a pretty and natural looking fall accessory. Have fun!

Supplies
Styrofoam Pumpkin
Candle
Drill
Hole Saw Attachment for drill (found at hardware stores)
Craft Glue
Glitter

Instructions

Things are moving fast and furious now as we get closer to the holidays and this week is the third leg of the Better Homes & Gardens contest. For this round, I, and the other three bloggers, were tasked with using either real or fake pumpkins to create a home decor item. I ended up creating large and small candle holders out of foam pumpkins.

I would have loved to use real pumpkins for this round but sadly due to the unseasonably cool summer here in the northwest, there were no pumpkins to be found in early September. I had never used a fake pumpkin so carving into foam was a bit nerve-wracking but I’m thrilled with the result! The best part, this project will last for years and seasons to come.

To add a little sparkle, I ended up coating the pumpkins in simmering gold glitter before placing the candles inside. I love the charm they add to a tablescape and how the light reflects off the glitter. Paired with the DIY Pumpkin Place Cards I shared earlier, you’ve got an autumnal table fit for entertaining! Check back tomorrow for the complete how-to instructions.

And don’t forget, you can see the rest of the projects and vote for your favorite at bhg.com!

I’ve got an exciting giveaway today to brighten your Tuesday morning! This one comes from the incredibly talented Alyssa Nassner of Small Talk Studio. You might remember me gushing about her craft inspired prints. Well, Alyssa’s recently added some new prints, cards and notebooks to her Etsy shop.

To give back, she’s generously giving away alimited edition Up and Away Print along with a set of  Delightful Foxes Cards. How charming are both of those?! I just love those two foxy foxes!

To enter to win:
1. Visit the Small Talk Studio Shop to see all her beautiful goods.
2. Leave a comment at the end of this post telling us who’s the one person you’d take on a hot air ballon ride if you got the chance.
3. Include your email address along with your first name and last initial. Only one entry per person please!

*Contest is now closed Giveaway closes Tuesday, October  26th at 10pm PST. One lucky winner will be randomly selected from the comments and announced Friday, October 29th.

Good luck everyone!

Today marks the second leg of the Better Homes & Gardens Home for the Holidays Contest! I have been so excited to share this project with all of you, as I had so much fun putting it together.

The task was to create a fall home decor item using real or fake leaves. I ended up making a wreath by spray painting fabric leaves from a craft store in gradated purple tones then pinning them to a foam wreath form with craft pins. The wreath ended up being quite versatile and I found it worked well as a traditional door decoration, above a fireplace and even a dramatic centerpiece. I’ll be back tomorrow with the complete list of supplies and how to instructions so stay tuned!

In the mean time, I would love your votes! You can vote once a day from now until Sunday, October 17th. I didn’t fair well in the last round so I’m stepping up my game this time with a link at the top of each page for voting convenience. Thank you all so much for voting for me so far, it means the world to me!

I am so excited to announce the winner of the Silhouette Cutting Machine giveaway! First, I want to thank you all so much for participating and spreading the word. I wish I had one of these to give to each of you since everyone has such amazing ideas! I am beyond impressed with all the talent, creativity and inspiration you guys came up with. I hope to try a few of these ideas in the feature and share them with you along the way. So, without further delay, the winner is…

Congratulations Kiki for winning the giveaway, I’ll be in touch shortly!

For those of you that didn’t win, you’re still in luck! Silhouette is offering two great discounts (see below for details). The first is good from now until September 30th and the second from October 1st through the 4th. Enter code: TWIG at checkout. Thanks for playing everyone and thanks to Silhouette for a great giveaway!

I’m signing off early this week to attend a going away party for a friend. I hope you all have a great weekend and see you next week! xoxo, Kathleen