When we visited Boyce Thompson Arboretum last November, I spotted lots of patches of fall color – and not just in the trees!
Here are some shades of an Arizona autumn for you!
Desert Autumn Colors
November 2017 Photo: Autumn Tree
Fall color tends to come to Arizona a little later.
When we were at Boyce-Thompson Arboretum over Thanksgiving weekend, most of the trees were still green or yellow. But that just made this stunner stand out even more!
PS Also linking up with Tree Love Thursday!
Autumn and Indigo: A Color Story
We tend to think of fall colors in the family of rusts and browns, pumpkins and mustards. But you can also reach across the color wheel and pull in some cooler hues. Shades of indigo and slate are a perfect match for warm harvest tones, complementing them beautifully without taking away their autumn feeling.
So here is some fall color palette inspiration – with a few projects and recipes along the way.
1. Roasted Carrot Salad via Brooklyn Supper. 2. Easy to Breathe plates via Jungalow. 3. Cheery vintage design for when all the leaves are brown and the sky is gray via Aaron von Freter (@rockswell_). 4. DIY Dried Orange Garland via A Daily Something. 5. Door in Venice, Italy.
6. Roasted Beets with Creamy Romesco + Wild Rice via Snixy Kitchen. 7. Marigolds via Viewed from Another Angle. 8. Beeline Cafe, Payson, Arizona. 9. Thanksgiving cheeseboard via What’s Gaby Cooking. 10. Near Apple Annie’s in Willcox, Arizona. 11. Casa de Perrin Tablescape via Poppytalk.
What colors spring to mind when you think of autumn?
DIY Pumpkins and Pie!
Here are 11 pumpkin-pie-inspired ideas you can bake or make!
Eat+Drink
Pumpkin Pie – First, a classic. You can make pumpkin puree for pies and other recipes from a sugar pumpkin or even a regular carving pumpkin. (Really! I did it!)
Holiday Spice Mix – Blend these ingredients for a versatile, cinnamony spice you can use as pumpkin pie spice or sprinkle into hot chocolate.
Spiced Pumpkin Pie Martini – A pumpkin pie garnish on your cocktail?! Why not? After all, it is the holidays.
Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread – You can use canned pumpkin or your own pumpkin puree for this addictively good quick bread.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie – This is a great breakfast on-the-go – especially during the holiday season when you have a lot of pumpkin around and not a lot of time. I added pecans and an extra cup of plain Greek yogurt to Jamie’s recipe.
Pie Slice Cookies – I haven’t made these, but they were so adorable that I had to include them! (If you’re looking for cookie decorating ideas and tips, there are TONS on the Sweet Sugarbelle blog!)
Craft
Thanksgiving Pie Garland – Turns out paper pie slices make perfect pennants! #TeamPie
Fall Succulent Planter – Rachel of Maison de Pax planted succulents directly into ceramic pumpkins. Another option would be to place potted succulents inside a real (or ceramic or foam) pumpkin and take them out when you take down the autumn decor.
Pumpkin Pie Friendship Necklaces – StudioDIY shared a tutorial for this making polymer clay pumpkin pie necklaces as part of a Friendsgiving post!
Mini Pumpkin Candles – A simple project from Faith Durant at The Kichn that turns a pumpkin into a candle.
Botanical Pumpkins – Fall leaves and Modge Podge are a striking way to decorate pumpkins!
Photos via:
1, 2, 4. Me.
3. A Beautiful Mess
5. Love Bakes Good Cakes
6. Sweet Sugarbelle
7. Martha Stewart
8. Maison de Pax
9. Studio DIY
10. The Kichn
11. Country Living
DIY Día de los Muertos
Decorating sugar skulls at CraftHack this time last year prompted me to learn more about Día de los Muertos and the handmade elements of this tradition.
“Day of the Dead, or Día de los muertos, is a time for commemorating the dead, celebrating with family— both living and dead—and appreciating the cycle of life and death.”
– National Museum of the American Indian
When you lose someone you love, they don’t stop being part of your life. They remain in your heart and your memories. There’s something beautiful about recognizing and honoring this presence.
La Ofrenda / Altar
One way to do this is by making a small altar (ofrenda) for the October 31 – November 2 celebration.
“Making a Day of the Dead Altar is about memories and traditions and the most important part is that you enjoy the process … add [your] own special touches … add the four elements, water, wind, earth and fire in some way, the picture of your beloved one, food, flowers and candles.”
These altars can take many forms. Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo has even created ofrendas inside foam pumpkins!
Calaveras / Skulls
“The calavera is an important symbol in Mexican culture, representing ancestors and the celebration of the continuity of life through generations.”
Decorating Sugar Skulls
Colorfully decorated sugar skulls are probably the most iconic element in Day of the Dead celebrations. You can purchase blank sugar skulls that are ready for you to personalize. Or you can use a mold to make your own from sugar, white chocolate, or (if you’re not going to eat them) plaster of Paris!
When we did them at CraftHack, our friend Shanlyn led the demonstration. She brought in plain white sugar skulls she had made at home and showed us how to decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, and sanding sugar.
I covered mine in slightly sparkly black sugar to give it a different look. Then I added flower sprinkles on top to give it a Frida Kahlo-esque headpiece. It didn’t come out perfectly, but it I had fun trying it out!
Sugar Skulls in Other Craft Projects
The sugar skull motif pops up all over the place – especially this time of year! A few crafty examples…
Embroidery – Berene Campbell (Happy Sew Lucky) created this cute pattern that features a sugar skull with scissors behind it, like a crafters’ pirate flag!
Cupcake toppers – This design is one of the free printables Elba Valverde offers on her site, Live Colorful!
Necklace – After Vesna Taneva-Miller visited Mexico City, she was inspired to create this Día de los Muertos necklace from a necklace chain, beads, and sari silk.
Tip: If you don’t have a skull bead on hand, you can make your own with polymer clay!
Coloring pages to print off or color online.
Day of the Dead Planters – Regina Lord painted terra cotta pots to look like sugar skulls and then planted succulents in them. The tutorial is at Creative Kismet.
View this post on Instagram
Quilt – Berene Campbell also made this awesome Sugar Skull Quilt using a variety of appliqué techniques!
Papel Picado / Punched Paper
“Delicately decorated tissue paper represents wind and the fragility of life.”
Colorful papel picado banners 3 ways…
1. Folded tissue paper method.
Tip: Sketch your own design or use a printable template.
2. Elba Valverde’s Papel picado shortcut with simple shapes and regular paper.
3. Miniature papel picado. Nikki Wills of Tikkido used a paper craft punch for the bottom edge – it looks like this lace border punch by Martha Stewart. But I bet an eyelet or daisy punch would look great, as well!
Flowers
“The ofrenda (the altar), traditionally includes the yellow marigolds (cempasuchitl) the sweet scent that leads the departed home toward their altar…”
1. Marigold Crown (archived) by Nicole Valentine Nelius. This one on Etsy has a similar vibe.
2. Paper (napkin) flowers – Using paper napkins in place of tissue paper will help the flowers hold their shape. It would be fun to experiment with different color combinations and textures! (I added some cute ones to this Party collection.)
3. Mini Tissue Paper Flowers – A similar process on a much smaller scale! For these, you actually use a scalloped circle paper punch to create the “petal” shapes in the layers of tissue paper.
4. Marigold Margarita – Vianney Rodriguez made her own marigold-infused tequila with organic dried petals. Then she added citrus juice, cointreau, and salt around the rim.
What traditions are meaningful to you as you remember your loved ones?
– Día de los Muertos Resource List –
- Instructions for sugar skulls
- Ofrendas e-book of recipes and crafts
- Crafty Chica Día de los Muertos project list
- Live Colorful fall projects
- Mexican Day of the Dead folk art
- Watch for Día de los Muertos events on the Happenings List! Subscribe to get it delivered to your inbox!
- Día de los Muertos decorations and craft supplies I like on Etsy.
Updated November 2023.
Originally posted October 2017.
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