Pairings: Arizona Autumn + Fall Decor

I’ve paired nine shots of Arizona fall color with Etsy finds that match their autumn vibes! Each pair is a place to go along with fall-inspired decor and other fun stuff.

You can see more on Etsy’s Fall Decor Essentials guide or check out my personal picks.

Artificial stems with fall foliage in a glass jar vase — Six fall foliage stems from BoutiqueBarn in New Hampshire.

1. Fiery Orange Trees + Stems

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, Arizona

Every fall, this Chinese Pistache Tree at Boyce Thompson Arboretum turns brilliant shades of orange. You can see it from far away, as it stands out from the green leaves of trees surrounding it.

BTA is a great day trip from the Phoenix area! It’s just about 45 minutes from the East Valley via US 60.

Get it: Rustic Fall Branch

In similarly striking oranges and yellows, you could use these fall foliage stems as part of a flower arrangement or on their own, grouped together to make a standout seasonal centerpiece.

- At 24 inches tall, they could really add some height to your Thanksgiving tablescape!
- Sourced by BoutiqueBarn + shipping from New Hampshire.

shelves that look like mushrooms — Ceramic floating shelves made by LeilyCloud

2. Stump Mushrooms + Wall Mushrooms

Go: Summerhaven, Mount Lemmon near Tucson

I wasn’t planning on taking a photo of a tree stump while I was admiring the view from Mount Lemmon. Then I noticed teeny – almost cute – little mushrooms growing out of it, and those needed to be captured!

- From Tucson, drive up the Mt. Lemmon Highway for about an hour, and you’ll reach the little town of Summerhaven.
- See our 2-minute version of the drive.

Get it: Mushroom Shelves

I don’t think I’ve seen anything like these mushroom shelves! They are the result of a husband and wife collaboration. She makes the ceramic mushrooms, and he designed a metal mount that allows you to hang them on almost any type of interior wall. Their shop has a variety of mushroom hooks, floating shelves, and even a mushroom soap dish!

- Waterproof.
- Designed to hold up to 8 lbs.

plantable card with butterflies on the front — Handmade in the UK by URBANSPROUT Store.

3. Butterflies Pollinating Flowers + Planting Flowers

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

We were at Boyce Thompson Arboretum and noticed a small row of plants with yellow flowers on them – and each had multiple butterflies on it slowly opening and closing their wings, and (I assume) feeding on nectar. They were so beautiful. And so focused on the task at hand that I could get a little closer than normal to snap some photos with my phone.

- BTA is right ouside Superior.
- If you’re heading east, you’ll pass the Arboretum before you get to Superior proper.

Get it:

Bee + Butterfly Plantable Seed Cards

It’s truly wild how closely one butterfly on the card happens to match one in my photo!

- Part of a pack of 6 cards featuring watercolor illustrations of butterflies and bees.
- Plantable cards: The cards are made from recycled paper with wildflower seeds embedded, so you can plant them!

botanicals — Natural dried canella berries, handpicked by BoutiqueBarn in New Hampshire.

4. Berries

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

This cluster of bright orange berries was another BTA find, when I was on the hunt for fall colors in unusual places.

Back when Phillip and I lived in the Phoenix area, there were a couple years we got memberships to the Arboretum. It neat to see it in all different seasons!

Get it: Natural dried canella berries

You can get this type of berries in more vibrant colors, but there was something I preferred about the muted, neutral tones of this one.

Miniature papel picado flags — Cake-topping miniature papel picado, made by AyMujer in Indio, California.

5. Papel Picado

Go: Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson

Intricately cut paper flags are part of the celebration of Day of the Dead, which also happens this time of year. They’re a different kind of fall color!

We saw these hanging on one corner of TMA on a visit to Tucson, years before we lived here.

Get it: Papel Picado Garland Cake Topper

I love these miniature papel picado flags made into a cake topper!

- Sold in sets of two strands with bamboo flag stems included.
- Fits a 6-12 inch cake.

wreath — Handmade by Melshomedecorshop in Chicago, Illinois.

6. Wispy

Go: Willcox, Arizona

Phillip and I visited Apple Annie’s Farm in Willcox to go apple picking during a weekend trip. We left because the sun was setting, and then saw these fantastic clouds!

- Apple Annie’s has 3 locations around Willcox with different offerings.
- If you want to go apple picking, make sure you’re headed to their fruit orchards, which are about 15 minutes northwest of the center of town.

Get it: Pampas Grass Wreath

I like how understated this is compared to a lot of fall wreaths! The pampas grass reminds me of those wispy clouds. And I guess I’m into a kind of into neutral color palette this fall.

- Approximately 20-21 inches from leaf tip to tip.
- Made with faux pampas grass, cream berries, blackberries, brown bunny tails, and laurel leaves, accented with a brown velvet bow, on a grapevine wreath.

candle with dried flowers — Candle made with soy wax by Monsoon Wildflowers in Maricopa, Arizona.

7. Fallen Flora

Go: Sedona, Arizona

While hiking in Sedona, I noticed how the fall leaves were collecting up against stones in the creek, and mixing with the plants that were growing in the shallow water.

- The West Fork of Oak Creek Trail is a beautiful place to hike and enjoy autumn leaves!
- The trailhead is between Sedona and Flagstaff, off of Route 89A.
- Phillip and I have done parts of that hike a number of times.

Get it: Dried Flower Soy Candle

I like the asymmetry of the offset florals and dried orange slices.

- This candle is made with soy wax and other natural ingredients.
- You can choose your own scent from a long list of options!

Headpiece decorated with flowers — Made by BloomDesign Studio in Quilcene, WA.

8. Flower Arch

Go: Día De Los Muertos Festival in Mesa

Tissue paper flower arches decorate Mesa’s annual Day of the Dead Celebration.

- The free festival is going on this weekend! It happens every October.
- It takes place outside the Mesa Arts Center, which is right by a light rail stop.

Get it: Day of the Dead Headpiece

Frida Kahlo-inspired flower crown for Día de Los Muertos. Fabric flowers are attached to a headband with eco felt underneath to keep it comfortable to wear!

Botanical print — Signed original print, handmade by KathyHuttonPrints in Bath, UK.

9. Last Leaves

Go: Boyce Thompson Arboretum

The last few leaves hanging out in the tree. They probably got around to falling eventually.

Get it:Chestnut Art Print

The shape comes from the artist’s sketches of chestnut tree leaves. She hand-carved a stamp, covered it in saffron yellow ink, and used that to create these prints. They were individually printed onto Washi paper from Japan, so each is unique.

Product photos are from the seller’s Etsy page.

I may receive compensation from Etsy for affiliate posts and links.

March 23, 2023March 22, 2023

Color Story: Deep Teal

Updated March 2023.

Originally published January 2020.

While Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year is Classic Blue, I feel like I’ve already explored that in my 2018 Blues color story. Instead, what’s been on my mind – colorwise, at least – is teal.

It’s a tricky one to define exactly.

Teal resides at the divide between blue and green, undulating from one to the other, like waves over the border between sea and ocean. The side it falls on depends on who is seeing it and how.

You might find dark, dramatic shades of teal in a flowing river, in paint and pottery, in flora and fauna. Maybe it’s made its way into your home.

Teal can feel tranquil. Like a deep breath. Like that time after the holidays but before you’ve completely resumed your regular routine. Like the peace we need more of in 2020.

For now, maybe we can start by simply taking a moment to breathe deeply and take in some gorgeous teal tranquility.

1. A dramatic shade of natural stucco paint made with minerals sourced in Europe. / via Kromoxi (H/T A Girl Inspired)

2. Diving kingfisher near Kirkcudbright, Scotland. / One of over 720,000 photographs Alan McFadyen shot during his 6-year quest to perfectly capture the birds’ dive into the water. / via Daily Mail

3. Detail of VisionShift, Sonia King’s mosaic installation for the HALL Arts complex in Dallas.

4. Mudstone font sample. / I’m not sure whether this festival actually exists, but I kinda hope it does. / via You Work For Them

5. Tips for making a eucalyptus leaf bundle to hang in your shower. (Or purchase a ready-made one.) / Photo via Healthline

6. Prickly pear cactus earrings created by Australian artist Amelia Marks. / via e.g. etal

7. Tiled steps at The Dreamcatcher Guesthouse in Ocean Park, Puerto Rico. / via BLDG 25 + Dreamcatcher on Facebook

8. DIY tropical wreath with paper foliage by Lia Griffith.

9. Ceramicist Gwendolyn Yoppolo shows the lovely variation from different glazes and firing techniques.

10. Hand-printed vintage camper tea towel by Cara Hibbs. (Her Etsy shop, ohlittlerabbit, is taking a break. More fun, hand-screened tea towels here.)

11. Sea lions and pelicans enjoying a sunny day at Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California. / I took this photo when we were there in 2012. We stayed in a cute little vintage camper that looked a bit like the lower right one on the tea towel above.

12. Lacinato kale + recipe for kale and sausage skillet via The Rainforest Garden.

13. 1960s brushed metal pendant lamp by Doria Leuchten via VNTG.

14. “You Belong Among the Wildflowers” embroidered Tom Petty lyrics wall hanging by BreezebotPunch on Etsy. (Currently out of stock but you can get on the waitlist or request a custom order.)

15. Abstract sketchbook painting of the Smith River in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (Northern California) by Heather Day. / Her work is more about sensory experience than the literal represensation of a scene. She camped + painted in a spot overlooking this river in 2017. / via VSCO

16. The Vintage Turkish Over Dye Rug by Cadrys is one of the accessories “Interiors Addict” Jen Bishop selected to help your home feel cozy over the winter. (H/T The Home)

17. This adorable little square planter is handmade in Maine by Elizabeth Benotti.

Teal we meet again!

Photo sources: the Monterey and Venice photos are mine. Others are as cited.

This post contains Etsy affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on purchases – at no extra cost to you. So shop away!

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022

Antique Gold and Forest

Updated December 2022.

Originally published December 2017.

Since my recent autumn and indigo color palette article received such a great response, I thought I’d keep up the color-themed posts with a more wintery entry this time.

Currently on my mind is the combination of vibrant greens (from kelly to forest) paired with softer golds – think mercury glass, champagne, heirloom jewelry, candlelight.

Small table with cakes that look like birchwood. — Cake table via Elizabeth Anne Designs (photo: Jacque Lynn Photo)

While this combination could go modern, I particularly love it as a complement to rustic decor. It looks fabulous with natural materials like birch bark, adding just enough sheen to make it all feel chic and festive.

For a woodsy vibe, you can bring in the classic evergreen boughs and pinecones or whatever’s growing outside your door. Twigs, olive branches, rosemary sprigs, eucalyptus leaves, berries, potted cacti, or mossy driftwood could all work well.

1. Campground in Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona. 2. Woodland cakes with sled. 3. DIY gold pinecone garland. 4. Rustic elegant table. (H/T Apartment Therapy)

Here are more ideas for places to visit, projects, products, and recipes in this palette.

5. Mercury glass ornaments. (Shop similar ones.) 6. Gingerbread terrariums 7. DIY gold leaf pinecone garland. 8. Grönkålsallad (cached) – kale, orange, and chèvre salad.

9. Recipes for Christmas cookies topped with sprinkles. 10. Decorated wine glasses (+ other New Year’s Eve crafts.) 11. Sequin table runner. (Shop) 12. Homemade olive branch wreath with bells.

13. Woodland tablescape with wood slice chargers + place card holders. 14. Rain drops on the window. 15. DIY Hanukkah Gelt (chocolate coins). 16. Luminarias at Tucson Botanical Garden. (If you’re in Phoenix, you can see Luminarias at DBG.)

17. DIY Natural Branch Menorah. 18. How to make asymmetrical wreaths. 19. Gold circle garland. (Tutorial)

20. Spinach mushroom polenta. 21. Holiday bar set-up (similar: glasses, sugar stirrers, fillable ornaments.) 22. Decorated cactus.

I hope you enjoyed this taste of the holidays!

Each photo links to its source, except for 1. + 14., which were taken by me.

This post contains Etsy affiliate links, like this one: favorite Christmas ornaments and decorations!

December 4, 2017January 3, 2018

How to Get a Melted Candle Out of a Jar

I love the look of candles in glass jars – until they’re all melted and stuck to the sides. I’d read a tip about freezing them to make the melted candle stub easier to remove, but that only works some of the time.

Phillip came up with an ingenious improvement: give the candle a handle!

Here’s what to do to unstick melted candles from jars and other glass containers:

Pour some water into the jar on top of the candle stub.
Partly submerge an S-hook or something else sturdy enough to use as a handle.*
Freeze.
Once frozen, you can use the hook/handle to just pull the candles right out.
To retrieve the handle, allow ice on top of the candles to melt.

*Phillip used IKEA S-hooks, because we had those around. Large paper clips weren’t strong enough, but a Popsicle stick or butter knife might work.

July 27, 2017July 27, 2017

Book Page Garland for a Graduation Party

Phillip finished grad school, after seven years of working full time and taking classes part-time. So we needed to have a party.

We ended up reserving space in a restaurant near where the commencement ceremony was, so friends and family could just go there directly afterward. I wanted to add some festive touches but knew I’d have little to no time to decorate before people got there. (It turned out to be the latter.)

I kept it super simple with a few school-themed items that I could set up in a flash – all using things I had on hand.

How I made the book page pennants:

1. Ripped out several pages of a ridiculous conspiracy theory novel that I had picked up from free bin outside Changing Hands. (I mean, I’m not going to cut up a good book!)

2. Found the center of the page by folding it in half, only creasing the very bottom of it and making a mark. You could also actually measure and/or use a template if you’re into precision.

3. Made a cut from the top right corner of the page to my center mark. Then repeated from the top left.

What I wish I would’ve done: cut from the top right and left margins of the page instead, so that the text would run all the way to the edge.

4. Punched a couple holes near the top of each pennant.

Then I just threaded some bakers’ twine through the holes and added the tassels.

Tassels

In keeping with the graduation theme, I made paper tassels for each end of the garland, loosely based on instructions I found on A Subtle Revelry.

Here’s how I adapted the project:

Cut about 4 thin strips of paper. (These don’t need to be the same width – or even cut straight.)
Folded over 3 of the strips, leaving a loop at the top. I made mine with a smaller loop and longer “tails” than the ones in the tassel tutorial, because I wanted the proportions more like the tassel on a graduation cap.
Fanned out the strips just a bit.
Stapled them in place.
Covered the staple by winding that last paper strip around the tassel and securing it with double stick tape.
Added a tassel to each side of the garland by threading the baker’s twine through the top loop.

What Didn’t Work…

Watercolor

I thought about adding some color with watercolors. However, my test pages totally curled up, even when I used the smallest amount of water possible or painted just part of the page.

The Pages

Another thing that could’ve been cool was using a book or notes from Phillip’s classes. But he didn’t have anything like that around – at least nothing that he was willing to sacrifice to the craft gods.

So I went with the conspiracy book, because I liked the page size.

I tried to make sure there wasn’t any murder on the pages I used, but it was hard to avoid. And there were still black helicopters and government officials typing things out on Blackberries – not very festive or on theme.

I hoped people would see it as decor and not try to read it.

No such luck.

One family member said they had been trying to figure out if the pages had some significance or clues. (Nope.) Another one asked me what the garland spelled. (Nothing.) It took me awhile to convince her that what she thought were large letters were actually backwards chapter numbers showing through some of the backlit pages.

I obviously should have come up with more for people to do.

What Worked (Mostly): The Decoration Bag

I loaded up a large ziploc bag with everything I (or whoever) would need to set up the decorations at the restaurant:

Chalkboard sign with “Phillip’s grad party!” already written on it – with chalk markers, so it wouldn’t smear.
A jar for markers and pens that had a chalkboard label on the front. I wrote “Please sign the program” on it with a little arrow pointing down.
Chalk markers in case one of my signs needed a touch-up.
Regular markers and pens, so people could sign the commencement ceremony program like a yearbook. These were just regular kids’ markers you’d find in the back-to-school aisle.
A wooden ruler to hold the program open. (Also because it was cute and school-y.)
The garland, carefully folded and placed between things so it wouldn’t get crunched up.
Washi tape to hang the garland.
Scissors.
This Yoobi kit in case we required a tiny stapler or scotch tape for some reason.

I had hoped to hand the bag off to my parents, who were designated to get the party started, since I guessed (correcty) that Phillip and I wouldn’t be able to leave the place where the ceremony was and get over there right away. But they were so focused on their mission that they left before I could give them the Decoration Bag.

So I set things up halfway through the party. Less than ideal, but that’s life.

At least having everything in one bag meant I could get it done in record time. And at least the guests didn’t have to wait on the food.

– More info on DIY party decor –