DIY and more...

How to make a DIY fall pumpkin sign from an old wood barn door and a Dollar Tree felt pumpkin to hang on your front porch or display in your home.

Here it is September already, which means I'm all about fall crafting.

I've already finished an easy pumpkin craft using putka pods so I'm ready to move on to a project I wanted to make a couple of years ago...a wood pumpkin sign.

It took me a while to figure out how I was going to do it but it finally came together, and it turned out better than I had hoped.

I was even able to recycle an old door destined for the giveaway pile.

Sooo, let's get to work making a rustic pumpkin sign.

DIY Pumpkin Sign Supplies

• wood or old wood door
• felt pumpkin (I got mine from Dollar Tree)
• wood screws
• scrap wood
• orange spray paint
• black chalk spray paint
• sandpaper
• stencil
• white craft paint
• foam brush
• painter's tape
• wire to hang sign

Tools

• circular saw
• drill
• screwdriver

I found a big felt pumpkin at Dollar Tree a couple of years ago and hung on to it just in case I wanted to do something with it.

Really though, how can you go wrong with a giant felt pumpkin that only costs a buck?

Anyway, I knew what I wanted to do with it but didn't have any ideas for how I was going to use it so I tucked it away in my craft cabinet.

When I was cleaning out the shed this summer though, I found the old barn door that I bought at a flea market when we lived in Illinois.

I used it for a project years ago but it's been sitting in the shed ever since. Roger has asked to get rid of it several times but I just couldn't do it.

All of that chippy paint goodness and old wood. You just can't recreate it.

I was finally ready to haul it up to the curb so someone could take it and use it when I had a bright idea.

The Dollar Tree pumpkin and that old wood door would make a perfect pumpkin sign for our fall front porch.

Making a pumpkin wood sign

I hauled the door out of the shed, removed the hinges and random screws and got ready to cut it down.

Part of the old door would be the base of the sign with the pumpkin front and center so I had to cut it down.

As usual I kept this super simple so I didn't do any measuring.

I just placed the felt pumpkin on the door where I wanted it and used the circular saw to cut down the door.

There were a couple of braces on the back to keep the tongue and groove together but they were in bad shape so I had to supplement them.

I took two pieces of wood from my scrap pile (they need to be the same thickness) and wood screws and screwed each board to it.

Quick note: make sure the wood screws are not longer than the thickness of the wood door and support.

Now that my sign was built it was time to paint it.

Painting a Pumpkin Sign

I wanted my pumpkin to be orange, naturally, so I used the orange spray paint first.

I concentrated mostly in the center, where the pumpkin would go, and didn't worry about getting the edges.

You'll notice that I didn't sand any of the chippy white paint before I started painting.

We'll talk more about that in a bit.

Anyway...after the orange paint dried, I placed the felt pumpkin in the middle and painted the whole sign with the black chalk paint, doing two coats.

After the black paint dried I removed the pumpkin.

Like I said I loved the chippy paint so I deliberately left it when I started this project.

This is a rustic pumpkin sign after all, so I just took a medium grit sandpaper and lightly sanded some spots all over the sign to expose the chippy paint.

The sanding brought out some of the white, orange and the original wood.

Perfect rustic fall charm!

My pumpkin sign was done and it had just the right amount of rustic-ness to it.

The more I looked at it though, the more I thought that it was missing something.

Nothing that I little stenciling couldn't fix.

Really, you could stop here and hang it up or prop it against a wall but I went a step further.

Stenciling a DIY Pumpkin Sign

To finish up my sign I grabbed some white craft paint, a foam brush, painter's tape and my "Hello Fall" stencil.

The idea was to stencil "Hello Fall" on the top of the sign.

The only problem was that my stencil was vertical and I needed something that was horizontal.

Not a big deal. I just stenciled one word at a time.

Again, I didn't do any measuring I just eyeballed where each word should go and tried to make sure the stencil was straight.

When I was happy with the placement I used a couple of pieces of painter's tape to keep the stencil in place.

Then I put a small amount of white craft paint in a bowl with a bit of water and mixed it well.

I dipped the foam brush in the diluted craft paint and dabbed most of the paint off with a dry paper towel. Then I lightly tamped my foam brush on the stencil.

When I was done with my first word I took a clean paper towel and carefully dabbed my paint (so much dabbing going on).

Then I immediately, and carefully, pulled up the stencil.

I followed the same steps to stencil "Fall".

After the stenciling was done and dry, I took my sign outside to do a bit of light sanding.

I wanted the stencil to have to same rustic appearance as the rest of the sign so I just passed the sanding block over the letters a couple of times.

Hanging the Pumpkin Sign

After the sign was sanded and cleaned up I added 2 wood screws on the back with a bit of wire so I could hang it up.

I've been moving my fall pumpkin sign all over the cottage.

First it was leaning on our fall mantle and then I hung it on the front porch next to my Indian corn wreath for a few days.

I'm not sure where I like it best but I do love it, and I'm so happy that I was able to recycle that old barn door.

More fall DIY decor projects to try

• Easy Pumpkin Craft Using Putka Pods
• Quick and Easy Fall Chalkboard Sign

Yield: 1 fall wood pumpkin sign

DIY Fall Pumpkin Sign

Print

How to make a rustic fall pumpkin sign from an old wood door for your front porch, or indoor fall decor. An easy and fun to make fall DIY project

Active Time 1 hour

Drying Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Difficulty Easy/beginner

Materials

• wood or old wood door
• felt pumpkin (I got mine from the Dollar Tree)
• wood screws
• scrap wood
• orange spray paint
• black chalk spray paint
• sandpaper
• stencil
• white craft paint
• foam brush
• painter's tape
• wire to hang sign

Tools

• circular saw
• drill
• screwdriver

Instructions

1. Remove screws and nails from old wood
2. Place felt pumpkin on wood to determine where wood should be cut
3. Use circular saw to cut wood
4. Reinforce back supports with screws so wood planks stay together
5. Use orange spray paint to paint sign, concentrating on the area where the pumpkin will go
6. Let paint dry
7. Place felt pumpkin in middle of sign and spray whole sign with black spray paint
8. Remove felt pumpkin
9. Let paint dry
10. Lightly sand sign to distress it
11. You can stop here or add a stencil
12. To add stencil, find placement
13. Use painter's tape to secure stencil
14. In bowl mix a little white craft paint with water
15. Use foam brush to lightly tamp on diluted white craft paint (using a dry paper towel to remove excess paint)
16. Remove stencil after painting
17. Let paint dry
18. Lightly sand stencil to distress
19. To hang: add 2 wood screws to wood support on back of sign
20. Secure wire to each screw
21. Hang and enjoy!
22. Happy Fall!

Did you make this project?

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How to make a DIY water feature from an old crock for a backyard deck.

I have a little flowerbed that's next to our backyard deck that's been giving me issues.

We've lived in our cottage for 5 years and every summer I try to plant something in the flowerbed but it never ends up well.

Actually, trying to grow anything in our backyard is hard. We have so many mature trees and they block the sun from getting in.

It's good for keeping the backyard "cooler" in the summer but not great for my plants.

Anyway, I wanted to try something different this year. I've been wanting a fountain in our backyard since we moved in 5 years ago but I was afraid it would be costly and complicated.

From the get-go I knew I wanted a disappearing water fountain, meaning that the water looks like it's just disappearing into the ground, so I finally made up my mind to do it.

What is a disappearing fountain?

It's just a fountain with water that recirculates out of the fountain liner, up into the crock (or vessel) and back into the liner.

This creates a subtle but soothing sound of running water.

As usual, Roger, a.k.a. Mr. Skeptical, had some doubts but I was going to prove him wrong no matter how long it took me.

So far, so good!

It was a bit more work than I thought it would be but it was definitely worth the effort.

So...let's get started making a DIY backyard fountain!

Fountain Supplies

• plastic pond liner
• fountain pump
• large pot or crock
• ½" pvc pipe
• black spray paint
• bucket (to fill in crock)
• ½" clear vinyl tubing
• Water Weld - 2 part epoxy
• galvanized wire mesh
• rocks
• bricks
• composite shims
• outdoor extension cord

Tools

• tape measure
• shovel
• level
• drill
• ⅝" diamond drill bit
• step drill bit
• hack saw
• cable cutters

Step-by-step fountain build

I put my fountain in a tight space so I took plenty of measurements before I went out to buy supplies.

When I went to the home improvement store I thought I would have to use a storage bin for the fountain liner but I was able to find one that was the perfect size for our space.

I also picked up a diamond drill bit, tubing, ½" pvc pipe, Water Weld and a fountain pump.

My original plan was to use a large flower pot for my fountain so I bought one of those, too.

After I started searching the garage for my other building supplies and tools though, I came across an old crock that's been sitting in the basement for 5 years.

I thought it would be a unique way to reuse it so I decided to return the pot and use the crock.

Ok, so with all of my supplies and tools, and the decision made for the fountain vessel, I set to work building my water feature.

I really thought I could do it in a weekend but it took me about 5 days, on and off, to build it.

Preparing the flowerbed

The first thing I did was to clean out my sad little flowerbed.

I removed the pinestraw, dug up the plants and pulled out the weeds.

With the flowerbed prepped I placed the liner in the bed to make sure it fit.

The liner was a perfect fit so I dug a hole around it.

The goal was to dig it deep enough so that the lip of the liner sat just above the ground.

Once the hole was deep enough I used a heavy board to tamp down the dirt to give the liner a good, solid foundation.

As I was tamping the dirt I kept checking the liner to make it level.

This is a pretty important step to do so that your fountain will flow evenly on all sides.

After all the work trying to level the liner it still wasn't as level as it should have been. A few plastic shims saved the day!

More on that later on.

Once I had the liner as level as I could I filled in the sides and tamped down the dirt.

With the liner ready to go I started working on the crock.

Preparing a pot for your fountain

Most flower pots already have a drainage hole in them so if that's what you use for a project like this, you'll be able to skip this step.

I used an old crock that didn't have a drainage hole so I had to make one.

The hole in the bottom was for the clear tubing that I connected to the pump to carry the water up into the crock.

This was by far the scariest step for me. I half expected the crock to crack when I drilled into it and ruin the whole thing.

Luckily it all went smoothly.

So, to drill the hole I turned the crock upside down and marked the middle.

I grabbed my drill, a newly purchased diamond drill bit and a cup of water to start the process (when drilling pottery or stone you always want the surface to be wet).

I took a deep breath and started drilling.

To drill the hole I had to start with the drill bit on its side, otherwise it would have skipped around on the surface.

Once it started to "grab" I slowly moved the bit so that the tip of the bit was on the surface of the pot.

In just a few minutes I was done.

It actually turned out to be a pretty easy process, and my crock survived.

With the crock all prepped it was time to prepare the bucket for the inside of the crock.

I decided to use a large plastic bucket as filler for the crock so that I didn't have to put stone in the whole thing, saving me some money and keeping the weight down.

To prep the bucket I needed to drill a hole in the bottom so that the PVC pipe could fit through.

I used a step bit to get the job done.

After I drilled the hole in the bottom, I randomly drilled holes in the sides so that the water could flow freely throughout.

Then I used black spray paint on the bottom half of the bucket and part of the PVC pipe, just to make it look better if it was visible.

Hooking up the fountain pump

While the paint dried I worked on the fountain pump.

I used the ½" adapter that came with the pump and connected the flexible tubing to it.

Then I connected the PVC pipe to the flexible tubing. The tubing was very snug in the PVC so I didn't use any connectors.

Next I filled the liner with water and placed some old bricks in it to hold the weight of the crock.

I needed screening to lay over the liner, so that I could put my rocks on top, so I cut some galvanized wire mesh that we had leftover from another project.

After the mesh was cut and fitted I ran a quick test of my setup.

I placed the crock on the bricks, put the bucket in with the tubing and pipe and added more water.

It worked! The water ran out the hole in the crock pretty quickly because it wasn't watertight, but the fountain worked.

Making the water feature watertight

To make the crock watertight I had to use some Water Weld, which is a two-part epoxy putty, around the flexible tubing that is attached to the pump.

For my first attempt at making the crock water tight I used Lexel, which is a sealant. Unfortunately it never set up.

For the second attempt I used the Water Weld. I placed it around the tubing and left it to dry for 24 hours.

It worked and sealed the tubing in the hole in the bottom of the crock.

Finishing up the fountain

With the crock watertight I placed it on the bricks, connected the tubing to the pump and started to clean the rocks that would be used to fill the crock.

It was a pain to clean them but it was an important step so that the dirt and sand didn't clog the pump.

After I put the little rocks in the crock I cleaned the bigger rocks that would go around the crock and put them in place.

I filled the liner and the crock with water and turned the fountain on.

It didn't take long to see that the crock wasn't level. It looked level to my eye but all of the water only ran down one side.

This is where the composite shims come in to play.

I just strategically placed them under the crock and put the rocks over them so they can't be seen.

It took a few tries to get the water flowing on all sides but I finally got there.

With the fountain done I planted two grasses in the flowerbed and put down new pinestraw (where I hid the outdoor extension cord).

This project turned out to be a bit more involved than I had thought going in but it was worth it.

I love how it turned out!

Now excuse me while I sit back and enjoy my originally unique homemade water fountain, while I sip on sweet tea and gloat in front of Mr. Skeptical.

A note on filling the fountain

I'm finding that I need to fill the fountain once or twice a week when we are having very hot, dry weather. I just fill my watering can up and fill the liner and the crock.

The fountain pump I bought has an automatic shut off if the water gets too low so I'm not too worried about getting it filled right away if the water level drops.

More backyard projects

• Tips for Hanging String Lights on a Deck
• How to Hang Outdoor String Lights

How to easily create a DIY craft storage cabinet from an antique armoire to store tools, craft and sewing supplies.

We live in a small stone cottage that was built in 1946. It has loads of charm but not much in the way of storage.

In order for us to keep clutter at bay we've had to get creative.

The solution I usually turn to is using cabinets. Dressers, chests, armoires...they are perfect for hiding away our necessities and clutter.

I've been busy turning one of our guest bedrooms into my work studio so I needed a storage space for my tools, paint and crafting supplies.

I have a beloved antique armoire in the room but it was only set up to store clothing and linens.

This beauty came from an antique shop in a tiny town in Georgia. I looked at it for weeks before I finally pulled the trigger and I'm so glad that I did.

It's definitely served its purpose and because of that it's moved with us to 4 different houses.

I've always kept my craft supplies and tools scattered around downstairs in the basement, which was pretty inconvenient since most of my projects take place upstairs.

So creating a dedicated space just for my stuff feels like a luxury.

I was a bit nervous altering my favorite antique but all of the modifications took place on the inside so it really wasn't a big deal.

This was a super simple project that just took 30 minutes to do.

In the end I had storage shelves, rods for ribbon storage and a few fabric covered bins to contain my supplies.

Supplies

• wood glue
• wood screws
• ¾" panel board
• 1x2x8' pine board
• sand paper
• tension rods

Tools Needed

• table saw
• drill
• miter saw
• tape measure

Creating more storage space

The first thing I did was measure the inside of the armoire to determine where my shelves would go. I needed space for my taller tools and paint cans so I went with 3 shelves.

Next I measured the depth of the armoire so I could determine the length of the 1x2's, that I used for the shelf supports.

I marked and cut my 1x2 into 6 pieces for the supports.

Once the supports were cut, I checked to make sure they would fit, then drilled a pilot hole in each end for the wood screws.

Note: When choosing the length of your wood screws make sure you don't go too long (or they will pop out the sides of your cabinet).

Then I spread some wood glue on the back of each support and screwed them in place in the cabinet.

After the supports were installed, I used the table saw to cut down the ¾" boards.

I lightly sanded the edges with some fine sand paper, brushed them off and put them on the supports in the cabinet.

After I installed all 3 shelves I started organizing and loading my supplies and tools into the cabinet.

I found a few cute storage boxes online, which are perfect for containing the smaller items.

All of my ribbon found a home on a tension rod. Now they are out of the way but I'm still able to see and access them if I need to.

I couldn't fit everything that I have but I was able to fit a lot of the things I use most often.

I love the way it turned out. It's not the most glamorous reveal but seeing all of my stuff all contained together is a thing of beauty to me.

The best thing is that I don't have to run to the basement every time I need something.

Oh...and the fact that I can just close the doors when I'm done for the day.

Now I just need to finish up the studio redo so I can share the whole space.

More furniture makeovers

• DIY Dresser Makeover in Navy - how I took a beat up Goodwill dresser and turned it into a stunner.

How to make a DIY clothes rod for your closet with a scrap piece of copper. An easy DIY project that gives you hanging space for clothes in a small closet. 

One of the biggest projects to date in our little cottage was the new bedroom closet, as well as a brand new tiny powder room that we created out of a small bedroom closet.

I was happy to have all of the big projects done, like the pretty wallpaper, but one small detail was missing. I needed something in the new closet that would hold our wet, clean clothes so they could easily dry.

My solution was to use a sliding clothes rod.

I had the idea to put one in the closet way before we started the powder room construction. I just never got around to it.

Why do you need a sliding clothes rod?

To hang wet laundry on to dry.

You know...those delicates that can't go in the dryer.

Our laundry is in our unfinished basement so I'm always schlepping my delicates upstairs to hang them to dry. The problem is that we only have 3 tiny closets in the whole house.

They're all filled to the max right now so there's no good place to hang them.

That's where a sliding clothes rod comes into play.

I started looking but never pulled the trigger. The ones I found online seemed pretty pricey and they were way too short for my needs.

There just wasn't a lot of room on the store-bought versions to fit several hangers.

Not finding what I wanted online, I decided to make my own custom rod.

A quick trip to the home improvement store and I came home with all the makings for a custom copper pipe sliding clothes rod.

Some of the supplies I already had on hand, like the spray paint, wood screws and a 5' piece of pipe, so it only cost me a few bucks for copper tube straps and a cap.

Supplies

• ¾" copper pipe (60 inches in length)
• 4, ¾" copper tube straps
• ¾" copper tube cap
• pipe cutter
• #8 flat washers
• 3" wood screws
• file
• drill
• copper spray paint

Making a sliding closet rod

Step #1

I had to use wood screws and washers, and I knew they would be visible so I gave them a quick coat of copper spray paint.

Once they were dry I was ready to start installing my sliding rod.

Step #2

The first thing we had to do was to determine the length of the rod. We did this by taking the measurement from the back wall of the closet to the outside trim.

With the measurement taken I used a pipe cutter to cut the copper pipe down to size. I used the file to smooth the cut end and remove the burrs.

Step #3

Next, I attached the copper tube cap on the end of the pipe that was going to be sticking out of the closet.

Step #4

Mounting the copper tube straps was our next step. We screwed the first strap, the one closest to the outside of the closet, in place about an inch back from the front edge (with our copper painted wood screws).

The next strap installed was the one closest to the back of the closet. The goal was to make sure the pipe was supported when it was pulled out so we took half the distance of the pipe length (15") and mounted that tube strap 15" from the front strap.

You also want to make sure that the back tube strap is level with the front strap.

Next, we slid the copper pipe in the tube straps. Then we mounted 2 more straps between the the front and back strap.

The straps were mounted equal distance between the front and back strap. They also need to be centered up and down so that the pipe could move freely.

After we mounted all the straps, we realized that the pipe was a little snug sliding in and out. To fix this we added spacers under the tube straps, which were our copper painted washers.

We ended up using between 2 and 3 washers under each side of each strap.

Step #5

Once the copper pipe was installed I found that it kept hitting the back wall when it was pushed in.

My new wallpaper wouldn't last long with a pipe hitting it, so I added a small screw near the back wall. It was an easy fix, and it's completely hidden from view.

With the addition of the screw, the pipe ended up sticking out of the closet and I couldn't close the door. A quick trim with the pipe cutter and it fit perfectly.

That's it!

We have a new custom sliding closet rod that cost under $15 and we were able to install it all in less than 30 minutes.

Now I have plenty of space to hang my clothes to dry and it's been really helpful when we're packing for a trip.

A win-win!

A long overdue update on our DIY squirrel-proof bird feeder pole and how it's holding up, plus a video.

Three years have passed since I shared the $5 DIY bird feeder pole that I made for our backyard deck. Time flies! (pun intended)

We've learned a thing or two since we first installed it so I thought it was time for an update.

Once our cool new bird feeder pole was installed all was well and we happily watched the birds...until the squirrels came to check out the buffet.

We had to come up with a solution...fast.

How do I stop squirrels from climbing my bird feeder pole?

That's the million dollar question!

It took them a few days but once they figured out how to get up the pole there was no stopping them. I tried to grease the pole but nothing worked.

Our DIY pole and feeder are out in the open, about 30 feet off the ground, so the only way the squirrels can get to it is by climbing the pole.

We had to find a way to stop them from climbing up and the only thing I could think to try was a squirrel baffle. We had nothing to lose!

I found a see-through plastic baffle at the store so we brought it home and installed it on the bird feeder pole. Then we waited.

The squirrels tried to climb the pole and jump up over the baffle to the feeder so we had to make a few more modifications to the feeder pole.

A bit of PVC pipe did the trick.

Our squirrel-proof bird feeder pole was a success!

For a little while anyway.

The squirrels didn't come back but the sun did do a number on the baffle. It just ate away at the plastic and the baffle disintegrated.

After a year and a half it was time to find a replacement.

This time we went with a galvanized steel baffle. It was a bit pricey but it will never break down from the sun and won't rust.

So far, so good. It still looks like new after a year and a half and best of all, no squirrels.

A bit of an expensive lesson but it's been worth it.

We've really enjoyed watching the birds at the feeder, and the squirrels come around to pick up the dropped seeds on the ground.

A win/win for everyone.

Filling the bird feeder

Since the feeder pole is homemade and a bit unique, I made a video to show how easy it is to fill. The feeder stands 30 feet off the ground so we had to get creative.

Make sure you watch the video.

Old door knob replacement for a thin closet door that won't close properly...and stay closed.

We've lived in our 1946 stone cottage for 5 years now and we've slowly been updating all of the old, worn-out door hardware.

We had beautiful old glass door knobs but many were broken and not in working order. Not only that but most of the door hinges have been painted over with many coats of different colored paints.

We debated on updating with refurbished old glass knobs but in the end we decided to go with new.

The first room to get done was the bathroom.

The basement and two guest bedrooms soon followed. Each door got new knobs and new door hinges.

Recently I worked on the last room, the master bedroom and closet. Both doors were in desperate need of new door knobs, as well as hinges and door stops.

All of the doors were challenging, to say the least, but 2 of the closet doors required a bit of cheating.

So...the bathroom closet door and bedroom closet door are thinner than a standard door. What I quickly learned was that a standard door knob just wouldn't work on a door that is only a little over an inch thick.

After a bit of thought I decided to try a double dummy door knob for each closet. It was an easy installation and I didn't have to drill a large hole in the door.

Once I installed the door knobs I worked on getting the door to close...and stay closed. Both doors have never really stayed closed since we moved in, which drove me crazy.

My little idea to fix the problem was to use an adjustable ball catch latch.

Supplies to replace vintage door knobs on a closet

• double dummy door knob
• drill
• screw driver
• pencil
• chisel
• hammer
• adjustable ball catch latch
• toothpicks
• wood glue
• nippers

Installing Glass Door Knobs

The way it works is that the ball catch latch catches on the strike plate and keeps the door closed. The nice thing about it is that it can be adjusted by twisting the ball to the length you need.

It was the perfect solution for our thinner doors!

So, once the dummy door knobs were installed I worked on the ball catch latch. I had to use the hammer and chisel to carve out the door and the door jamb so that the latch and strike plate would fit.

After I chiseled the door I had to fix the screw holes. Remember our cottage is 80 years old so the screw holes have seen a lot of action.

To fix the holes I just used our tried and true toothpick trick.

I just rolled a few toothpicks in wood glue and stuck them in the screw holes. Then I took a hammer and lightly tapped the toothpicks in.

Next I trimmed the toothpicks with a pair of nippers and hammered in the toothpick stubs.

Now I was ready to install the ball catch latch.

I know...the latch doesn't really line up with the bathroom door knob but I wasn't going to repair the old holes to make new. I chalk it up to the quirks of living in an older home.

Once the door knobs and latches were installed I moved on to the door hinges.

After all was said and done I have 2 closet doors that close tight, and stay shut.

And after 5 years, all of the doors in the cottage are completely done and in working order. Ready for the next 80 years.

Check out our other door knob and hinges posts

• Replacing Old Door Knobs and Hinges
• Updating Old Doors with New Glass Door Knobs
• Replacing a Basement Door for Free