As the end of the month approaches, the clocks go back and the darker evenings close in, I am becoming obsessed with burning candles around my home (even during the day, which makes a dreary, rainy day that much cosier). These mini pumpkin tea light holders could not be more seasonal, would make a great decoration for halloween parties and they are so simple to make. They will last about two weeks before they start to decay. This is going to be the briefest of posts as we’re into the sixth day of no internet here so I’m tethering from my phone and there’s barely any 3G! Grrrr!

Anyhoo, here’s how I did it…

You will need:

Mini pumpkins (they are available from supermarkets but you can find a much better range at local markets or florists)

Tea light candles

Sharp knife

Tutorial:

Step 1: Choose pumpkins that will stand up by themselves and not roll onto their sides.

Step 2: Start carving out a hole at the top. Start with a small hole and use the tea light to figure out how much more to cut away. Be careful not to make the hole too big, gradually carve away as much as is needed, otherwise your tea light will not be supported.

Step 3: Scoop out the inside of the pumpkin as this will help to delay the decaying process.

Step 4: Wedge your tea light into the hole (it should be a tight fit so it doesn’t slip around inside).

All ready for an Autumnal candle-lit evening at home. I love this little jar lined with old pics of my mum, granny and uncle. The Physalis (or I’ve always known them as Chinese Lanterns) always makes me think of October and Halloween and looks so striking when displayed at home.

Happy Autumn evenings.

Katy x

Today’s DIY is as easy as it gets, but I have not finished it off as I just can’t decide what colour I want it to be, so I want your helps and ideas! However, I sometimes think it’s useful, if you are going to try this yourself, to see the blank canvas so you can make your own decisions about the finish that you want, instead of being influenced by someone else’s tastes.

Last week’s Ask Apartment Apothecary was full of ideas for storage for children’s rooms. I suggested that a crate on castors would make an excellent toy box, especially if it were painted in chalkboard paint so children could scribble all over it. I have made my own crate on castors to store our wellies in our hallway, as we wear them everyday to take Otto for walks. I am trying to decide whether to leave the crate it as it is, paint the inside, paint the outside or line with wallpaper and varnish etc. I need to mull it over for a while longer so I just want to share how to attach the castors and where to source everything.

You will need:

Crate – don’t spend a fortune as you can get wine boxes for free if you ask at most wine shops. Generally, wine boxes measure 50 (L) x 38 (W) x 18 (H).

Castors – I chose 41mm light duty swivel castors, which cost £1.29.

Wood glue

Four blocks of wood to screw the castors into (they therefore neeed to be slightly bigger than the castors and deep enough for the screws)

Four screws to fit the castors

Your choice of paint or paper to finish off the crate, or just leave it as it is.

Tutorial:

1. Stick the blocks of wood with the wood glue onto the base of the crate in the four corners.

2. Once the glue has dried, screw the castors into the blocks of wood. You can’t screw the castors straight into the base of the crate because the wood is too thin.

3. Finish as you desire. See, I told you it was easy!

So, how do you think I should finish mine? It’s going to sit underneath our hallway table, that you can see below.

If you’ve got any good ideas, please leave a suggestion in the comments section 🙂

Katy x