KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:04): Hello, and welcome to Kathleen Can Do It, the DIY podcast celebrating the fun and fails of doing it yourself. I'm Kathleen Heaney.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:13): And I'm Kathleen Martin.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:14): And we're just two Kathleen's scavenging for Thanksgiving decor in their backyards.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:19): If you don't have a backyard, your neighbor's backyard, the side of the road, wherever.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:23): Yeah, or the park.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:24): Yeah, the park's good.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:25): The park is public domain.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:26): In this episode we are discussing holiday decorations that you can DIY in a pinch. Family coming over last minute? We got you.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:35): Yes, we do. But first, before we get into that, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:39): Yes.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:39): I have a Thanksgiving calamity.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:42): You have been teasing this and I can't wait to hear it.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:46): I know, I keep texting you about it and I'm like, no, no, I'm not going to tell you until I tell you on the pod.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:50): Correct.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:51): I have offered to host Thanksgiving dinner, not at my house.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (00:58): Oh no.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (00:59): I've offered to host it at my mom's house. And while she's so happy to have lots of people over, gentle listeners, you should know that we're still in the process of renovating my mom's house. I have not yet finished restoring her dining room table, so she has no tables, she has almost no chairs to sit in, and the dining room, I still have plastic sheets up because I'm refinishing the window sills in there, they're not done. The bathroom door is off the hinges, because I'm refinishing that, there's no rug laid down basically anywhere in her house. She has couches, but not enough of them for the amount of people that I have invited over.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (01:44): Wait, so you didn't run and by her, you just offered, but also told everyone at the same time you're offering?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (01:51): It spiraled, Kathleen, okay? It was two people, and then someone else overheard and was like, "I want to come," and then... I mean, it's all family, it's my husband's side of the family, and my mom loves that.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (02:03): Oh, it's not even your mom's side of the family, Neil's family is coming to your mom's.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (02:08): Yeah, and she found out when I started ordering extra wine glasses and chairs and ottomans and stuff to her house. I have been spending money like a squirrel scavenging for acorns to satisfy itself for the winter, I am in such debt right now because I accidentally invited 16 people over to my mom's house for Thanksgiving.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (02:33): Oopsies.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (02:35): Oopsies. So I am now freaking out, I need table decor, I need decor for her house, and I have to do this on a dime because I have no more money left over.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (02:46): Story of my life.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (02:47): Even 20 wine glasses for Ikea, that still adds up.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (02:50): Yeah, it all adds up.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (02:53): Okay.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (02:53): Want to know what instantly popped into my head, I was thinking of it earlier, plywood on saw horses with a tablecloth, would anyone know it's not a real table?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (03:00): No, you're totally right.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (03:01): Right? I think that can be a super easy just pop it up extra table.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (03:05): Yeah. And thinking about this, I'm refinishing my mom's dining room table from the 90s, that really yellowy oak looking finish That was popular back then, and it's not a perfectly square table, and in my mind I'm like, in the future I'm only going to buy square tables because then you can line them up with other tables and throw a big tablecloth over them, it's tough when the tables aren't the same shape. So I'm going to have, I don't know if I'm going to do tablecloths, I guess I have to, the tables don't match, and it's going to be a waterfall effect, because not even all the tables are the same height. It's so crazy.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (03:39): Well, later in the episode I'm going to give you my Thanksgiving on wheels hack.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (03:44): Yes.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (03:44): So this could be something that you could use for your impromptu big get together.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (03:48): This is what I have to finish before people come over. What's today? Today is November what?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (03:52): 15th?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (03:53): 15th?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (03:54): Yes.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (03:55): When is Thanksgiving

KATHLEEN MARTIN (03:56): 24th, it's early.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (03:57): So I have less than 10 days at this point.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (04:00): Nine days.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (04:01): I have to move into my mom's house for a couple of days and literally just work around the clock, stripping wood, finishing projects that took me last year six months to finish, I have to supersize my efforts.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (04:14): I am seriously worried for you.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (04:16): And get it all done, and freaking decorated, and do the food shopping, and I don't know what I'm going to do.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (04:22): You're screwed.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (04:23): It's like that meme, "Well, well well, the consequences of my own actions." Always.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (04:29): But my motto is without a deadline nothing gets done.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (04:33): That's true.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (04:33): So this is a good push. But also, I would prioritize the food and maybe the overall aesthetic, and less the windowsill.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (04:43): Overall aesthetic literally means everything.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (04:46): Well, I just mean maybe people aren't staring at the window casings and they will be staring at the food.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (04:53): Oh no, you're right, you're right, I need to prioritize. Maybe I should just get some curtains to cover up those windows.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (04:58): Just put caution tape on it, don't touch it.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:01): You can put some gold glitter on that.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:04): Just cover everything in glitter, you'll never know.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:06): So what are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:08): I am the youngest of six, and we're all married, and there are 13 grandchildren.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:14): Holy mackerel.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:16): And we all live in New Jersey except for my one brother lives in New York, but close enough to come. So everyone is local-ish. My mom, for the last, my parents have been married 53 years, I think.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:29): Holy mackerel.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:30): Yeah, they got married at 19, so for the last 50 years my mom has been cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:36): Wait, your parents got married when they were 19 years old?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:38): 19, yeah.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:39): And your mom has cooked dinner every single year?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:43): My mom cooks dinner every single night, and she's made Thanksgiving every single year for the last 53 years.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:50): The whole dinner herself?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:52): Yeah, so that's the thing, my mom cooks everything herself.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:55): Oh my God.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:56): Doesn't ask for help.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (05:57): What?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (05:57): She just powers through it, she'll start days in advance.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (06:01): She's a freaking Thanksgiving champion.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (06:03): She is, she deserves a medal. Even still, I live close, so I'll go over on the Wednesday and help her with some things.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (06:09): Yeah.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (06:10): But this year she decided, rightfully so, to ask for help and to have people bring a side. So I don't cook, I don't know if you know about me, but I don't cook, I hate cooking, I'm horrible at it.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (06:22): That doesn't come as a shocker to me because literally just a few minutes ago I saw you measuring a baking pan with a, what do you call that? A measuring tape?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (06:32): Tape measure.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (06:34): Yeah, like a construction measuring tape.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (06:36): I didn't have an 8x8 pan so I didn't know if 7.5x11 was going to work.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (06:41): What is 8x8? How many inches is this?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (06:44): It was a rectangle so I knew it wasn't a square, I don't know the rules. And that's why I'm panicking to pick a Thanksgiving side. I'm looking for help, if you have an easy but delicious Thanksgiving side. I feel like everyone has that one hit that they bring, so I'm looking for that.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (07:00): I'm sorry, but I think that you need more than help, I think you need divine intervention.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (07:06): I do.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (07:06): So if you have an easy dish that's so stupid easy that Kathleen Martin can do it.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (07:11): Even Kathleen can do it. Kathleen can do it.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (07:14): Well, I mean, this Kathleen can do it, but that Kathleen can't do it. So you're pretty lucky, you never get stuck hosting anything.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (07:20): No one would want me to, no, no, I cannot host. I'm only just learning how to host, in the sense that something that I think comes easily to you. Like Brian's brother and his partner came over and I was like, okay, offer a drink and bring a snack to them and tell them to sit down, things that I've just never done.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (07:41): I love hosting, but I always have the best intentions of having my home perfectly clean and having a gorgeous table, and the last big dinner I hosted a holiday dinner was Christmas Eve last year, and I forgot to wash the napkins. I'm very into cloth napkins, because I like sustainability, and also I think it's a great way to add a pop of color to your table.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (08:06): Yeah, looks nice.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (08:07): So I have these gorgeous magenta and dark red napkins that translate for any holiday, almost. They're great for the fall, every holiday in the fall, and I can also get away with using them for Valentine's Day, because they've got shades of red in them and stuff.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (08:22): Yeah. As a lipstick wearer, cloth napkins freak me out. Don't ruin the napkin, Kathleen, they're like, don't invite her over again, miss lipstick face.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (08:31): And you pat your lips, your lipstick lips, with a paper napkin and all of a sudden you look like the guy from Home Alone after he gets covered in the feathers, all these little shards of paper hanging off. So I forgot to watch the napkins, I had grandiose ideas of having a great table, and really I was just throwing everything together at the last minute, and tossing napkins to people in my family they do t-shirts at basketball games.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (08:56): Straight out of the dryer?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (08:57): Yeah, "You get one, you get one, you get one." So I know that I need to very meticulously plan out my DIY Thanksgiving tablescape for this ramshackle of a Thanksgiving that I'm putting together at my mom's house this year.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (09:11): Yeah, so let's go over some easy decor tips that you can do at home.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (09:15): I was browsing Pinterest.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (09:17): As we do.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (09:18): Something that I think is so ridiculous, and listen, I don't want to get down, I don't want to yuck anybody's yum, but painted acorns are a thing. Did you know what people are-

KATHLEEN MARTIN (09:30): I mean, they're so small.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (09:31): Hand painting their acorns?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (09:33): So are they faux acorn that's proportionally larger than it is to give you something to paint? Or are you just getting an acorn outside and painting it?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (09:40): Yeah, they're picking up acorns from their backyard, hand painting them, and then putting them in some sort of glass jar.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (09:49): No, they're too small.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (09:49): I mean, to me that's just, that's insane in the membrane.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (09:52): I don't think it's enough bang for your buck because they're so tiny, and once you paint them they really lose the quality of what they are because they're so small. I don't think that's worth it.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:01): Do you know that acorns are poisonous to humans?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:04): No.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:04): Yeah, we shouldn't-

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:05): Don't they have acorn soup?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:07): Acorn squash, my friend, acorn squash.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:10): I thoroughly love stepping on an acorn though. Do you know that weird habit where you go out of your way on the sidewalk just to step on an acorn?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:19): Wait, what?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:19): Yeah, everyone does.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:21): You crunch it? You're like an acorn serial killer or something. I know what you're talking about, but I don't go out of my way to do that.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:27): Yeah, me either. Who does that? No one does that.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:29): Okay, so let's talk about leaves for a second, leaves and pine cones.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:33): Mm-hmm.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:34): Find them in the backyard, bring them inside, wash them off as best you can, maybe sponge them off like you do a mushroom, you're not supposed to really thoroughly wash mushrooms.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:43): I don't like mushrooms.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:44): They absorb water and then when you're cooking them it doesn't-

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:48): Oh God, I hate mushrooms to begin with, let alone the thought of a soggy mushroom.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:53): A couple years ago I went to the park, I picked some leaves, had spray paint with me in the park.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (10:58): Of course, in your purse.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (10:59): In my purse, I spray painted these leaves gold, and then I brought them home and I put them in picture frames.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (11:04): Why in a picture frame?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (11:06): I don't know, I thought it was cute at the time.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (11:08): Dear diary, I put a leaf in picture frame.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (11:11): How dare you, how dare you chastise me.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (11:13): It's beautiful.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (11:14): It was early in my DIY career, okay?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (11:17): We've all evolved.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (11:18): Okay, but in terms of table decor, here's the thing, before we get into this, we have to address the elephant in the room.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (11:24): What's that?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (11:24): Thanksgiving decor lends itself to an aesthetic that neither you nor I really subscribe to.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (11:31): Rustic.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (11:32): Very rustic, very farmhouse. But I think that there are ways to put pops of color into the rustic decor that comes up automatically when you type Thanksgiving table decor into Pinterest. Picture this Kathleen.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (11:47): Okay.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (11:47): You have all of these leaves in some different shapes, you spray paint them in rich fall colors, like aubergine, and a deep magenta, or a paprika.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:02): Yes.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:03): And then you have still fall elements, but you have that beautiful table, that beautiful center down the middle of the table with color.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:11): I know both you and I subscribe to the notion that decor does not need to be in traditional colors.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:16): No.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:17): So taking the elements, but mixing up the colors.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:19): Screw traditional colors.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:21): Here here. Please describe aubergine, what color is that?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:25): Oh, I think that's what they call eggplant in England.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:28): Oh, I should have learned that on Great British Bake Off.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:31): Yeah.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:32): Yes, that is, okay.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:33): And aubergine is a dark purple... Nope, uh-uh, that's not there.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:38): It was close. No, I think that's a great idea, I think taking elements and putting a twist on them. And there's so much opportunity in your backyard and the park of finding things for free.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:50): Yeah, I hope the things in the park are free, you're not going to buy drugs in the park and then use it as your table decor.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (12:56): What?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (12:57): To each their own. I put together a color palette of Rust-Oleum colors, all in satin because I'm not about that shiny life. We'll link it in our show notes, but I think a really great palette would be paprika, aubergine, rustic orange, and magenta, all in the satin, it is key that they are the same finish.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (13:15): And throw in that pop of gold, you're set.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (13:17): Yes. Do you have a favorite gold spray paint that you like?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (13:20): Of course I have a favorite gold spray paint, do I DIY?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (13:23): Oh, please do tell, because not all gold spray paints are created equal.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (13:27): No, they're not. I did a lot of research because I sprayed my kitchen knob, and actually the hinges, in gold, I wanted to find best gold. So when in doubt Google best gold spray paint, so I would have two that I recommend. Rust-Oleum is always a trusted brand, so in their metallic range there's one called Pure Gold. And you might be worried that that would be a very harsh, shiny finish, it's not.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (13:48): Oh, good to know.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (13:50): Another brand that I like, and I got this at Michael's, it's called Design Masters.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (13:54): Oh, it's named after us.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (13:55): Yeah, that color is called Brilliant Gold, because there's rose gold, and more yellowy gold.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (14:01): Florence gold.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (14:02): This is just a soft, nice gold. Another idea that I had, listen to this, I actually, okay, I lied, this is not my idea, I saw this online. Did you own a blanket scarf, or do you still own a plaid blanket scarf?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (14:17): I mean, I was alive in the year 2015, so yeah, plaid blanket scarfs.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (14:21): It was camel colored and it had green and red. Someone used that as the runner of a tablescape, it does lean more farmhouse-y and more traditional, but my blanket scarf was big enough for a picnic, so fold it in half a few times, you put it down the center, and a very interesting way to just, something you probably already have, to use as the base, then you put some leaves. And then number one, I think, multifunctional decor for the holidays are candles. Throw some candles on top, instantly festive.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (14:53): So before we started recording today, you and I were looking up, and I purchased them actually, flameless candles.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (15:00): Yeah.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (15:01): And I'll tell you why. I know that real candles, it's like this fake flower, real flower type thing, it's a very divisive topic, some people are anti-fake flowers to their core.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (15:14): Right.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (15:14): Okay, another divisive one for the holidays, do you put up your Christmas tree before Thanksgiving or after Thanksgiving? Go.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (15:22): I put it up after, but I feel extreme Instagram pressure to put it up yesterday.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (15:27): Yes.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (15:28): I think I've already missed the window, I feel behind.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (15:32): All of the influencers, they all have the same transition their home video.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (15:38): November 1st.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (15:39): Where the pumpkins, they push the pumpkins out the door, and then the video shows them waving a wand and their tree is already magically up, and I'm like, ah, the pressure.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (15:51): Yeah, I was never that way, but I think I'm going to slowly evolve to be that way.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (15:55): I know. This is my take on it, put the tree up before Thanksgiving, especially if you're having people over, because it creates ambiance. Don't decorate it, lights only.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (16:08): Interesting.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (16:09): And minimal lights. I go way out on the lights, I put so much lights on my tree, minimal lights until December 1st.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (16:16): You could even decorate it for fall.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (16:18): You know what? You could, you could hand paint acorns and then hang them on your freaking tree.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (16:23): That's true.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (16:25): Okay, back to candles. Are you a candle purist?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (16:27): I actually go both ways. So my fireplace doesn't work, it was not approved for real logs.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (16:35): The fireplace that we're sitting right next to right now?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (16:37): Right here. Big fan of putting both real or faux candles in there, adds a lot of warmth and ambiance.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (16:45): Yeah.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (16:45): And faux candles have evolved so much. I know that my mom has ones that she got at Costco where it has the flame, and it has a fan that makes this faux flame move.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (16:58): What, built into the candle?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (16:59): Yeah. They have one that's either cloth, or whatever it is, and it actually moves, which is cool, and I like the ones that have sometimes a faux melted edge.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (17:09): Yes.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (17:09): So from a far you really couldn't tell.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (17:11): You can't tell.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (17:11): And sometimes even the ones that are obviously faux is still fine too, because maybe you have kids, you have pets, cats that are going to light the house on fire.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (17:21): Yeah. I mean, one year, I remember, I think I have a tapered candle fear at the dining room table, because one year my aunt knocked it over and she almost set the whole table on fire. It spilled into somebody's, somebody had straight vodka in their glass, or something.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (17:37): What a family get together.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (17:41): I know, listen.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (17:42): Is it water? Yeah, until it catches on fire like a bomb.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (17:46): We're Irish, that's how we do it, just a little subtle glass of vodka, straight like the models drink it. So I really don't real tapered candles at the table, but the ones that they're showing these days, I was in Urban Outfitters the other day, and they have these really cool funky looking candles in all these amazing shapes and colors.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (18:09): They have so many good ones, but then it goes into the dilemma of do you burn it?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (18:13): Yeah.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (18:14): Because some of these super beautiful ones are expensive.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (18:17): I know.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (18:17): And now you feel bad burning them because it's like white sneakers, you're like, I can't get these dirty, you don't want to burn your beautiful candles.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (18:25): I know, but you know what? Then one day you turn 70 and you wake up and your urban outfitters candles have never been burned and you're like, why did I wait my whole life to do this?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (18:34): Then you die and then you never burn them. Yeah, burn the candles. I was actually telling you earlier, every single night that my mom's cooked dinner for 53 years, we have four tapered candles on the table.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (18:44): Real candles?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (18:45): Real candles, every single night, no matter what.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (18:47): Wow.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (18:48): I know, right? But it's also, it's easy, it's not something overly complex, but it's something I grew up with, it adds warmth, I like it.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (18:55): I'm sitting here, I'm like, Kathleen, I need to make some noise, I'm sitting here with my mouth open, I think your mom might be my hero.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (19:01): She's my hero, she's a badass, she does everything, raised six kids, stay at home mom, then turned into an art teacher, she's done it all.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (19:09): Oh, and I love a good casual yet fanciful table. I have this idea, so the tapered candles that I just bought on Amazon, we will link them in our show notes on our website as well. Think about this, it's easy enough to buy candle wax, because a lot of people are into candle making these days.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (19:27): Okay.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (19:28): Right? You're looking at me like you don't know this.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (19:30): I mean, I don't know where this is going, it's easy enough to buy candle wax, continue.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (19:35): Yeah, don't you have friends, crafty friends who are really into making their own organic soy candles?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (19:42): I'm sure there's one out there.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (19:44): My friends are. Anyway, and so I have this idea to get plain candle wax.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (19:50): I think I know where this is going, continue.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (19:50): Okay, plain candle wax, get a little, I don't know how you color candle wax, dye, candle dye, I'm sure you can buy everything either at Michael's or on Amazon, whatever.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (19:59): Right.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (20:00): Take your tapered faux candles with the flicker, dip the candle part, the actual candlestick, into candle wax in a cool color that you like, because usually when you buy these flameless candles they come in only white.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (20:14): That's cool, okay, that's not where I thought this was going.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (20:17): Right? And you could even take a little eyedropper and do that faux drip down the side with-

KATHLEEN MARTIN (20:22): That's what I thought you were going to say.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (20:24): With real candle wax.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (20:26): Okay, I like the full dip, I thought you were going to say just drip a tiny bit at the top to look like it been melting.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (20:31): Oh no, I'm not that basic.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (20:32): But I think that dipping the whole thing is actually a very interesting idea, okay, yeah.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (20:37): Really clever, and also you prevent fires.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (20:43): Yes, that is true. No, I like that idea.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (20:46): And something else that you were talking about before we started recording today was the idea of repurposing pumpkins that you already bought for Halloween.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (20:55): So I actually wanted to do this for Halloween in the same idea of I didn't want the traditional orange, doesn't always vibe with our decor.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (21:03): Yeah, because we like color, we like bright, flashy colors, and pumpkins, unfortunately, don't come in fire engine red, or whatever.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (21:10): Right. So I wanted to, instead of taking a live pumpkin, a real natural pumpkin and painting it, I wanted to paint a faux one so it would last forever. So I ordered some, and I was all pumped, I went to pick it up, and the person was like, "I canceled that order," I'm like, meh.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (21:25): Oh, why?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (21:27): I guess they were out, and of course it was the day before Halloween, so I was really, really behind.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (21:32): I mean, they start selling those faux pumpkins in stores like Michael's, or whatever, craft store-

KATHLEEN MARTIN (21:37): July.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (21:37): Yeah, in July, it's really crazy.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (21:39): So I wasn't able to do it, but I'm sure there are some people at home that have faux pumpkins, so I was thinking you could make it multipurpose and you could give it a spray paint of gold and then it turns from just Halloween to Thanksgiving, or either.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (21:57): Use it for both.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (21:58): Yeah, I think it becomes a little bit of both, it's less Jack-o'-lantern and it's more multipurpose.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (22:05): I love the idea of finding, especially in the fall, so you're not spending so much money on very specific items for every single holiday, an investment item to add to your list of things you want to get for Black Friday, because these types of items will definitely be on sale, I love a really thick faux eucalyptus garland.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (22:29): Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (22:30): Because you can use it for any holiday, you can use it all year round. What I like about eucalyptus garlands is that usually the leaves are a pretty bright green, and the leaves are nice and thick, like a big wide circle leaf, and so it packs a lot of punch.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (22:47): I think that's genius. Instead of buying the Christmas garland, the Thanksgiving garland, the spring garland, you start with a neutral green base and then you can jazz it up for every holiday. So how would you adjust it for Thanksgiving?

KATHLEEN HEANEY (23:03): Oh, I would go into my backyard, I would pick some pine cones, or go to the park, or whatever, get some pine cones and I would spray paint them in all different rich fall colors, and then I would use a little wire and tie it into my garland. There you go, then it's for Thanksgiving.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (23:21): Perfect.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (23:22): And then for Christmas it could just be, I don't know, pine cones that you spray red and green, or whatever.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (23:27): Or if you go somewhere that has a holly bush, so adding in the more traditional evergreens, I think you throw those in, and it instantly feels festive, Christmas-y.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (23:39): And garlands you can put anywhere.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (23:41): Yeah.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (23:41): Put them outside, you can put them down your banister, you can put them on your mantle.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (23:43): You could put them on your dog, you could put them on your mailman.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (23:47): My favorite, Thanksgiving, put them down the center of your table to create an instant centerpiece, pop in the pumpkins around it that you've repurposed from Halloween, mini-pumpkins, there you go.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (24:01): That's a great opportunity for the flameless candle, because you're not worried that any part of the garland is going to touch a real flame.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (24:08): Yes.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (24:08): So if a candle knocks over and you have that greenery, because we know dried greenery is a flame risk.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (24:15): Do you do a real tree or a fake Christmas tree?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (24:17): I never grew up with a real tree so I've always had a fake tree, and have a fake tree now. I think there's actually a lot of debate in this because you're like, oh, well a real tree is more green, literally, and sustainable. But the farming practices, and whatever. I saw something that was, and please, don't quote me on this, I don't actually know the stats.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (24:40): Yeah, hit the Googs yourself to really get the hard hitting facts.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (24:40): And do what feels right in your heart. But I love the post that always circulates around this time about, I think it's in Europe, where you can rent the same tree for seven years, and it's in a pot. So it's like depending on what size you need, if you have an apartment, you need something smaller, until it's full grown. So they keep it in the pot, you use it for the season, and then you give it back until it fully matures, and then, yes, it goes to tree heaven.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (25:08): It becomes paper, Ikea furniture, whatever.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (25:11): Yeah, yeah, it becomes paper, it gets composted.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (25:13): You know could do that in your own backyard too.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (25:15): Yeah.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (25:15): The big pot.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (25:16): Mm-hmm.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (25:16): Okay, so recently I started doing fake trees. I did real trees for years and years and years. What freaks me out about real trees now, I saw too many memes, holiday memes, where it's like, "Oh, I opened up my tree and all these spiders came out, now I can't live in my house anymore."

KATHLEEN MARTIN (25:32): Oh my God, I thought you were going to talk about the video of the tree catching fire, because that's terrifying.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (25:36): Wait, no, is there a video of a Christmas tree catching fire?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (25:39): See, I'm hesitant to even share this because people are very much team real tree, and there's many ways to do it safely, right? It's all about watering it. But if your tree is too dry, and this also had to do with old fashioned lights that weren't LED, and they got hot, you know in Christmas story where he's like, "It's sparking."

KATHLEEN HEANEY (25:56): Yeah, yeah.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (25:59): Things are much safer these days. But anyway, there is a very viral video of how quickly a tree can catch on fire, and I think it's within 60 seconds the room is black, within 30 seconds it has gone to the roof of the room, and not to discourage real trees, do what's in your heart.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (26:17): Just read up on some safety things first.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (26:19): Yeah, water, just water it.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (26:20): That reminds me, speaking of Christmas, a great way to do a table runner down the center of your table, you mentioned a blanket scarf, wrapping paper, a really neutral wrapping paper.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (26:31): Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (26:31): I know a lot of people will do a burlap runner, and I've done that in the past, it is a little too farmhouse-y for me, but I'm thinking that maybe if I dye it an interesting color I could do a burlap runner this year with some Rit dye. Will burlap pick up color?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (26:46): I think anything does, yeah, I'm team Rit dye.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (26:49): Just plain brown paper that you get from a craft store, run it down the center of the table, and then you can compost it, if it's compostable paper, which I think all brown paper is, after the holiday is over. Very neutral, but adds a lot of layer and texture to your table.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (27:05): I've seen examples of that where you do the whole table, and then it was cute, they drew a faux plate and in nice calligraphy did the name of the person sitting there.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (27:13): Ooh, I like that.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (27:14): So I have this idea, if you live in an apartment, a small space, or you're like us, we don't have a kitchen table or a dining room table right now, so we eat at the coffee table, every single meal.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (27:24): You know what, I don't think you're alone in that.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (27:27): So if you don't have that traditional place to host and you want to host, maybe you have a bar cart, bar cart on wheels, have this bar cart from Wayfair, we're going to link it, so it's too tiered and it's mirrored, which is nice.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (27:39): Oh yeah.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (27:40): Because it just brings the light into the room. Plenty of space for a few different things, so you could either A, put all the food on there and wheel it to wherever people are sitting. Maybe some people are in the living room, you roll it into there, some people are just hanging in the kitchen, you wheel it there, so I think that's a good option. Or it could be specifically just the desserts are being wheeled around. Or maybe you want to do it where you put all the plates centralized, so you put all the plates and the napkins and utensils in one place, it's a way to just centralize the food in an area that's movable if you don't have that traditional entertaining space.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (28:18): I love that, and you could wrap it with a little bit of eucalyptus garland.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (28:23): Yeah, no, I did that. I had a more traditional garland, but yeah, so you can wrap the handles.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (28:29): Put some fairy lights on it.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (28:30): Yes, that's something definitely want to mention, perfect for any holiday.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (28:34): Yes.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (28:35): It just adds instant coziness, and now they have the battery powered ones, so you don't even need to worry about an outlet.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (28:41): Oh, so discreet.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (28:43): So discreet, can't show your battery pack. It's typically a multiple wire, can put it wherever it needs to be, it just looks super festive. So that's great for a really quick table decor, or anywhere decor, mailman decor.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (28:55): Hang it on Tony.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (28:57): So we are going to link everything that we've talked about today, the garland, the string lights, the candles, paint, bar cart, you name it, probably some more, we'll throw in all that fun DIY decor for you to check out, it's linked in the show notes, and you can also head to Kathleencandoit.com where you'll see all those links as well.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (29:14): Give us a follow on Instagram @Kathleencandoit, and our Facebook group, Kathleen Can Do It DIY and Design, which is created as a space where people who listen to this podcast can go on, post pictures of their projects, get feedback from other listeners. We're just looking to build a really fun, wholesome DIY community.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (29:35): Really excited for this because if you follow us on Instagram, we have been shouting out listener DIYs.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (29:41): Yes.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (29:41): People that send us emails, or we're chatting with on Instagram, or send us voicemails, because that's an option too. But the Facebook group is a way that you can talk to each other. Making friends is cool.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (29:51): Kathleen, who is your favorite follow on Instagram this week?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (29:55): This week I want to shout out Reclaiming Lacy. So the handle is Reclaiming_Lacy.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (30:03): L-A-C-E-Y?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (30:04): It's just L-A-C-Y.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (30:06): Oh, okay, thanks for the clarification.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (30:07): So Lacy Lovell, hopefully I'm pronouncing her name right, what I love, listen to this bio. So first off the bat, love this, it says, "Come on over, we're healing trauma and turning a house into a home over here, let's build a life we love." What drew me to her account initially was a few months ago in the summer she built a greenhouse in her backyard

KATHLEEN HEANEY (30:26): From scratch?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (30:27): From scratch, it's beautiful, it's like this little gardening haven, and I know my husband Brian would die for that, because he's a big gardener, so really inspiring.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (30:38): So like a stepped up she shed?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (30:40): It has glass windows, she did reclaim windows.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (30:43): Oh my God.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (30:43): Having that little bit of sanctuary, that little bit of space to go to.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (30:47): Next level, very cool.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (30:48): But I also love, like in her bio, very open and honest dialogue about just mental health, and where she's at, and normalizing certain things

KATHLEEN HEANEY (30:58): Yeah, and healing trauma.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (30:59): Yeah, and just being real.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (31:01): Working with your hands and DIYing is a great way to step out of a traumatic experience or something that you're going through.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (31:08): And she's doing this beautiful ordinary November, every day post something totally ordinary, and seeing the beauty in ordinary life.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (31:15): Love that.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (31:16): So important.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (31:16): Yeah, because all I'm getting now is Christmas content, and I don't want it.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (31:20): Yes, so check out Lacy at Reclaiming_Lacy.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (31:24): And this week I am following Lenis Kram, L-E-N-I-S K-R-A-M. It's a woman named Lena, she's very whimsical, and her whole apartment, she's German, her whole apartment is just really bright primary colors, things like plates with faces on them, and sleek Scandinavian style. All of her furniture is in light wood, she has a lot of really cool floral funky arrangements in funky ceramic vases that are painted with colorful stripes. And something that I love that she does is that around her dining room table she has all of these different dining room chairs in different shapes, but painted in the same finish of a bright primary color. And I just am loving her account, it's bright and it's light and it's colorful @lenis, L-E-N-I-S-K-R-A-M.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (32:20): I did not follow her before, just went over there, instantly hit follow, it's very fun.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (32:26): Right?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (32:27): There's certain pages that you land on and it evokes happiness.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (32:31): Yeah, it does. So follow our social shout outs this week. Also, you can leave us a voicemail and you can text us, our phone number is (201) 378-3378.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (32:42): You can send us an email at hello@kathleencandoit.com.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (32:46): You can also follow us on Instagram, hello@kathleencandoit.com, and also our personal socials. Where can people follow you Kathleen Martin?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (32:54): @Createacolorfullife.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (32:56): And me, Kathleen Heaney, where can people follow me?

KATHLEEN MARTIN (32:58): @Kathleenlovescolor.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (33:01): And don't forget, if Kathleen can do it, you can do it too.

KATHLEEN MARTIN (33:05): If Kathleen can do it, you can do it too. Unless it's cooking, I can't do that.

KATHLEEN HEANEY (33:07): No, you're right, you can't do that. Gobble gobble.