Pumpkin Pennant

I'm hosting a pumpkin party at my house in a few weeks. "A Pumpkin Party? What is that?" you say. Well...basically its an excuse to hang out and have a party. I know most people go out on Halloween and I am NOT a Halloween party person- I am a Fall person. But that doesn't mean I can't find a way to combine them!

A Pumpkin Party at my house means: Come over, BYOB (bring your own pumpkin), eat pumpkin tasting goodies (will post more later) and carve your pumpkins at my house. I deal with the pumpkin mess, kids can have fun with a few simple games, and adults can spend time together laughing and probably taking over their kids carving :)

I'll be gone for a week right before the date, so I have started making decorations. A few weeks ago I walked around Target and picked up some plates that I thought were cute and that sort of set my party color scheme right off: Orange, Black, Brown and this Teal Blue <3.

Anyways...if your coming to the party, this is a spoiler. You get a look at what is to come (so maybe you'll be more excited to come!).

Pumpkin Pennant

Materials Needed

printer paper
pencil
ruler
scissors
1/2 yard sturdy fabric, I used burlap
approx 3 glue sticks
glue gun
newspaper
10 ft twine, ribbon, yarn etc...
Various color-complimentary scraps of fabric. You can also buy some pre arranged coordinating fabric at any craft store area: Walmart, Micheal's, Hobby Lobby...
small pumpkin cookie cutter
Stitch Witchery (optional)
needle and thread (optional)

1. Take 1 piece of printer paper and fold in half like a book. Using your ruler and pencil make the size pennant you would like. I made mine 5 1/2" wide by 7 1/2" long. Cut out template and trace on fabric. Cut pennants out.

2.  I cut out 12 pennants. I did the math to calculate a good foot length for my garland. 5.5 (pennant width) x 12 (cut out)= 66in. or 5.5 feet so far.

I wanted my pennant to have some hanging room so I added a foot to each end making it now 7.5 feet (90 in).

Lastly, I wanted the pennants to be evenly spaced so I figured I could round out the garland to 10 feet. 10-7.5=2.5feet or 30in. 30/12= 2.6 inch spaces between pennants.

Long story short, cut your twine 10 ft long if you want it like mine, otherwise you can do your own math.

3. Plug in the glue gun, lay out newspaper. Measure 12 inches of twine (or whatever your using), mark with pencil. Lay pennant under twine and add a zig-zag across the top. Line up mark at end of pennant, fold fabric over twine, pinch with fingers until set. If you are using burlap, I would suggest you get a cold glue gun so you don't burn your fingers as the glue may squeeze through.

4. Measure out 2.6in, mark and repeat until you have glued all your pennants to the twine. If you want some added cuteness and security, sew a running stitch through the folded fabric.

5. Get out your scraps, get comfortable, and trace. Trace 12-36 pumpkins (it's up to you how many you want to cut out and glue on pennants). I wanted a good variety of different shapes and sized pumpkins. Nature doesn't come in just one shape and size...so I found a lot of different kinds online and traced them right off my screen. If you want the same pumpkins that I used, I have a PDF file you can print out here.

Now cut out your pumpkins. You should have a nice variety of eclectic pumpkins.

6. Lay out your garland, and arrange pumpkins in a way you like. Hot glue them in place (or use some stitch witchery and iron them in place). Again, added cuteness/security, put a running stitch on pumpkins in contrasting colors.

7. Hang and get ready to make the next party decoration!

Trunk or Treat

Halloween is fast approaching. The blog-world is lighting up with decorations, party, and costume ideas. Store isles are stocked with candy, pumpkins, and scary skeletons that stare are you as you walk by. All of America is saying "IT'S CANDY TIME!"

But, how do you get your candy?

• Trick or Treating with your kids?
• "Boo!" Presents from anonymous friends?
• School or Church Carnivals?
• Maybe there is just a big bowl at work that you share with your co-workers?

However you get or giv your sweets, my new favorite tradition is 

Trunk or Treat.

Trunk or Treat is a growing trend in schools and churches as it offers minimal work with a big impact. You invite friends and family to park their cars (trucks, motorcycles, RV, stagecoach, whatever!), open their trunks and decorate the vehicles. The decorations and themes are on the participants; and they bring their own candy to hand out!The kids just walk up to the cars like they would houses and ask "Trick or Treat?" Best part is clean up, everyone packs up their car and drives home! Easy right?

Scary pig car (not ours)

Consider making your next Halloween Carnival a Trunk or Treat event. All you need are imaginative friends, an empty parking lot, and a little organization to get the word out.

Something else you can do to make the event even more interesting is to have a contest for best car, best costumes etc...The church I attend has a best car award. The award is a simple Dollar Store trophy with a toy car glued on top with it's trunk open.

I really want that trophy.

Last year, Mr. Beautiful and I went with a Grecian theme and I really thought we were going to win, but we didn't. We had a small canopy over our car, with drapes and chairs, full costumes, the whole works!

Halloween 2009

This year we're going as nerds. The car is going to be covered in science posters, books etc... and we're going to bring "science" stuff to play with and for kids to play with when they come up to the car. It's a very wallet friendly theme. We're also giving away mini tubs of play dough and coloring pages instead of candy.

That's what I'm going to be doing. What are you doing on Halloween?

Activity Board (Part One) Chalkboard Paint

I bought a table at IKEA, and it served me well. But months of putting to many heavy things on the table, dragging it around and I ended up Oops! breaking the cheap tables legs. 

I tried to fix the problems, but I had to face facts and give up on it continuing to being a table. 

BUT, that doesn't mean it can live on to be something else :)

My $20 table, farewell!

I took the table apart and kept everything. But the part I'm focusing on is the second shelf. It's solid, large piece of wood: 46"x26 1/2"

 

A can of chalkboard paint sprayed to one side, and a few hours later....I have a HUGE chalkboard for my son to play with.

I think he likes it.

Messy Feet!

There are a lot of options now a days when painting an activity board or message board for the house.

• Chalkboard paint comes in different colors, you can have it made for you or buy the kits and mix it at home. I've always love the classic black. Plus the left over paint be used in other places in the house.

Check out Frugal with a Flourish's 9 Ways to Use Chalkboard Paint. I love the gardening spoons!

• I could and (now that I think about it) SHOULD have painted magnetic paint on the board before I painted the chalkboard paint so it would have doubled as a work board.

• There is whiteboard paint, but I don't trust anyone under the age of 10 with markers :)

I won't tell you what I'm doing on the other side of the board, but you're welcome to guess what it is.

Beautiful Book Wreath

Ok folks, this is totally not my idea. In fact the person I stole this craft from stole it from someone else! But look at this thing...it's BEAUTIFUL!

I call it my Living with Lindsay wreath.

Head over to her website and see the full tutorial and even a video of the techniques she used. Simple-simple to make and it looks so sophisticated.

I just love the ripples and curves of paper all over.

This is also a great recycling craft to make. Before your going to throw out that old, worn book away; consider making this beautiful wreath for a friend or family.

Happy crafting!

Thank you Cow.

"I doubt whether the world holds for anyone more of a soul-stirring surprise then the first adventure with ice cream.-" Heywood Broun

Yesterday I was strolling through Target when I popped over to the end of the summer saving :) I splurged and bought an ice cream maker (75% off whoo-hoo!). It's nothing like the one I had as a kid. You know the kind. The big wooden tub and the tiny metal one inside, the freezing ice and salt sticking to your legs. You spend what seems like hours cranking and cranking that handle for your delicious summer reward: Ice Cream!

I went the easy route this time, it's automatic and takes approx 25 mins for delicious homemade desserts. But I was thinking...

Of all the ice cream machines out there, the world must really love this chilly treat to have it available year round and make it available to the masses. So I went online and wanted to find the ways we get our ice cream.

Store Bought

Homemade Popsicles (notice the fresh fruit!)

Electric Homemade

Ice Cream Ball

(looks fun, but very expensive for so little)

Ziploc Method

Coffee Can Method

Hand Cranky-Cranky

Local Ice Cream Man

Cake

And of course, there are hundreds of ways that we consume and manipulate this delectable dish from the classic cone, Sundae, bars, floats, sandwiches...and on and on

We feel like playing taste bud Gods when we invent new flavors and combinations that send our senses to heaven. I know I will be when I play around with my new ice cream maker!

So let me end in tribute to the cow, by which this dairy creation and millions of happy children are indebted to its service. Thank you cow.

Just because, isn't this Neapolitan cow too cute?
Just for "Mooo"re fun: Ice Cream History:
http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/ice_cream.htm
http://www.makeicecream.com/hisoficecrea.html