Painted Pumpkins - Fall Edition

Oh I have so many posts to get around to.  I have been baking up a storm during my maternity leave and have tried a variety of recipes I found on (or as a result of) Pinterest.  But I will start with the painted pumpkins I did for the front porch.  I wanted something quick and simple to distract from the hideous excuse for my garden, which I have not attended to this year for rather obvious reasons.  Previously, I have made more than a dozen painted pumpkins for Hallowe'en.  This year, I decided to paint a few for fall decor.

I wasn't sure how much crafting or baking I would get done during maternity leave.  Honestly, I find it easier to bake or cook because it naturally fits into most days.  However, painted pumpkins take very little time and with the baby wrap I was able to have little E with me for most of it (being very careful not to get paint on him, of course).  (Apparently he was camera shy here.)

I wanted rough lines for a more rustic look.  I only used tape on one of the smaller pumpkins but otherwise this was all free-hand.  I used gold and dark red for a nice autumn feel.  Here is a shot of the pumpkins after they were dry.

Here are a couple shots out on the front porch.  The floral arrangement is something I threw together last year with faux flowers from the dollar store and Michaels.

I should probably also show a close up of our current centrepiece on the kitchen table.  I switched it up for fall and used two types of dry beans to fill three square/angular vases of differing heights and finished it off with candles and a little bit of twine on the two smaller vases.

 

My next post will be the first to get on the with business of updating on the baking (chocolate cake, apple cake, pear cake, pumpkin pie, pudding cookies) and cooking (Philly Chicken Cheese Sandwiches, Chicken Pot Pie) that I have been doing lately.

I think I'm addicted...

...to making painted pumpkins.  I couldn't help myself, I saw a couple more designs I wanted to paint, so I bought two more faux pumpkins to paint and spent a couple hours this afternoon painting more pumpkins.  At this point, my husband just shakes his head, but secretly, I know he loves them too.

For materials and tools, you can look at two prior posts describing what I prefer to use ("I take my pumpkins painted, not carved" and "Hallowe'en - My favourite crafting time of year").

Of course I made another black and white one with a "scary" face (e.g., more traditional jack-o-lantern, sans the carving of course).  I broke with my usual design esthetic (black and white) and made a green one that is a little bit Frankenstein inspired.

Black and White:

(The picture on my ipod was the inspiration, I found it by Googling "halloween scary face design".)


Frankenkin:

Both:

I think I need help - but they're so fun to make...  I'll be sure to put up a picture of the whole collection together on the front porch for Hallowe'en.

Hallowe'en - My favourite crafting time of year

I know its a few weeks away, but I love Hallowe'en!  Always have and always will.  My love for Hallowe'en probably dates back to my childhood and the fact that my Dad always made a big deal.  In fact, he still does and throws an annual party.

Last year, I went crafting crazy for Hallowe'en. My absolute favourite item was painted pumpkins.  Rather than carve our jack-o-lanterns, I decided to paint funkins and gourds.

I preferred a simple black and white design and tried both "creepy" designs for the front door and classier designs for the inside.  I loved making them so much that I made more than a dozen and gave some to my parents (for the party's decorations) and to my in-laws.

Here is a list of the items that you will need to make painted pumpkins:

Funkins, real pumpkins (washed and dried) or gourds
Acrylic paints in your preferred colours
Brushes and sponges of various sizes and shapes
Ribbon
Tulle
Faux gems or decals

The internet was a great source for designs (as was anything Tim Burton), but my personal favourite (the skull) actually came from the emblem of my hubby's favourite knife manufacturer (hubby is a collector).  Here's last year's lot, lord knows I'll make more this year:

Yarn and Felt Wreath

I started making this wreath earlier this year, but only finished putting together the felt flowers.  Last year I made a dozen wreaths for friends and family, including two yarn and felt wreaths.  By the time I got ready to make this one, I got really busy with work and haven't touched it since.  With this weekend being a holiday, I have a little extra time to craft and decided to finish this one.

These are very easy to make but are time consuming, particularly wrapping the wreath.  For this design, I used the following materials:

- straw wreath (from Michael's)
- red and burgundy felt
- faux crystal sprigs
- white and red ribbon
- white yarn
- pearl head pins
- glue gun

As mentioned above, I had already created the felt flowers, so I can't show pictures of that process.  They are easy: just cut felt circles of different sizes.  For the roses, cut the circles in a spiral pattern and start rolling them together from the outside in and use the glue gun to glue the bottom to keep them together.  I wrapped a couple around the crystal sprigs.  For a different look, cut a rectangle of felt about 20 cm long, fold it in half and roll it up. Then cut the roll up, until you have a good number of pieces (as you can see below).

Here's a picture of the flowers I made for this wreath:

For the wreath itself, I start by looping some ribbon to create the loop that will ultimately hold the wreath.  Then, just wrap the entire wreath in the yarn (this takes a while, I think it took about two hours).

I decided to add some extra detail to this wreath by creating an argyle look with red ribbon.

Finally, the felt flowers are glued on in the preferred arrangement.  For extra stability, I placed a pearl head pin down the centre of each flower.

On another note, this week my hubby and I also finally got our next tattoos.  Rather than add a separate post, I figured I'd post it here.  As I'm both a lawyer and a Libra, I've wanted this design for years, but just hadn't gotten around to getting it done.  The hubby was getting a new piece on his arm and I was waiting, so I figured I could make better use of my time by getting the scales of justice done.  The artist added the Libra sign at the top.  

I love it!!!

With Fall Comes Wreaths

Last fall, my favourite items to make were wreaths.  It seemed like any spare time I had was spent making wreaths for our house, friends and family.  My particular favourite design typically used the following:

Grapevine wreath
Fall bouquets (mums etc.)
Faux berries
Maple leaves
Homemade bows using wired ribbon
Glue gun
Grosgrain or satin ribbon (1" wide)

Typically, I lay out the flowers on the wreath to get a sense of how many I will need and then I wrap the wreath with the grosgrain/satin.  I also would use the grosgrain/satin ribbon to create the loop for hanging.  Before gluing the flowers into place, I attach the bow (usually at the bottom) using flower wire.

Next, starting at the top and working my way down to the bow, alternating sides to keep the design even, I glue the flowers into place using the glue gun.  Finally, I glue the finishing pieces (berries, leaves) into place.

Here are a couple of designs from last falls (I'll add more when I make some this year):