Succulent Pumpkins

Recently, someone at work had one of these succulent pumpkins delivered and I thought it was so cute, but I had NOT idea how easy it was to make these!  I immediately started to research and bought the supplies.

I got two small pumpkins for less than $2 each at Trader Joe's.  I found some moss at the Dollar Tree, and I ordered 10 succulent cuttings off of Amazon.  

The key to picking a pumpkin, is picking one with a flat top.  And then, you add hot glue and press down the moss.  

Next, I added hot glue to the bottom of the succulents and pressed them into the moss.  This small pumpkin took about ten little succulent cuttings.  

I pulled off some of the bottom leaves of some of the succulent varieties.  After you get it arranged, you can spritz it with some water about once a week.  I've read that the succulents can take root, but regardless, these should last awhile b/c succulents are pretty forgiving.  When I'm ready to move from fall to Christmas decor, I'll probably try to slice off the top of the pumpkin where these lives and place it in a flowerpot and see what happens.

Free Halloween Tag

I made this last year to put on a drink I gave my secret sister, but....it was a secret all year, so I had to wait until this year to post!  You should be able to hit the link here for a free printable.  :)

Witchy Wood

Another quarantine craft finding it's way on my blog.  This was an old piece of wood in my back yard.  I cut the corners at the top off (b/c I saw something like this on pinterest).  I painted up my witch, added a button nose, some raffia hair (just glued down) and a ribbon.  I flicked the whole thing with a toothbrush covered with white paint.   I also got a stick from my yard (I nailed it in place) and added some raffia at the bottom for her broom and a little ribbon tie.  I just hot glued the ribbon to hold and the spider (also randomly in my garage).  And now-my random piece of wood is a random witch just waiting for better days and trick or treaters.

Halloween Cookies

It has been a whirlwind fall, but it finally feels like fall, so in the midst of the crazy, I did a project on my list this year.  I used my favorite cookie recipe, and some supplies from Michaels and Hobby Lobby.  The sprinkles and cookie cutters are from Michaels, and the vellum baggies are from Hobby Lobby.  I used this trick to print the message and haunted mansion on the bags.


I wanted to try out a few cookies on a stick, so I inserted the stick before baking the cats.  They held up well, and doing it this way-they held their shape.

You can just see the ghost peeking through the baggies.

And I just added a ribbon and clear bags to the cats.  

Paper Pumpkins

I've really been embracing the orange, pink, and black I'm seeing around the web for Halloween.  I have lots of vintage decorations at home, but for work I made a few things to take and decorate my classroom.

I painted paper mache pumpkins from Michael's with some paints and added ribbons, and a banner I made on my embroidery machine.  More to follow soon!

Halloween Shortbread Cookies

 These last few years have been a doozy.  I'm dragging behind on all things holidays right now, but I'm trying to check a few things off my to do list for sanity sake.  I bought these little black boxes two years ago at Michael's.  Two years.  I wanted to make a little Halloween or New Year's treat, but then life happened.  Add to that this recipe for short bread cookies I saw last year on Food Network I've been wanting to try and today I set aside some time.  I do love a decorated iced cookie, but the great thing about these is they are just glazed, so.....that was tonights plan.

 The cookies are really simple to make, and the icing glaze hardens on top, and the cookie literally  melts in your mouth.  I used cookie cutters my pal Kelly gave me from Sur La Table and they fit perfectly inside my box.

I lined the boxes with adorable wax paper I bought at Daiso this year and then added a bow....because no gift is complete without a bow.  So....tomorrow these will finally find a home in some of my pals boxes.  There are a few folks in need of some cookie treats.

Glazed Shortbread Cookies

Makes 2 dz 2 inch cookies.

PRINT HERE

Ingredients for Cookies:  
3/4 c. butter (softened)
1/2 c. powdering sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 c +2 T flour
1/2 c. corn starch
1/4 t. salt
Ingredients for Glaze:
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 T clear corn syrup
1 T melted butter
2 T warm water
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond flavor
Cookie Instructions:
1.  Mix butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
2.  Add vanilla.
3.  Sift in flour, cornstarch, and salt.
4.  Place in fridge for 30 min-1 hr.
5.  Roll on surface dusted with flour until 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out.
6.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet.
7.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Don't add color to the dough or it will look dull when finished.
8.  Cool before glazing.
Cookie Glaze Instructions:
1.  Mix all ingredients except for water.
2.  Add 1 T of water at a time until glaze is flowing.
3.  Color if desired.
4.  Use a spoon and drizzle over cookies
5.  Let cookies dry and harden for 10 minutes.

Creepy Spell Books

I saw this idea last year via Heidi Swapp.  I'm taking a couple of Halloween craft ideas to GMT on Monday, so I decided to bring this one along.  I'll post the video on facebook later, but here is a picture tutorial.

First, I got some clearance hardback books at Half Price Books.  They also sell them at the Dollar Tree.  I glued down some foam letters (they sell these at the Dollar Tree as well as craft stores).  I spelled out a few Halloweenish book words.

Next, I hot glued down some plastic creatures from the Dollar Tree.  I also cut some pieces of cardboard at an angle and pinned in some thumb tacks to the skeleton book.

Next up, I mixed some glue and water (you could also use Mod Podge).  I took paper towel squares and dragged them through the glue and then laid them on top of each book.  I pressed them down around the pieces glued to the top.  Once it dried, I repeated this to the back side as well.  The paper wrinkled a little as it dried, but this gave it more of a true old potion book feel.

I gave them a coat of black spray paint.  

Once that dried I took some gold paint and a paper towel and rubbed it and smudged it along the pieces dried below the towel.

It really helped the details pop out.  It was an easy project, and it will make a great place to prop up pumpkins and other décor for Halloween.

Halloween Sign

I got a scroll saw a year ago as a birthday gift.  It took me this long to finally get it out and play around.....now I know what it's capable of.....and hopefully it won't be another year before I do another project.  

I used vinyl to trace letters I printed out with my cricut and then cut those out.  The middle is really tricky and requires pulling the blade off and on, so.....lesson learned.  I painted them orange, and glittered the longer word, and speckled the Hello with paint splatter (with a toothbrush).  

I found this round wooden slice at Home Depot, and I painted it white.  I then measured out some horizontal lines with painters tape, and then sprayed it with black.  

I should have mod podged it before spraying so it didn't seep under the tape, but.....I took a sander and went to town to rough it up at this point so it wouldn't be so stark and 'smudge-ee' looking.  I glued the letters down with wood glue, and then add some felt flowers.  

Vintage Halloween

 One of my current obsessions are old cardboard holiday cutouts.  I found this little pumpkin on Etsy sometime last spring....because it's never too early to start planning for fall.  I wanted to give him a home amongst my blowmolds this Halloween.

I also have been on a garage purge, and I found this old frame in my garage with some fun molding, so I used a can of dollar spray paint from Walmart to transform it, then framed the old pumpkin cut out that I taped to a piece of scrapbook paper.  It was a super simple transformation, and it helped me give an old frame new life!

Pom Pom Fall Wreath

I recently made this wreath for my friend.  I have about 17 million extra wreaths at my house, so when I was thinking about making some fall décor, I called up my pal Kelly and asked her if she would use this on her door.  I've been really into pom poms lately, so....which not make a million of them, tie them to a wire wreath, and call it a project?  When we chatted, she mentioned interchangeable decorations, and so I made some vintage cats and leaves and added clothes pins to the back so they can be attached....

 It really was a super easy project, it just took some time to make all those pom poms, but....that's what tv is for, right?  I wrapped and vegged.  I used this brand and a color called burnt pumpkin.  It did end up taking two rolls of it.  I bought it at Hobby Lobby (not sure if they sell it everywhere, but....just to save on searching).

 I just used some super cheap felt and cut out some leaf shapes and cats and added some decorations.  I hot glued the clothes pins and then put an extra square of felt across the back to secure them further.

 I really think I'm going to make a few more of these for different seasons b/c I'm a fan!

Dollar Store Halloween Crafts

 Things have been a little crazy the last few months, but I did have a little time to swing by GMT and share a few cheap and easy Halloween crafts.  Here is the segment, but I also took a few pictures. 

 One craft I shared were these spell jars.  I found the tutorial via FlamingoToes.  She used pictures from graphicfairy.  I just blew up the pictures to fit inside these little dollar store fish bowls (the original tutorial used Christmas ornaments). 

 To make them smokey I used a really quick spray of spray paint.  I also found some candle sticks at the dollar store I sprayed black to display these on. 

 Another craft were these dollar store village pieces.  I've sprayed these white and added glitter in the past, and this go round I sprayed them black to make a little haunted village.

Mail a Pumpkin

I'm always trying to find fun ways to send things through the mail. This Halloween I'm sending some treats in these little pumpkin cans.  

 I used a pull tab can of soup that I opened with one of the openers that removes the lid without leaving a sharp edge.  I then sprayed the can orange.

I filled the can with little treats I found at the dollar spot and Party City favor bins.

I added some confetti from Hobby Lobby to fill the extra space.

 I took a glue gun to reattached the lid so it can be 'popped open.'  Since this is going through the mail I'm also taping it.
I colored on a face with a black paint pen and added labels and mailing labels to the can and then sent it on it's way.

 You'd be surprised by what you can ship through the mail-no brown envelope required.