Simple Pumpkin Containers

       I finally finished a few pumpkins containers to use as gifts for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. I also have a few new friends who have been so sweet to me this year, and I hope to surprise them. I wanted to share this simple project with you. I have been making these for so long that I have no idea where I first discovered the idea.
I do know one thing for sure it was in the age of B.I. Before Internet!Like my grandson and niece would explain, it was a time of great darkness......... when men and women had only books, magazines,and libraries. We often had to live through great suffering, like snail mail and land line phone calls. Before the light of the great and powerful internet fell across our lands.
Shoot it was even before cable TV and microwaves! You now know that I have been crafting for a very long time!!

Originally they were made much larger with coffee cans. That was the challenge for me because the coffee I buy comes in a bag, not a can. I could be mistaken but I don't think coffee cans are as easy to come by as they use to be.
I knew I wanted to make several so empty washed vegetable cans would have to work. You can make themas small or as large as you want,it is determined by the size of the can you choose.
Here are the items you will need: Clean empty can, cotton fabric, polyfil, felt, a plastic container lid, low temp glue gun,needle and thread.

  Each pumpkin needs two colors of contrasting fabric. One for the pumpkin and one for the top/lid. It can be any color and any design you want. A cotton calico works best but I have used wool and tweed from old coats before. The thinner the fabric the easier it is to gather up around the top and secure to the can.

Now at this point the size of the can you have chosen will determine the size of the circle to cut. You will have to lay it out and eye ball it. I have used a piece of old fabric before if you feel uncertain about this part. Just remember to allow plenty of room to add the polyfil stuffing to the inside of your circle.

I used a 12" dinner plate and then added a few more inches making it approximately a 15" circle.

Now take your needle and thread and make a gathering stitch around the edge of your fabric. You can either do this by hand or on a sewing machine.

Begin gathering the fabric up around the can and add the stuffing to fill the area inside between the can and the fabric.But do not add any to the bottom of the circle. You want your pumpkin container to be able to sit flat without tipping over.

Once you have your fabric gathered up evenly secure it around the outside edge of the can using a hot glue gun.

Now you want to take your felt and cut a approx. 2" or 3" strip to glue over the whole edge of the container. Be sure and glue it to the inside and outside of the pumpkin container.This protects you from any sharp edges of the can and gives the container a much smoother and more finished look.

Now you are ready to make the top to your pumpkin. I save left over containers so this was easy I just searched through my stash until I found a lid that is the size I want my top to be. I like a little over hang of the plastic lid to allow it to sit well on the top of the pumpkin. You can also use a firm piece of cardboard or a wooden circle for your lid. Improvise if necessary and use what you have for this step. It's going to be covered with fabric so as long as it's sturdy and won't bend most anything will work.

Under side of the container lid.

 Cut a circle from the contrasting fabric large enough to cover the top of the lid as well as the inside edge of the lid. This keeps any raw edges from showing.Be sure and glue the fabric down to the top of the lid, allowing the stem to be fastened down securely later. Since I am using a low temp glue gun it will not melt the plastic. Cut from your contrasting fabric 5 or 6 triangles to glue to the inside,allowing them to hang down over the container. The size of these triangles are completely up to you. It isn't necessary to add them at all, it's completely up to you. Add a circle of felt to the inside of the lid,either before or after you add the triangles.
Then to finish it off you will need a handle or stem for the top of the lid. I have used actual dried pumpkin or squash stems before. I have used small wooden thread spools. I have also used vintage wooden knobs before. Be as simple or as creative as you want at this point.

Since I am a felt artist I cut a simple 5" tapered shape and stitched the sides together. Then I added two more seams to the piece giving it more of a stem look. I stuffed the piece with polyfil and hand stitched a square of felt to the top to close it. I bent the stem over and stitched down to the side to give it a natural curved look. I added a few jagged cut pieces of felt and glued those down first before I glued the stem handle down.

 

Now at this point you can choose to line the inside of the can. I usually just add a plastic bag and fill it with some Halloween candy or nuts. You could put just about anything inside and present it as a gift. I have even added a felt jack-o-lantern face on the front before. Just be creative and have fun!

One container has made it to it's destination and two more are going in the mail tomorrow. Gifts for some very special ladies!!

A Burst Of Color and Sugar Cookies

        What's not to love about fall! The cooler temps for one thing and the jaw dropping beauty of the trees as they change. It makes my drive into work so much more enjoyable. And believe me when I tell you there aren't many enjoying their drives into work these days. One of our major bridges to Louisville Ky is out of commission. First it was indefinitely, now they believe it will be closed until years end. Makes me wonder just how safe all of our aging bridges are in this country. 

For me, nearly half of my trip to work is in the country so I just sit back and enjoy the process. Each and everyday there are brilliant changes to take your breath away. It is amazing how suddenly they go from just plain ole trees to majestic, brilliant trees bursting with color!
Well okay maybe I'm just easy to please!

I'm always carrying my camera with me this time of year, but rarely am I able to pull over and take a photo of the ones that amaze me the most.......much to my frustration. In the morning as the sun comes up it can make some of these trees look like the are engulfed in flames!

I love the contrast here of the bright orange and the deep burgundy.

 This week I've been web surfing looking for crafts and recipes to make this time of year. I found this cookie idea from one of my favorite blogs to visit, Rosy-Posy she always has great ideas. These Fall Leaf Sugar Cookies are spectacular.

Don't these look great and I think they are simple enough for even me to make. They would be just yummy with a hot cup of tea.

The kids are having a Halloween party this year so I hope to make these to take with me. Oh wouldn't these be beautiful on Thanksgiving Day too. Sometimes you fill up too much with the meal that a slice of pie for dessert is just to much.....but one of these sugar cookies would be just enough.

Years and years ago I hosted an afternoon luncheon with some girlfriends and it was in the fall. I decided to try something I had seen in a Victoria magazine. It was grilled bread slices served along with a salad. The bread was cut in shapes of leaves using a cookie cutter. Then you just grilled them like you would grill a cheese sandwich. They came out a golden brown and were a great touch with a salad instead of crackers or croutons.

My husband's field camera set up down at the creek has captured lots of critters.

A good shot of maybe one or two years old. We are really enjoying this camera!

Say cheese ladies!

We're pretty sure this is a fox,one of my favorites.I wish I could get a good shot of an owl too!

 Well I think it's time to take a hike down to my one and only pitiful persimmon tree,and try and grab me a treat before the deer get them all.......again!

A Brillant Man Taken Too Soon

             I feared that when Steve Jobs announced he was stepping down from his much loved company that it wasn't for a good reason.
I adore my Apple laptop and have been hinting around the family how much I want an IPad.....I would even act surprised when I opened it. He did know exactly what we all wanted and needed in our lives,before we did. He thought outside the box so to speak and he always followed his conscience when others believed he would fail.
I like what someone said today on the news that Steve Jobs was our modern day Da Vinci.

I believe he  has set the bar for creating and designing,and he has left some enormous shoes to fill.

"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times,people don't know what they want until you show it to them."
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” -Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs 1955-2011.................You will be forever missed.

A Couple of New Items

          Yesterday I had this silly thought that I would do a wordless Wednesday that I have seen other blogs do. I have always thought that was so different and often left you thinking,or pondering a deep thought. I've so enjoyed the ones that were sweet and touching and silent!  Shoot, I don't think I could ever be wordless or speechless or silent for that matter. I looked at dozens of photos but nothing seemed to be strong enough to stand on it's own.....without my two cents! I am a jabber-box to say the least. So that idea quickly flew went out the window.
I wanted to just poke my head in here and show you all a couple of new things. First is my son's newest member of  his family.

His name is Louie and he weights a whole whopping 2lbs! Louie's been spending his days here at the office with us. The guys are in and out all day so it's been mostly me and Louie....and he is a real sweetie. He naps on my lap in a baby blanket. Then we take little walks as soon as he wakes and stretches. It's been years since I have potty trained a puppy.We even added him to our latest commercial we just finished shooting yesterday. It's very funny to see one of these rough and tough construction guys holding little Louie. 

Harrison and Arnold the Goldendoodle when he was a puppy



Arnold is huge now. He's also a big fluffy walking carpet!

 My son also has a standard size Goldendoodle and boy do these two look comical together. I need a photo of the two of them but they won't sit still.....imagine that!

The other new item is a fall center piece I just completed. It's really my first item that isn't a toy and isn't for children. Well children could use it but I doubt they would be excited about a circle of stones with pumpkins and gourds.

I hope to finish a few more items real soon....but Louie and I have sooo much to do right now!;)





A Rainy Cool Fall Day

I've been working on a post about my trip when I saw this dessert idea on another wonderful blog. Be Different Act Normal. I love this blog! The name simply cracks me up,and it is always full of wonderful ideas.

So I know I'm repeating myself,but I love cooking in canning jars,still not sure why but I do. So this is perfect for Halloween for my little ghouls and goblins! And I have Ooodles of new jars just waiting for me.The boys start talking Halloween the minute September rolls around.....well to be honest we all do. 
We all really enjoy dressing up even if we're not having a party. We just dress up and walk with the kids as they trick or treat.This year I've been told they will be hosting a party and my oldest grandson plans on having many of his fellow theater friends there. That will be a hoot because theater kids love nothing better than to wear a costume,makeup and play a ghoulish role!

This is a school full of wonderful theater talent.That's why Showtime aired a documentary about them.

Several of his friends have just come from Scotland where they preformed E.A. Poe...Into the Mind of Madness. They have been lucky(and talented) enough to have been invited to Scotland for the last several years. This play is very dark and very spooky to say the least.....so these kids should have no problem falling back into character. Floyd Central and New Albany High School is loaded with so much talent. It makes me sad that the theater teachers from both schools are retiring this year. I hope it doesn't change things too drastically.
You may remember a while back I talked about the documentary called Guys and Divas that aired on Showtime. It's about three of our local high schools theater department. Check it out there's a clip at the link above on You Tube.

Today is a rainy dreary, stay in my sweats and read kind of day. So I am loving all of these new on line magazines. I just discovered another fabulous one called Styled.

The photo's are absolutely beautiful. I sat for so long just drooling over figs. The crazy thing is I've never tasted one before,but now I know I must have one.

A dear sweet blog friend Kai from Celebrating Christmas Year Round mentioned just the other day that they are her favorite. So figs are my shopping list!Question....do you eat them as is or do they need prepping in some way?
My persimmons are just about ready to fall. So soon I will need to take a hike down to the creek and just hope I beat the deer to them. This time of year as the leaves change color and it begins to get cooler,my taste buds scream for, apple cider,butternut squash,baked pears,persimmon pudding,and my boys all time favorite pumpkin roll.....ahhh fall comfort food, yummy!!

The last of our butternut squash from our garden.

 So this dessert went to the top of my list. Lattice Cider Cookie Tops. Pie dough as a cookie now that is a Genius idea....probably only new to me....but still GENIUS!!

I first found it on a blog called More Design Please. That's what led me to discover Styled the on-line magazine. Oh I just had a thought I wonder if this would work on top of my canning jars with apple pie inside....then baked in the oven with these sweet cookies on top! Genius idea!!

Oh I hate to have to get dress and go to the grocery...on such a dreary rainy day but sadly my taste buds have taken control of me.

I've heard it said that people have been seen at Walmart ( People of Walmart) in their house slippers and pajama pants,and even worse....hummm so I may just go as is.....sweats and slippers!We need a drive through grocery for days like this. Genius idea!

Since I have a new hair color,some copper/red added to my way too light....natural blond (ha ha)no one may recognize me.........That reminds me of a funny moment this week.
Patrick my 16yr old grandson passed me on the road a few days ago while driving in Drivers Ed class. He told his mom he had seen my new hair color. I asked him why he didn't honk and he said he couldn't because he was with his drivers ed teacher.....I thought, oh that's true,Duh! You see there's still a lot of blond in my hair! But he went on to say that I looked mean and grouchy.Well aren't kids just too sweet? It's such fun to age in front of them,they never fail to point out a wrinkle or a gray hair,or a memory loss!! Sadly I explained that's just how I look as I drive, and I guess no amount of hair dye will change it.... But it does serve me well at Halloween should I dress as a wicked witch.You have to flaunt what you have....moohaha!!! =)

A Vacation of Mixed Emotions

         I am officially back from vacation and back to the old grind stone as they say. Vacations are never long enough it seems,and this one is no exception. We never had a real plan other than our Labor Day weekend at the camp with family.

The boys were jockeys in a race at our parks club house. I think there was some serious trash talking going on!

Then we decided that on the day after Labor Day we would head to Kentucky to do some ancestry research on my mother's side of the family.
Sadly however before the week began we received a call that my husband's aunt Lucille,or Cille as she was called had passed away. It was totally unexpected and only 2 months after we had last seen her. My husband was very close to her and his uncle when he was growing up so it was more like another Mom. She was the sweetest woman I've ever met. I never saw her without a smile on her face and she laughed all the time.
Aunt Lucille and uncle Bob had a sweet love story. I'm not sure of the details but I do know that they had a miss-understanding and had parted as a couple. Bob married someone else and had two kids. Lucille never married. Years later Bob and his wife divorced and he came looking for Lucille.They married and had one son,who is like a brother to my husband.

Aunt Cille is standing second from the right next to her mother.His mom is seated directly in front of her.

Several years ago at a family gathering. Aunt Cille is on right wearing a green top and floral jacket.

The sadist part of all is it was only six months after we lost his Mom. Aunt Cille was the fourth born and the fourth to pass away,exactly in the order they were born. We hope and pray this pattern does not continue.

We did eventually get down to Lancaster Ky to do some searching,however we didn't get past my road block in my family tree. Thank goodness for the internet and Ancestry.com,but it still doesn't totally replace the foot work these searches require.
So now I am editing dozens of photo's,answering tons of emails and trying desperately to clear my desk at work....oh and did I mention sewing,cleaning,laundry,grocery shopping,and the ever popular unpacking!
I do want to share what we discovered on our little trip back in time....or at least that's what it felt like with our heads stuck in books and papers all from the 1800's. As boring as sitting in a library may seem to many, to us it was a nice trip, and it felt good to get away,even if it was only just across the river. After all not everyone spends their anniversary each year in a bookstore like we do!

Before I end this post I wanted to share an event I will be sharing with my daughter-in-law,grandson and his girlfriend Friday evening.It is the screening of a docu/drama called Grace Surpasses.

Some beautiful art work used as a teaser for this important film

It is set in the Sudan and follows a young girl and her family.I know it will break my heart and I will cry like a fool,because I cry at AT&T commercials. One of the producers of this film is a family member of my daughter-in-law. From what she has been told making these films is extremely dangerous but they feel compelled to risk it all to bring these issues to light.

I look forward to seeing this film.I always look forward to an evening at the Kentucky Center For The Performing Arts. But I'm really looking forward to an evening out with my kiddos....I mean after all isn't that the best part anyway!
Please check to see if this film will be in your area and spread the word I know this production team needs all the support they can get!

A Spooky and Fun Halloween Craft

          I know it's still warm and sunny,but fall and Halloween are just around the corner.So I wanted to share a great item I just discovered on a fun facebook/blog page. I think this would be such a cute item to make and add to your decor,or to give to some special little kiddos for trick or treat.

The blog is called Just Something I Made. Cathe the author and creator is so talented and creative....I have spent a lot of time at her blog home. How does she have the time to do all the creative things she does and run such a fun blog! You all know my struggle with finding enough time to do it all.

I have a love of paper crafts so this idea is on my to do list. It will be perfect for the Labor Day weekend with the grand-kiddos. I also had planned to have them paint large rocks to look like ghosts for us to place outside in the flower beds. So now I am running out to the craft store to pick up some supplies...then I will head home to pack for our vacation (which I plan to share with you all soon). OK soooo I will need to remember my bone folder and sharp paper scissors. I have to tell you ( this aggravates my husband ha ha),but I have often forgot to pack many clothing items,and food and such when we head down to our cabin ,but never ever have I forgot to pack my craft supplies.....well after all you have to have your priorities!!