10 Step Wood Pumpkins

I know, I know.  I just barely posted about my back to school shelf & now I'm already onto Halloween...

Well, I figured I'd get them out of the way so they'd be ready.  They aren't going on the shelf until October, so don't worry about that.

Anyway.  I have extra wood.  I have extra time.  I like to use both.  I pinned this probably a year ago or so, but finally got around to making my own version.

The pumpkin idea is super cute...and super easy.  Just a 2x4, some paint & a few other things.

Materials:
2x4 scraps
1x1 scraps (for stem)
Hanger (for vine), optional
Craft pliers (the purple & blue) for my project.
Paint, orange, brown & green
Wood of Tacky Glue
Sander & sand paper
Paint brush
Drill & 5/64" drill bit, optional
Hack Saw
Shellac/Sealer

Step 1:
Cut your boards to the size you want.
Mine are 3.25, 4 & 8 inches tall.  Don't forget to cut your stems too.  I did various sizes of what I thought would look good (about 1x1.5x3/4" for the two tall ones, a bit shorter for the small pumpkin)

Step 2:
Sand them down.
I tried to round my edges a bit to get more effect, but do what you like.

Step 3:
Paint your wood.  I used a regular orange craft paint for the pumpkins.
For the stems I combined white & coffee bean to make a brown I liked.

Step 4:
While those are drying, cut and twist the hanger to make the vines.
It wasn't hard, just took a bit of time.  There was a coating on my hanger that kind of peeled off as I was doing this, which was fine, it doesn't matter.

Step 5:
Paint the vines.
I actually used spray paint for these, way easier than trying to hand paint them.

Step 6:
When the boards are dry [if you want a weathered look, sand the edges], take the hacksaw and saw lines down the middle of the pumpkins.  [I actually did this BEFORE I painted...wrong.  Do it after to get the lighter effect that looks better].

Step 7:
Shellac everything & let dry.  I used a sating polyurethane I already had, but you could use mod podge or whatever you have on hand.

Step 8:
Drill holes for the vines to go in (or just hammer them in if your wood is soft enough).
On one end of all my vines, I left about a 1/4-1/2" straight piece that could go into the wood.

Step 9:
Glue stems to pumpkins, let dry

Step 10:
None, you're done!

See, easy & 10 steps..okay, really nine.  It took me about an hour or so to do this & it was FREE since I had all the materials.

Happy Halloween (or Thanksgiving, whatever you use these for)

Back to School Mantel/Shelf

July is over, September is quickly approaching, October is too far away.  I decided to do a "school" shelf. My son isn't even two yet, but I figured it's never too early to start teaching right?

I searched for some cute school themed decor and found some.  My favorite was from Tatertots & Jello.  I thought this was adorable, and kid-friendly.  I don't have a mantel, but a bookshelf that I usually seasonally decorate.  Perfect.

I had some wooden abc blocks I bought for my son's 1-year-old birthday party, but didn't think it was enough.  I bought them in the Melissa & Doug little cart, but I didn't want to spend that much for the blocks again (and still not have enough).  What were my options?  I looked online and found some at Toys R Us for cheap.  I spent $18 (about $4 more than the one set from Melissa & Doug costs) and got over 100 blocks ($3 for a pack of 15 blocks).  I was thrilled!  They even had numbers, so I was happy.

Next.  I loved the rulers & pencils from the tatertots page.  Easy to duplicate.  Smith's Marketplace was having a great sale on school supplies.  Twenty pencils for $1.  The rulers were about $.60 a piece, a little pricey, but I wanted the nice wood ones.  Mason jars-free.

I love creating my own subway art.  I have this favorite font - Smiley Monster - that I just love.  It's so cute.  I decided to make a simple subway art using that font.  I came up with some words/phrases that reminded me of school & came up with a cute little 8x10.

I had this idea that wooden letters would be so cute.  I am super super lucky to have such a talented (and generous) grandfather.  He has his own wood shop & is so kind to let me use his tools, machines and supplies.  Again, I used Smiley Monster for the letters.  I printed them out on my computer, found a scrap piece of wood at home and traced them on.  My grandpa and I cut them out, sanded them and I painted them primary colors.  I absolutely love how they turned out.  I also love the fact that they are congruent with the subway art.

So, there you have it.  I absolutely love the way it turned out.  And the best part is it is all kid-friendly.  My boy is all boy, so he definitely plays hard and is rough, but these are sure to last.

I even got so creative that I made my own alphabet tracing/learning pages for my kiddo.  I used the font KG Miss Kindergarten for each letter.  I either found and traced or free-handed the drawings for each letter.  Super cute.  Here's a quick little taste of a couple.

(I don't know copyright laws with the font & some of the drawings, so I don't want to post them all)

Family Fun Jar

 

Now that my little guy is starting to grow up (okay, he's only 9 months), it got me thinking.  My husband & I used to spend our spare time usually watching a movie or a TV show.  We spent ... a lot ... of time in front of that screen.  I realize ... probably not the best ... so I thought I'd try and compile a list of activities that are screen free and family-friendly.

I had this old jar lying around in my house and thought it would make a great "Family Fun Jar" where I could stick all the ideas and we could pull from them when we are either bored or want to do something fun.

It took a few days and a lot of research, but here is the list I compiled...hopefully there are a couple things that might interest you.  It ranges from free in-your-own-backyard activities to all-day adventures.

1. Play croquet
2. Play ladder golf
3. Throw the football
4. Play catch
5. Have a water balloon fight
6. Food fight!
7. Start a puzzle
8. Play hand & foot
9. Play a board game
10. Make something in the kitchen
11. Play a card game
12. Draw a picture
13. Fly a toy plane
14. Fly a toy helicopter in the house
15. Play balloon ping pong
16. Write an ad-lib story
17. Finger paint a masterpiece
18. Chase after bubbles
19. Run around the park
20. Get a Slurpee (or hot cocoa) @ 7-Eleven
21. Go swimming
22. Go for a walk
23. Explore a new hike
24. Make smores up the canyon
25. Look at the stars tonight
26. Treasure hunt!
27. Swing in the hammock
28. Garden together
29. Build a fort
30. Wash the cars
31. Visit the fire station
32. Sidewalk chalk
33. Build an instrument
34. Visit Wheeler Farm
35. Visit grandparents
36. Visit cousins
37. Play in the dirt, get messy!
38. Walk around Temple Square
39. Play at City Creek’splayground
40. Visit Antelope Island
41. Visit Kennecott Copper Mine
42. Visit the Capitol building
43. Explore Thanksgiving Point
44. Enjoy a picnic together
45. Eat outside on the porch
46. Make homemade ice cream
47. Visit the planetarium
48. Visit the aquarium
49. Visit the zoo
50. Practice your family's emergency drill
51. Feed the ducks @Sugarhouse Park
52. Make a bird feeder
53. Go to the fair
54. Go to the farmer’s market
55. Fly a kite at the park
56. Explore the library downtown
57. Visit the natural history museum
58. Go for a scenic drive
59. Toss a Frisbee around
60. Check out the Heber Creeper
61. Walk around a flower nursery
62. Have a photo shoot with nature
63. Read a book together
64. Visit This is the Place Heritage Park
65. Discover new birds @ Tracy Aviary
66. Make a sack lunch to eat at the park
67. Splash in the fountain at Gateway
68. Cheer at a baseball game
69. Play in Liberty Park’s Seven Canyons Fountains
70. Go out for ice cream
71. Make homemade popcorn
72. Explore the Church History Museum
73. WALK AROUND MEMORY GROVE
74. Make paper airplanes & fly them
75. Visit the local library
76. Have a dance party
77. Have a backyard camp out
78. Take cookies to the neighbors
79. Write random thinking of you cards
80. Visit the hospital
81. Donate canned food to Utah food Bank
82. Give someone a “Heart Attack”
83. Perform a random act of kindness
84. Make sugar crystal pops
85. Make food art
86. Tour a candy shop
87. Send a card to a far away relative
88. Make your mailman a thank you
89. Visit the folks at the Wentworth (or local nursing home)
90. Visit family members' graves
91. MAKE A MUSIC VIDEO
92. Rearrange the furniture
93. Make a snowman (or ice cream snow man)
94. Learn origami
95. Write love notes & hide them for family members
96. Scavenger hunt
97. Squirt bottle fight
98. PLAY HIDE AND SEEK
99. PLAY IN A CARDBOARD BOX
100. DRESS UP AND HAVE A FAMILY PARADE
101. Explore Hill Air Force Base
102. Have an arm wrestle
103. Play shadow tag
104. Play spider web toss
105. Trace your body on paper & color it in
106. Take a bubble bath
107. Play the alphabet game
108. Give your pet a bath
109. Put together a scrapbook page
110. Pillow fight
111. Learn how to use a compass
112. Enjoy a game of checkers
113. Find a good spot & watch the sunset
114. Visit the airport
115. Go bowling
116. Have a jump rope contest
117. Go puddle jumping
118. Look out every window of the house
119. Learn a new word in the dictionary
120. Back massage train
121. Climb a tree
122. Walk backwards for 20 minutes
123. Practice juggling
124. Write a grateful list
125. Cloud gaze
126. Eat an apple without using your hands
127. Make a paper chain for an exciting event
128. Learn the alphabet in sign language
129. Draw what you see out the window
130. Make something out of a cardboard box
131. Melt crayons for new artwork
132. Play outdoor scrabble
133. Have a stamp party (pull out all your stamps & stickers)
134. Try different yoga poses
135. Make a letters with your body
136. Enjoy an outdoor concert
137. Make footprint/hand print art
138. Have a cup stacking contest
139. Build something
140. Set up an obstacle course
141. Dye Easter eggs
142. Attend a local sporting event
143. Clean up litter at the park
144. Learn a new language
145. Run through the sprinklers
146. Play dodge ball
147. Learn a magic trick
148. Play in a band
149. Play soccer in the school yard
150. Melt something with a magnifying glass
151. Hike Ensign Peak
152. Learn about an animal 
153. FIND THE TEMPERATURE BY COUNTING CRICKETS CHIRP

So, turn off those screens, pick an activity and go enjoy some quality family time:)

Kleenex Box Cover

My husband remodeled our bathroom this past summer (bless his heart, I was 7 months pregnant so each night after working, he would replace the toilet for me).  Anyway, I've tried to somewhat decorate the bathroom, but I never could find that right Kleenex box cover.  I bought the cute ones that you can try and match, but after it ran out...the problem was back.

So, I decided to make my own.  It wasn't too difficult, but I did have to pick some seams and try again.

End result

Here is what I ended up doing...

I used an empty milk box from Costco...I cut the bottom into 4 pieces that would be the sides of my box...

Yay!  The hole was already cut for me, I just centered it and cut to make the top piece

Once I had my four sides and top, I placed them around an actual Kleenex box and taped them together

Then I taped the top on...and covered the whole thing with tape.  I then cut the tape over the hole and pushed it in, so the sides of the hole were smooth

 Okay, here's where the pictures stopped.  I was going to just mod-podge some cute paper on, but then I decided I wanted a little sturdier box, so I grabbed some scrap material I had lying around.  I measured the top of my box and added about 1/2", then I measured all four sides of the box and added a couple inches to the width, then added an inch to the height.

I hemmed the bottom edge of the piece that would go around the sides.  Then, I cut a hole in the top piece, folded the edges over and sewed a border.

Then, I took that top piece and placed it on the piece for the sides.  I sewed along one edge, and when I got to the corner, I left the needle down, turned the TOP piece to have its edge match the edge of the side piece (make any sense?), then I continued sewing.

When I got all the way around, I had just enough fabric left over to sew the sides together.

Mine ended up being just a tad short, so I found another piece of material lying around that matched and tied it around the bottom...I think it gives it just a bit more character.


Here is the end result.

It's not perfect, but for a rookie and not reading any tutorial, I think it turned out quite nice.  And now I have a nice cover, so no matter what the Kleenex box looks like, I can always cover it up.

Total time: 2 hours (would've taken a lot less time had I known what I was doing).
Cost: Free