Decorating Pumpkins with Non-Traditional Colors

Pumpkin decorating can't just be for Halloween alone!  Why not design pumpkins to fit your décor with non-traditional colors and celebrate Fall at the same time!  Use paint and embellishments to wow guests with simple designs and decorating ideas for those holiday gatherings.  Since I love all shades of purple, throughout the years besides using the traditional colors of fall, I always include creating new ways of blending my favorite hues with the tried and true usual fall shades to enhance my decorating scheme.

This year I used strips of the popular stick-on rhinestone trim for a glittery effect.  It was really so easy and simple to do.  First, I spray painted a couple of pumpkins lavender and let dry.

Because the smaller pumpkin (dollar store) had a ridge around the middle, I ran a strip of rhinestones around that first, and then around the top stem stub.

And continue down, wrapping the trim around.

Once the trim met the point where I started, I cut it off. And then started a new row, moving down by rows, until meeting the first row that was applied.

To make the stem, I glued on a paper towel tube (it's narrower than a toilet paper tube) over the stub in the center.

Then after deciding how long to make the stem, cut off any excess paper towel tube.

Next, dampen the tube with water and twisting it into a stem shape.

Then added white glue to the twisted shape and covered it with parchment paper, holding in place with clothespins until dry. 

 And finally, covered the stem with more of the stick-on rhinestone trim, for a cool modern look!

The second pumpkin was much easier to decorate just by pressing strips of stick-on rhinestone trim along the pumpkin grooves, from the stem to the bottom center of the pumpkin.

Isn't this an awesome look! Try it out using the colors and hues that you love!

You can find the tutorial for the glitter topped pumpkin on the left here.

Non-traditional mixed with traditional fall decorations for a pretty fall effect!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Holiday Crafting!

Crafty Cat Lovers - Recycle a Wine Bottle Into An Adorable Cat

For all those crafty cat lovers out there, it's not too late to make this adorable, easy to make cat for Halloween! Would you believe that it's made using a wine bottle and yarn!  You will also need a Styrofoam ball, double sided tape, cardboard, chenille stems, faux animal eyes, felt, stem wire, twisted paper, ribbon and a hot glue gun. And I bet you already have most of these items in your stash! How cool is that!

Let's begin by taking a clean, dry wine bottle and .  .  .

 applying double-sided tape up and down and around the bottom portion.  Leave the bottle neck free of tape for now so that you can hold the bottle while wrapping the yarn around it.

 Press the end of the yarn on top of the tape at the bottom of the bottle and start wrapping the bottle with the yarn, making sure to get the yarn close together, with no gaps, as you wrap.

Continue wrapping the bottle until you reach the neck portion. 

 Then apply more double-sided tape to continue wrapping the neck.

You can stop wrapping the neck just below the bottle opening, sealing with the tape or hot glue and cutting off excess yarn.

Press down the center of the Styrofoam ball onto the bottle opening.  Use the markings to remove the foam inside of the ball so that it can fit down on the bottle neck.  

You can actually make the hole in the Styrofoam ball before wrapping the bottle, but you will have to adjust it a bit more to accommodate the yarn if you do.

Cover the ball with double-sided tape, up and down and around.  Then roll the end of the yarn in a circle and apply on top of the tape at the center top of the ball.

 Continue wrapping the ball, around and around until .  .  .

reaching the bottom of the ball. Secure yarn with tape or hot glue and cut off excess.

To make the cat ears, use the ball as a guide for the curvature and make a pattern using cardboard and cut out two pieces.

Cover the cardboard ears with double sided tape and begin wrapping at the top ear tip.

Continue wrapping ears until they are completely covered. Secure end with hot glue and cut off excess yarn.

 Attach ears to head with hot glue, holding in place until glue is set and dry.

Have fun creating the cat's face!

Look at those eyes! 

To make the cat's tail, group several chenille stems together. Add a dab of hot glue on the end and press the end of yarn down on top and begin wrapping the stems together with the yarn covering all of the chenille stems, down to the end and back up again.

For fullness, I wrapped the tail three times with the yarn before sealing with hot glue and cutting off excess yarn.

 Bend the tail into an "S" shape and hot glue tail to center bottom.

Cut heart shape out of felt and glue on for nose.  I used twisted paper to make the mouth, but there are so many other material possibilities.

For a cool Halloween look, make a bow tie and hot glue onto center neck.

Cut off stem wire for whiskers and insert into Styrofoam.

What a fun addition for Halloween! Doesn't he look bootiful!!!!

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!

How to Make a Floral Wire Pumpkin Centerpiece

Are you on the search for unusual Fall and Halloween decorations to create?  Here's an inexpensive way to make a decorative pumpkin shape centerpiece!  It's so easy using twisted paper stem wire!  You can make this adorable centerpiece for just a few dollars for the stem wires and you probably already have the rest of what's needed on hand. But the best part is the many ways you can decorate it for Fall or Halloween are almost unlimited!

Let's begin by gathering the following materials:

• Paper Stem Wire - 2pkgs
• Cardboard
• Hot glue
• Scissors
• Bowl
• Clips
• Parchment paper
• Acrylic Paint/brush
• Brown paper bag
• Embellishments

Then cut out four - 1 inch disks from cardboard.

 Next, hot glue the stem wires onto a disk, first in the 3, 6, 9, & 12 o'clock positions and then .  .  .

 glue on two more stems in between each one, spaced evenly.

Once the glue has dried, spread additional glue over the center stem ends on the disk and top with another disk applying pressure and let dry.

Next, center a large round bowl on top to curve the stem wires up and over. Hot glue a couple of stem wire ends (12, 6 position) to another disk, holding in place in the center with a piece of parchment paper over it and clips until dry.

Remove the bowl and continue gluing the ends of the stem wires to the disk following the clock positions, 3 & 9, then in between the others using parchment paper and clips to secure until the hot glue dries.

 Once all the stem ends are glued in place and dry, add hot glue over them and place the last disk on top, securing with clips until completely dry.

Press center down to shape of pumpkin. Adjust and smooth out stem wires for additional shaping. Then, paint and let dry.

 Next, cut out a section of a brown paper bag to make the stem.

Dampen with water and squeeze into a ball.

Open paper, folding lengthwise, and adding white glue along the folds.

Twist and shape paper into a stem - with one end narrow and bottom end wider, cutting off excess, as needed. Let dry.

Cut slits into stem bottom to cover and glue on to top disk.

Have fun decorating! 

I added fall leaves and a faux candle in the center that's on an automatic timer to come on at night and off at daylight, for a cool effect.

Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Fall Crafting!