Hi Ya'll!
Hope you all had a great Halloween!
Was just thinking today we are closing close up on
the first day of winter....Dec. 21st is just around the
corner.....brrrr! Believe it or not, we are having
some very chilly temps this weekend here in Florida
already! It was 49 degrees last night! Now that
is cold! Well for us down south folks it is!
Really wondering what our winter will bring
us this year.
Halloween was very chilly and windy this year!
Don't remember a cold Halloween in a long time.
Normal for us is "sweating it!
I always hate seeing Summer end, but I do love the Fall.
It's not as fun here as we don't have all the beautiful
Fall colors as I remember from home in Michigan. I
really miss that so much. I miss being able to go out
to find those huge pine cones, and big acorns to craft
with also. So much I miss about home at different
times of the year! Christmas time will be the next time.
Speaking of acorns....I did gather up a bucket full to
use in some of my Fall decorating, but they are so tiny
compared to what I am use to. I also had a little fun
making some pretty colorful acorns. I found some glass
beads that I was planning for something a long while
back, and never used for what ever that was, as I can't
remember. I saw somewhere some acorn jewelry with
some beads, so I thought, I'm going to make some
beaded acorns. I loved the colors and they had a Fall
color to them. So, I got my glue gun, several acorn tops
and I glued the beads into the tops. I liked them.
I went on a pumpkin binge this year also. I had wanted
to make some pumpkins for the last couple of years
out of different fabrics and vintage chenille's I had
set aside to do that with, and other than a couple I
had made from a mans white tank tee, I ran out of
time and never got to them. This year I was determined
to do it! And boy did I, but I still have a few left on my
list I didn't get to. Some velvet pumpkins was one on
the not done list. Oh well, another time. I got so crazy
into it I ended up with "Thirty Eight Pumpkins" total!
I got my own pumpkin patch! I think I was addicted!
Now I am pumpkined out, maybe lol! My hubby is glad
my steam is running out for sure...he was beginning to
think the next thing I would use was the curtains!
I was seeing everything I looked at as a pumpkin!
These are ALL the ones I did for this year...except for
one....it's made, but not finished. It will be a fancy one
but her full vision hasn't hit me yet so she sits.
I made pumpkins out of chenille's, sweaters, painters
drop cloth, twine, checks, and plaid fabrics, and even
garlic bulbs....some are fancy, some just plain, some
simple.
I already posted a few in earlier posts so you may have
seen a few of these. But here is the whole nine yards
of them! It's a lotta pumpkins but I loved making them!
Update!......I finally got the last little pumpkin done!
After I got it finished it looked Gothic to me, not at
all what I had envisioned when I started it. I named
her "Chalice"...that is supposed to be a girls Gothic
name. I used black lace with rhinestones and black
and white feathers. Used black yard to wrap the stem
and on the base of the pumpkin. Used the sleeve of an
off white sweater for the pumpkin itself. Now on to the
fun of Christmas crafting!
This is the last one I did. This is a sweater pumpkin
made using the turtle neck part of the sweater
I made from the same sweater pumpkin named
"Purity" shown down below. This was a cowel neck
turtle neck... so was pretty wide and full. I used some
wired twine on this one that I had ordered in the mail
and had finally arrived....a bit late from all my pumpkin
making. So much easier to use than making
my own curly vines. Making my own is messy too!
This is so soft, pretty plain, but I decided I liked it just
like this.
These are the white chenille ones made using four different
vintage chenille bedspreads in different designs. There is a
tall one, a short squatty one, a little round ball shaped one,
and a couple of large wide around ones. I love white
pumpkins! I used sticks for stems and twirled some twine
around a wooden spoon using Mod Podge smeared all
over it to get it to stay twirled. That was a messy job!
I liked these a lot!
Then I tried some twine pumpkins. I saw a tutorial for
this type but didn't want to spend the same time they
did making them. So I just cut several lengths of twine
the same size, glued the ends together, and lathered
them with Mod Podge to get some stiffness. I used a
stick on one, and a cinnamon stick on the other
wrapping them around each with another long length
of twine using my glue gun to adhere the start of the
twine and end of the twine in place. I stuck a bay leaf
in and done. These look rustic to me and I found
smaller seemed better. They hold the stiff shape better.
The larger one is a bit floppy still. Not as thrilled with these
though, but they are ok...like the little one the best.
I loved these little guys....black and cream checks and
plaids. I made a couple of each along with a couple
navy blue and cream checked ones. The others I placed
in this oblong wooden crated, or whatever it is with some
of the small drop cloth and orange chenille pumpkins I
made. They all looked nice together playing off each
other in colors and textures.
I had bought this orange hob nob chenille as some
call it, off of eBay about eight or nine years ago to
make pumpkins with. There was a lady on eBay that
I had purchased several things from that made pumpkins
using orange chenille. I thought them so cute. She had
dyed the chenille to get her orange color. One day I came
across an orange chenille on eBay and snagged it up. I
wanted to make some for myself and this would save me
from having to do the dying process. The shade of orange
was such a pretty color and the bedspread had a couple
of holes in it, so this would be perfect to use for pumpkins.
I can't believe it has taken me this durn long to actually
make the pumpkins! I really love these little sweeties,
and the color is a beautiful orange!
Shortly after I did this post, a lady contacted me on
Face Book saying she loved the chenille pumpkins and
wanted to know if I had any blue chenille. She had a blue
kitchen and wanted to display some there. I took photo's
of the different blues I had and she picked this one, which
was my favorite too. I used the brown wired twine I had,
and I just love the contrast! Didn't know how blue
pumpkins would look but I have to say I love these!
And here I thought I was done making pumpkins!
These little guys were made using painters drop cloth.
I just cut three round circles, did a running stitch
using embroidery floss (doubled) around the edge,
stuffed it with pillow stuffing, stuck a stick in it and
then gathered it up by pulling the ends of the floss to
close it up. I wrapped some twine around the bottom
of the stick and cut some leaf shapes out the the fabrics
I used for the plaid and checked pumpkins, and glued
them in place. They are all together in the wooden
oblong crate.
All the smaller ones together in the wooden oblong crate
sitting on my coffee table.
Then I decided to go a little fancy! These are the sweater
pumpkins I did that are shown in an earlier post. I had
so much fun with these! I had an idea of what I was
going for, but once I got started they just took their own
course and I was so surprised how they turned out!
This is my Victorian Pumpkin.... here. This little gal was
made using a taupe colored sweater I couldn't wear any-
more, some vintage lace, a couple of different types of
rhinestones, and a necklace I made from parts I had
left from another necklace I had used on the "Princess
pumpkins. I used the cuff of the sweater to wrap around
the twine stem and rolled it down just a tad. Then I
added a string of some rhinestones just below the rolled
down part of the cuff. I took some more of the string of
rhinestones and wrapped it around and around to cover
up the edges of the sweaters stem on the very top. I also
added one larger single rhinestone to the middle right at
the top. Her name is "Victoria."
This is another sweater I grew out of here. I used a portion
of the sleeve to make this one and the one above so they are
little but so sweet. This has some more vintage lace that
I cut off of a lace doilie. I wrapped a strand of pearls
around the stem on this one all the way to the top and
then continued it around the very top to hide the sweater
edges, then added one larger pearl in the center. I placed
a few more pearls on the lace in certain places, added
some feathers and one larger jeweled piece for some
sparkle. She turned out gorgeous! Some of my friends
said it reminded them of Zsa Zsa Gabor...I think so too
now lol! I had named this one "Purity", but now she
is called "Zsa Zsa." That gave an idea for another
pumpkin that I'll get to later. She has to have her man!
(wink!)
were made with my sweet little granddaughter Emma.
She wanted to make princess pumpkins. I let her pick
out all the things she wanted on them, and the chenille's.
Then I showed her how to make them...no sewing involved.
The only pumpkins that had any sewing to them at all,
was the drop cloth ones. These are all easy and fun, and
quick to do! My Emma had a great idea and showed
great taste in what she wanted to create. We loved how
they turned out. Emma is quite the visionary! A little
girl after her grandma's heart!
These were the first sweater pumpkin's I made. One more
sweater too small to wear anymore. This is a bit of a
bulkier knit but so soft. These are in a sculptured look just
like "Victoria" and "Zsa Zsa" above. These are in a cream
color and I used twine, drop cloth leaves, and some
rhinestone jewels to give them a rustic chic look. These
were posted here also. I got six pumpkins out of this
sweater with still the top of the front and back I can
use for a couple more!
These pumpkins were made using strips of drop cloth
wrapped around some toilet paper rolls! Yep toilet
paper! These were really fun to create. I cut the leaves
out of some green burlap, used the loose strands of some
natural burlap for a rustic look, and added sticks for
stems and a sprig of tree moss. Those were posted here.
This was made by stacking two rolls of toilet paper
on top of each other....my silly hubby wanted me to
see how that would look and he picked the fabric.
I had dubbed these, "pumpkins on a budget."
And last was this crazy idea that actually went viral lol!
I took garlic bulbs and painted faces on them like ghosts,
tied little bows with twine for the tops and came up with
"garlic ghost pumpkins!" They are so cute! Those are posted
here. My hubby had thought I had completely gone over
the edge on this little idea! I said earlier I was on a
pumpkin binge and I was seeing everything I looked at
as possibly being a pumpkin! The cool thing is, is
they are still looking great and no rotting or shriveling
up yet. Curious to how long they will last!
Well for now I'm done with pumpkins, well kinda sorta!
I got still more ideas and things to make them with before
I'm totally done, and then probably not! I had fun,
went way beyond what I had planned for them, but hey,
isn't that what being creative is all about. There is never
an end or non-stop vision to that! Plus, I still have this
little white and black one to finish.
I even had some friends ask me to buy some from me!
So I'm whipping those up to get them mailed out this
week...that was a nice plus and surprise! I guess going
pumpkin crazy can have some unexpected benefits!
TaTa Till Later! (or the next pumpkin idea!)
Thinking Christmas now....but wait, are pumpkins
in the scheme of Christmas too!? I dunno know!
I'll get back with you on that!
Have a great day!
