Christmas Is In The Air!

I'm Having So Much Fun!

A Little Sneak Peek!

A little Christmas project I've been working on

that has been growing with more ideas for two

weeks now. And guess what....left over pumpkins

were where the inspiration came from. I just can't

seem to get over the pumpkin thing!

Styrofoam cones, Christmas fabric, snowman top

hats with bling, real orange pumpkins, silver paint,

oblong canvas, door handles, leafy tree branches,

berries, pine cones, white paint, pine branches, and

who knows what else will be added to this fun little

centerpiece! Be back when it's done! (in between 

entertaining the grandbabies)

TaTa for Now!

Bingeing On Pumpkins ~ Creating My Own Pumpkin Patch

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!)

These pretty pink chenille sweeties posted here:

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!

DIY Q-Tip Pussy Willow Branches For Centerpieces

I don't know how this idea came into my

head, but so excited it did! And, I did a

search on the net to see if anyone has

ever done this before and found nothing!

Cool beans!

It all came about when I was taking a

break from a sweater pumpkin I was

making. I went online just to free my

mind as I was stuck on how I wanted to

finish it. My inspiration had just died with

it... does that happen to you too? Normally

when that happens I just stare at it for a

few days and then bam... something hits

me and then, I can tear into it until it's done.

(My vases look a little dwarfed here on this

antique desk I set them on. Have to find a

new spot for them durn it.)

So, as I was taking my break on blog land,

I came across this sweater vase. I have

seen many before but this one just struck

me to want to do one. I liked it and, I had

just come across my poor beautiful lambs

wool sweater jacket with fur on the inside

of the hood that I just loved! It had

accidentally got thrown in the wash and,

well lets just say, a small child could wear

it now...so sad! It had shrunk so small that

when I cut the sleeves off, and just slid them

over the vases I was using, they barley fit!

The positive in that was, they were good

and snug so that was all I had to do. No

glue, no nothing, and they were done. The

last thing I did was cut off three of the

buttons from the sweater and hot glued

them on the front of the larger vase for

some nice decoration. Just right!

 

 

Displayed in this vase was some faux pussy

willows. I loved the look and wanted some for

my vases. I didn't want to go shopping to try

to find some, even I could find them, and I

didn't want to spend any money either.

 

And then all of a sudden I got a slap in the head idea! As I was looking at the pussy willows my mind did a flip and I saw q-tips! Well they do look like q-tips don't ya think!? And then...the world of nature kicked in. I wasn't going to have to spend a dime or go anywhere! Except for the woods next to me to find some branches....so I did! I will make my own pussy willows!

My silly hubby saw me out there in the

woods picking up sticks from his office

window and walking back with a bunch

of dead branches and hollers down from

his office upstairs asking "what are

you doing now?" I went upstairs telling

him I'm taking your box of q-tips. He says,

"Oh this ought to be good...sticks and

q-tips!!? And I got that look, but with a bit

of bewilderment added. Then he says, "I

won't even ask!" I said, "just wait and see!"

So I went back downstairs and started to

work....and it worked! I got my pussy willow

branches done a few hours and about five

hundred or close q-tips later! I was so

stinkin excited when it was done! I showed

them to hubby and he said, "Oh wow

sweetie, that is awesome! They look real!"

Gives a nice winters feel too I think!

And honestly, you can't really tell they

aren't real unless you get super close to

look! I am totally happy happy with them!

Everyone that has come to the house has

gone nuts over them....and when I tell them

they are q-tips, they don't believe me until

they get super close up to them. They never

would have known until I told them.

To do these yourself all you need is:

 a box of q-tips - 500 ct. would be best

some sticks or branches dead or alive

(less than I used would be better lol,

took forever! I'm not good at projects

like that!) I get impatient to get done!

scissors - I used hubbys kitchen scissors

(You should have seen his face when he

saw me cutting the q-tips with his precious

and expensive kitchen utensils!) If he can

cut up a chicken with them, then it

certainly won't hurt them to cut a q-tip!

I just rolled my eyes right back at him!

glue gun and glue sticks

and I recommend a deep bowl - why?

Because when I was clipping the tips off

the q (sticks), they were flying all over the

place! Once I got the bowl I pointed the end

I was cutting downward into the bowl, and

the high sides of the bowl made them

ricochet off the bowl walls, but fall into the

bowl. No more getting up and chasing

those suckers everywhere they landed!

And some time and patience!

Take your q-tips and start by clipping off

both ends right at where the cotton ends

on the stick or just a little above it until

you have a lot!  And I mean ALOT! I did

cut some a little closer to the tip for use

on the thicker branches.

I then set my branches in the vase and

even glued them together in places so they

wouldn't move from how I had put them. I

even clipped some smaller branches off

some others I didn't use, and glued them on

my branches in the vase where there

was gaps, and to have a couple fall over the

sides of the vase. Once my branches were

set, I took the glue gun and the tips I had cut

and squeezed just a tiny bit of glue on the

clipped end and just placed them on the

branches where there had been a leaf or

mark in the stem where another branch

had once been. Then I filled the stems with

the tips where I thought a pussy willow

would have bloomed.

It was really easy adhering them....most I

just set on the branch and that was it. On

the teeny tiny thin stems of the stick, I

sometimes held them in place for just a

couple of seconds very gently.

My branches were found from limbs that

had fallen off the trees so they were pretty

brittle so I had to be ever so careful not to

have them break off while I was placing the

cotton tips on them. And that is it! You got

pussy willows!

One suggestion I'll share. When applying

the glue on the tips,  just do a small dab and

when you are pulling the glue gun away,

kind of do a wrap around before, so you

don't get those glue strings. I only had a

couple doing it that way and when I was

finished I took my tiny embroidery shears

and clipped them off!

Who would have thunk? Not me, but I

did! I kept wondering all day if it was

my mom giving me a nudge to use my

noggin from heaven...I'm not that smart!

Well there you have it! Have fun and enjoy

if you happen to make some yourself! I

really really Love Love mine!

The photo that inspired my vases and the

faux pussy willows that inspired the idea

to make my own pussy willows!

And below the real deals!

First beginning to bloom Photo Courtsey

Photo Courtsey

Giant White Pussy Willows (Salix chaenomeloides)

Beginning to bloom Photo Courtesy

I love pussy willows...don't you!?

I'm not to far off! Maybe one day I will add a bit of

watered down light grey craft paint, or roll them in

some grey eye shadow to tint them for a more natural look

in color. Right now I like them white like the second photo

of real white pussy willows above. And....if you get your

mind away from q-tips....you can see pussy willows!

  

Thanks for spending your time with me!

TaTa Till Later!

With Sincere Appreciation I Would To Thank The

Following For The Feature Of My Pussy Willows

Hometalk

The Cottage Market

Trucs & Bricolages

Thank You So Much!

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