Pumpkins are not just for Jack O Lanterns

Happy Halloween!
Did you know that you can decorate a pumpkin with flowers by poking holes in the sides and sticking the stems in?

Mumkin Pumpkins - Flower Shop Network

5 Easy Ways to Decorate Pumpkins - Southern Living Magazine

These would make a lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece as well.  I wonder how this would work with those artificial pumpkins from the craft store and silk flowers?  I'm sure the pumpkins will be on sale tomorrow!

Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.   – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Hop along with me at: House of Hepworths and Between Naps on the Porch this week. 

Halloween Dinnerware Shopping at HomeGoods

Skull Decor is a very strong trend right now and it's not just for Halloween!  Try a Google search and you'll find everything from Designer Clothing to Home Decor and even Wedding Cake Toppers.   While I was shopping recently I found this great set of dinnerware that's perfect for a Halloween Party.

Handpainted Dinnerware by MESA at HomeGoods

 This design actually covers a few trends including; Halloween Decor, Skulls, Glam and Black + White (even though the webs are silver they would still look great with a B+W theme)

Skull Decor crosses over into the Gothic, Steampunk and Vampire trends as well.

Love the rhinestones!

Of course, since I'm the Research Queen, I wanted to know more about who made this set.  When you shop at HomeGoods you need to buy it when you see it.  The things I usually fall in love with are in limited supply and not restocked.  The company, MESA Home Products, has a website.  No skull dinnerware there, but they do have some really great items for entertaining. I've bookmarked it for future shopping.

MESA Home Products label on Halloween Dinnerware

HomeGoods has been one of my favorite places to shop for tablescape decor. (I do still love those bargains at the resale store though!)  Now I'm headed back to pick up the pumpkin I saw covered in leaves..........I don't know why I talked myself out of it the first time!

Pumpkin covered in leaves - HomeGoods 2011

Eat, drink and be scary! Author Unknown

You can find me at: A Stroll Thru Life and the 166 Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch this week.

Halloween Birds Silhouette Shadow Box - Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop

Time for another Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop!   I received a sample of the adorable Sizzix Scoreboard Bird Die (designed by Eileen Hull) and used it to make this Halloween Bird Silhouette Shadow Box.  To see all the projects the Fresh Vintage Designers came up with and for a chance to WIN one of the Sizzix Scoreboard Dies be sure to check out the information at the end of this post.

As you can see; the original die cut is made to be a little more three dimensional.  It has two wings and a beak and is perfect for hanging from a string.  I chose to trim the wings and use the birds in a shadow box.

Sizzix Fresh Vintage Scoreboard Bird designed by Eileen Hull 

The dies are designed to cut through thick or thin paper, fabric and more.  I found some really cute Black Glitter Card Stock by doodlebug designs inc.  I cut one bird and then flipped the paper to reverse it so the birds would be facing each other.

 For the background I used a piece of scrapbook paper from my stash (sorry - don't know the manufacturer).  I liked the writing and the postmark design - which was in just the right spot for the moon.

First, I coated the paper with DecoArt Easy Float to make it easier to blend the Americana Acrylic Paints.  I then loaded my brush 1/2 and 1/2 with Easy Float and paint and blended the colors from Light to Dark and back again a few times until I was happy with the blending and the finished look.  The Easy Float made the colors translucent which allowed the lettering to show through.  The colors I used are; Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Orange Twist, Tangelo Orange, and Georgia Clay.

After the background dried I painted the moon with DecoArt Glamour Dust Glitter Paint in Lemon Drop Yellow to add to the glow (and to match the glitter on the birds).

After painting a branch with Lamp Black, I brushed on some DecoArt Black Craft Twinkles Glitter Paint.

Artistic Wire from Beadalon  was perfect for the legs and feet. (Thank you Katie Hacker) I just wired it onto the branches and then glued the birds onto the wire.  (mine are a little wobbly looking aren't they?  I kept moving them around.)

Everything is arranged inside an old shadowbox picture frame that I had in storage. I made a little coil to glue behind the bird and put the whole thing together with Glue Dots! I used Pop Up Glue Dots® for the birds and branch for strength and dimension and Ultra Thin Glue Dots® to attach the paper inside the box.

Here's the Information I promised you for NAVIGATING through the Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop and for your CHANCE to WIN a Sizzix Die:

Please make sure to visit the blogs of the members of this hop. They have some great projects to share.  You can click on the Fresh Vintage blinkie on my sidebar. This will take you around to all of the designers on the hop OR you can click on the linky party on Eileen Hull's Blog for a look at all the projects.  

For a chance to win this die, answer the question about today's hop on the Oh My Crafts blog today. Don't forget! You have to leave a comment on their blog post to be entered in the GiveAway. There are lots of ways you can use this die and you are about to see some very cool ideas. Are you ready?

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  ~George Eliot

You can also find me at:
 

Happy Halloween Part 2

After we did the Pumpkin Walk we stopped in at Carr home-garden-holiday to see the rest of the display.  We really enjoyed all the great decorations and the talents of the pumpkin carvers.  I hope you like them too!

Happy Halloween

There was a Pumpkin Walk in town tonight.  It was sponsored by Carr home-garden-holiday (a wonderful gift store in town) and Restaurante Tenochtitlán (a really good restaurant).  The weather was beautiful so we took a walk and enjoyed an assortment of Halloween decorations.  I gathered a few photos for you to use as inspiration for your own decor.  Enjoy!