My Halloween Pumpkin Project

Originally I saw this cute pumpkin on Pinterest and pinned it to my Halloween board.  Later, I was on the Better Homes & Gardens website and saw it again (http://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkin-decorating/pumpkin-decorating-ideas/).

However, this appears to be on a real pumpkin...and I really feel like if I'm going to put that much effort towards something, I need to invest a little into a craft pumpkin.

I didn't want to invest TOO much, though.  The craft pumpkins at Hobby Lobby were upwards of $35. Even at 40% off, that's a little much for me.

Luckily, I had seen a craft pumpkin at Target that was $12...so, yes, I went with the cheaper pumpkin! :)

My next set back was finding black buttons.  Where do you buy large quantities of single color, yet various sizes/styles of buttons?  I came up with nothing.

And then, I went to Mom...who I think has everything craftily necessary...and who also told me I could SPRAY PAINT the buttons black! Truly, she has several old tins full of buttons, all shapes, all sizes, all colors! SCORE!

This is how I crafted my Halloween pumpkin:

1.  Spray paint buttons black - I just used the $.96 spray paint from Wal-Mart.  I got the glossy paint, because I wanted my buttons to have a little shine.  Also...just to let you know...buttons are light...and tend to move around when you spray them.  I have no tips on keeping them still...but I thought you should know.

2.  Print out your letters and cut them out - I think my font size was 350 and I just used Times New Roman. I wanted the serifs on the "B"...so this worked for me. Also...a tip...print these on card stock if possible. I printed one "O" on cardstock accidently (because that's what Mom had left in her printer) but used regular paper for the "B"...the "O" was much easier to trace around...which brings me to:

3.  Position your letters on the pumpkin, using a small piece of scotch tape to keep them in place and trace around using a pencil.

4.  Using your buttons, fill in the letters using hot glue.**

5.  Paint the stem black and tie a pretty black ribbon around the stem.

And you are done! :)

My total cost in this project:

Pumpkin - $12
Buttons - Free
Spray Paint - $1
Black paint for stem - already had on hand
Ribbon - $2
Hot glue - already had on hand

That's a grand total of $15.

I couldn't be happier with the outcome! :)

Happy Halloween!


**OK - I wrote these instructions BEFORE I was actually finished...and I would NOT use hot glue again. You can, but it leaves strings of glue and, what's even worse, the hot glue oozes out of the button holes when you are pressing them on to the pumpkin.  SO...you can use hot glue...but I think a good strong craft glue would work better. :)

Catching Up...again

It's been more than three months since I updated my blog...and not because I didn't want to.  Trust me - there have been several days that I thought "I really need to update my blog".  But there has been no time.  My job is crazy busy these days...my computer is still in a million pieces...and even if it weren't, by the time I get home I just want to do nothing.  Things have smoothed out this week...but I'm just waiting for the next wave to hit. About the time I think that all is calm & smooth, that's when I get lulled into feeling as if things are finally caught up and even and I won't be stressed anymore...

and then BAM...here we go again.

So, what have I been up to since my last blog post (which was a scheduled post for July 4th)?

Other than running around like a chicken with my head cut off...I:

 - Went to Florida on a mission trip with our student ministry the last week of July. We had an AWESOME time working with the Orlando Rescue Mission and getting to know the kids that live there. This is our second time there and, as I was last year, I was truly humbled and thankful for the life that God has blessed me with. The children that are living there have come from homes and situations that I can not even imagine and in this place they have found happiness and safety for a moment. It is truly a blessing to be a small part of their lives for this week.

 - Went to the beach with my family in August. When I got back from Florida (without Dylan - left him behind with his Dad & other Orlando family), my mom told me she & my Dad had decided to go to Emerald Isle for vacation. I told her that I would be tagging along (joking) and her reply was that she hoped Dylan & I would. I don't need much more of an invitation than that! So, we went down halfway through their vacation...my sister, brother-in-law, niece & nephew also came down...and we had three great days of beach vacation with the family!

 - Went to Fort Caswell with Ashley & Zac in September. Zac's birthday is September 10th and we all grew up going to Fort Caswell for summer camp. Caswell is such a special place - full of great memories. Zac started going down for his birthday a few years ago...a couple of years ago, they invited Dylan & I to go along...and then again this year. Another great beach trip.

And I think that catches me up with where I am now. No big trips or plans from here forward...which is probably a good thing because I'm not sure how much more my checking account can take!

I would love to tell you that I'm going to start blogging daily, weekly or even monthly...but at this point in my life I just don't know.  For those of you who catch my quarterly posts, thank you.  Thanks for hanging in there and making sure I'm still alive!

Hope to see you soon...Jenn