Birdie's Snack Pinecone: Attach a string hanger to a pine cone. Smother the pine cone in peanut butter and then roll in bird seed until completely covered. Hang from a tree for the birds to enjoy.
The Perfect Nature-Lover's Gift: Wrap several of the above Birdie's Snack Pinecones individually in clear plastic wrap. Arrange in a basket with a raffia bow and this note.
Here's a gift for all the lovely birds. . .
For although they cannot speak the words,
And they may find lots of worms on which to feed
Their favorite still is peanut butter with bird seed!
Fall Snacks: What better time of year than fall to serve the kids "Ants on a Log"? Spread peanut butter in the groove of celery and sprinkle on the ants or raisins, your choice. Serve this with "Pumpkin Cheese Crackers" and they won't even realize they are eating healthy. Spread peanut butter between two round crackers. Top with a pumpkin cut with a cookie cutter from a slice of cheese. Of course you have to make this into a picnic so you can observe the birds as they picnic on your birdseed pine cones.
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Potpourri Mice: Fall is a good time to bring out the potpourri when we start closing up the house. These little mice are made from empty walnut shell halves. For bonnet, glue lace around edge of a circle of fabric and then sew a running stitch along edge and pull to gather. Insert a little fiberfill to puff the bonnet and glue to top of walnut shell. Cut ears from gray felt, pinch in center and glue to bonnet. Glue a bow between ears. Glue on small black beads for eyes. Whiskers from black thread or clear mono-filament (fishing line) are optional. Add a black pom or bead nose. Fill bottom with potpourri and glue a piece of netting to bottom. |
Candle
Ring: Trace the bottom of a pillar candle onto
cardboard. Trace another circle about 2 to 3 inches outside of this one (depending
on how wide you want your nut ring). Cut around outside circle. Use pattern to cut a
circle from an aluminum pie plate and glue it to top of cardboard circle. Also if desired
cut a circle from a sheet of thin corkboard and glue to bottom of cardboard circle to give
it a more finished look. Set candle back in center of aluminum covered cardboard and
start gluing nuts around it. Stack the nuts and glue them to each other as well as
the aluminum as you work your way around the candle. Glue on different kinds of
nuts using as many as you can from the woods. For a different look glue in a few
fall flowers.
| Pot Turkey:
This would make a great
fall accent in a bed of leaves and pine cones. Vary the sizes and make a whole
turkey family. Add a top hat for Dad and a straw hat for Mom. Also
farmer straw hats and bandanas would be cute! Materials: Raffia, large fall silk leaf or several small, 2" tall clay pot, 2" wood ball, Aleene's Tacky Glue, acrylic paint in brown, black, white and yellow Instructions: Glue wood ball to pot. Let dry. Paint head and pot brown. Let dry. Paint eyes black and beak yellow. Let dry. Add white eye dots. Tie a raffia bow and glue at chin. Glue leaves on back of pot for feathers. |
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Candy Wrapper Jar: After Halloween save all of those candy wrappers and boxes for decoupage and Christmas ornaments. Paint a section of clean jar with Mod Podge. Lay on candy wrappers and press smooth with fingers. Paint over top of wrappers with Mod Podge. Continue around jar. Paint jar lid gold or matching color and let dry. Using jar lid as a pattern, cut a circle from a candy wrapper. Decoupage to top of jar. Fill with goodies. Not dishwasher safe. . . wash by hand only. Ornaments: Put a purchased mouse or bear in an empty candy box so that it appears to be popping out or sleeping. Add a hanger making box hang like a bed if critter is sleeping. Add lace around openings.
| Turkey Handprint
Cards: A really easy and sentimental card! Kids can make these
for everyone special to them. Help them cut the handprints and additional pieces
(shown above) from colored paper or felt and let the child glue in place onto a sheet of
folded construction paper. Print the following message, let them glue it inside and
sign their name. "This turkey is
made from my hands, you see. |
Dachshund Doggie Draft Dodger: Winter is coming and now is the time to make these cute draft dodgers. They could even help solve some of your gift giving dilemmas! Tea dye a pair of men's tube socks by steeping in a strong brew of tea. Dry socks. Fill each with cheap kitty litter. Glue Velcro to ends and fasten. Add floppy puppy dog ears cut from felt. Glue a black pom to tip for nose and add wiggly eyes. Glue on a small straw hat with flowers to one for the lady. Glue a felt top hat to the gentleman dog. Lay dogs nose to nose along windows sills or doors to ward off drafts. Remove kitty litter to gently hand wash socks.
Turkey Angel: Angel Collectors will want to add this turkey angel to their collection. |
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| If using Satin-covered balls, remove hangers. Hole in large ball will go at top if hanging turkey or underneath if not. (If hanging, glue or pin ribbon ends into hole.) Apply glue to small ball (near hole if satin-covered ball) and glue to large ball for head. Glue heart feet to bottom of large ball. Turn one edge of lace under and pin to back of turkey near bottom. Pinch lace and pin, forming little pleats. Continue around back of ball to form tail feathers as shown in picture. End by turning under edge and trim off excess. Glue on eyes and pin on a small piece of fiberfill for turkey beard. Also pin or glue on small amount of fiberfill to sides if desired. Cut beak shape from piece of foil. (Gold foil candy wrapper was used here!) Pinch center and glue in place with white glue. Glue beads in a circle for halo. Glue a small tuft of fiberfill to head and glue halo to fiberfill. | |
Pumpkin 'n Flowers Centerpiece with
Matching Candlesticks: Cut the top off of a small pumpkin about the
size of a cantaloupe and scoop out the insides. Rinse inside with lemon water, which
hopefully will keep it fresh smelling. Put a piece of florist foam in the bottom and
stick in colorful fall flowers. Fill with water. For the candlesticks, carve a
small hole into a mini pumpkin. Insert candle. Arrange pretty silk fall leaves
and nuts around pumpkins on the table. (Idea submitted by Kim at
Creative Investments by Kim.)
Fall Table Cloth: You will need a bought or homemade ecru table cloth, leaf rubber stamps, fall colors (gold, orange, red) of fabric paint. Apply multiple colors of paint to leaf stamp and stamp on table cloth. Also make matching napkins and place cards. (Idea submitted by Kim at Creative Investments by Kim.)
Turkey Placemats: Kim also suggests letting kids paint their hands with fall colors and then stamp them on a plain, light-colored placemat. Decorate them similar to our handprint turkeys above. Wouldn't kids love making a whole table cloth like this?
Herbal Candle: Here is a great way to use up old (especially outdated) bottles of leafy herbs and spices such as bay leaves, basil, parsley and cloves. Fill a tall pot with water and boil. Put paraffin in another container, a coffee can works well. Sit the coffee can inside the pot of boiling water (double boiler fashion). After melting the paraffin, remove the pot from the burner and set the paraffin aside. Submerge the candle in the pot of hot water to soften. Press herbs and spices into the soft wax. CAREFULLY dip candle into paraffin. Set on foil-lined pan to harden. The finished candle looks very pretty sitting on a terra cotta tray. (Idea submitted by Susan Young at The Peach Kitty Studio). I think I'll try this and roll it in my favorite. . . cinnamon!
Spiced
Apple Cider
Combine the following ingredients in a large stock pot.
Bring to a boil. Lower heat and add 3/4 cup brown sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes. Great on a nippy fall day! (Contributed by Susan Young at The Peach Kitty Studio)
Happy Harvest Favors 3 x 5 plain index card, white or colored |
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Cut and paste clip art (or sticker) in upper right corner of card. Punch a hole in upper left corner of card. Hand print on card "Happy Harvest (or Happy Halloween or Happy Thanksgiving). Thread jute or ribbon through punched hole. Fill one corner of baggie with candy corn, twist and cut off excess. Loop the jute or ribbon through the punched hole and tie around the baggie. This idea could also be used to make a regular card. Variations: Use angel clip art and candy kisses and write "Kissed by an angel". Use snowman clip art and miniature marshmallows and write "Snowballs are Unassembled Snowmen". Use Santa clip art and Hershey's Hugs for "Hugs from Santa". (Idea contributed by Linda Maretich)
Ruler Tip: As you shop for craft supplies this holiday season and you may need to measure, remember you always have a 6" ruler with you if you have a dollar bill! Fold it in half for 3", in thirds for 2", etc.
| Did everyone order their Color Your World sample of Plastic Art Chips last month? Hope so. Here is a cute project. Cut a balloon shape from plastic magnetic sheeting. Cut a center oval to fit a favorite picture. Glue beading or cording around the inside oval. Cover the shape with tacky white glue and sprinkle on the plastic art chips. Add more glue and fill in holes as necessary. Let dry and tie ribbon to neck of balloon. Make a different color frame for each child and pull the strings together at bottom and tie like a cluster of balloons. One sample package contains enough for about three frames! |
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Can't you imagine all sorts of projects for these new chips. Make frames in red for Christmas balls, green for wreaths, orange for pumpkins. Make them into shapes of kites, bells, hearts and more. Make them on poster board and cover the back for Christmas ornaments. Make picture frames for your desk. The ideas are endless!
A woman was dismayed when she got home from the pet shop with her talking parrot and he spewed forth a string of curse words. " I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap," she said. "Go ahead, you bleep, bleep, bleep! Shocked she washed his mouth out with soap and he came up sputtering more curse words. She hung him in the closet where she could hear him cursing up a storm. So she put him in the freezer for just a moment. Upon opening the door, the turkey blurted out, "Okay you win. I'll be good. I saw what happened to the turkey! What did the poor fella do!"
Jeff Smith, aka The Frugal Gourmet, read this gem on the air, apparently from a viewer: "I have had my turkey in the freezer for a year and a half. Will it take longer to thaw?"
