Decorating with Fabulous Fabric Pumpkins!

I don’t know many people who don’t love the fall season, the leaves on the trees changing into bright fiery reds, yellows, and oranges, the sound of the leaves crunching under foot as you take a stroll while enjoying the briskness of the air and even the smell.  If you walked outside with your eyes closed, you would still know it’s autumn just by the smell.  Then, when you get back home, pulling out a comfy throw to cuddle beneath.

For me, one of the most iconic images of fall is pumpkins.  They come in every size, shape and colour.  Not only are they good eatin they are great for decorating inside or out.  Well I’ve been having a ball making some Fabulous Fabric Pumpkins.  Sorry I haven’t posted this earlier, but they have been selling faster than I can make them, but I’m sure you’ve seen others online, so now that I’ve got a few made up and snapped some pics of them I’ll show ya my version and how I’ve displayed them.

As a rule, most displays look best in groupings of 3 so these are available as a set of 3 (S, M, L) for $14.99

Fabulous Fabric Pumpkins! Set of 3 $14.99

Of course displaying them is limited only by your imagination, so here are just a few simple ways I’ve displayed them in the store.

Dig out that soup tureen that’s been sitting at the back of the cupboard and tuck some Fabulous Fabric Pumpkins in it and you’ve just created a great display for your Thanksgiving table.  Soup tureens aren’t just for soup

Pumpkins in a soup tureen

Fabulous Fabric Pumpkins under glass? Yep, pull out the cake dome and place them inside, it’s quick, easy and fun!

Pumpkins under glass

Create a vignette of birdhouses and pumpkins keeping to the rule of 3.

Pumpkins & Bird Houses

You don’t have a soup tureen or a cake dome? Take a look around, there’s something that you’ve got that is just crying out for a little autumn oomph.  Notice that there are 3 pumpkins but only 2 other objects, it still an odd number of items that is pleasing to the eye.

Autumn oomph

If you really, really don’t have anything, then just pop outside and pick up some fall leaves… they are free and look great paired with pumpkins

Pumpkins & Leaves

You’ll notice that these are just sitting on a chair, how cute would that be placed in your entry when you are inviting in guests

Now most of you are probably pointing to the screen and saying “she should have placed some leaves around the base of the other displays”, well, you are right.  Sometimes I’m not too bright and in my rush to get some pictures I just wasn’t thinking.  And, to tell he honest truth, the store is in pretty much an upheaval at the moment because I’ve been making some huge changes with painting and moving stuff around and…. well, when it’s all done and back in shape, that’ll be another post, so stay tuned for that

Anyway… along with making the pumpkins I’ve also sewn a few Indian Corn

Indian Corn $2.99 ea

Just tuck a few here and there, say, on a book shelf, on the mantle or at the base of a lamp on the end table for a quirky shot of autumn!

And finally, my last “pumpkin” themed item is my primitive potpourri.  Made with rose hips and mini pumpkins and scented with orange clove fragrance oil.

Primitive Potpourri

Aren’t the mini pumpkins cute  They are actually a Putka Pod, but I have no idea what a putka is and since they do look like pumpkins why not just call them pumpkins!

Primitive Potpourri $3.99/bag

So there you have it, my take of decorating with pumpkins!  I’d love to see some pictures of your pumpkin decorating, whether it is the real thing, or the faux version, inside or out.  Please send me some pics and I’ll share them here for everyone to enjoy.

Happy Fall

Sherry

UPDATE:

After I posted this I’ve had some folks asking how to make them, so I’ve written up a tutorial with step by step pictures of how I make 2 different versions of these pumpkins with a bonus tutorial on how to make the indian corn.  If you’d like to get the tutorial, click here.

The Gory Details

I’ve been having way too much fun with this halloween decorating thing the last couple of days so I’ll give you a short tour… see if you can see what’s been going Bump in the night… Mwuhahaha.

 

Rattle, rattle

 

This guy has been hanging around the pantry, I guess he needs to put some “meat on his bones”… ugh, ok that was just bad, and I can hear you groaning too, but what other explanation could there be?

 

Bill

 

 

Ted

 

Then we have these two incorporeal fellows that have popped up in a couple of our display stands.  At least they smell good, Bill has nestled himself among the Pot Pourri and although you can’ see it, Ted seems to be enjoying the Bath Bombs.  I wonder if they know how good they smell?

 

Skulls 3/$1.00

 

From what I understand these are the last known members of a small tribe of murmuring braincases (otherwise known as talking heads).  They are said to hail from the bad lands of Spooksilvania.  Or they could just be Bill & Ted’s smaller cousins.  You decide  I just call them skulls.

In my last post, there was some speculation as to how Uncle John met his (untimely?) end.  Well the speculation continues.  This is a closer look at the bottle that has been suspected of the ill doing.

 

 

Need we say More?

 

 

A Closer Look

 

But while doing a little fall fouling of the Family Crypt, we came upon this item for your perusal.

 

Dr. Oddbody's Elixer

 

 

A Close-up

 

Now it must be said that although Uncle John seemed a very hail and hardy gentleman, he did suffer from most if not all of these common ailments… Uncle John it seems was a bit of an hypochondriac.

From all the literature that I have found on this particular nostrum, it is “GUARANTEED TO CURE 100% OF THESE COMMON AILMENTS AND MANY MORE”  From what I can deduce from this bottle of “snake oil” is the way in which it cures you of these complaints.  You may think that our “side effects” of our modern pharmaceuticals pushed upon us by our local quacks leaves much to be desired, but back in Uncle Johns time they pretty much spelled it out for you, if you take the time to read it.

 

Precautions & Dr. Oddbody's Address

 

Upon inspection of this bottle, I notice that not a single drop remains.  If by chance Uncle John did imbibe of the contents, then by his own hand he was “cured” of each and every  affliction he suffered from, and then some.  And if this is the case, then Dr. Oddbody’s Cure All Elixir & Patent Medicine did what it was supposed to do.  I certainly don’t hear Uncle John complaining any more.

But this still hasn’t answered our question about how Uncle John when peacefully into that good night.  Was it by his own hand or was it… (insert suspense music here… Dum, dum, dum) MURDER?????

As I mentioned before I was doing a little fall fouling of the Family Crypt … it’s kinda like spring cleaning but the opposite, ya know dusting, adding just a few cobwebs, making sure the spiders are in all the right corners.  It gives the place that died in feeling… Anyway as I was saying, I found these .

 

Skull Match Boxes .89 ea

 

I guess Great Aunt Grizelda must have left them tucked away for Uncle John to spark up his Meerschaum whenever the urge hit.  Now Aunt Grizelda hated Uncle John smoking… she thought it would be the death of him…  but he did enjoy his Meerschaum every once in a while.  Aunt Grizelda could have a bit of a mean streak in her,  these were tucked in a sealed box, it took 3 able bodied people to pry it open to see what the contents were!!  And if that wasn’t bad enough, guess what wasn’t left behind for him… yep, his Meerschaum and his pipe tobacco!!!  But after all these years in a cold damp mouldering environment, they still come alight on the first strike.

Now don’t get me wrong, our ancestors weren’t all mean.  There was a sweet side to them too, and here’s the proof.

 

Jack O' Lantern All Day Suckers $2.99 ea.

 

These yummy suckers are 4″ wide by 5″ tall and are 140 g of sugary goodness.  How’s that for sweet for ya?

Well, that’s all for now.  I told ya I was having way too much fun!!!  Who knows what other items and kooky stories my brain will come up with next.  Please let me know what you think of my posts… are you enjoying them, or am  I just amusing myself?

Unpleasant Dreams,

Scary Sherry

My Jewelry Displays… How To

Well, since I lost my glue, then found it again, I thought I’d show you how I made my jewelry displays.  FYI there are a lot of pictures… I hope they help my explanations

My Handmade Jewelry Displays

Since this is my first tutorial, I’m gonna start with the earring display.

Earring Display

These are the supplies you need.  A cutting mat, foam core, pencil, ruler, utility knife, hole punch, fabric (I used cheap polar fleece) and of course I forgot to include in the photo the GLUE and a pair of scissors.

Supplies

Cut the foam core to approx 2″ wide by 6″ long.  About 1 1/2 inches from one end score the foam core, then again about 1/4″ above that.  DO NOT cut all the way through both sides.  Keep the front side paper intact.  Snap both score lines and remove the foam from the foam core.

foam removed about 1 1/2" from one end

Turn the foam core over to the “front” side and make 5 score lines every 1/2 centimeter from on the opposite end. (sorry for flipping from imperial to metric)  Snap each score line.  This will make the top portion of the earring display curved.  You can omit this part if you just want it flat.  I think it looks a little nicer, but that’s just me

Cut some fabric a little larger than that of the foam core.  Smear some tacky glue on the front side making sure that when you attach the fabric that you curl the top, otherwise the fabric will keep the foam core cuts together and you have a flat top.  Clear as mud??

showing the fabric slightly larger than the foam core

Flip over and cut notches in the fabric where the foam core is removed and trim the excess fabric from the corners.  Spread some more glue along the top curve and tuck the fabric under.  Once secure spread glue along the sides stick on the fabric.  You may have to cut off a little more excess fabric here and there, but that’s ok, just glue it down.  That’s the nice thing about tacky glue is it sticks pretty quickly  Spread more glue on the bottom and stick on the fabric and you are almost done.

sticking down the fabric to the back side of the foam core

Now stick some glue in the area where you removed the foam from the foam core at the bottom.  Tuck the top part into what is now the foot part, it won’t take long for the glue to set up.  We’re getting closer to the end!!

side view of display. glue is drying in the folded portion between the top and the foot.

Now we take the hole punch and punch a couple of holes through the whole shebang.  After I took this picture I noticed how much the white foam shows against the black of the fabric, so I just took a sharpie marker and coloured it in.  Problem solved.

Black Earring Display Completed

Add a pair of earrings and you are done.  If you want you can add a piece of fabric to the back of the display… I didn’t bother, because who’s gonna look.

Well, that’s my attempt a a tutorial.  Let me know what you think.

Until next time,

Sherry