carving pumpkins- inspirations

spooky, unique, cute... take your pick. here are some cute pumpkin carvings that i have been inspired by from over at martha stewart. love her site. another cute one i saw was carving your house number into pumpkins.

a thanksgiving fruit tray kids love

i haven't broken down the entire "how-to" for this yet, but i'm sure you could figure it out! just at a glance i see: honey dew as body, yam as face, bamboo skewers w/ pineapple and grapes, and apples as feathers. cute though, right? wouldn't your kids just gobble this up? ha ha.

fall foliage part 2: kids project

while you are having fun arranging fall foliage into beautiful vases, put the kids to work. with the leaves they collected, have them create these fun projects shown below. another great idea is to have them draw the trunk of a tree and the branches, and glue the leaves to their tree. top off this fun activity by making cookies with leaf shaped cookie cutters. who says you can't be super mom?

fall foliage

**sorry for the few days of slacking! i just came from southern california... warm beaches, hot sun, bathing suits and sunscreen.... and i'm back to to crisp mountain utah air! fall is HERE!**

in the next couple weeks as the leaves are changing colors, i am going to take my little boy and collect some leaves. we are going to do a fun project for him (post coming soon), and we'll find even more leaves, branches to be exact, to do this project for me. not much to the project, just some pretty arranging, but i love the outcome.

table centerpieces

i am feeling the need for some table centerpiece inspiration. i still am unsure what i plan to do on my kitchen table, but i have been inspired by the following ideas. create a candlelight centerpiece by securing dried vegetables to a variety of different sized candles, with a simple ribbon. displaying it on a white oblong platter would be pretty. i am also loving the floral arrangements that have citrus in the vase. it is stunning. since flowers don't last very long, the acorn branches are a better option for me. and finally, i always can find cute ways to use gourds.

family activities to do in fall

as a stay-at-home mom, i know that some of the best activities are those that get you OUT of the home. from my family to yours, here are some of our favorite activities to participate in during the fall season.

1. hay ride: our family enjoys going to the farm and taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

















2. corn maze: take the family to the corn maze and see if you can find your way through the maze without any corn maze helping hints. another fun way to enjoy the corn maze is to split the family into 2 groups and race to see who can get out of the maze first.



















3. haunted house: get "spooked" at a haunted house!


























4. make caramel apples: after picking fresh apples at the orchard, take them home and make scrumptious caramel apples. i like to make extras and give them away to friends and neighbors.

















5. pick apples at the orchards: take your family to an apple orchard and pick fresh apples. i love implementing as much "outdoor" activities as possible before the snow comes in.



















6. pumpkin patch: let every family member pick out their own pumpkin. kids always want to find the biggest pumpkin they can, so the general rule around here is "if you can carry it out, you can pick it"





















7. stuff a scarecrow: let the kids contribute to the halloween decor this year, and stuff a scarecrow.



















8. host a halloween party: invite family, friends, and neighbors over for a party. whether it's a costume party, or a dinner party, celebrate the season with those you love.





















9. serve dinner in mini pumpkins: serve your favorite chili or dinner casserole in these pumpkin gourds. the kids will LOVE it.























10. roast pumpkin seeds: an easy activity to do with kids, and a yummy treat to enjoy after.





















11. fall foliage: take a drive up the canyon (or a walk) and admire all of the beautiful fall colors. it is the perfect time to take the camera out and get some great outdoor shots of the family.



















12. rake the leaves and play in them: every child has fond memories of raking the leaves into one big pile and then jumping in. create some memories for your little ones.


















13. "BOO" your neighbors: find a cute "BOO" poem online and attach it to some treats. wait until dark and then leave it on their porch. the poem tells the neighbors to spread the cheer to 2 more neighbors.

fall wreath

what you need:
foam wreath
hot glue & spray adhesive
moss
about 20 small plastic pumpkin gourds
satin black ribbon

what you do:
DAY 1- place your foam wreath on a flat surface, and secure plastic gourds to the wreath with hot glue. allow the glue to dry and the gourds to settle over night.
DAY 2- using spray adhesive (or hot glue) place moss around the gourds and any visible foam. let dry overnight.
DAY 3- attach a satin black ribbon, and display!

another option:
you can also leave out the ribbon and place it on your table as part of your centerpiece. a vase or platter would fit perfectly in the middle.

fall accessories

a simple and easy way to add some festivity to your family room, is by adding some simple accessories like accent pillows and a throw. choosing oranges, browns, and reds will tie in the fall season with the existing fall decor throughout your home.

jazz up the staircase!

this is a darling idea to decorate your staircase for the fall/halloween/thanksgiving season. i would suggest using some orange ribbon to tie the wheat to make it even more seasonal. i love this idea, the only thing i am unsure of is where to buy wheat like this? if anyone has some ideas, please, enlighten me!

fall porch decor #2

the image on the left is my second porch decor idea that i would love to implement on my porch this year. unfortunately, i think buying a bunch of lanterns would get pretty expensive. fortunately my porch is smaller so i think i can get away with fewer. i also think it would look lovely to have a couple pots of fall mums out. one of my favorite ideas from this image is the double wreaths hanging from the door, with ribbon. not something you see everyday. i thought this was a great idea worth sharing.

fall lanterns

spring fever is a commonly used phrase- especially here in utah. but lately, i have had a case of fall fever. i am longing to decorate the porch with hay bails, pumpkins, candles... and these adorable lanterns that i made today. i am filling my void of fall fever with fall craft projects! my basement is filling up, and by the time october rolls around i will be able to show them off! i thought this one was a secret worth sharing. it took about 10-15 minutes to assemble two.

what you need:
candle lantern - $10
fall leaves spray - $2 (1 spray is enough for 5 lanterns)
flower- $2
ribbon- $2-3 (i used three different patterns)

directions:
1. tie each piece of your ribbon in a basic bow around the top of your lantern.
2. bend the flower stem around the lantern, trimming off any extra stem
3. cut a branch of the leaf spray, and stick into the knot of the ribbon. repeat on opposite side with a different knot.

idea by stacy