Thanksgiving Place Cards

Hopefully I am not the only one that finds holiday place cards DARLING! I think these personal touches are just precious. Maybe one day when I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner... but for now, I enjoy being the guest! Is that bad?

gobble gobble

cute, don't you think?

some thanksgiving lovin

i'm quite obsessed with the acorn napkin holders shown here, and it reminded me of some acorn bells that i saw a year or so ago. i wish i could find some, i think it would be darling as a fall holiday decor piece, placed atop a table runner. i hope you are all ready for the big turkey day!

holiday entertainment will never end

the halloween festivities are nearly over. after all of the pumpkin patches, hay rides, corn mazes, carving pumpkins, roasting pumpkin seeds, modeling costumes, family/friends/church parties, and trick-or-treating... whatever are you going to do with the kids besides eat all of that candy? well, here are some fun ideas to keep you busy and excited for yet another holiday.

gobble gobble

i am always so ahead of myself with the holidays. i'm already dreaming of white christmases, and yummy thanksgiving dinners. do forgive me. i saw these suckers/candy? online, and unfortunately there weren't any instructions. i have way more talented friends, and i am sure they could figure out the "how-to". so darling. here are my guesses, but i'm usually wrong! :)
(chocolate covered marshmallow- body? candy corn- feathers? jelly bean- face? heart shaped sprinkle? pretzel- legs? i just don't know?!)

halloween party games

are you throwing a Halloween party this year? or perhaps you have been asked to help plan your child's class party at school? here are some fun Halloween games that you can play at your party, and they are fun for all ages. all you need to know is included below, but lets just say you will need alot of pumpkins. if you haven't noticed yet, i am not a fan of the "scary" side of Halloween, so everything halloween to me revolves around pumpkins and other "natural" fall items. enjoy! (side note: since most of these aren't "scary" you could use most of these games around thanksgiving also)

________________________________________________________

Pumpkin Golf:

Object of Game: Hit the golf ball into a pumpkin.

Preparation:

1. Carve out a pumpkin. Make the mouth extra large.

2. Build a cardboard ramp about one to two feet side from the ground to the bottom of the pumpkin's mouth.

3. You will probably need some support under the cardboard.

4. Tape the ramp to the floor for stability.

5. Mark a starting point a few feet from the start of the ramp. The older the kids, the farther away.

Playing the Game:

1. Each player gets to hit a golf ball three times.

2. Each time the ball goes into the pumpkin, the player wins a piece of candy.

Pumpkin Bowling:

Object of Game: Knock over the bowling pins. Make a strike or a spare.

Preparation:

1. Select several small pumpkins about four to six inches in diameter. You need extras in case a few split or break.

2. Place plastic (children's set) of bowling pins several feet away on the lawn or floor of the room.

3. A great alternative to bowling pins are plastic liter bottles. Let the kids decorate them with Halloween objects before the game.

Playing the Game:

1. Measure off several feet.

2. Give each child two tries to knock down the pins.

3. A strike is worth two pieces of candy.

4. A spare is worth one piece of candy.

Witches Relay Race

Object of the game: Roll a small pumpkin across the room and back, only using a broom stick.

Preparation:
1. 2 small pumpkins, gourds can also be used
2. 2 straw brooms
3. 2 chairs (or any object you can place across the room, where they will have to go anround and return.)

Playing the game:
1. Divide your guests into two teams. Line them up, and play the game relay style.
2. First team to finish, wins.
3. Winners receive a treat.

Pumpkin Bocce:

Object of Game: Roll a pumpkin closest to the big pumpkin.

Preparation:

1. Carve out a large pumpkin.

2. Buy several miniature or round sugar pumpkins.

Playing the Game:

1. Place the big, carved out pumpkin several feet away.

2. Give each player a small pumpkin.

3. Each player rolls (No tossing or throwing) their pumpkin and tries to be the closest to the big pumpkin.

4. The player closest wins a prize or piece of candy.

5. Play as many times as you want. (Or until you run out of prizes.

Pumpkin Ring Toss:

Object of Game: To toss a ring around a pumpkin.

Preparation:

1. Carve out a one to three pumpkins.

2. Buy or make three or four rings about twice as big around as the pumpkins.

3. If you don't know what to use, try an extra piece of leftover electrical cable and tape together with duct tape. (Scouts use this as a "Reduce, re-use and re-cycle" project)

Playing the Game:

1. Measure back several feet, depending on age group.

2. Give the rings to the player.

3. A piece of candy (or two) is awarded for ringing the pumpkin.

4. You can award one piece of candy for a partial ring and two if the ring is completely around.

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.

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.

decorating with things around the house

decorating for fall doesn't need to cost a lot of money, and you can make some really darling decor with simple things you already have around the house. pull out your cake stand, and place a pumpkin on top. i am a huge fan on painting pumpkins white! i think it looks very chic. i think the reason i love both ideas in this post is because you aren't just setting out your pumpkins, you are showcasing them.
















the next idea i have is one i plan on implementing around my home, and it too can be done simply by using existing items from around your home. for example, many of us have candles around the home. simply remove your candles from the candle pillars, and replace it with a pumpkin. although i am dying to, i am making myself wait to put out my decor until october 1st. i will probably use the real mini pumpkins, but these were the only pumpkins not packed away in storage.

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 porch decor #1

just another project to feed my fall fever. i found this darling idea for my porch for the upcoming halloween and thanksgiving seasons. i love pumpkin decor because they work for both holidays. i think i am going to attempt putting this together on my own, i will let you know how it turns out. i am planning on using real pumpkins, but possibly spraying some adhesive and adding some shimmer to spruce it up a bit.

i have another porch inspiration (coming soon) that i plan to use with this. it includes hay, lanterns, and more pumpkins. i cannot wait!

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