fun with gourds

After pumpkin carving, we started on a project that kept us up way too late. We were all, myself included, having so much fun making these gourd people...or gourd monsters if your name is Rollin.

We had so many gourds this year that I thought it might be fun for Rollin to bring these rather than candy to his preschool Halloween party to share with his friends. It's been a fun activity for him to continue working on in the mornings before school.


Introducing the gourd family...new members added daily!


Rollin and I made this guy.

Would it surprise you to know that this is Nina's gourd? Notice the pearl earrings, bracelets, purse and skirt.


One of Rollin's not-so-scary monster gourds.

Sela's baby gourd with purse

Advent Day 4: Gumdrop Pops

Saturday's activity was a huge treat. The kids made gumdrop pops like the ones below from Martha Stewart. Zig and I had a Christmas party to attend so we left the materials with the sitter. Sela said Rollin was trying to eat all the materials, but otherwise it was really fun.

Advent Day 2: Homemade Photo Ornaments

This project was done with the babysitter. I left the materials, and they did the rest using magazine catalogs and other random sparkles left over from other projects. It was fun to come home and see what they came up with.

Ladybug Rocks for the garden

This was my favorite project from our spring fling. The bugs look so cute in the garden and were easy to make. The rocks did take several coats of paint to get really red though. I thought Camilla and Moriah might enjoy this little craft.



















What you'll need:
• Smooth, round or oval rocks, washed and dried
• Red Acrylic craft paint
• Black acrylic craft paint
• 2 wiggle eyes for each ladybug
• Black Sharpie marker
• Acrylic matte sealer spray
• White craft glue (Tacky Glue)
How to make it:
1. Completely wash and dry all rocks.
2. Paint rocks in desired colors, allow to dry. Apply second and third coats if needed. Lighter colors will require more coats than darker shades.
3. Paint head on using black acrylic craft paint. There is no pattern needed, simply paint about ¼ of the rock black in the “front”.
4. Use a black Sharpie to draw a straight line down the center of the rock, starting at the center of the base of the “head”.
5. Paint dots on the back of the rocks, also with the sharpie pen.
6. Once the paint is dry, spray the rock(s) with acrylic sealer spray. Allow sealer to dry completely.
7. using white craft glue, attach wiggle eyes and let dry.