Category: Celebrations

Transformed Buckets are Halloween Hit

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Mama

I hope everyone is in the Halloween “spirit” these days, but if you need a little extra inspiration these holidays buckets might just do the trick. I received a set of six medium galvanized pots from Oriental Trading and transformed them into black and orange Halloween buckets with a bit of spray paint, sticky vinyl, chalkboard coating and washi tape.

The first set of buckets was simple to make using candy corn as my inspiration. I simply spray painted one white, one orange and one yellow and plopped them down in a row. The hardest thing about this project was getting the weather to cooperate with my painting schedule. You can fill these pots with candy, chips or other goodies to transfer a party table into something festive.

This next bucket was a combination of spray paint and vinyl. I simply sprayed the pot orange and after it dried I randomly adhered black vinyl polka dots for a fun and festive look. I cut the dots with my Circuit machine, but I’m sure you can find round stickers at various crafting stores around town.

This chalkboard bucket is one of my favorites, because it can change with your mood or even the seasons. I sprayed the bucket with flat black paint and after it dried I applied two coats of the same chalkboard medium I used on my pumpkin countdown calendar. After everything cured overnight, I was able to write a message on the pot using chalk. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s “Boo-tiful.”

This last bucket has a different look than the others, but it was fun to use some of my Halloween washi tape that seems to go on and on forever. I started by spraying the pot white and after it dried I started applying tape. Since the bucket is wider at the top than the bottom, I had to be careful with my spacing and make sure the strips of tape stayed vertical. After a few strips, I quickly got the hang of it.

I just love my new festive buckets and think they will be a Halloween hit! If you are interested in making your own pots, visit Oriental Trading to place an order or visit their Halloween Headquarters and craft page for loads of other great inspiration.

Oriental Trading sent me some of these products used in this project for review,
but all opinions are my own.

My Autumn Mailbox Adds Curbside Color

Posted on October 11, 2017October 11, 2017 by Mama

Although today’s cloudy skies looks nothing like the day I took these photos of my autumn mailbox, I decided to share them in hopes of bringing a bit of sunshine and inspiration into your day.

Since all the flowers around my mailbox have finished blooming, I’m left with a bunch of dead heads and green leaves, so I wanted to bring some color to the curbside. I will soon clip the dead flower tops once the yellow finches have polished off all the seeds before winter.

This little box top arrangement was super easy to create with just a few necessities. I started with a floral saddle created for just such a thing (and headstones too, but our project is much more fun). Bend the sides of the saddle to firmly grip your mailbox and wrap the foam with dried Spanish moss. You can purchase bags of the moss for cheap at most craft stores. You don’t need to adhere the moss with anything, because your floral stems will hold it on.

Now it’s time to start poking in your pretty stuff. I used one bush of sunflowers and one bush of oak leaves (on sale at Michael’s), but I also added some smaller flowers I had around the house to fill in some bare spots. You will need some type of wire nippers to trim the flower stems to length, and this is probably the most difficult step in this project. Those thick stems can be tough to cut, but with the correct tool you shouldn’t have a problem.

For the finishing touch, I added a large bow made of wired burlap ribbon to each side of the arrangement. I made the bows and adhered them using wired floral picks (also available at craft stores). The bows add a nice touch and also help cover the sides of the saddle.

That’s all it took to create this fun mailbox topper that should last until Christmas décor time, but I hope it withstands the elements well. I’m sure the quality of my contents will play a part in this, but so far the rain and wind haven’t affected it a bit.

Track the Days Until Trick-or-Treat

Posted on October 1, 2017October 1, 2017 by Mama

Hello October! I’m so excited to welcome the month, which also means hello Halloween. I’ve slowly been sprucing up the homestead for fall, but today is officially decorating day for bats, spiders and all things spooky.

As we count down the days until Halloween, what better way to keep track than with a crafty chalkboard pumpkin. I used the last of three large wood centerpieces from Oriental Trading to create this cute countdown calendar and I used the same basic technique as I did for the teacher’s apple from August.

The main difference with this project (other than the obvious change of color) is the finishing technique. Instead of wax, I used a couple of coats of Americana’s Clear Chalkboard Coating over the entire pumpkin face. This product creates a flat chalkboard finish on just about any surface. I really like this stuff, because I can turn any color of paint I already have into a chalkboard without spending loads of money on limited choices of specialty paints. This pumpkin also differs from the apple with the addition of two pumpkin-shaped leaves and some wire spirals, which thread through a hole and create a hanger on the back.

This cute little pumpkin is a great way to track the days until trick-or-treat, and you can easily make your own in just a few hours. You can find some of the products used here and lots of additional Halloween ideas at Oriental Trading online.

Oriental Trading sent me some of these products used in this project for review,
but all opinions are my own.

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