pumpkin Archives • diy mama

by Shelly on September 14, 2018 Leave a Comment

Pumpkin Inspired Treats, Jack-o’-lanterns and Decor for Halloween

Pumpkin Inspired Treats, Jack-o’-Lanterns and Decor for Halloween, we’ve rounded up lots of fun pumpkin shaped treats, jack-o’-lantern ideas and Halloween decorations so you can celebrate this spooky holiday in style!

Pumpkin Shaped Treats

One of the best things about Halloween celebrations are all the tasty food. From ghoulish body parts to happy monsters, treats are the highlight of this holiday. Here are a few classic crowd pleasing pumpkin recipes:

Try these Pumpkin Dipped Pretzels by The Spruce Eats to stuff Boo Bags or treats for the class Halloween party!
Kids love dirt making these Pumpkin Patch Dirt Cups by I Can Teach My Child a huge hit with kids of all ages.
Cincy Shopper made these adorable Pumpkin Rice Krispies that I know my daughter would be begging for more.
Be the star of your neighborhood Halloween party with these Pumpkin Sugar Cookies by Eating on a Dime.

Jack-o’-Lantern Ideas

Growing up, carving jack-o-lanterns was one of my very favorite Halloween traditions. Even before kids I always made sure to make that happen before Halloween night. The pumpkin carving standards have gone way up since Pinterest but there are still tons of really cute ideas for all skill levels. Check out this link from Better Homes and Gardens for some really great ideas!

Jack Skellington (large circles for eyes and skinny wide sewn mouth)
Black Cat (make sure you have paint, pipe cleaners and cardboard for the ears)
Fairy House Jack-o-Lantern (carve rounded door and windows)
Witch (use a carrot or the stem for the nose)
Harry Potter
Teal Pumpkin for children with food allergies

Pumpkin Crafts and Decorations

My decorations now all fit in two tubs (plus the huge Halloween street sign and tomb stones) which is quite condensed from a few years ago. I love decorating for Halloween but now love adding in more crafty decorations. My daughter loves doing holiday inspired crafts and admiring them throughout the season.

Pumpkin Flower Arrangement (scoop out a pumpkin or (better yet) use a Styrofoam pumpkin and add silk flowers to add fall colors for the whole season.
These Pumpkin Yarn Pom Poms by Not Quiet Suzy Homemaker are super easy and only require yarn! Make them super quick with this pom pom maker.
I love the look of pumpkins but am not a fan of orange in my decor so this Chalky White Pumpkin Wreath by Paint Yourself a Smile is perfect!
For a modern twist on your pumpkin decor try scooping out mini pumpkins in white and light green and planting succulents.

Photos from Unsplash

Fall Decor Ideas

I’m staying warm inside today because it’s definitely fall according to the cold dark rainy day outside. I am staying very busy with crafts and I have my favorite pink nail polish with pink glitter on to keep me happy. I’ve seen so many roundups of fall decor this year but they’re very country/burlap/twine. I think that style is cute but it isn’t what I’m loving right now. I wanted to do a roundup of a few of my favorite modern/fun/whimsical fall decor ideas. I currently have a few sets of mums and some leaf garland on the craftsman posts on the porch but I’d love to incorporate these into the interior of my home!

These felt leaves have been circling the internet for a few years and I always think they are so darling. I love the chunky yarn used to string the leaves together. Felt always reminds me of the weather getting colder so I think it’s the perfect material for a fall garland.

I’m in love with this Fall themed chalk wall Andrea made for her family! She changes the wall according to the fun activities they want to do during that season. I think it’d be a great way to check off and remember some of the fun that you’ve had with your family! Also, if the weather is looking beautiful you can just look at the wall to figure out what to do that day!

I love how Meeha Meeha painted these sleepy pumpkins! They’re such a darling little family. It’d be fun to have each member of your family paint their own. When I was younger we’d hollow out gords, paint them and put a shellac over it so we could use them year after year.

I’d stumbled upon Alisa’s blog and fell in love with her style! I think this painted leaf garland is super crafty/bohemian and could be painted to match your decor. It’d even be fun to have your kids help you collect leaves and paint with you! Keeping this one pinned for when Sophie’s older!

Since I’m a bit obsessed with all things confetti and sprinkles, I fell head over heels for this push pin confetti pumpkin Victoria made. I love the happy dots on the white pumpkin. I’m a fan of using colors other than red, orange, yellow and brown for decorating during the fall so this pumpkin would be a happy addition. You could even do gold brads on a white pumpkin to chic it up a bit!

Adding some fresh cut flowers in a styrofoam pumpkin is one of my favorite centerpieces for the Fall season! This Fall Floral Arrangement is also one of the cheapest an easiest ways to make a themed arrangement that is good from September through November!

Are you a fall decorator or do you just wait until Halloween and go all out? What about your style? Traditional or do you like to add a bit of whimsy and DiY to your holiday decorating? What should I make first? I’d really like to make one of these while Sophie’s gone this week. Happy Fall!

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by Shelly on September 11, 2017 2 Comments

Fall Pumpkin Flower Arrangement

I’ve wanted to make a fall pumpkin flower arrangement for the past several years. A few years back I carved a real pumpkin and planted mums in it for the front porch. I’d seen them all over town and thought it would be a fun project. I was so wrong. It was difficult to find the correct size and shaped pumpkin that would fit the mums I had. Dirt got all over the deck when we planted it and it ended up being eaten by squirrels before the weekend was over. It’s been several years since that debacle and I’m back for round two!

This time around I wanted to up the scale a little bit. I wanted to be able to re-use the pumpkin vase every year and add real or silk flowers to match my fall color scheme. This year I went through ProFlowers because they have the most beautiful flower arrangements that are delivered fresh and last forever. I fell in love with their Fall Harvest bouquet and although it wasn’t exactly as the photo online, I liked it even more because of the happy red tipped roses.

Fall Pumpkin Flower Arrangement

Materials Needed:

Medium sized styrofoam pumpkin
Knife (I used a box cutter but any sharp knife will work)
Vase (I used a OXO storage container but an empty tin can or glass vase would work)
Fresh or silk flowers

The Styrofoam is thin, making it easy to cut through the pumpkin. I found using a stabbing motion worked better than a sawing motion. Place your vase inside and fill with a measuring glass. I attempted to fill the vase with water first before placing it in the pumpkin and was seriously unsuccessful. Trim down your flowers and arrange as desired.

I love the look of the white pumpkin because it lends to being able to use any color palate of flowers. I plan on using this pumpkin vase at Thanksgiving as well and adding a few smaller squash and candles down the center of the table. I like the simplicity of my current fall pumpkin flower arrangement because I have so many other decorations up for Halloween.

What do you use as your centerpiece during fall? Do you only decorate for bigger holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas or do you go all out through fall? Jeffrey thinks we need less decorations but there’s no way I can let go of them! Now I’ve got Sophie on my side as well because she digs the decorations.

10 Things I’m Thankful For

Hello lovelies! I’ve been feeling very thankful lately. Sometimes I get wrapped up in ‘not having enough_____ (time, money, friends, space, clothes, chocolate etc.)’ and have to catch myself by thinking about all the awesomeness that I do have. I’m reading Daring Greatly right now which is helping me learn to ’embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives.’ All of these things sound so simple, yet are tough for us to live in our every day lives. To start daring greatly, I’m going to notice the things that I’m thankful for every day.

1. My pup who sits here as I write with her head on my lap. Tomorrow she is having surgery to remove a tooth and I’m worried for her to have anesthetics. I’m thankful that we didn’t have to face the hard choice on if we should go through with the $700 surgery because of money. A lot of people do not have the option to give medical care to their pets and I’m so thankful we do.

2. Sophie’s amazing grandparents. We are so lucky to have both of our parents in her life. They both care for her unconditionally and I can really see the love that they have for her. I was fortunate enough to have grandparents who loved me so much and I am so happy that Sophie can experience that type of love.

3. Music. I love that intense orchestral music can make me scared during a movie. I’m glad that listening to pop music can keep me motivated to clean. I’m thankful that you can feel a special bond with someone who shares the same love for a band that I do.

4. Pumpkin flavored everything. When I was pregnant with Sophie, I craved pumpkin more than anything. It’s closing in on fall meaning pumpkin goodness is in my future again.

5. Awesome neighbors. Our neighbors are always there to let us borrow a cup of milk, watch Sophie for a few minutes, give us recipes, share books, teach us a new craft, be a workout buddy and hang out with us on the sidewalks while we wait for our families to come home.

6. All four seasons. In Illinois, we can get all four seasons in a matter of two weeks. I’m not a huge fan when that happens but I am thankful that we get to see the grass and flowers grow from the rain in the spring, sunny warm nights in the summer, beautiful colors on the trees in the fall and snow to play in during the winter. I used to love all four seasons when I was young and I know, now that we have Sophie, that I’ll love them again just as much.

7. An easy going partner. I can change moods in one second flat and am so thankful that Jeffrey is extremely level headed to balance me out. He is happy to go along with my ‘fun adventures’ and just stay home to be with our family.

8. All the luck that I’ve stumbled into and opportunities that I’ve been a part of. If I talk about all the fun things that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of, I’d just sound like I was bragging. A few of my favorite lucky things are my wonderful childhood, meeting my love, going to Purdue, being a Disney cast member and having a successful pregnancy.

9. Glitter, jewels and gems. I love sparkly shiny things. I’m thankful to have seen several exhibits on gems and start a collection of them. I think everything and everyone should be accessorized with glitter, jewels and gems!

10. The feeling of safety. Today, 9/11 is a reminder that terrible things can happen at any moment to change our lives. I’m thankful that I do not have daily fear of something terrible happening like so many people have around the world. I’m thankful to be raised where I was and to have the opportunity to live where I do today.

What are you thankful for? How are you living a wholehearted life? It’s hard, but like everything else, one step at a time.

by Shelly on September 10, 2014 7 Comments

A Trip to the Orchard

Hi guys! I’ve decided, I don’t care what people say about it still being summer, I’m breaking out the fall decor! This time of year is so confusing for me because it’s still really hot out but I’m seeing sweaters and pumpkin lattes. Since October is when I put up Halloween decorations, I think it’s ok to put up fall decorations the second week of September. Just letting you all know what I’m thinking on the whole decorating issue. Back to the fun we had at the orchard this past weekend! It’s too early for pumpkin picking but it’s the perfect time for apple picking!

Here’s the last time we were at the orchard (six days before lil Soph was born)! We usually go to Curtis Orchard a couple times during the fall season. I was really excited to be able to take Sophie this year, even though she wasn’t a huge fan of the animals.

This is our view on the way to the orchard. This is not a strange view to see where I live. A lot of people who live near corn say they get tired of seeing it but I love living by corn because it reminds me of being back home in Indiana.

Our orchard is themed as The Wizard of Oz and this is one of the awesome murals that meets you as you walk down the yellow brick road into the orchard. Warning: do not be alarmed that Soph is not grinning from ear to ear in these photos. She was having a bad teeth day. I think being at the orchard and watching everyone helped keep her mind off it though.

We love the giant rocking chair! I’m excited to look back on photos as our family grows on this rocker!

Sophie recently learned how to wave and loves waving to every person she sees.I made Jeffrey take a few photos of me since I’m rarely in our photos. Moms, get out from behind the camera! Someday you’ll be glad you did.

Can you guess where she gets her eyes? Sophie loved spinning the wheel of this old tractor.

Don’t let her fool you, she was way more interested in pulling the leaves off the trees than the apples. A lot of the trees were picked over. Thankfully Daddy’s tall enough to reach her to the good apples.

Unfortunately, this was the best shot we got as a family selfie. Hopefully when we go back to pick pumpkins the little bean will be feeling better and have more fun (although, she’s still stinking cute with a frown.)

Sometimes Daddy likes to see if she’ll really take a bite of something. Thankfully, he didn’t let her this time.

To end: my pumpkin with her pumpkin. I’m ready for pumpkin flavored everything. Who’s with me? Have you guys made a trip to your local apple orchard or pumpkin patch yet?

Pumpkin Inspired Treats, Jack-o’-lanterns and Decor for Halloween

Pumpkin Shaped Treats

Jack-o’-Lantern Ideas

Pumpkin Crafts and Decorations

Fall Decor Ideas

Fall Pumpkin Flower Arrangement

Fall Pumpkin Flower Arrangement

10 Things I’m Thankful For

A Trip to the Orchard

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