Pumpkin Bouquets on a Dime... OK, on $4

 

 

The holidays are approaching and it brings out my inner dollar diva!  I have been eyeing all those gorgeous bouquets in pumpkins, and thinking that although they are a bit trendy right now... there is a reason why... they are scrumptious and clever... and I want some for my Thanksgiving tables!

 

I was at the $1 store when I saw carve - able mini Styrofoam pumpkins before Halloween... you see where this is going...

 

So $1 per little pumpkin and $2 for bunches of flowers, some paint and a glue gun, and Viola!  I have now re-usable low profile bouquets for my holiday tables.  Little things make me happy.  This makes me happy:)    It's SUPER easy, so if you want to do it, here is how:

 

Eyeball your flowers to see where you want to cut the stems for the height of your pumpkin.  Do that and set them aside.  You can adjust the stem length again if need be. 

 

Draw a line around the top of your pumpkin where you want to cut the top off.  Then use one of those little pumpkin carving gadgets or a steak knife (something with a serrated edge) to cut the top off the pumpkin.  Next, paint your pumpkin.  You can use all kinds of paint, if you don't have anything in particular on hand, pick up one of those little .99$ bottles of craft paint.  I pretty much always use CeCe Caldwell's because I love it.  For this, I used some Mesa Sunset (discontinued color) that I still had, and finished it with the new Flat Matte Finish.   

 

Then I used my hot glue gun to glue the top into the bottom of the pumpkin.  I did this to provide more of a base to push the flower stems into.  Apply your glue and let dry before the next step.

 

You are almost there!  Set your flowers in to see how you like them, if the stem length is good, etc.  When you are happy with this, gently insert the stem of each flower into the center bottom of the pumpkin.  To finish it off, I put hot glue in again in several spots, letting it reach down to the bottom so that the stems would be more secure.

 

And that is it!  I am doing multiples as I like to set things in twos or threes on my tables.  I LOVE low profile bouquets because you can leave them on the table and still make eye contact and visit with guests on the other side of the table.... and that it what it is really all about!

 

Organization Can be Beautiful!

I just finished this up... and it makes me want to organize my office!  I used CeCe Caldwell's Vintage White with Flat Matte finish for this Magnetic Dry Erase Board.  Love the effect on it!

I made some cute quickie magnets to go with it by purchasing pre-made rounds and gluing them to magnets.  So easy and makes a really nice touch to pin up those photos or to do lists with!

Our 2013 Family Christmas Ornament

 

Each year our family, and the friends who share Thanksgiving with us, make a Christmas ornament. 

 

This year, we made these.  We hot glued Scrabble tiles spelling our names out to jumbo Popsicle sticks.  Then on the reverse side, we glued on a word that somehow descried or related to that person... the challenge is finding the right word with the exact number of letters that your name has!  We used copper wire at the top and a red bead with copper findings to hang from the bottom.  Topped of with a red ribbon bow. 

 

This is one of our favorite family traditions.  Each year as we decorate the tree, we think back on who we have shared our Thanksgiving with... and who we are thankful for!

Mea Culpa! I have been MIA responding to comments!

Hi All!  I so appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to stop by my little spot in the Cyber World as we celebrate and explore creativity together!

My GMail apparently sorted my inbox into separate sections without my help... and only one of those is visible to me.  Mind you, I would never have known this, except for a keystroke error I made a few minutes ago!  I was quite surprised to discover a whole list of notifications and emails that I had never set eyes on... including notifications of your great questions and comments (several about CeCe Caldwell's new Endurance Finish this month).

Now I realize that I am giving my age, or at least my era, away as I write this;)  Twenty-somethings probably know to expect helpful services like this from their electronic sources!  Maybe this is why I paint rather than program software...

Anyway, please accept my apologies for keeping you waiting so long to respond, and keep your great thoughts and questions coming!

Color Mixing Happiness

 

This petite table is done in a custom mix of CeCe Caldwell's Emerald Isl. and Destin Gulf Green.  It's just making me happy to look at it today:)

I have the very fun privilege of being featured in Karen Merrell Berg of Redoux Interiors' blog post today! 

Check our Karen's lovely blog for all sorts of great ideas, helpful tutorials and inspiration!  Thanks Karen!!

http://www.redouxinteriors.com/2013/08/blogeur-d-invite-danielle-partridge/

CeCe Caldwell's Basic Skills Class Sunday, July 14th

Call or stop in The Parker Shoppes to Sign Up!  (303-841-2250)