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Friday, October 31, 2014

It's the Great Pumpkin - Tutorial


Naturally, when I think of Halloween I think of all the little ghosts and goblins excited to dress up to go to peoples houses for treats.  Staring out the window and anxiously asking their parents every two minutes if it's time to go yet, even before the sun goes down.  When I was a kid in the late 70's early 80's we didn't have neighbors, so we would load up in my aunts car with our homemade costumes, and go to a nearby neighborhood for our treats.  Now-a-days I do live in a neighborhood.. My neighbors and I gather around the fire pit as the kids swarm in by the truckloads to fill up their buckets or pillowcases with treats. When your kids get to be too old to trick or treat it takes a little bit of the excitement out of it, so I love being able to see all the little ones stop by and say "trick or treat" and I always try to be a house that has good treats, as long as I can keep Kyle and Trey out of the candy bowl!

My favorite little pumpkin and I many Halloweens ago...





 I'm not a huge fan of decorating for Halloween.  Now, don't get me wrong I love looking at the far out cool flashing zombie bride a few houses over, and I just about plow a row of mailboxes down every time I pass this one house trying scope out the eerie display covering the entire yard.  That one is creee-py, especially in the dark..Early one morning when Catharina and I were passing by there...I was trying not to look because it was dark..and my imagination scares me more than anything..then a black cat appeared out of no where. We both screamed and grabbed onto each other the way we do when we think we see a snake in the road.. We just about jumped out of our running shoes, and then couldn't stop laughing at ourselves!  I love scary and all, but I think I'll stick to my scary staying inside my tv, or on the big screen.  

 I guess I just don't have the creative gene for creepy, because this is about as creepy as I get...Boo!!






I'll take pretty over creepy any day of the week.  I absolutely love Fall decor..and that, I can do!!  Next to Christmas it is definitely my fave to decorate for.  Trey and I ventured across the state line this week to visit the Mennonite farm where I buy my garden supplies.  They were practically giving their pumpkins away this late in the season, and I may have gone a little overboard.  Trey likes to pick out one pumpkin for carving, and the rest I had a hard time deciding, so I may have picked out a few too many... They were all entirely too pretty and sooo inexpensive that it was hard to resist..between my back seat and my trunk, it totally looked like we had just robbed a pumpkin wagon.  After we loaded up our pumpkins, we headed to Lowe's to pick out some beautiful Fall plants.






I love decorating with pumpkins, and any excuse to play in the dirt is a great day to me..so I decided I would turn a few of these babes into flower pots. By the end of this blog..you'll know exactly how to do it yourself!  It's not hard by any means, in fact, it's so simple that if you have never done if before now, you'll wonder why not!


I chose these two pumpkins to begin with. You can use any style pumpkin, no matter the size. 





You want to cut out the top just like you would for carving a jack-o-lantern, except make it a little farther out, closer to the edge.






This style of pumpkin is a lot thicker than a regular pumpkin, so it takes a little more effort to get the top off...Once you get the top off it should look similar to this..






Next, get all of the guts out, and scrape the opening to make it a little wider..






Now the real fun begins..
Fill your pumpkin with potting soil, and then start planting!!  You will slowly begin to see your masterpiece coming together...






I had to have a helper for my other pumpkins...I ended up breaking all but one of my carving knives..Teenagers can be very handy!!






As you are working on them don't be afraid to fill it up as much as you can...plants are no exception to the more the merrier rule!!  By now you have a pretty good idea as to what look you are going for and you can get creative!








One thing I love is bringing them inside to decorate....







They make fabulous centerpieces for your Thanksgiving table, or even a great hostess gift if you are going somewhere else for Thanksgiving, or to a Fall party..Imagine several of the mini pumpkins filled with beautiful greenery and flowers, all bunched together on a pretty tray in the middle of your table to make one centerpiece..Just beautiful!







Whatever the reason you have them, they are beautiful, and if you live in a climate that actually has Fall-like weather, they should last you the entire month of November..






Just don't forget to water them!!






Here are a few from years past that were my favorite..






If you really want your porch to pop, then this if for you!!






So, after today don't toss your Halloween pumpkins just yet because now you have a great idea for another use for them!! If you want more, ask the pumpkin farmers..I promise you they don't want to throw them away!






Thanks for stopping by, and happy Fall ya'll!!



xo
Carrie

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