{Home Decor} Last-Minute Idea to Dress Up Your Pumpkins WITHOUT Carving

Hello everyone! I am back today with a decorating tip for a last minute Halloween project.  If you have waited until the last minute to carve your pumpkins before trick or treating tomorrow night, here is a quick project that you can do to dress up those pumpkins without getting out the knives or carving tools.  And using one of my favorite things: MOD PODGE!  So if you're looking for a last minute project, get your pumpkin, some scrapbook paper, and some Mod Podge and join me in decorating your pumpkin in a super cute way.  You can either add a letter to your pumpkin (I chose to use the first letter of our last name) or your house numbers, OR you could even put one letter on multiple pumpkins to spell out a word.  It's totally up to you!  Get creative!

The supplies you will need for this project are:

• A pumpkin (I am using one of my white pumpkins that I got a while back because we already dressed up our orange pumpkins with some faces from a Martha Stewart pumpkin tattoo kit.)
• A computer and printer
• Scrapbook paper of your choice 
• Mod Podge
• Craft paintbrush 
• Ballpoint pen
• Ruler

 The first thing you will want to do is measure your pumpkin to see how to tall to make your letter.  After measuring mine, I thought a 6 inch tall letter would work perfect.

Next, you will want to get on your computer and open up a new Microsoft Word document.  Then select Insert and click on Word Art.

Just choose the simple Word Art all the way on the top left.  Once you have the Word Art window open, select a font to use for your letter.  I chose to use Curlz MT because I wanted something cutesy but you could use whatever you like!  Then type you letter in the box and click OK.

Once you click OK, your Word Art will appear on the page.  At this point, you can use the formatting tools for size, located all the way to the right at the top, to make your letter the correct height.  I made mine 6 inches like I measured for at the beginning.  I also adjusted the width to 3.5 inches wide to make it look proportionate. 

Next, I chose to make the line around the S a little bit thicker so that it would be easier to trace (more on that in a minute).  I did that by clicking on Shape Outline and Weight and choosing the 2 1/4 pt line.

Then, you are ready to print! (Now at this point I just want to share that I do have a Cricut machine that I could have cut out the letter S, however, not everyone has this machine at their convenience so I thought I would show how to make it for those who don't have one.  If you do have one, you can always use it!  Plus, mine is currently tucked away in the closet and I didn't feel like getting it out for this quickie of a project.)

Once your letter is printed out, place your letter on top of your scrapbook paper and hold it still with your hand while you trace it with a ballpoint pen.  Make sure you push pretty hard so that your pen makes an indentation on your scrapbook paper.

Then, you will want to cut out what you traced.  It can be hard to see your indents sometimes when cutting, especially if you used dark colored paper like me.  But, if you turn your paper over to the white side, it can be much easier.  (It is hard to see the indents in these pictures but in real life they are easier to see, trust me!)

Before you start to glue your letter onto your pumpkin, take a wet paper towel and clean off the surface of your pumpkin.  I, also, then dried it with another dry paper towel.

Once your pumpkin is clean and dry, you will take your letter and place it face down on a piece of paper and brush some Mod Podge all over the back of it.  You have to do it gently if your letter is thin in some places like mine or else you could rip it.  

Then get to work placing your letter on your pumpkin.  You will have to use your fingers to move the letter around to get it in the right position as you go.  The Mod Podge takes a while to dry so you will have time to move it around.

Once you get the letter in the correct position on the pumpkin, you can brush Mod Podge over the letter so that it will basically be sealed onto the pumpkin.  The Mod Podge looks white at first but will dry clear.  If you have any places that aren't sticking well, perhaps along one of the ridges in the pumpkin, you can use your fingers to smooth it down and get it to stick better.

I let the first coat of Mod Podge dry and then I went back and did a second coat just because I knew this pumpkin was going to be outside exposed to the elements.  Let your second coat dry and VOILA! Put your pumpkin outside and display it proudly for all those trick-or-treaters tomorrow!

I hope you enjoyed today's last minute Halloween Decor post!  Did anyone decorate their pumpkins in a fun and creative way this year?

{Organize It!} Storage Solution for Measuring Cups and Spoons

Are you constantly losing your measuring cups and spoons like me?  For some reason, I can't seem to keep them on that little ring they come on because sometimes I just need one and then the whole bunch end up in the sink and I hate washing things that aren't dirty.  Well, I have come up with a solution that I think will save some of the chaos of lost measuring cups and spoons.  Introducing Command Hooks by 3M!  While I am sure you all have heard of them before and may have even used them for one thing or the other.  I have to tell you, I am a lover of all things Command!  They are easy to use and easy to take down.  Therefore, whether you rent or own a home and just want something temporary, you can use them too!  I have never had a damaged wall or anything from a Command product.  And NO, they did not pay me to write this post.  I truly just love them!

Ok, now on with the fun part: ORGANIZING!  The first thing I did was round up my measuring cups and spoons to figure out how many hooks I would need to complete this project.  After attempting to find them all, I was disappointed.  Not only were some missing (did the dishwasher eat them?), but some of mine were just plain dingy and even missing their measurements.  After that discovery, I decided, heck, I will just pick up some new ones on the cheap.  I ended up at my local Walmart, where I knew I could get my Command Hooks as well.  I found some nice, yet inexpensive measuring cups and spoons (around $4 for both) and decided I would need at least 10 hooks.  I picked up a pack of 14 small "utensil" hooks, as they are called for around $9.  And then I went on my merry way back home to organize!

 When I got home, I picked out a cabinet door that I thought would be the most convenient for grabbing my measuring supplies when I was cooking or baking.  I picked a cabinet next to my stove and above what I usually use for a prep area.  I decided to put my measuring cups at the top and my measuring spoons at the bottom.  I simply read the directions with my Command Hooks and got to work hanging my hooks. 

After I had hung the first row, I stood back and saw that they were crooked.  So much for my trusty eye for leveling things.  For the bottom row, I decided to use a piece of tape to keep things a little bit more even for my OCD. :)

I then hung up the bottom row of hooks, using the tape as my guide of where to hang each hook.  The annoying part about hanging ten hooks is that you have to hold each one for 30 seconds to get a good stick.  That can be tiresome on your arms if you have wimpy arms like me!  After I hung the bottom row, I thought it worked out well with the tape so I moved the tape to the top row to fix the not-so-straight row.  (If you are OCD like me, you can always measure where to put your hooks, but I was just doing this quick.  Also, this little area is not going to show when the cabinet door is closed so it didn't matter THAT much to me!)  The hooks came off easily and they give you extra sticky pieces, so I just rehung them using my tape as a guide this time.

After the top row was fixed, I stood back and admired my work.  I think that this small organizational project will help ease my sanity when I am cooking or baking and looking for measuring cups and spoons.

I swear there must be some kind of deception going on in the picture above because when I look at them, they really do look straight!  Must be an optical illusion or something!  Anyway, that is my {Organize It!} project for today!  I hope you enjoyed reading and I will be back on most Tuesdays with an organizational tip or project for your reading pleasure.  Has anybody else organized their measuring cups or spoons?  How about different uses for those Command Hooks?  (I bought another oil-rubbed bronze big one for my front door to hang my wreaths and things on, instead of a wreath hook and it works like a charm!)

{Crafty Tutorial} Chalkboard Burlap Banner

I am always looking for ways to reuse some of my decor throughout the different seasons without having to recreate the wheel.  I made a FALL burlap banner back in September to use throughout the fall months and with Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it might be time to take it down and put something different up.

As I was browsing through Hobby Lobby recently (we just got a new one that is closer to me) I came across CHALKBOARD PAPER!! I thought it was the coolest thing because I am very into EVERYTHING chalkboard right now.  So I thought to myself, what if I made a chalkboard banner that could be changed simply for different holidays or occasions??  And that is what I set out to do...make a lovely chalkboard burlap banner!

First, the supplies that will be needed:

• 1 piece of chalkboard paper (I found mine at Hobby Lobby)
• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Hot glue gun
• Burlap (I used 5 in. burlap ribbon that I had on hand, also from Hobby Lobby, but you could use a larger piece and just cut to the size you want)
• Twine, string, or ribbon of your choice
• Chalk (not pictured, to write on your banner) 
• Mini clothespins (optional, you can always either hot glue your pendants to the string or punch holes, but I like to hang mine with clothespins because that way it is more interchangeable. Oh, and I got mine at Walmart)

The first step, after you gather all of your materials, is to decide what size you want your pendants to be.  I made mine 3.5 in wide and the height (5 in.) of the burlap ribbon that I had.  Once you decide on the right size, you can start to measure out and mark your burlap using a marker and a ruler.  Make sure you measure and mark out enough pendants as you will need or want for your sign.  The beauty is you can always make more if you need to for a certain saying.  I was making mine to say "Give Thanks," so I marked out 10 pendants.

Next, you can cut out your burlap pendants.  I use my extra sharp scissors to get crisp lines.


When you are done, you will be left with ten equal sized pendants.  And you are ready to move onto the chalkboard paper.

(Keep in mind, you don't have to back your chalkboard paper with burlap if you don't want to.  I just like to give it a little bit more interest and that is why I chose to use burlap.  If you don't want to use burlap, you can skip to the next step.)







At this point, you will want to figure out what size to cut your chalkboard paper in order to allow a little border of burlap to show around the sides.  I decided to make my chalkboard pendants 2.5 inches wide and 3.5 inches for the height.  I used my paper trimmer to cut the chalkboard paper to the correct height.

Then, I used my ruler and a marker to measure and draw lines for my pendants.  I measured out enough pendants for my "Give Thanks" saying.

Go ahead and cut out those chalkboard pendants using your scissors.  You will be left with chalkboard pendants that are a bit smaller than your burlap pendants as you see in the picture below.

Once you have all your pendants cut out, you are ready to glue the chalkboard ones onto the burlap ones.  Get your hot glue gun plugged in and heated up!  I just put three small dabs of hot glue on the back of each chalkboard pendant and then pressed it onto the burlap pendant.  You have to make sure to press on the glue but then lift it up, or else it will stick to whatever paper you have underneath the burlap.

Once you get all of your chalkboard pendants glued to your burlap pendants, you are ready to write on your banner!! Yes, it is that easy!

I don't have very fancy or interesting handwriting, but I try my best!  I went over each letter a couple of times with the chalk to make it a little thicker to stand out.  Now get your twine, string, or ribbon, whatever you are going to use and cut it to the length that you need.  You can always do two strings and hang at different heights if you have a long saying, like "Happy Birthday" or "Merry Christmas."

If you are not using mini clothespins, you will want to either glue your pendants to your string or punch holes and run the string through.  If you are using mini clothespins, hang up your string and then simply begin to pin your pendants onto the string.

And TA-DA! You have a chalkboard banner that you can use over and over again.  Simply use a wet paper towel to carefully clean off any chalk, allow it to dry, and write whatever you wish! If you need more pendants to complete your saying, you can always make more!  I think I will make another ten on another day to use for other occasions.

Hopefully, you enjoyed our first craft tutorial today!  Have you crafted a banner lately?  What did you use for yours??

The Start of Something Beautiful...

Welcome to the Simple Crafty Home!  I decided to start this blog to share with others about the simple crafty things that I create for our home.  I thoroughly enjoy looking through all of the wonderful Pinterest pins and trying certain things that I find on there.  There are other times when an idea will just pop in my head and I will run with it.  Regardless of where the idea comes from, I absolutely love to craft (and decorate my house with handmade crafts) and that is why I am choosing to share it with the rest of the world.  This blog will be a place to share crafts, DIY projects, recipes, and the simple decorating that I do around our house.  I hope that you will enjoy reading some of the craft and DIY tutorials that I will be posting in the coming weeks and months!  Feel free to leave me comments if you try or have tried something that I have done and also FEEL FREE to ask questions if you have ANY at all!  And be sure to check back often, as I hope to add posts daily (except on the weekends, have to save SOME time for my husband).  :) Ok...time to get crafty people!