A Super Simple Pumpkin Craft!

{The "Finished" Results}

 One thing I love about my new MOPS group is that I always get to do a craft project at the end. (Bonus: I don't even have to come up with it or find the materials to create.) At the last meeting we made this really, really easy pumpkin out of a roll of toilet paper and a piece of fabric. (Yes, you read that correctly. It's a roll of actual toilet paper, not just the cardboard tube. That's a new one, right?) There was batting available for making a fuller pumpkin, but I decided to go with the basic pumpkin. This is so simple even a crafting novice can do it. Put your roll of TP down on your fabric and then bring up all the edges and stuff them into the center of the tube at the top. There were paper leaf shapes available, and we stuck them into the top and called it done. (See photo below.) After a few days of looking at this and thinking it didn't look quite "finished," I decided to add a stick from the yard to make a stem for my pumpkin. I hot glued the paper leaf to it because it kept falling out of my pumpkin. Lastly, I tied a bow with some twine. Raffia would have worked for the country cute look, too, but I had twine so that is what I used. I am happy with how it turned out. This is sitting up high on top of a green glass candle holder atop my kitchen cabinets with my other fall display items (cornucopia, pumpkins, apples, gourds, leaves) and looking just right for fall, however, I know where to look if we are ever running low on toilet paper...

{Before adding the stick and twine... It's just missing a little "something."}

Button Bird Craft Project

This is a cute idea that I got from Angela of Button Bird Designs, that I am sharing with her permission. I had tucked this away in my mind for a time when Mia wanted to do a project and I didn't have any other craft ideas. I made some minor changes to make it a tad bit more young child friendly, but the idea is purely Angela's and I love it!

{Button Birds by Mia, Age 4}

Materials:

• wood for base (We used a blank wood plaque from Salvation Army. Scrap wood would work, too.)
• fabric (we used pink and purple felt) or decorative paper
• pencil
• scissors
• bird template (optional)
• paint (we used acrylic)
• paint brush (foam works well)
• newspaper to protect work surface
• buttons
• tacky glue
• hardware for hanging
• ribbon for hanging (optional)

Directions:

1. Cover work surface with newspaper and then paint your wood base. Allow paint to dry. (If using acrylic paint, wear old clothes or a paint smock as acrylics will stain clothing. Mia wears an old t-shirt of mine when doing painting projects.)
2. While paint dries, make a bird (or two) from fabric or paper. I folded the felt in half, drew a bird freehand, and then cut out two separate birds from pink felt. Next, I cut out two teardrop shapes from purple felt to make a wing for each bird. If you prefer not to draw your own bird, you could also use a template such as this or this.
3. Arrange your fabric (or paper) bird pieces and glue onto the wood with tacky glue. Embellish with buttons. Allow all glue to dry.
4. Add hardware to the back of the wood for hanging. I didn't have any hardware on hand so I took another one of Angela's ideas. I hot glued two pin backs to the back of our wood plaque. Lastly, I threaded some ribbon (optional) through both of the pin backs, tied them, and voila, a new piece of artwork for Mia's bedroom door!

Other Ideas:

• Angela uses Modge Podge instead of tacky glue, and I think that this will hold much better in the long run, but it isn't something I like to use with Mia because she is so young.
• I had originally thought that the two birds could be facing each other and have a heart between their beaks to be "love birds," but Mia had her own design ideas.
• I may take this idea and expand it beyond birds. For example, Mia's bedroom has a butterfly theme, so butterflies might be cute. I could also see making different fruits like apples and pears and hanging them in a kitchen or dining room. Angels would be pretty for Christmas decorations. There are so many possibilities!