Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Halloween 2012 By Kayla Kitts from HGTV

By : Kayla Kitts

Kayla Kitts is an assistant editor for HGTV.com. When she’s not scouring the internet for delicious design inspiration, she’s shopping for home decor to spruce up her apartment, spending quality time with D'Artagnan, her adopted cat, and finding any reason to be outside. Her favorite design style: eclectic with a vintage, retro vibe.

Don’t judge me when I say this: I didn’t carve my first Halloween pumpkin until I was in college. GASP! I know. Growing up, we were less into the pumpkin carving and decorating that goes into Halloween and more into the treats and dressing up. Now, pumpkin carving/decorating is a tradition for me, especially now that you can do more than just carve a silly grin across its face. (Chevrons and silhouettes, anyone?) Here are some cute, quirky and even sophisticated pumpkin-carving ideas to get your porch ready for Halloween.

Parsnip and Carrot Pumpkin Family

Use vegetables, craft foam and accessories to create a loving, or scary, pumpkin family. (Go ahead and grab the kids for this one!)

Monogrammed Pumpkin

Add a sophisticated and personalized touch to your indoor or outdoor decor with this simple monogrammed pumpkin project.

Cute Owl Pumpkin:

Keep the owl trend going strong with this easy-to-make pumpkin project. Bonus: It requires no patterns or carving skills.

More Memories Of San Diego

Just in case you've missed my Pinterest page, you might want to go there and see over 8,100 photos posted there, just click here. And also, I'm only posting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now on unless something extraordinary comes up. I'm leaving weekends free.
*

Our granddaughter, her hubby and their 2 girls have been here for eleven days and we have loved having them here. Do I even need to say how tired this ol' lady is having 2 great-granddaughters in the house? One is 3 1/2 months old, one is almost 3 years old. Caroline is a pistol and keeps us hopping.

She also loves perfume!

When she saw the perfume she had to smell every single bottle. Her favorite is Cabriole, which is close to her name so we call it Caroline. She runs around with bottles in her hands most of the time. Hubs was afraid it would spill but I've tightened the caps and tried to retrieve them when she was loosing interest in them and put them back.

Then the other day I caught her in there. She had moved the chair in our bedroom over to my dresser and got up. A few days later, we went in there and she wanted to see the perfumes—on a wicker tray—and I told her she'd seen them enough. Well, that little chick got the little pink ladder I had sitting in my bedroom over to the dresser and climbed up it herself. I cannot believe her problem-solving skills! This will serve her well later in life. She's really, really smart, but we all think that of our progeny. Right? This kid is something else though. You tell her something and she does NOT forget. We've had to hide things from her because of that.

Then there was the melt-down at Michaels. She loves craft stores. But she cheated herself out of some craft items by melting down so we had to leave the basket of items behind while we took her home to bed. Then she saw Target and told her mummy to go to Target. We asked her why and she replied, "Just trust me. Go to Target, mummy." We didn't! 

They're leaving tomorrow so we're going out to Jack in the Box tonight for salads or whatever they want. I love those kids!
*

We lived in a house on West Mountain View Drive in San Diego during the mid-1960s and loved it there. The family across the street was also a Marine family we knew. I introduced them to baked beans and they introduced me to...well, let me explain.

We were going to have a BBQ one weekend and I said I'd bring the baked beans. This family was Hawaiian so she said they'd bring teriyaki chicken. It was absolutely fantastic and that's how I make it to this day. Chicken marinated for hours in soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Then put it on the grill. That's it. Better than any bottled sauce ever.

She said her kids didn't like baked beans. I made them anyway thinking they can at least try them if they want. They did and loved them. I had to give her my recipe for baked beans then.

Then one day while my kids were playing with hers I sat and talked with her in the kitchen while she was making something for their dinner. As she prepared it, she gave me a piece to eat. It was fishy tuna fish with some vegetables and rice wrapped in seaweed. I gagged. Luckily, I had a napkin to wipe my face and surreptitiously wiped my mouth and discarded the food into the napkin. I thought it was horrible but I'd never say that to someone. I then excused myself to go home and throw it out. Quite embarrassing actually. I love fish but this was very fishy-tasting tuna. I can't stand it if it has a strong fish taste. That's why I'm not eager to taste something from someone's kitchen anymore. I just say no, thanks, I'm not hungry and let it go at that.

This couple had 4 kids and she became pregnant with her 5th. When I asked her what she was naming it, she said, "Zelda, because it's our last one." I thought she was kidding; she wasn't. ;-) Lovely family.
*

Love this little living room. Just cozy enough for me.

One of the most darling wreaths I've ever seen created! Oh my.

One of my ideal patios to have.

Who makes these gorgeous cookies? Stunning bows, roses and flowers.

Sigh...

These can't be real cupcakes. How did they make the pearl centers?!

I'd consider this one of my favorite kitchen tables.

A darling handbag.

Frilly pink gloves.

Gypsy, BoHo or Magnolia Pearl? Beautiful!

Another adorable kitchen...for people who like to cook. Not me!

I've done a similar thing to my entry into the family room, but I'm thinking of doing it to the living room into the dining area now. It just needs something more.

Another gorgeous living room I love.

Just too cute for words.

I thought you'd like to see this picture frame. Isn't it cute and unique?

*

It would take a jumbo jet about 120 million years to fly across the Milky Way galaxy.
~*~ 
Linking up with NMH Open House Party.

Pink Saturday for 1/14/2012

Welcome to Beverly's Pink Saturday once again. Just click on the logo and visit her blog to see what it is all about and visit all the other participants.

*

While this isn't pink, it sure caught my eye when I saw these photos of gorgeous kitchens.

This one is very similar to a friend's kitchen. They have recently sold their house but I'm sure the new owners bought it because of that kitchen.

Also, the purple ruffled bedspread. My granddaughter's favorite color is purple so I'm showing her this one for sure.

*

I'm a crafty and creative person so I thought I'd simply show you some of the things I've made for the last several years. I've sold most of the birdhouses, which is my favorite thing to do and will do more someday. I just need to find time to get the craft room in order and do them. Okay, let's face it; basically, I'm trying my best to be lazy. It's a contest between a friend of mine and me. I think I'm winning!

This is a clothespin bag. I have three of them in my laundry room just for eye candy. But actually, they do have clothes pins in them. Decorated and darling clothes pins.

This is one I sold. I do them with barkcloth and/or designer fabrics. They all had the same theme: roses. What else? I love rose fabrics and still have quite a stash of it.

They truly are adorable, and I put my heart into each one. I may have some for sale someday again. I'll show them here if I do.

I have picked up old suitcases for as little 50¢ and as high as only $2.00, which I consider quite a bargain. I then cover them with gorgeous fabric and place them on plant shelves around my living room.

~*~

Okay, ready for some more of my thoughts on the television series 24 and Jack Bauer? Well, you're gonna get them anyway.

Why do they keep doubting Jack Bauer when he's "been there and done that" and is rarely, if ever, wrong.
*

In the 8th season, the CTU (counter terrorism unit) one woman is trying to be a fashion model. No agent would walk like a runway model in high heels. Her clothing is so tight I can see her navel and stretch marks through the fabric!
*

They are forever asking "Are you alright?" Sometimes I want to jump through my laptop screen and scream, "If I was alright with 3 bullets holes in my chest, a gash on my head gushing blood and a broken kneecap, I'd be sure and let you know!"
*

Oooh, and the big one: "You're not leaving this room until you tell the the truth." Well, if that doesn't scare them into telling the truth, I don't know what will!
*

Has anyone noticed how all the architecture is 1950s style. I mean the "residences". Then the doors in almost all the scenes are glass. I found that very odd. When questioning a suspect I'd think they'd want heavy wood doors. My guess is that they got a discount on those old looking doors. Simply the worst decor I've ever seen.
*

Has anyone noticed none of them wear seat belts?! Horror!!! Just let me try that and see how fast the police pull me over.

In one season they had a "villain" who was from India, had long hair, a vertical soul patch, very short and was, frankly, about as threatening as a squishy banana.
*

The satellites spying on us was, quite frankly, disconcerting. I hope that isn't true but something tells me it is. Wow! To be able to track me right down to my bathroom is not comforting, I tell ya!
*

Yet...I'm still enthralled and loved that series.
~*~

Another Putter Around the House Day

It's a foggy day here in southwest Idaho and I've decided to do another post before I eat lunch and balance my check book. Sigh... Is there anything else I'd rather not do than balance my checkbook? Nuuuuuu, in fact, I'd rather clean toilets than that.

New followers rarely, if ever, go back and read some really interesting posts when they start following someone and I'm no different. There is only one woman I went back to the very beginning and read all her posts because she's sooooo funny. I laughed and laughed and laughed at all of them and there were hundreds. So in that spirit, some of you newbies might think I'm boring. Au contraire, you just haven't been here long enough to go with me and Love Bunny on a camping trip in the wilds of Idaho (btw, I hate camping!) or to see some of the crafts I do or to visit our small home. I suggest you kind of browse to see some of them. But today I'm just rambling.

I do this kind of thing for my home.

Journals. Do you journal? I don't. Oh, I've tried but I just can't get the hang of it so I do my "journaling" here on line. I'd much rather type than write.

Or things I've done to different houses I've lived in such as this.

Or this very quick redo when we thought we sold the house, moved out and the deal fell through and we had to move back in at the height of the winter holiday season!

One of the many lamps I've redone for our home.

This chandelier I made for our bedroom.

And this little ribbon tree I whipped up when I had snippets leftover from many crafting projects.

Or little perfume bottles that I've used up all the Shalimar, White Shoulders or Poison perfume and decided I just can't rid myself of the gorgeous bottles. When I get through with my Juicy Couture I promise you it'll get refurbished and shown here. :-)

I also do random thoughts once in a while.
***

Random Thoughts:

Remember, the biggest lie out there is: Satan doesn't exist and One Size Fits All! I suppose that's actually two but oh well.
~*~