Things have calmed down here a bit and although not yet going to work, the family member who was in the hospital is home and doing better.
I have a quilt guild chat this afternoon to get ready for and then I need to do some cleaning in my studio which has become extremely messy over the past week. It's so bad that even finding a place to put my cup of coffee is hard! And it's piled up, not just one or two items deep, but several! The rest of the house, though, is in good shape. I generally leave my studio til last...maybe it's time to put it first!
Today is craft day...not sure why I wound up with specific seasonal crafts on Wednesday but so far it works even though I share crafts most days. This craft really is truly cheap. This is not a new craft, you can find instructions all over the internet. All you really need is a paperback book (One with a lot, and I do mean a lot, of pages works best.)...
and some brown paper (think packing paper in boxes). An orange marker is optional.
First, I took one page out of the book and made 1/2 of a pumpkin shape. I then made a cardboard template using that shape...
The object is to cut each page using that pattern. I tried cutting both with a scissors and with a sharp blade. I found that even with a sharp blade, the pages didn't always cut well so I ended up using only a scissors. Also, if the book is newish and the spine is stiff, you may want to fold it in several places to make the spine more pliable.
For the first 30 to 50 pages, I used the cardboard template, drawing around it and cutting out on the line. After enough pages were cut to make a nice stack, I used the stack of cut pages for the pattern, drawing around them.
When making that cut line, be sure to keep the bottom of the book on a flat surface so the page edges are straight. I generally cut between five and seven pages at a time. Try to keep them all the same size but don't worry if they look a bit rough.
If you want, once the pages are cut, you can use an orange marker to color the edges. Hold the edges tightly and 'color' with the marker. It may seem like an extra unneeded step, but I then separated each page of the book. Sometimes when cutting, the pages stick together.
Next, glue the front and back covers together really well and let dry. You may want to put a small pencil in the spine area to curve the spine into a circle. I used bull clips to hold the covers together.
To make the stem, take a piece of the brown paper and twist until it curves. Once it curved the way you want, add a bit of glue to the outside of the paper first, and then glued it to the 'pumpkin' by pushing part of the paper into the center hole created by the spine of the book. Here's the finished pumpkin...
It really is very cute. And you can make several different sizes by using different sizes of paperbacks. Even if you wind up purchasing paperbacks from the thrift store, this is a very inexpensive decorative craft.
That's it for today. If the weather is nice, take a walk outdoors. Today's the last day of September...already...before you know it winter will be here so don't miss the enjoyment of fall!!!
Talk with you tomorrow...