LW Designs

A couple of weeks ago I posted about different ways to decorate pumpkins for Halloween and fall. Below is a photo tutorial for how to carve your own custom faux foam pumpkins. Start with the image of your choosing. This design needed some spacing added so that the pumpkin didn't fall apart! Gather your supplies - any size foam craft pumpkins; printed design (to fit); pencil; masking tape; thumb tacks; traditional pumpkin carving kit poker or paper piercer; heated knife. Here's a closer look at the heated knife kit (sold at most craft stores). Layout your design on your pumpkin, securing in position. I like to use both masking tape and thumb tacks. Poke around the design making sure to leave gaps in any connected spaces. After I have the design poked onto the pumpkin I like to remove the paper and draw the design by connecting the dots to make sure that there isn't any space that is going to get cut out inadvertently. Carefully carve out your...

Thanks to those who entered for the pumpkin giveaway! Winners of the designer pumpkin giveaway chosen at http://www.miniwebtool.com/random-name-picker/ . CUSTOM CARVED FOAM PUMPKIN  CUSTOM PUMPKIN TEMPLATE

Have you seen all those fancy pumpkins all over Facebook and Pinterest and thought that you couldn't duplicate the finished product? Well, YOU CAN!! One year, I really wanted a Tinker Bell jack-o-lantern. This was before fancy templates, Pinterest, and digital cameras. So not only did I have no guide for what I wanted to accomplish, but I have no proof that it turned out amazing. I will give a disclaimer that I have a strange ability to look at something and replicate it pretty closely. I have several coffee mugs from my college internship at Walt Disney World and loved one of Tinker Bell stuck in the keyhole of a door. I thought it would be pretty cute if she was pushing out of a pumpkin instead. I took out my trusty sketch book and went to work. After sketching the image I went back in with a sharpie to make sure that I had sections left intact so as to not have a giant hole instead of a Tinker Bell outline. It was adorable and reminded me of the scene from Peter Pan wh...

Each year our church has a week-long mission week. For several years it was in a community just outside of Savannah, GA, but this summer they stayed at home and worked in neighborhood just a few miles from where many of the church members live and work. This was the first time in several years that I wasn't able to participate daily in the Bible camp that we host for the kids where we are working. Because the neighborhood is in our backyard, our church has made a commitment to continue outreach to the community. We had been planning on a Christmas program with a party and distribution of toys and blankets. But why wait so long? That is what our youth pastor asked. And started planning a block party at the local park. Have you ever seen an idea snowball? Not the bad kind of snowball. The kind where it grows and grows into something amazing? That's what happened. Hot dogs, chips and cupcakes grew to bobbing for apples, candy bags, pumpkins for decorating, a "photo boot...

  Did you know that there are more than one kind of pumpkin? Now this might seem a little silly. But growing up in the city, we only got pumpkins at Halloween for carving. I only just found out today that there are specific types just for cooking. I picked out a pumpkin for decoration because I thought it looked like "velvet," and found out when I went to pay for it that it is actually used for baking pies. I wish I could remember the name or the variety... Aren't they gorgeous!? Here's a website that seems to cover all the different types, plus types of gourds, recipes, carving and much more. Since it looks like I'm a newbie on pumpkins (who would have thought), do you have a preference on pumpkin varieties? Good recipes? I think this will be a perfect addition to the church kids community garden next year! More coming on that fall festival sign tomorrow.

I found this quote on Pinterest last year:   It's the truth. I love October the best. The colors, pumpkins, football, sweaters, boots, cooler weather... And both my anniversary and birthday fall in October so it's doubly sweet. Last October I took part in a 31-day blogging challenge where I focused on life and many changes I had going on at the time and talked about the last 31 days of being 31-years-old. This year, I'm focusing on FUN!! Going to fall festivals, picking pumpkins, enjoying PSL with friends, trekking to the mountains to see leaves, fall wardrobe and decor, and so much more.  I hope you'll go along this journey with me and share your fall favorites, too. Follow my blog with Bloglovin