I’ve been seeing all of your awesomely fall crafty posts of how you’re oh-so-fancily decorating your houses for the season, and have mourned my complete inability to pull off anything similar.

After all, I don’t usually write domesticated how-to posts, because my efforts would usually end up being how-NOT-to posts….

Such as, for instance, my horror-movie-for-kids results from my attempt at ironing Ali’s Cubbies patch onto her vest:IMG_0759

She’s not yet forgiven me for melting Cubbie Bear’s midsection off.

”Why did you DO that to Cubbie bear?!”

“Is he still burning??”

“You won’t melt my tummy off if I disobey….will YOU???”

However, I wanted to do SOMETHING fallish and crafty with Ali (preferably that wouldn’t give her nightmares), and the most obvious choice was to use our pumpkins.

But I knew that the pumpkins we picked were not big enough for carving, NOR am I artistic enough to create a successful pumpkin face anyway, so I was unsure…until I found this fun glitter idea on my new friend Amanda’s blog.

Glitter swirls…I think I can handle that without melting anything or gruesomely disfiguring any pumpkins.

But, just in case, I bought a tiny “fake” pumpkin to practice on first: IMG_1114
After all, the pumpkins in her post were all fake (probably a smart move so that they could use them season after season, but I was determined to use our real pumpkins in SOME sort of useful way.)

I drew swirls on the fake pumpkin… IMG_1115
And then I recruited my helper, and moved the project outside to avoid a house-filling Glittertastrophe:IMG_1116

Next came regular Elmer’s glue…IMG_1119

And then the glitter.
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It seemed to be working fairly well on the practice pumpkin, so I pulled out the much revered white pumpkin…IMG_1127

And then I put the glittering process into the hands of a three-year-old.IMG_1129…surely I deserve a Mommy Scouts Badge for that risk.

(But then again, I’d probably just melt it trying to put it on my Mommy Vest.)

But it was still going well, so we moved onto our orange pumpkin, which was much harder to draw nice, curvy lines on it due to it’s natural bumps and ridges…

IMG_1132
(And really, I wish I had just freehanded the glue – I think the whole process would have been a bit easier.)

After each glitter application, we shook off and then blew off the extra glitter, all while trying to reclaim as much as possible for finishing the rest of the pumpkin.

But, imagine if you can, about half of this extra glitter ending up on my face, due to my attempts to blow it off, and unfavorable wind direction:

IMG_1135
…which would explain my glittery nose-blowing for the rest of the day.

…which Ali TOTALLY thought was magical pixie dust.

Of course, it took all of about three rounds of glittering for her to get entirely too bored with the project, but I had prepared: I had sidewalk chalk available, and some awesome flower-like weeds growing in our yard, just waiting to be picked:IMG_1139
After finishing the swirls, I rubbed glue on the stems and sparklefied them as well, but the gold one came out a bit too Vegas-Showgirl for my liking…IMG_1146

So I allowed the white one to stay happily in it’s natural state.

And so, the finished products:
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Which means that for now, at least until our pumpkins start rotting and I have to throw them out so that I don’t end up on THAT episode of Hoarders, I can feel just a BIT seasonally appropriately decoratey.

AND, at least until I have a shower, I can be THE most glittery seven-months-pregnant woman on the planet.

I think I’ll call it “Vegas Showgirl on Maternity Leave.”

17 thoughts on “A Little Glitter Goes a Long Way…Up Nasal Passages.

  1. YAAAAYYYY! You ARE crafty, you just didn't know it! At least you have some sort of decorated pumpkins going on. I have the pumpkins, but our new dog has thwarted my efforts to have a Martha Stewart-esk front porch. I am so sad. :o(

    Next year, it's the decorations or the dog….just sayin'

  2. Thank you so much for this post. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how I could include Maya in the pumpkin process. Thanks for the great idea.

  3. Just remember: glitter is the herpes of the art world….

    if you so desire you could end up peeling it all off and baking them for pies! I still hafta do my post on making my pumpkin slush that I froze for this Fall…I have almost 40 ounces in the freezer! After straining all of the moisture out! From one (white)pumpkin!

  4. Put a towel on top of the patches before ironing on. I think the pumpkins are beautiful and crafty. Great idea.

  5. That looks like fun, although we tend to eat our pumpkins so I will have to see whether I can bear to buy one "just" for decoration!

    Did Ali get a second badge?

  6. Those look awesome! I'm super jealous of your glittery pumpkins…I thought I was cool w/ mini pumpkins. Apparantly I was wrong =) Glad y'all had fun!

  7. What a great idea! I hate the mess of carving pumpkins, but I'm totally up for the glitter and prerequisite golden boogers afterwards. Cool!

  8. your pumpkins are awesome! I'm SO doing that this week…or whenever pumpkins go on sale. =)

    Fall crafts are the best and I've been in the mood for some new ones. Woo hoo!

  9. Oh, I have so missed reading your blog! And, looking at Ali. I'm sure your other posts have pictures of you…but, I was anxiously reading..and waiting…waiting..to see a picture of you. But, alas I'll have to spend more time on the blog and catch up.

    These pumpkins are exquisite. I love to read how you, my Rachel, and all her other fun friends..just create and share. I just totally revel in it..I think back..did I do those things? Hmm..
    No. But, somehow "creativity" was passed on to Rachel..genetically! ;)

    Ali is beautiful as always. Just absolutely beautiful. And, the patch comment…priceless! I'm so glad you blog..so you can remember all her phrases and words and the cute pictures. I cannot wait for your new babo. (Rachel's nana's word for "treasured children or babies.")

    And, on a side note, as I wrote to you previously..OU vs. ALABAMA in the Championship Game? I know…you'll be delivering. :) But, I bet..like us..you wouldn't miss that for the world!!
    Love you!

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