Family O' Lanterns

The Morgans in all their pumpkin glory.

   When I married Josh, I knew he had a lot of great qualities, but I've been delighted to learn over the past five years that he has a wealth of undiscovered talents that are just coming to light. My favorite by far is his talent for cooking and baking which neither of us had any inkling of until someone gave him a cooking magazine subscription. He took to it like a chef to a favorite recipe and our kitchen has never been the same- but I digress.  A couple of years ago he entered a neighbourhood pumpkin carving contest on a whim and won it. He entered last year and won again. He decided to go for something really crazy this year ( but not enter the contest and give someone else a chance) and carved our entire family on pumpkins using a woodcarving tool set. This took much of two days, but it was worth it. It was pretty eerie seeing myself as a pumpkin. I can't imagine how he'll top it next year!

  


  Handmade Halloween


     Each year since Westin was born I've been making various things for Halloween and enjoy much satisfaction from the magical quality Halloween takes on when the home is full of handmade objects. This year I added a costume to our tickle trunk. I was inspired by the feathers from a costume from imaginechildhood.com

and made a bald eagle costume for Rowan. I sewed it from organic cotton fleece and organic bamboo so it turned out very soft and cosy.

   The children have come to love the trick-or-treat bags I made them last year and were happy to see them again this year.  The sewing was very simple, just two rectangles sewn together, but I've learned that the right fabric choice can turn something basic into something beautiful.
   Paper chains are also very easy to make if you take high quality construction paper with strong colors, cut a bunch of thick strips about an inch wide and then just staple them together. I made this one last year in just a few minutes and it adds an instant festive touch.

   I'm a busy mother, but by crafting one new item each year,  I'm creating heirlooms for years to come. The kids also love to unpack all the creations from the Halloween box each year as they've created such fond memories with its contents.

Going through their loot after a very exciting evening gathering it.

Our spooky candle sconces that we actually use year round, but they sure work for  Halloween night!

                                            Hope you've all had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN.