Autumn/Fall crafts

Paper Pumpkins: Here are some paper pumpkins I just made. They are quick and easy to make. Just cut out eight(or more if you like) circles or ovals, fold them in half (with the pretty side inside) then glue the halves together, forming a sphere shape. Then you trim off the bottom so it stands up, and cut out a stem. You can have the kids color/paint the paper before cutting your circles. 

Soup can Ghosts/Pumpkins: Easy version: take a clean dry soup or coffee can and paint either white for a ghost or orange for a pumpkin. When they dry paint the face on with black paint or use permanent black marker like I do. Put a candle inside and your done. The longer version: First fill can with water and freeze (you can try it empty but be gentle so you don‘t dent the can). When frozen take a small nail and hammer and punch holes to outline the shape of the eyes and mouth. Then continue with the above directions. This lets the light shine thought the holes and looks great at night. Keep out of reach of little hands.

Cinnamon Ornaments: This is my favorite way to get into the holiday spirit! Candles can get expensive if your like me and light them every night! I make leaves in the fall holiday shapes in the winter. Mix 1 cup ground cinnamon, 1 cup applesauce, 1 Tbsp Elmer’s glue, and 1 tsp of allspice (optional) in bowl and stir until well blended. Work mixture in hands for three minutes to form a ball. If it is too dry, add applesauce, if too wet, add more cinnamon. Knead ball on cinnamon-sprinkled surface until it holds together well. Roll out keeping it about ¼ - ½ inch thickness then use cookie cutters for the shapes. I like to sit them in a decorative bowl but you can use a drinking straw to cut a hole in the top if you want to hang with a ribbon. These can be air dried for 24 to 48 hours, but if your impatient like me you can bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours turning them every 30min.

This shake recipe was from Martha Stewart. Of course she does everything to perfection and the recipe calls for homemade whipped cream…obviously she does these things without children! So I cut that part out and use good old Reddi Wip.

Ghost Shakes
1 cup whole milk 
2 pints vanilla ice cream 
1 can whipped cream (original or chocolate)
A few Tbsp melted chocolate (choc chips are easy to use)

Directions 

1. Take melted chocolate and paint ghost face onto the inside of the clear glass.
2. Blend milk and 1 pint ice cream in a blender until smooth. With machine running, add remaining pint ice cream, one scoop at a time; blend until smooth. 
3.Pour milkshake into decorated glasses, filling them 3/4 full. Then add whipped cream to the top to finish them off. (Makes eight 6-ounce servings)

Reuse/Recycle

     So most of us have heard of the common reuse/recycle ideas around the house. Old socks/clothes for rags, toothbrushes to clean the grout in the bathroom, or glass pasta jars to put grease into when cooking. Here are some of the ways that I use/reuse items in my home.

Coffee Filters: I have about 500 left over from my old coffee maker, the new one doesn’t use them. I cut a filter in half and keep it with my camera. Whenever I’m taking a picture and the flash is just to bright but no flash is too dark I hold the filter over the flash…it works every time! 

Easy Squeeze Bottle: Clean and save a ketchup bottle to use for your pancake batter. I use this specifically for homemade funnel cakes!

  

Purse Holder: Use Shower-curtain hooks (metal S shaped ones) to hang my purses in the closet. They go right onto the hanging bar and don’t bend like hangers. Throw one in your bag and use in the restroom if they don’t have a purse hook on the door.

Tweezers: For some reason I can never find them when I need them. So attach a small magnet to the inside of your medicine cabinet (I used double sided tape to adhere) and the tweezers and nail clippers are always there when needed.

Splinter remover: My children cry the second the tweezers come out, so instead pour a drop of Elmer’s Glue over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue, and children love pulling the glue off. This won’t work if the splinter is deep under the skin.

Checkbook boxes: I use the boxes that my checks came in as pen/pencil holders in my junk drawer. It is the perfect size and does the job for free.

Spaghetti: This idea is my mothers, she uses it every time. Use the end of an uncooked spaghetti piece to light a candle that the lighter can’t reach. Just light the spaghetti on fire and light the candle.

Sugar Container: Pour your 5-pound bag of sugar into a empty, cleaned and dried out 1-gallon milk jug (with handle). Prevents sugar from hardening makes it much easier to pour it out. 

Shoe boxes: I keep empty shoe boxes to put into the kids dresser drawers. I put one for socks, one for underwear, and one for undershirts. This way they can help get their own clothes in the morning without scrambling through the drawers mixing everything up.

 

 

Pool Noodles: Cut 2 foot long pieces from the original noodle. Cut a slit down the length of each one. Bring in your bag when going to the park and slip onto the metal handle bars on the swings. Its easy to hold onto, clean, and soft. For infants you can slip onto the front of the swing so your baby doesn’t try to bite the swing or bump their heads.

Sandbox: I use an under bed Tupperware box as a sandbox in the summer. It is small and space efficient, plus the lid prevents rain and bugs from getting in. The in the winter I throw away the sand, use it under the bed to hold our summer sandals. 

Small picture frame: Keep one in your kitchen and slip your recipe card into the frame when cooking. It stays clean and can be hung right at your work station. I hang it on a hook right next to my countertop by using a hairtie and stringing it through the back hook holder on the frame.

     There are so many I could go on forever, but I think I’ll stop here. Finding new uses for old things is a great way to go green and save money. Nothings better than saving money while doing your part to save the Earth. What ways do you reuse your old items to help you around the house?