Dried White Pine - It Was A Good Idea - Or Was It?

In a previous post on my Linda's Blog entitled "The Pine Cone Baskets - Now That's A Good Idea!" I told you that twenty years ago I had a great idea to collect all the pine cones from the lawn to use for making pine cone baskets.  We had a wealth of them that had fallen from the white pine and evergreen trees that year.  So, they were plentiful and free.

During this time I had another brainstorm and thought it would be fun to dry white pine needles and make miniature pine trees. The winter that year had been harsh and we had many, many large branches of our white pines down on the ground. I just thought it would be a waste to just throw all the branches and pine needles away.

So, I decided to cut the branches into manageable sizes and then dry them upside down and hang them from the beams in our cellar. I used elastic bands to tie the branches together and then tied them to wire coat hangers that I then hung from nails I had hammered into our wood beams in the basement.

I let the pine needles dry for several months and then decided I'd try to make a miniature tree. To my dismay the pine sap from the white pine trees didn't exactly dry like I thought it would and I had pine sap all over my hands. Also, to my dismay the pine needles hadn't dried exactly as I thought they would and started falling our almost immediately.

So, to keep them in tack within their little pods I cut them to about an inch in length. I took a 12" foam tree and started inserting them into the bottom of the foam tree working my way up to the top. By the time I was done it actually looked like a miniature white pine tree and I was pleased with the results.

So, I started to decorate it with some small bead garland I had bought and some miniature ornaments. I put a metal star on the top and was satisfied that my tree looked like a real tree.

Unfortunately the tree didn't last and the needles started falling out and turning yellow. I hadn't thought to glue the mini pods with the needles into the foam or to spray the tree either with a preservative or with some green paint.  Duh! That would have been smart.

Plus, to my dismay I learned that white pine branches drying upside down in one's basement tends to attract moths. NOT A GOOD THING.

So, I threw away all the dried branches and resorted to either using pre-dried floral from the craft stores ( which was way too expensive) or use pine cones. I certainly had plenty of them. I had stored all the different pine cones that had fallen from the trees in various boxes which were stored in my basement.

However, I quickly learned that you couldn't make miniature pine cone trees without tiny little pine cones. If I wanted to use the pine cone trees that I had I wouldn't be making  miniature trees. They would be anywhere from 12" tall and up.  That was fine with me - I had plenty of pine cones.

The first tree I made, which is shown in the picture at the beginning of this post, was 13 inches tall.  It didn't take long to make.  The second tree I made, which is shown above in the picture to the right, was 30 inches tall and took a long time to make.

However, I  was pleased with the way they both turned out and put them out during the Christmas holidays.  The large tree sits in the middle of my dining room table and the small tree is on the counter in my kitchen.

The first year I made the miniature white pine trees I had them out during the holidays.  However, as mentioned they just didn't last so they were all thrown away.  I hated to do that, but sometimes you win with an idea and sometimes you don't.  Was it a good idea - probably not!

Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Designed and Written By Linda Walsh

How To Make A Green Painted Pinecone Basket - Free How-To by Linda Walsh

Since I had just finished my Linda's Blog post on all the pine cone baskets I had made over twenty years ago I thought you might enjoy a step-by-step "How-to" on how to make one of your own.
My instructions on how to make a pine cone basket of your own are shown below.

How To Make A Green Painted Pinecone Basket

Supplies Needed

1 Large Handle Basket
1 Can Green Spray Paint
1 Can Spray Varnish or Lacquer
1 Bag of Spanish Moss
4 pk OASIS RAINBOW FOAM BRICK TURQUOISE - Enough Floral Foam Bricks To Line The Bottom Of The Basket
1 1/2" to 2" Wide Green Wired Ribbon
Package of Green Preserved Boxwood
Batch of Green Preserved Evergreen Sprigs or Other Green Silk Floral
1/2" to 1" Plaid Cloth Covered Box Decorations
Red Berry Spray With Multiple Berries or Red Berry Picks
1/2" to 1" Shiny Red Apple Decorations
Wire
Dried or Preserved Pine Cones of Various Shapes and Sizes
Dual Temperature Glue Gun
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Wire Cutters

Instructions

(Note - These instructions are for ADULT use only as they require the use of a hot glue gun.  Always use caution when working with any kind of hot glue gun.)

1.  Spray paint the inside and outside of the basket with the green paint.  Let dry completely.
2.  Place the Spanish moss along the inside of the basket so as to cover any openings in the sides of the basket.
3.  Pack the bottom of the basket tightly with the floral brick foam to within 4 inches of the top rim of the basket.
4.  Glue the first layer of pine cones to the floral brick foam using the low temperature setting of the dual temperature glue gun.
5.  Arrange the pine cones of various shapes and sizes that you are going to see until they fill the basket and the arrangement is pleasing to the eye.  Then glue them in place using the low temperature setting of the dual temperature glue gun.
6.  Glue the smaller pine cones in between the larger pine cones until all the gaps are filled.
7.  Spray the basket and pine cones with varnish or lacquer.  Let dry completely.
8.  Glue the preserved box wood amongst the pine cones until the arrangement is pleasing to the eye.
9.  Glue the preserved evergreen sprigs or other green silk floral amongst the pine cones until the arrangement is pleasing to the eye.
10.  Glue the 1/2" to 1" plaid cloth covered box decorations amongst the pine cones until their placement is pleasing to the eye.
11.  Glue the 1/2" to 1" Shiny Red Apple Decorations amongst the pine cones until their placement is pleasing to the eye.
12.  Cut the red berries so they are individual and then glue the red berries amongst the pine cones until their placement is pleasing to the eye.
13.  Tie the 1 1/2" to 2" wide green wired ribbon into a large decorative bow with many, many  loops so it is very full and then fasten the bow to the middle of the handle of the basket with the wire.
14.  Congratulations - You're Done!

I also created a .PDF "Linda's How-Do-I Series How To Make A Green Painted Pinecone Basket" e-book for this as well.

"Linda's How-Do-I Series How To Make A Green Painted Pinecone Basket" Free E-Book

To view and download my free e-book please CLICK HERE. You'll be brought to Google Drive where you can view our free e-book. Then just download our free .pdf e-book from the File menu in the upper left hand corner.

For more information on all my free e-patterns, e-printables and e-books please CLICK HERE.

Please respect My Terms of Use:  All patterns, e-patterns, printables, e-printables, e-books, graphics, tutorials, how-to's, articles and other e-products © 2004-2023 Linda Walsh Originals-Designs by Linda Walsh. All rights reserved. Commercial selling or reselling by any means prohibited without the written consent of Linda Walsh.

Patterns, e-patterns, printables, e-printables, e-books, graphics, tutorials, how-to's, articles and other e-products are for personal use only. You may not modify, photocopy, download, upload, post, transmit, display, perform, publish, license, reprint, create derivative works from, mass duplicate, re-sell, digitize, and reproduce in any other form (print, digital or electric) or commercially apply, embed, share, Email, or redistribution in any other means. Use of any of the above is prohibited without the written permission of Linda Walsh.

However, you may link to my website(s)/blog(s) and the individual page(s)/blog post(s) (including 1 picture) but do not copy, reprint or duplicate my website(s)/blog(s) or individual page(s)/post(s ) without my permission.

Items made from Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns are intended for personal use for fun or small scale personal and business profit as long as you credit us with the design. Large scale commercial use (i.e. mass production) of items made from Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns are by permission only.

Please see my Terms and Conditions for additional information.

Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals and Linda's Blog. Linda is a doll maker and doll pattern designer.

Pinecone Baskets - Now That's A Good Idea!

While shopping in the Fall over 20 years ago with hubby we happened to venture into one of those seasonal Christmas decoration shops - just to see what they had.

Well, I was immediately drawn to a pine cone basket that was on the floor. It was pine cones in a large basket that was decorated with berries, ribbons, lace, and assorted dried floral.

I thought it was really pretty and would make a great Christmas decoration until I looked at the price. They wanted close to $180 for the basket which I thought at the time was outrageous.  But, the basket was lovely and I thought it would make a wonderful Christmas decoration.

So, I decided to make my own.  After all, I had pine cones all over my lawn from the white pine and evergreen trees that had fallen that year. Why not use them and create my own pine cone baskets? I certainly had plenty of pine cones of different sizes and types.  And, they were free.

So, hubby and I set to picking up all the pine cones in the yard and sorting them by size and type. I happened to mention to my Mother that I was going to make pine cone baskets and she mentioned this to one of my brothers who decided to have my nieces and nephew collect the fallen pine cones in his yard and give them all to me. I think you can imagine where I'm going with this story. Needless to say I had way more pine cones then I'd ever be able to use in a lifetime. But, I appreciated the effort and the thought.

I decided that I didn't really want to take the time that was required to properly dry my pine cones in the stove as it would take way too much time and would not be worth the effort. So, I decided to store my pine cones in a box for a year and let them dry that way.

Of course I had a LOT of boxes in my basement, but I didn't mind that. To my surprise my pine cones actually dried fine in their boxes and had opened up beautifully by the following year.

I had been collecting baskets on sale during the year along with various other decorations for the baskets - all of which were on sale either after Christmas or before. To my delight I had even found a wooden crate that I thought would make a lovely pine cone basket.  I had also bought various types of wire ribbon which I wanted to use on all the baskets along with various sizes of Christmas tree bulbs.

So, I decided which baskets I was going to spray paint, which baskets I was going to leave as they were, how many pine cone baskets I was going to make, etc. I laid all my baskets out on the floor so I could decide which pine cones to use for which basket, which wire ribbons I was going to use, which dried floral filler I wanted to use, which Christmas tree bulbs I wanted to use, and which decorations I wanted to use.

Given that I never do anything in moderation by the time I finished I had quite a few baskets to make.  Well, make that MANY baskets to make.

Oh, well! I LOVED creating them and had plenty of relatives I could give them to so it was a win-win.  At least that's what I tried to tell my husband when he saw the number of baskets I was making.   My sister keeps telling me I'm married to a saint.  Given my over abundance for creativity and desire or lack thereof  to do anything in moderation I'd have to agree he is a saint.

I spent a couple of days spray painting the baskets red, gold, and blue and then proceeded to make my first basket.  Of course I didn't make a small basket first.  Oh, no! I went for the largest basket I had spray painted.  I had visions of this beautiful gold pine cone basket decorating my front foyer and wanted to make this first.  If it came out okay I'd make the rest.

The first basket that I made is the gold one shown in the picture at the very beginning of this post.  It's a very LARGE basket.  I selected different sizes and kinds of pine cones for this basket, large (3") red Christmas bulbs, dried green eucalyptus floral, dried green pine floral, dried red berry floral, dried jade green berry floral, cinnamon sticks, and gold/green/red 1" ribbon.

Since the basket was really large I decided not to fill it completely with pine cones but to line the bottom with  green florist foam.  For a more realistic woodland feel first I placed enough Spanish moss along the inside of the basket so as to cover any openings in the sides of the basket.  Then I packed the bottom tightly with green foam so that it filled the basket to within 4 inches of the top.  Once my basket was firmly packed I glued my first layer of pine cones to the foam.  For this layer I used some of the uglier pine cones I had collected and some of the broken ones.  It didn't matter as no one was going to see them anyway.

Next I arranged the largest of the pine cones I wanted to use and large red Christmas bulbs (turned upside down) and arranged them within the basket until I was happy with the arrangement.  I glued them in place and added smaller pine cones to fill in the gaps.

When I was happy with the way the arrangement looked I sprayed the basket and pine cones with varnish to seal everything.   Then I proceeded to add and glue the various dried floral I had selected for this arrangement. I cut the cinnamon sticks into various sizes and glued them throughout the basket.   Then I created two large bows with multiple loops and wired them to the sides of the basket.

When it was finished I decided I really liked the way the basket came out and proceeded to make a bunch more.  By the time I was finished I had spent less in supplies for my baskets than the decorated basket I had seen in the Christmas store would have cost and had close to 25 different baskets made that I could give as presents that year.  I was happy with that and everyone who received the baskets seemed to like them.  In fact, I know they liked them because every year they put them out with their Christmas decorations.

Since I do still have quite a few of the pine cone baskets each Christmas season I decide which of the pine cones baskets I'll put out this year.  Each and every year it's a hard decision as they are all wonderful and after twenty years still look as good as the first year I made them.  With twenty plus years in age the pine cone baskets are still going strong and to their credit I'd have to say they were well worth the time and effort it took to make them. Pine cone baskets - now that was a good idea!  And economical to boot! 

Something Else I'd Like To Try - Wooden Quilt Pictures

I'm always on the look out for unique and unusual handmade gifts.  Some I find at local craft shows, some I find in craft magazines, and some I find on the Internet.

Well, years ago I saw a picture in a magazine for a wood quilt.  That's right - WOOD QUILT!

So, of course, this piqued my curiosity and I decided to visit their website.  Their website is entitled Uniquely Jewell - Wood Quilts by David and Joannie Wert - Hand Painted Traditional Quilt Designs Made From Wood.

If you don't know what wood quilts are - here's what their website said about them: 

A Wood Quilt??? What is that???  A wood quilt is a form of parquetry in which individual pieces of wood are cut, painted, stained and set one by one in a frame to form a picture or pattern. This is a truly unique art form which results in extremely beautiful objects enhanced even more by the grain and warmth of wood. All are hand cut and finished in the United States.

  
Well, their website had the most beautifully colored wood quilt pictures you'd ever want to see.  I just LOVED them and decided to buy one for me and two for my mother as Christmas presents. 

The one I bought for me is shown in the picture at the beginning of this post. The two I bought for my mother are shown in the picture above and to the right. I just loved the details of the quilts and the vivid colors. And, so did my mother. 

Well, when my mother passed away I ended up with her two small wood quilt pictures and decided to check out their website once again. 

To my dismay they're having a "Going Out Of Business" sale. 

What a shame. I hate when that happens. They do beautiful work and I, for one, will be displaying my wood quilt and my mother's two wood quilts proudly for some time to come.  

I'd love to try making one, but they look like they'd be a lot of work to do. Between the design, the painting, and the precision cutting.... 

Maybe I can convince my younger brother to try and make one. That is, if I can get him away from his scroll saw. 

More Woodcrafts Gifts From My Younger Brother - Scroll Saw Pictures

I know I've mentioned many times about my younger brother and his amazing workshop.

Well, it seems, my younger brother has decided that scrolling and scroll saw pictures is his calling. He fell in LOVE with his scroll saw over a year ago and just can't stop making gifts for everyone.  And, well, I guess I'm to blame for that!

You see, while shopping for Christmas gifts two years ago at a local craft show I wandered into a booth of handmade woodland scroll saw pictures and immediately fell in love with them.  They were exquisite and I knew my younger brother would LOVE one.  So, I bought one for him.

Well, I have to tell you that my brother absolutely loved it.  He was enthralled with how the woodcutter had used the scroll saw to create the picture and decided he wanted to learn how to do it himself.  And, well - learn he did!

He spent the better part of the past year creating scroll saw pictures, scroll saw gifts, etc.  Has he perfected his technique?  Absolutely.  And, we have all benefited from his new found love of scroll saw pictures.  Absolutely.  Everyone got them as presents for the past holiday season.

Now I'm not complaining.  I just LOVE getting handmade wood crafts from my younger brother.  I'd fill up my house with them if I could - not that I have any more room for anything.

In any event, this past year for the holiday season he gave both hubby and I the scroll saw pictures that are shown in this post.   I, of course, absolutely LOVED both of them and have them displayed on my walls.

Am I to blame for my younger brothers actions!  Well, not all his actions!  His scroll saw obsession?  Well, I guess I'm guilty as charged.  I don't mind.  I love all his creations.

I wonder what this year's presents will be?

More scroll saw gifts?

Wouldn't make me mad! No sirree!!!!!

The Little Potpourri Sachet Baskets

I never throw anything away and I'm always looking for way to use left over scraps of fabric and left over potpourri.  My recent post entitled "What To Do With Old Potpourri - Re-purpose It!" reminded me of some little potpourri sachet baskets that I had made years ago.

I had seen little sachet bags at various craft shows and in various craft magazines for years and thought maybe I should use some of my old fabric scraps, some of my little baskets and some of my left over cinnamon sticks or other potpourri sticks to make little potpourri sachets in baskets.   They might be cute. If they were little you could put them just about anywhere in the house as a decoration.

So, I gathered a bunch of miniature baskets, scrap material, and small potpourri sticks as decorations.  I cut the scrap material into 4 1/2" wide by 10" long rectangles for the bags.  I wanted the bags long enough so that I could fold them into themselves to create lined bags that I could then fill with polyfil and then glue to the inside of the baskets.  So, I made enough so as to fit into the little baskets I had selected.

I also cut a bunch of coordinating strips of fabric that I could fasten into bows - each 8" long by 3/4" wide and use these as decorations on the baskets.  Each bag would have a small cinnamon stick or other potpourri stick attached to it for just a small hint of potpourri. 

Some of the baskets with individual bags are shown in the picture above.  The picture below shows a large basket that I filled with 4 bags - each with its own potpourri stick.





I was happy with the way my little potpourri baskets had turned out and gave a couple to my Mom and then placed the rest around the house for decoration. 

How To Make Little Sachet Baskets For Home Decor Free E-Book

Since I had just finished my Linda's Blog post on the little sachet baskets I had made I thought you might enjoy a step-by-step "How-to" on how to make one of your own.

My pattern and instructions for making the little sachet basket shown in the picture above follow.

Supplies Needed

Package of 1" Long Cinnamon Sticks
Miniature 4" Round Basket (With or Without Handles)
Four Scraps of Fabric - 4 1/2" wide by 10" long
Ten Strips of Scrap Fabric - 8" long by 3/4" wide each
Polyfil
DMC Embroidery Floss
Dual Temperature Glue Gun
Glue Sticks

Instructions - Updated March 2015

(Note - These instructions are for ADULT use only as they require the use of a hot glue gun. Always use caution when working with any kind of hot glue gun.)

1. Cut ten strips of coordinating strips of fabric - each 8" long by 3/4" wide and setaside.

2. Cut the four scrap material pieces into 4 1/2" wide by 10" long rectangles for the bags according to the Sachet Lined Bag Pattern shown below. The bags should be long enough so that you can fold them in half into themselves to create lined bags.

3. With RST (Right Sides Together) and using a 1/4" seam allowance stitch each bag down one of the 10" long sides, across the 4 1/2" wide side and up the remaining 10" long side. Leave the remaining 4 1/2" wide side open for turning.

4. Turn the bag right sides out and then fold the bag with wrong sides together in half along the fold in half line, as indicated in the pattern above. This will create a finished bag with a lining.

5. Add polyfil to within 1 1/2" of the finished top of the bag.

6. Sew a running stitch 1" down from the folded edge bag with the DMC embroidery floss. Gather the DMC floss tightly and then knot the DMC embroidery floss to secure.

7. Tie one of the scrap strips around the DMC embroidery floss, knot it to secure, and then tie it into a bow. To finish the bow clip the ends of the bow to form an upside down V.

8. Glue one of the 1" long cinnamon sticks to the knot of the bow using the low temperature of the dual temperature glue gun.

9. Follow steps 1-8 above for the remainder of the three bags.

10. Place each of the bags into the basket and using the low temperature of the dual temperature glue gun glue the bottom of the bag to the inside bottom of the basket to secure it.

11. Tie six of the scrap strips into small bows. To finish the bow clip the ends of the bow to form an upside down V. Glue three of these to the center front of the basket and three of these to the center back of the basket using the low temperature of the dual temperature glue gun. The three bows should be glued one on top of the other.

12. Congratulations - You're Done! Now make as many of the baskets as you would like to decorate around your house.

My "Linda's How-Do-I Series? How To Make A Little Sachet Basket" free e-book includes my Linda's Blog post and my instructions on how to make a little sachet basket of your own.

Print166 - Lindas's How-Do-I Series? How To Make A Little Sachet Basket E-Book

To view and download my free e-book please CLICK HERE. You'll be brought to Google Drive where you can view our free e-book. Then just download our free .pdf e-book by clicking on the down arrow in the top center.

For more information on all my free e-patterns, e-printables and e-books please CLICK HERE.

Please respect My Terms of Use:  All patterns, e-patterns, printables, e-printables, e-books, graphics, tutorials, how-to's, articles and other e-products © 2004-2023 Linda Walsh Originals-Designs by Linda Walsh. All rights reserved. Commercial selling or reselling by any means prohibited without the written consent of Linda Walsh.

Patterns, e-patterns, printables, e-printables, e-books, graphics, tutorials, how-to's, articles and other e-products are for personal use only. You may not modify, photocopy, download, upload, post, transmit, display, perform, publish, license, reprint, create derivative works from, mass duplicate, re-sell, digitize, and reproduce in any other form (print, digital or electric) or commercially apply, embed, share, Email, or redistribution in any other means. Use of any of the above is prohibited without the written permission of Linda Walsh.

However, you may link to my website(s)/blog(s) and the individual page(s)/blog post(s) (including 1 picture) but do not copy, reprint or duplicate my website(s)/blog(s) or individual page(s)/post(s ) without my permission.

Items made from Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns are intended for personal use for fun or small scale personal and business profit as long as you credit us with the design. Large scale commercial use (i.e. mass production) of items made from Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns are by permission only.

Please see my Terms and Conditions for additional information.

Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals and Linda's Blog. Linda is a doll maker and doll pattern designer.

What To Do With Old Potpourri - Re-purpose It!

My granddaughters always said I had the best smelling bathrooms. "BEST" smelling not "WORST" smelling! The reason being that I love using potpourri in them.

However, potpourri doesn't last forever and you have to replace it with new potpourri.  Well, since I never like to get rid of anything that I think I can reuse again I saved it all in plastic resealable bags until I ran out of room in my storage area.  Well, instead of disposing of all the plastic bags I had saved . I decided I should repurpose the old potpourri!

What do I mean by re-purpose it? Well, that's when you take something that had one particular use and turn it into something else for another use.

In this instance I took some Christmas Eve Yankee Boxed Potpourri that contained large potpourri elements that I had bought at Yankee Candle and turned it into a potpourri basket that could be used to decorate my home all year or just at the holidays.

How did I do that?  Well, it's fairly simple to do.

You take an old wicker basket and place Spanish moss along the inside of the basket so as to cover any openings in the sides of the basket. In this case my wicker basket was a rather large one as I had a lot of this particular potpourri.

Then I started layering the potpourri elements by row and gluing them together using the low temperature setting of a dual temperature glue gun.  When I had fully filled the basket and was pleased with the results I glued the final row in place. 

If you don't have as much potpourri as I did then you would line the basket with Spanish moss to the bottom of the basket using the low temperature setting of a dual temperature glue gun.

Then, using the low temperature setting, you would glue your first row of potpourri elements to the green floral foam.  You would continue adding layers of potpourri elements and gluing them in place until you had completely filled the basket and were pleased with the results. 

The potpourri smell isn't there anymore, but the basket looks nice. What do you think?

An Obsession With Shoes and Socks!

I know that I've mentioned that my family tends to give handmade gifts during the holiday season. And, I, in particular, LOVE receiving them.

Well, I can't say that I don't like receiving store bought gifts - as I do. It's just that the handmade gifts have a little extra meaning associated with them.

In any event, besides an obsession with dolls, the Victorian era, floral arrangements, history, and genealogy I have an obsession with shoes and socks. Or, at least, my family thinks so.

Now I know what you're going to say, "Is she like Imelda Marcos and her obsession with shoes?" I can happily say, "No!" It's not that type of shoe.

It's not shoes for my feet that I'm obsessed with. It's miniature shoes!  I'm obsessed with socks for my feet!

As far as shoes are concerned, I collect all kinds of miniature shoes and have, I have to admit, quite a few of them. It's not totally my fault. I keep getting them as presents during the holiday season.  And, they're all so adorable, I just have to display them.

So, with this obsession in mind along with my Victorian era obsession, my brother and sister-in-law decided one Christmas to make and give me the large wooden Victorian shoe pictured at the beginning of this post. I, of course, absolutely LOVED it.

It's actually a shoe pedestal with a small wood table at the top. I decided that instead of putting it in my sun-room with a plant on top that I'd display it in my family room with one of my handmade dolls on top. I could leave it there all year and just change the doll with the seasons.

One of my Linda Walsh Originals doll pattern designs, "Swing Sweetly Annabelle", from "The Long Sleek Sitting Doll" series is currently sitting on top of my shoe.

She loves it there and isn't sure she's going to give up her seat for a Fall scarecrow. In fact, she's made it quite clear she thinks that she should stay right where she is forever. I don't know about that. We'll see.

As far as my obsession with socks for my feet is concerned I have to blame old age on that.  As a child I used to run around in bare feet.  Whether it was through the water in the ocean where we lived or through the woods where we later moved to- bare feet it was.  Bare feet in the house - bare feet to bed.

However, somewhere along the way my feet started getting cold.  My circulation is fine.  I just have cold feet and cold hands.  It's gotten to the point where I have to wear socks all the time.  In the house, in bed, with sandals, etc.

So, since I have to wear socks all the time - not knee socks - ankle socks or anklets - I might as well wear colorful ones.  In fact, the more colorful the better.

Now the reason why I have so many socks is because everyone keeps giving them to me as presents.  And, a girl can only wear so many socks.  Suffice to say, I won't ever run out of socks.

And, when they do wear out and I get a hole in my toes- well, they become socks for my dolls.  No need throwing a good sock away.  Re-purpose it into a sock for a doll.

Does that qualify as a re-purpose?  Hmmmm.....

It's no longer a sock for me, but a sock (or top of a sock) for a doll!  Re-purposed or recycled?  Hmmmm....

You can decide that.

So, do I have an obsession with shoes - I guess!  So, do I have an obsession with socks - I guess! Better add shoes and socks to my ever growing list of obsessions.

Shadowbox Pictures For Fall Decorations and Gifts

If you've been following my Linda's Blog posts about family Christmas gifts you know that I just LOVE giving handmade gifts for the holiday season. And, you probably know that I love enclosing my punch needle and cross-stitch gifts in shadowboxes.

These days my younger brother is helping me make my shadowboxes as he has an unbelievable workshop with every tool you can imagine in it. There's no set-up time as every tool has its place. You just walk over and use it. How great is that? As someone who hates set-up time I love it.

In any event, before my brother set up his workshop I had a wonderful idea for creating some painted and stenciled shadowboxes that I could give as gifts during the upcoming holiday season.

I had a ton of rub-on stencils that I had bought during one of my many shopping trips and wanted to utilize them in some fashion. So, I thought that maybe a small painted wooden shadowbox with a stenciled picture might be nice and asked hubby what he thought.

Well, he thought it was a good idea so we set about making a bunch of 5"x5" shadowboxes and some 6"x9" shadowboxes. I think we made 28 in total for all four seasons. I was going to give some as gifts and use some as seasonal decorations.

So, we drew up a little plan that hubby could use for cutting the wood. We had decided that we would use 1/2"x1" pine wood for the sides and 1/2" thick pine boards for the centers. The sides would be painted and the centers would be stenciled and painted.

Hubby decided to use his router to create a 1/2" channel in the frames for the center blocks to rest on. We would use tiny brads to fasten the frames together and then fasten the center blocks to the frames.

I wanted to paint the frames different colors then the center blocks so hubby made the frames first and then I painted them. When all the frames were done I painted the center blocks and then we fastened the center blocks to the frames.

After the shadowboxes were painted and put together I added my rub-on stencils. I applied a brush on varnish to seal the wood and create a nice finish for the stencils.

Of course, since I never do anything in moderation they took us a few days from start to finish to complete them. However, when they were all done we were both pleased with the results.

Shown throughout this post are some of the painted and stenciled shadowbox pictures we made for the Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving. The stencils shown were all from Provo Craft First Impressions.

Linda's How-Do-I Series? How To Make A Painted and Stenciled Terracotta Pot Decoration

Since I had just finished my Linda's Blog post on the painted and stenciled terracotta pots I had made I thought you might enjoy a step-by-step "How-to" on how to make one of your own.

My instructions on how to make painted and stenciled terracotta pots of your own are shown below.

How To Make A Painted and Stenciled Terracotta Pot Decoration

Supplies Needed

4"-5" Round Terracotta Pot (with or without a tray)
Patio Paint - 1 Bottle
Varnish - 1 Small Can
Provo Craft First Impressions Rub-On Stencils - 1 Each For The Border and Picture
Popsicle Sticks
Brush - 1
Potpourri - 1 Pkg

Instructions

1. Wipe the terracotta pot with a moist paper towel and then let dry.

2. Brush paint the terracotta pot with the Patio Paint inside and out and let dry. Do the same with the terracotta tray if you are using one.

3. Apply a second coat of the Patio Paint to the inside and outside of the terracotta pot and let dry.  Do the same with the terracotta tray if you are using one.

4.  Select the stencil you are going to use for the border at the top of the terracotta pot.  Cut enough of the stencil border to cover the top of the terracotta pot.

5.  Using the popsicle stick gently rub the stencil on to the top of the terracotta pot.

6.  Select the stencil you are going to use for the picture in the center of the pot.    Using the popsicle stick gently rub the stencil onto the center of the pot.

7.  When you are happy with the design and the stencils are adhered to the pot gently brush the entire pot with the varnish.  Do the same with the terracotta tray if you are using one.

8.  When the terracotta pot is completely dry add seasonal potpourri.

9.  Congratulations - You're Done! Now make as many of the painted and stenciled terracotta pots as you would like to decorate around your house.

"Linda's How-Do-I Series? How To Make A Painted and Stenciled Terracotta Pot Decoration" E-Book 

I also created a free e-book .PDF for this as well.

To view and download my free e-book please CLICK HERE. You'll be brought to Google Drive where you can view our free e-book. Then just download our free .pdf e-book from the File menu in the upper left hand corner.

For more information on all my free e-patterns, e-printables and e-books please CLICK HERE.

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Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals and Linda's Blog. Linda is a doll maker and doll pattern designer.

A Little Pumpkin History!

For some reason I got to thinking about pumpkins the other day.

And, as you probably know - when I get to thinking - well, watch out! There may just be a history lesson coming.

Pumpkins are a big part of the Fall line-up. Whether they are used as food or used as decorations or carved for celebrations they have a big role. So, I got to thinking about pumpkins and the history of pumpkins. How long have they been around and what started the jack-o-lantern craze?

Artists and crafters have long had a fascination with pumpkins. The reason has to be because they are so versatile and no matter what type of arts & crafts you like to create - there is a pumpkin that can be made. They can be cute, delightful, and whimsical. Or, they can be downright scary and frightening. They can be wholesome or a little bit naughty. Kids love to draw them and carve them. I, of course, love to create pumpkin dolls and especially love to create custom pumpkin fabric.

My research tells me that pumpkins originated somewhere in Central America between 5,500 and 7,000 B.C. and have been used as a food staple ever since.

So, what exactly is a "pumpkin?"

Well, according to Wikipedia.com: "Pumpkin is the name of a plant that refers to certain cultivars of squash, most commonly those of Cucurbita pepo, that are round, with smooth, slightly ribbed skin and deep yellow to orange coloration. The thick shell contains the seeds and pulp. Some exceptionally large cultivars of squash with similar appearance have also been derived from Cucurbita maxima. Specific cultivars of winter squash derived from other species, including C. argyrosperma, and C. moschata, are also sometimes called "pumpkin". In New Zealand and Australian English, the term "pumpkin" generally refers to the broader category called winter squash elsewhere.

Pumpkins, like other squash, are native to North America. Pumpkins are widely grown for commercial use, and are used both in food and recreation. Pumpkin pie, for instance, is a traditional part of Thanksgiving meals in the United States, although commercially canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie fillings are usually made from different kinds of winter squash than the pumpkins frequently carved as jack o'lanterns for decoration around Halloween.

Pumpkins, like other squash, are thought to have originated in North America. The oldest evidence, pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 BC, were found in Mexico.

Since some squash share the same botanical classifications as pumpkins, the names are frequently used interchangeably. One often used botanical classification relies on the characteristics of the stems: pumpkin stems are more rigid, prickly, and angular (with an approximate five-degree angle) than squash stems, which are generally softer, more rounded, and more flared where joined to the fruit.

The color of pumpkins is derived from the orange pigments abundant in them. The main nutrients are lutein and both alpha and beta carotene, the latter of which generates vitamin A in the body.

In America the pilgrims learned about pumpkins from the Native American Indians who would cut the pumpkins into strips and then cook them over the fire. They called pumpkins "isquotersquash." Very quickly pumpkins were added to the diets of the pilgrims.

However, the pilgrims decided to cut the top of the pumpkin off and scoop out the seeds and then fill the pumpkin with honey, milk, and other spices and then baked it in hot coals. This concoction eventually became pumpkin pie as we know it today.

The pilgrims, in turn, brought pumpkin seeds back to their European countries where it became a popular part of the European diet.

In addition to use as a food staple, pumpkin shells were dried and cut into strips. Then the strips were weaved into mats.

For the Iroquois the pumpkin was grown together with corn and beans and the three became known as the "three sisters." As with many things there is a legend surrounding the "three sisters."

According to Iroquois legend, a pregnant woman who was living in the sky world wanted to have some bark of the root of the great tree that grew in the sky world. Her husband scraped the dirt away from the base of the tree to expose the roots and while doing so created a hole. After her husband had obtained the bark the woman leaned over and peered into the hole that had been created. She lost her balance and fell through the hole to the earth below and subsequently become the first human on earth.

She eventually gave birth to a daughter who grew up and and became pregnant herself with twins by the West Wind. Just before the twins were to be born they got into a fight in the womb about how they were going to be born. The left handed twin did not want to be born in the usual way and, instead, forced himself out through his mother's left armpit which subsequently killed her. The twins buried their mother and after doing so noticed that corn, beans and pumpkins sprouted from the spot where she was buried. The three later became the main food staple of the Iroquois.

Every Spring the Iroquois women would plant corn, bean, and pumpkin seeds together. They would dig holes and into each hole would put one corn seed, one bean seed, and one pumpkin seed along with a dead fish. The dead fish fertilized the ground while the corn stalk provided support for the bean vine to climb. The pumpkin plant provided ground cover to keep the weeds out and the roots of the bean added nutrients to the soil.

Eventually with the arrival of the Irish in the 19Th century the use of pumpkins for "jack-o-lanterns" was born. The Irish already had an ancient tradition of hollowing out the inside of turnips and placing lighted candles inside to scare off the evil spirits. When the Irish came to America, they discovered that the pumpkin was a much larger substitute for the turnip. If it's larger, it's scarier. If it's scarier it will ward off evil spirits.

So now we know about the history of the pumpkin. But, why are they called jack-o-lanterns? Well, it all started with a stingy Irishman (of course) named Jack who was a miserable old drunk. He like to play tricks on everyone including the Devil himself - which, of course, was very foolish. Well, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree and then placed crosses all around the base of the tree. The Devil couldn't get down from the tree due to the crosses so Jack made the Devil promise not to take his soul when he died. Jack removed the crosses and the Devil climbed down from the tree.

Years later, when Jack died he was told by St. Peter at the gates of heaven that he would not be let into heaven due to the life he had led on earth. Since the Devil had promised Jack he wouldn't take his soul Jack wasn't able to enter hell, either. So he was forced to roam the earth between heaven and hell in darkness with just a burning coal inside his turnip ( i.e. "Jack O'Lantern) to light the way for him.

I, personally, have made many pumpkin dolls and and various decorative crafts using my custom pumpkin fabric for my Linda Walsh Originals website.   All of my pumpkin designs and  handmade decorations made using my custom fabric designs are shown in the picture at the top of this post.

So, pumpkins have been around for a long time. They have become an intricate part of the Fall season and Halloween. I suspect that that they will continue to be a popular tradition of families and children for years to come and, as a result, popular among artists and crafters as well.