Halloween is a great time of year, especially for children. Trick or treating, dressing up, apple bobbing, carving pumpkins… it’s all so much fun for the small ones. But let’s be realistic, not all towns, cities and villages are as safe as we would like to think when it comes to allowing our children out to trick or treat. So it got me thinking about how it would be nice to create an area in my garden, or indeed in any garden, where children could trick or treat in a totally safe environment.

My nieces are not quite two yet but they are incredibly inquisitive and love being outdoors. They love touching things and investigating all the little areas in the garden. Although they do not understand the idea of Halloween just yet, creating a trick or treat area in the garden is a safe and fun way to get younger children involved.

I felt that the perfect place in my garden for something spooky was this pathway, lined with pumpkins and lights and leading to some treats.

To make a giant treat bag I glued felt letters that I’d cut out to spell “Treats”  on to a hessian sack that I’d picked up at the garden centre. It was then filled with all manner of very sugary things (well it IS Halloween after all).

I lit the surrounding trees with some outdoor lights and added colourful paper chains.

I used a pathway that existed in my garden but this set-up can be created anywhere. On the grass, on the driveway, in the front garden, in the back garden or even in a neighbours garden if you don’t have one (remember to ask them first though!)

I can almost guarantee that as soon as the kids see what you have created for them they will love it.

This trick or treat pathway will be put to great use this Halloween as the children of family and friend’s have been invited over to trick or treat in the garden whilst the parents can relax with a beverage safe in the knowledge that the children are perfectly safe and having great fun.

But if you’re not exactly brimming with children of various shapes, sizes and ages this idea can certainly be modified for the adults.

Swap the hot chocolate and marshmallows for hot chocolate and Irish liqueur. Serve baked potatoes with the spiciest chili you can handle and put scary movies into the trick or treat sack and see what comes out first!

Just remember…….

…… after watching the movies you may not want to walk home alone!

Woo Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!

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Thanksgiving 2008 – The Curious Case of the Thankful Walnuts

Across the pond in the newly elected US of A they are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a huge celebration over there and although we don’t recognise it over here as a national holiday I don’t see that there is anything wrong with giving thanks.
So, in honour of all the wonderful Americans who live in our delicious country and are away from home and for my fellow countrymen, here’s a little crafty idea to encourage us all to think about the act of giving thanks.

Thankful Walnuts are made in four stages and begin thus…..

• Split open a walnut carefully, keeping both halves intact and whole

• Empty the nut from the shell and re-fill with angelina (available from most craft stores online) and the question that you wish the recipient to answer, displayed on a tiny rolled up piece of decorated paper. Remember – the question has to enable the recipient to give thanks. So write questions such as ‘What person are you most thankful for?’ or ‘In what situation do you find yourself most thankful?’ ……you get the idea.

• Glue the two halves of the shell back together with the question inside and a ‘hanging loop’ from ribbon sticking out the top.

• Place on top of a bud vase as I have done or hang on the back of each guest’s chair if you are throwing a Thanksgiving supper. Crack them open using traditional nutcrackers and enjoy going round the table and hearing everybody’s answers.

The conscious act of giving thanks is actually a rather powerful way of bringing much joy and abundance in to our lives. Recognising the good, however insignificant, in amongst the harder times we may be facing is a great first step and has an incredible way of being an instant mood lifter.

If you find that you’re not quite prepared enough to get my ‘Thankful Walnut’ idea to your table in time for Thanksgiving then add them to your Christmas prep or try bringing them out with the Champagne as the clocks strike twelve on New Year’s Eve. As I said, ANY opportunity to give thanks is a moment in time that is very well spent.

THANK YOU for reading!

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A great way to make pumpkins using walnuts in time for this Halloween!

I am hosting a supper this Halloween and I wanted to decorate a little, not a huge amount, but a little. I wanted teeny orbs of orange to be dotted around the place and so I began to make my decorative pumpkins from walnuts. They are just the size I wanted and are a great mould to work with as walnuts are so sturdy. The insides  can also be eaten after use and the shell can be used as stuffing in other craft projects, so they are a recyclers’s dream!

Place a walnut in the middle of a piece of orange/pumpkin coloured felt. I cut my felt to approximately 4.5 inches square but you may have to work according to the size of your walnuts when cutting your felt.

Cut in to the felt creating one flap at a time and glue, using a glue gun, each flap up and around the walnut. Do that to each side of the walnut until you have covered the whole thing. It should look something like this.

Then, trim the excess felt off from around the top of the walnut and insert a tiny stem of green pipe-cleaner into the middle of the trimmed felt. Use a blob of  glue to do this.  If you are using a hot glue gun, which I recommend, then the stalk you have just created will stay put almost immediately.

I then went on to make the faces for my pumpkins. I wanted some friendly faces and try to stay away from the ghoulish if I can. Halloween is not scary to me but a time when I get to decorate and celebrate once again.

I made the faces for my pumpkins out of circles of green card, drew my features on freehand and stuck them to the front of the pumpkin. Doing it this way brings more brightness to your pumpkins and adds a shot of colour.

I made some adorable table place settings out of some of my pumpkins, as you can see in the above picture. Adding the pumpkins to a tiny terracotta plant pot and trimming it with real pumpkin seeds. These are great ways to encourage your kids to eat at the table as they make it a place of celebration and fun. Each person can have a different pumpkin in their setting at the table and before you know it you’ll have a whole family of pumpkins joining you for supper!

If you would like to see other ways of using these pumpkin walnuts to decorate with then check out my Pumpkin Wreath and my Pumpkin banister.

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