The Ghost of Thanksgiving Past

A post that will leave you wondering, "How did she manage to share a half dozen Thanksgiving photos without a picture of a turkey?!?

Okay, now that we can check Halloween off the 2012 to-do list, it's time to bring on Thanksgiving!

Though 2012 will mark my first Thanksgiving as a blogger, it is definitely not my first rodeo.  Let's get up to speed, shall we?

2009

2009 was the first "big" Thanksgiving I hosted at my house.  When all was said and done there were 13 of us for dinner and...  a lot more for dessert.  At the time, Apartment Therapy's Cooking blog, The Kitchn, asked readers to submit pictures of their Thanksgiving tables.  This is the one I submitted and they had it up on the front page of the blog for a few hours.  

I totally thought I was famous.  

Note the pies in the foreground.  They represent about 25% of the total desserts served that evening.

2010

We had a much smaller crowd the next year.  (I think there were eight of us...)

Still had plenty of pie, though...

2011

I think there were eleven of us last year.

But the most exciting addition to the table was Pinterest!

Both the swirly pie top and the fruit kabobs (made with love by my daughters) were Pinterest-inspired.  (But I can't find the darned pins.  I'll add them when I do...)

To make the pie top, cut a store bought (refrigerated) crust into strips, twirl, and wrap around the top of the pie.  

2012

What will 2012's feast look like?  

It's anyone's guess.

But I promise that it will include a turkey!

(And this time I might even take a picture ;)

DIY Jellyfish Costume

Shortly after I joined Pinterest, I began a costume board.  It's kind of funny because I've never been much of a homemade costume girl.  I mean, I love them, but I was always too afraid to make one of my own.  

I especially love the ones that make you slap your head and ask, "why didn't I think of that??"  

That's exactly what happened with this pin*.  It's so cute and so simple that for months it's been the cover for my Pinterest costume board in the hope that one of my daughters would want to be a jellyfish for Halloween.  

(* I take great pride in crediting the original source for the pins that I mention on the blog.  For the life of me I have not been able to find the source for this one.  If you know whose it is, please let me know.)

After about a month of indecisiveness and more flip-flopping than a political candidate, my little one  finally came around to the whole jellyfish idea.  (I promise I didn't force the issue... much..  ;)

Today we put the costume together using:

• a clear, child-sized umbrella
• wired ribbon
• curling ribbon
• Black and white construction paper
• iridescent jewel stickers
• Bling on a [string]
• 22" glow sticks

We made the eyes from the construction paper, covered the whole thing with jewel stickers & bling, and taped the ribbons to the bottom.  This will be the costume's "day look," for her school party, etc.

(In case you're wondering, in this picture the umbrella is sitting in a vase which is perched on a stool.)  

At night I will be taping pink & purple glow sticks to the metal frame to create the look of a glowing jellyfish...

Here we have my daughter modeling the costume along with the white tutu and jellyfish shirt that she will be rocking on the 31st.  

I'll have one more costume to share with you this week, but in the meantime,

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Pumpkins that are Blingy (Not Stringy)

Sometimes it's the simplest ideas that are the most mind-blowing.  

Like the fact that you can decorate a pumpkin without actually having to carve it.  

This was quite the revelation for me.  H-U-G-E.  

You see, I have a serious aversion to pumpkin guts.  Just the thought of those stringy innards sets off my gag reflex.  

(Shudder.)

So last year, when I started seeing uncarved pumpkins on Pinterest--pumpkins that had been painted, bejeweled, Sharpied and more--I filed those ideas away for this fall.

Then, last week, as I walked into my local grocery store, I saw these little cuties just waiting to be bought.  I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to do with them so I threw them in an old vase until I was ready to make my move.

And frankly, they looked quite pretty just the way they were, but I wanted to do more.

A day later I found myself at Michael's where the "Recollections" line of embellishments were 50% off so I picked up  few packs of "Bling on a Roll." 

Which I really want to rename "Bling on a String."  

Because it rhymes.  

And because I've got a string theme going on here.

Working with this stuff was so much easier than working with individual sticker-gems...

...at least it was easier for my purposes:

I just wrapped them around my pumpkins for a little fall pizazz...

...no pumpkin guts required!