Happy Halloween! This week's project is a quick and easy way to spice up some glassware for any Halloween parties that might be occurring tomorrow night.

Toll Painted Glasses

Toll painting glassware is an inexpensive way to create festive serving glasses for autumn parties. After the party, the paint easily washes off with a little soap and hot water.

You will need:

• Toll paint (acrylic paint)
• Paintbrushes
• Scratch paper
• Glassware to be painted

When choosing your toll paint, be sure it is not the kind made specifically for glass, as this type of paint is permanent and will not wash off the glassware after the party. Avoid anything that says “Patio Paint” as it is usually permanent. The best paint to use for this project is just the generic acrylic paint available in craft stores.

To make autumn leaves, load a flat-tipped paintbrush with red on one half and orange on the other (you can also substitute yellow for one of the colors). Run a short stroke down the scratch paper, squiggling the brush from side to side to blend the colors a bit.

With the red half of the brush facing out, paint several small maple leaf shapes on the glassware. Use a quick stroke through the center of the leaves to fill in any open spaces. Pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, spiders and webs make equally appropriate glass decorations for autumn parties.

Once the glassware is painted, leave it to dry for several hours before using. After use, simply soak them in a sink full of hot, soapy water, and the paint will easily rub off with a dishtowel.

This project need not be saved only for autumn. It can easily be adjusted for any time of the year. Snowflakes, snowmen, and evergreen trees work well for Christmas. Shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day. Hearts for Valentines Day. Flowers for Midsummer’s Eve. Almost any time of year presents suitable symbols.

This week will be my last weekend at the farm market. It's both sad and exciting at the same time. Sad that it's over, but exciting in the fact that the winter rest is coming on. This week's craft is a ghost made of cheese cloth and muslin. They hold their shape when they are covered with a simple paper mache paste. This is a great project to do with kids.

Paper Mache Ghosts

The secret to making fabric ghosts hold their shape is a little flour and water. These are loads of fun to make and look great displayed as a group or on festive Halloween wreaths.

You will need: 

• Flour
• Water
• Sugar
• A saucepan
• Paintbrush
• White fabric
• Balloon or fish bowl
• Black marker
• Cheesecloth

To begin, you will have to make the paper mache paste. Adding 8 parts water to 1 part flour, boil the two ingredients together in a saucepan. When it reaches the boiling stage, remove the pan from the heat and stir in a tablespoon or 2 of sugar. Let mixture set until it is cool, it will thicken into a paste as it does. When it has completely cooled, it can either be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator. It will usually last about a week before it starts to mold.

Cut a square of white material; muslin or another similar material works well. Adjust the size according to what you want to use the ghost for. These are equally fun as tiny ghosts to decorate a wreath or as large ghosts to suspend from the ceiling. Paint the mache paste onto both side of the material. Prop the balloon or fishbowl up on a box and drape the mache covered fabric over it. (If making smaller ghosts, use an aspirin bottle to drape the fabric over.)


As the fabric is drying, cut a square of cheesecloth. Don’t worry if the ends fray, as it adds to the ghostly effect. Paint the cheesecloth with mache paste. Drape the cheesecloth over the white fabric, turning it so the ends fall in between those of the white fabric.

Let the ghost dry completely. The white fabric and the cheesecloth will stick together as they dry. Once the ghost has completely dried, remove it from the balloon it was draped over. It will hold its own shape now. Using the black marker, draw two eyes, and the ghosts are ready. The eyes can also be painted on. They can be reused year after year.

Glow-in-the-Dark Witch

For years my sister has had her bedroom roof covered in glow-in-the dark stars. They eventually gave me the idea for this project, a glow in the dark witch silhouetted against the moon. It's a pretty timeless Halloween symbol, and not really time consuming to make (which is great for a busy autumn schedule).

A witch coursing the skies on her broomstick, her form silhouetted against a full harvest moon is one of the most recognizable Halloween symbols. A little glow in the dark paint is all that is needed to make this witch light up any room.

Supplies

• Cardstock or poster board
• Glow in the dark paint
• Black paint

Instructions

To begin, decide how big you want your moon to be. Cut a piece of cardstock into a circular shape. Using yellow cardstock provides a moon silhouette even when the lights are on. Draw a freehand silhouette of a witch on a broomstick. (You can also trace a pattern if you can’t draw freehand). Fill the silhouette with black paint.

Using the glow in the dark paint (this can be found at any craft store, i.e. Jo-Anne fabrics, Michael’s etc.), coat the remainder of the moon shape. Don’t paint over the witch silhouette. When the paint has a dried, charge the moon by leaving it under a light for a few minutes. Then turn out the lights and watch the moon glow.

To create a more realistic effect, use any remaining cardboard to make stars as well. Coat them with glow in the dark paint and place them around the witch moon. If you want the glow to last longer, turn on a black light. The paint will continue to glow until the black light is turned off.

Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin Wreath

"There are 3 things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." Familiar words to anyone who likes Charlie Brown. Earlier this week we broke out the Halloween movies starting with Hocus Pocus, the greatest Halloween movie ever filmed (which we have watched over a hundred times!), followed by the second greatest Halloween movie: Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.

No one is ever too old to enjoy Charlie Brown; it's good, clean Halloween fun at its finest. Its only drawback is that it lasts less than a half an hour, I've always wished it was longer. So, a few years ago I came up with the design for this wreath, featuring the peanuts gang. The figures are nothing more than paper mache crafted from a little flour, water, and tissue paper and they last a lot longer than a half hour. Now, even after the movie is over, Linus can continue searching for the Great Pumpkin.

You will need:

• Grapevine wreath hoop
• Tissue Paper
• White fabric
• Flour
• Water
• Sugar
• Paintbrushes
• Acrylic paint
• Hot glue gun
• Fake autumn leaves (dried ones will crumble in this particular case)
• Orange Ribbon
• Clear varnish/sealer

The paper mache paste is the first thing that will have to be made. Adding 8 parts water to 1 part flour, boil the two ingredients together in a saucepan. When it reaches the boiling stage, remove the pan from the heat and stir in a tablespoon or 2 of sugar. Let mixture set until it is cool, it will thicken into a paste as it does. When it has completely cooled, it can either be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator. It will usually last about a week before it starts to mold.

To make the ghost costumed kids, coat both sides of a circular piece of white fabric. Drape it over a small bottle, such as an aspirin bottle, and allow it dry. When the fabric is dry, use black paint to add the eyes, or in the case of poor Charlie Brown, multiple holes.

To make the other figures, begin coating both sides of a piece of tissue paper. Tear the coated paper off in pieces, and crush them together into a ball. Then begin to form the figures. The paper mache coated tissue paper works much the same way as clay. Form the figures in separate pieces. Form heads, form arms, form legs, form bodies, and each character’s special pieces (i.e. witch hats, tail, welcome great pumpkin sign, etc.) Also form the pumpkin of paper mache. Leave the pieces to dry over night.

When the mache pieces are completely dry, glue the heads, arms, and legs to the bodies with a hot glue gun. When the glue has dried, use the acrylic paint to give life to the figures. After the paint has dried, brush the figures with a coat of clear varnish or sealer. This is usually sold on the same rack as acrylic paint.



Hot glue fake leaves to the bottom of the wreath, slightly rising on one side. When the glue on the leaves has dried, carefully attach the figures one by one with hot glue. Place Linus somewhere near his revered Great Pumpkin. Finish the wreath by placing a bright orange ribbon at the top, just off center. While it is a bit time intensive, this paper mache wreath can be reused year after year.

October!! My favorite month of the year. There are so many wonderful things in October: the harvest, brightly colored leaves, corn shocks, pumpkins, apple cider, grape juice and of course HALLOWEEN! My brother's costume is still inching its way along, almost exactly as we weave about an inch a day on it. I also found something very interesting about patterns; they aren't the size they say they are. The civil war costume I've been making was supposed to be a size 10, but I just finished it and I think it's closer to a size 6 now. I had originally intended to rent it out, but now that it's several sizes smaller, I think I'll just wear it myself for Halloween. It will be the same era as my brother's costume so we'll make a good pair for the holiday. All I have to do now is make the hoop skirt and it'll be set. I'll have to rummage through the barn and see what I can find strong enough to support the weight of the fabric. I've just learned that civil war skirts really did have a whole lot of heavy fabric!
Now onto this week's craft project. We've been eating a lot of sweet corn lately, tis the season after all, and we never let the husks go to waste. Either we feed them to the grateful cows who are always happy to receive a treat, or I make them into cornhusk dolls and put them on the wreaths I take to the market. They're loads of fun as husks are easy to work with and they're a great way to recycle the husks from some night's dinner.

Cornhusk Dolls

Cornhusk dolls allow the crafter endless possibilities. They can be anything from cute and simple to elegant and refined.

You will need:

• Dried cornhusks
• Thread/string
• An acorn or other small round object
• Wreath wire (optional)

Cornhusk dolls have their origins in Native American culture. The dolls were made as toys for children as well for more serious ceremonies. In later years, the pioneers also borrowed the tradition from the Native Americans and made dolls for their children out of cornhusks.

This project is the basic cornhusk doll. Once this is mastered, a crafter can get very creative dying or painting husks, or using scraps of cloth as clothing. To make witches for Halloween wreaths, just add a pointed hat and a twig broom. For a fairy or an angel, cut two husks into the shape of wings and hot glue to the doll’s back.
Cornhusks have to be dried before they are made into dolls otherwise they will lose their shape and fall apart. To dry the cornhusks, leave them out in the sun for a day then store them in a dry place until use.
To begin making a doll, soak the dried cornhusks in water for about 10 minutes. This will make them pliable enough to use. First take an acorn or other similar object. This will be the head. Lay two wide husks down, forming a cross. Place the acorn in the center of the husk cross. Fold the sides of the husks around the acorn. Tie off the ends below the acorn.

Next take two cornhusks to use as the arms. If you want the arms to be moveable, conceal a piece of wreath wire inside the husks. Lay the husks on top of one another, and tie them off the middle.

Using two cornhusks, lay them on the left arm, sandwiching it. Tie these two husks to the arms about a centimeter from the end of the “hand.” Fold the two husks backward over the tie, concealing it. This will form a sleeve. Tie the ends in the center. Repeat with the right side.
Slide the arms up between the long ends trailing off the neck. Tie off at the waist

Take two cornhusks and lay them diagonally across each arm. Tie off everything below the arms. This will form the bodice and the waist.

Next take eight cornhusks. Lay four on the backside of the doll, and four on the front side. Point them up toward the head. Tie off at the waist, then carefully fold them down, concealing the tie. This will form the skirt. For a male doll, separate the “skirt” into two legs and tie them at the ankles.

To make hair, glue a bit of corn silk to the doll’s head. For a female, this can be tied off in pigtails with bits of yarn. Traditionally cornhusk dolls have no faces. This is due to an old legend about a cornhusk doll who had such a beautiful face that she grew vain. She ignored her duties and responsibilities, choosing only to stare at her own reflection. The Great Spirit saw this and punished her by removing her face. This is why cornhusk dolls are made without faces.