Who is ready to enjoy cooler temperatures and quality time family with DIY fall crafts? Halloween is almost upon us, so I have two fun crafts. The first is a pumpkin patch photo centerpiece. Children can help by choosing the pumpkin, selecting their favorite photos to use, and decorating the pumpkin. The second craft is a color-changing pumpkin mug, and it makes a great gift for teachers, friends, family members, or yourself. Children can participate by choosing a pumpkin design they like or by filling up the mug with candy or ribbon to make it extra special for someone.
Let us get started!
Pumpkin Patch Photo Pumpkin
Materials:
Decorative foam pumpkin (at least 8 inches across and 10.5 inches tall)
7/8 inch wired decorative ribbon (approximately 58 inches not cut off from the spool)
6 of your favorite photos printed (3x5 size)
Hole punch (or Cricut machine to cut holes on the sides of photos)
Directions:
1. Hole punch two holes halfway down the long sides of your photos, one on each side, approximately ¼ inch from the edge. If you do not have a hole punch, you can use the slice function in the Cricut Design Space to cut the holes. Use scraps of paper to test the position of the holes before attempting to cut your photos.
2. Without cutting the ribbon from the spool (to help reduce the chance of cutting the ribbon too short), thread the ribbon through the pictures one at a time. Take the first picture, thread the ribbon down the right hole toward the back, and move the ribbon through to the top of the picture on the left side.
3. Slide the picture down the ribbon and continue threading all the pictures.
4. Adjust the pictures (and the ribbon wherever it twists) until they are centered on the ribbon approximately 1.5 inches apart with approximately 15 inches of ribbon on each side of the first/last pictures.
5. Cut the ribbon from the spool 15 inches from the last picture in the row. You should now have 15 inches of ribbon on both sides with the pictures centered between.
6. Hold the ribbon by the ends and wrap the pictures around the center of the pumpkin. Tie it tightly twice.
7. Adjust the tails of the ribbon to form a bow.
8. Adjust the spacing of the pictures so they are evenly spaced around the pumpkin.
9. Embellish additionally as desired. This is a great time to decorate the pumpkin as a family and have a centerpiece your kids can see every day that they helped to make.
If you want to keep your photos to display later and do not want to hole punch them, hole punch cardstock as shown and then attach your photos on top of the cardstock with double-sided tape.
For tips on taking great pumpkin patch photos to use for this craft, read this post. Now, you have a personalized fall centerpiece for your kitchen island or for your entryway to showcase for guests when they visit.
Color Changing Pumpkin Coffee Mug
Materials:
Cricut ceramic mug blanks (white)
Cricut Heat Activated Color Changing Permanent Vinyl (Magenta - Light Pink or color of choice)
Cricut transfer tape
Cricut scraper tool or credit card
Cricut machine
Directions:
1. Go to Cricut Design Space.
2. Click Images and choose a design you like to add to the Design Space.
3. Adjust the size as necessary.
4. Add text, if desired, and adjust the font and size to your liking.
5. Place the vinyl color side up on your cutting mat.
6. Set the base material to Premium Vinyl-Permanent Glossy.
7. Cut the vinyl. When I was experimenting with the vinyl, I discovered my blade did not cut all the way through the vinyl, so when I had my design adjusted to my liking, and I was ready to cut for the final time, I cut the vinyl twice. After the first cut, instead of unloading the mat, I pressed the “Go” button again to cut it a second time, which fully cut the vinyl.
8. Weed the vinyl by removing the unwanted vinyl.
9. Use an isopropyl alcohol prep pad to clean the surface of the coffee mug so the vinyl adheres.
10. Apply transfer tape to the top of the design and apply pressure on both sides with a scraper tool or a credit card.
11. Remove the backing.
12. Apply the transfer tape to your mug and press firmly. I used painter’s tape to help me center my design.
13. Remove the transfer tape.
14. Continue applying the vinyl designs, pressing them down firmly, and removing the back of the tape until all elements have been added.
15. Add candy or ribbon if desired. This is the exciting part for kids!
The current colors for heat-activated color-changing permanent vinyl online at Cricut are Turquoise - Light Blue, Magenta - Light Pink, and Purple – Turquoise. The vinyl on the mug should change color when the mug reaches 88 degrees Fahrenheit. The mug should be washed by hand. Watch the time-lapse videos of the vinyl changing color with hot water and then changing back to its original color..
Now, fill your pumpkin coffee mug with your favorite warm beverage and enjoy your fall day.
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