Make Halloween Ornaments With Easy Craft Kits Reviewed

I love craft kits! Especially holiday craft kits that everyone in my family can make together.

The first week of October, my husband, son, and I gathered around the dining room table to investigate my new Halloween ornament sewing craft kit. We each selected an ornament to make and went to work. The ornaments you see at the top of the image (on the right) are the first 3 ornaments we made. My husband selected the pumpkin, our son grabbed the bat, and I chose the candy. It was a lot of fun watching the guys sew their ornaments together. These will be ornaments I treasure forever, as well as the memory of making them together.

The ornaments are very easy to sew together because they have pre-poked holes in the pre-cut fabric pieces.

Most often, a craft kit will include everything you need to complete a project. The Halloween DIY Ornament Craft Kit I have featured is awesome and really does include everything except scissors.  I did substitute my preferred Aleenes Craft Glue instead of using the glue in the kit, but that is simply a preference on my part because I have used it for decades.

Halloween Ornaments Sewing Craft Kit

 Halloween Ornament Craft KitCheck PriceThe kit includes:

• Pre-cut felt pieces with punched stitch holes for sewing together
• Pre-cut detail or finishing pieces like eyes, teeth, stripes, etc
  
• Floss / thread 
• Ribbon for Hangers
• Plastic Needles
  
• Stuffing
• Glue
  

While the instructions are in picture form, I would have preferred they included written directions along with the images for greater clarity.  As a lifelong crafter, I knew what to do without instructions, but I am not sure that would be true for a beginner.  While making the ornaments would be easy enough for a child, they would probably still need some assistance from an adult to know exactly what to do.

 

To Make the Felt Halloween Ornament

Each ornament is separately packaged with all it's pre-cut pieces. Stuffing, plastic needles, thread and ribbon are packaged separately which makes it easy to find everything you need to complete an ornament.

1. Open the individual ornament package and lay out the pieces
2. Open the package with the thread & plastic needles
3. Thread the plastic needle with the thread color that matches the two foundation ornament pieces 
4. Stitch the two foundation pieces approximately 3/4 of the way together, leaving an opening to stuff the ornament (do not cut your thread yet)
   
5. Stuff your ornament with the included filling (do not overstuff. Felt tears easily)
6. Stitch the remaining opening together and tie off the thread
7. Cut a piece of the included ribbon and make a hanger for the ornament
8. Glue the details (like eyes, teeth, etc.) on the ornament

 

Why Choose This Craft Kit for the Whole Family

 Halloween Ornament Craft KitCheck Price

Everyone should know the basics of sewing. These kits will allow parents to teach their children to make the basic straight stitch, plus allow the child to get comfortable threading and using a needle safely because the included needles are large, plastic needles.

Not only are these kits great for children, but also for seniors with decreased dexterity.  Again, the plastic needles won't poke or cut fingers. 

No special crafting ability required.  While I did find my experience helpful for stuffing amounts & glue preferences, it wasn't necessary. My son and my husband made their ornaments without needing my help, including threading their own needles, stuffing the ornaments, and gluing on the finishing details.

This kit really does allow family members of varying ages to make the perfect Halloween felt ornaments. 

We will use our ornaments on our Halloween tree, but they would also make a lovely banner for the door, mantle, or wall.  They could be hung on cabinet knobs for fast Halloween decor.

The kit is recommended for ages 5 and up.

 

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Make Halloween Ornaments With Easy Craft Kits  written by:

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Halloween Decorations for the Home ~ A Holiday Product Review

Just in case you were wondering, Halloween is coming up quickly!  In three short weeks it will be upon us full blast.  Are you ready?

If you enjoy Halloween as much as I do, you can go to great lengths to decorate your home for this frightful holiday.  Your decor can be as easy as a whole bunch of pumpkins and gourds artistically displayed, to a full out haunted house.  It is all up to you.

Decorating should be fun to do and easy to remove once the holiday is over,  in my humble opinion.  To that end, I went looking for decorations that would fit nicely into my "easy" lifestyle.  

Wouldn't you know it, good old Amazon.com has a great selection of really easy and not too expensive outdoor decorations that fit that bill perfectly.  

 Inflatable decorations are easy to put up and even easier to take down again.  In most cases all that is required is a long outdoor extension cord to plug these in.  

These inflatables can be cute or really scary.  Pumpkins and ghosts are good fun choices, but those witches and goblins, werewolves and skeletons are pretty popular too.  

Just around the corner from us, one home has several of these blow up decorations that are lit up for the evenings.  They are lovely, easy to place and easy to remove too! That's important because we all know that right after Halloween we will shift to Thanksgiving and Christmas decor instead! So that easy removal is a bonus for sure. 

Everyone has been waiting for a great reason to celebrate and I can't think of a holiday that is more fun than Halloween.  I love watching the little ones who are just so cute in their costumes and really don't understand the whole concept of knocking on doors and getting candy.  Their eyes tell the story and the awe which they are in is contagious.  Of all the holidays in the year, I think this one is the one that makes me feel young again.  After all I can get myself dressed up too and I will!  No one will know who is hiding under that disguise!

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A Review Of Hardy Fuchsia In The Garden

 

I was wandering around the garden this morning taking stock of how the garden plants have come through this scorching summer with its drought and intense summer sun.

I noticed that most of the colour in the garden right now is coming from two mature hardy fuchsias, we have one white and one purple and white. 

In fact, they stand out as doing extremely well, with healthy green leaves, no pest damage and a bounty of flowers and I have not watered them once all summer.

I am not sure that I have ever looked at them so fondly. Many other flowers have gone over so quickly this year suffering from extreme summer weather conditions, but these beauties are looking healthy and gorgeous!

One is planted in our front garden and which is west facing and the other is in our east-facing back garden. Both are on heavy clay soil, though the one at the back is on a slope and the one at the front is very close to the gravel drive and path so they both get better drainage. 

In this article, the care of Fuchsia is related to the hardy Fuchsia planted in the ground. Tender Fuchsia and annual Fuchsia do require different care so do check what kind you own. 

In addition to growing Fuchsia, I do enjoy taking photographs of them and making them into products so I have included a couple for you.

Position Of Hardy Fuchsia In The Garden

Fuchsias like to grow in sunshine or a little partial or dappled shade. However, a full south-facing position where there is hot sun all day would be too much for them.

They do like to be in a sheltered spot. If they are not you may find that the delicate flowers will be blown away by strong winds which would be a shame. 

Personally, I have found east-west planting the best. 

Soil Conditions, Feeding And Watering Hardy Fuchsia

The care of this lovely plant is relatively straightforward. Fuchsia does like well-drained soil and I did wonder if they would survive on our very heavy clay.

However, with one being on a slope where drainage is better and the other being close to a gravel drive they have thrived. 

As long as drainage is good they can cope with most types of soil.

I don't feed my Fuchsias as our soil is very rich already but you can give a feed in Spring.

A mature plant in the ground should not need watering much and I never water ours. Even in this summer's drought and 40-degree Celcius heat conditions, I did not water them due to a hosepipe ban and they have not suffered.

This summer was an exception with the persistent heat and searing sun, so if there had not been a ban on using water, I would likely have watered them deeply about once a fortnight. 

Propagating Hardy Fuchsia

Hardy Fuchsia can have hardwood cuttings taken in the autumn. All we need to do is to take a cutting of woody stem a few inches long. Avoid any new green shots for these cuttings. 

Under a pair of leaves make a clean horizontal cut that is the base of the cutting. Across the top make a diagonal sloping cut at about 45 degrees, which is the top of the cutting. The sloping cut is so that any water will run off rather than sitting in the cutting and causing rot. 

Then simply gently insert the cuttings into a gritty compost around the edge of a pot.

They do need to be in a place where it is frost free over the winter and cool. They should not be allowed to dry out completely or become waterlogged. A cool greenhouse is perfect. If like me you do not have one then place in a cold frame or even on a potting table in a sheltered spot with some protection from heavy rain would be fine. If it is very cold some fleece protection may be wise. 

Once you see new shoots in the springtime we can then pot up each individual plant into its own pot. After that, in summer they can be planted in the garden or into a larger pot. 

Always plant out in early summer whether it is a cutting or a newly bought plant. This gives them the best start in life. Any later than that makes them more susceptible to cold and they may not thrive. Plant a few inches deeper than the base and keep well watered for the first season.

Pruning Hardy Fuchsia

Little pruning is required most of the year as most of the flowers will fall off naturally as they go over but you can deadhead flowers regularly if you wish. I tend not to bother with deadheading hardy Fuchsias. 

Once new growth starts to appear in spring we can start pruning. Use clean sharp tools like those Wolf secateurs. Old stems can be cut back to a pair of buds relatively low down on the plant.

 Do not worry if it appears much of the plant has been killed by frosts, this can happen in a cold winter or very cold areas. Most of the time it will grow back, simply cut away all the dead stems low down in Spring to allow for new growth and be patient. 

We should never ever prune in autumn or winter as this opens the plant up to disease and rot. Leave it be until the spring. 

White Fuchsia Flowers Greeting Card
by RaintreeDesigns

Hardy Fuchsia Flowering Times

I love the abundance of exquisite flowers that hang down so gracefully and somewhat bashfully gently swaying in the breeze.

Our shrubs flower from May to October and are mainly pollinated here by bees. In their native central and south America, they are pollinated by the hummingbird. So we do gain a very long flowering time with a Hardy Fuchsia.

Many have purple flowers which attract the hummingbird but selective breeding has produced many variations of colours including red, violet, purple, pink and white ones and combinations of all those colours. 

Our purple and white one never flowers in winter, is often affected by frosts and needs cutting to the ground in spring. However, our white one near the house always remains and is now five feet high and does often in a milder winter flower most of the year, which is just lovely. 

Fuchsia Flowers Throw Pillow
by RaintreeDesigns

Fuschia Winter Care

I do little with my hardy Fuchsias in the ground. They are both hardy and have always been planted into the soil.  

I do like to give them mulch to give some winter protection but they have always come through each year. 

I will only fleece the little cuttings I took this year that are in pots as they are rather more exposed to cold conditions. 

If I had hardy Fuchsias in pots then I would fleece over both pot and the plant to provide them with more protection. I would also move into the sunniest, most protected position I had in the garden for winter. 

Tender Fuchsia by contrast will certainly need protection over winter, at the very least a layer or two of fleece and mulch and may need bringing inside. 

Fuchsias can be troubled by a few pests and diseases but I have never found any to be a problem though I do garden organically and allow natural pest control. Slugs appear to ignore them as well which is a huge bonus in my garden.

To learn more about Fuchsia take a look at this informative and beautiful book.

 

 

So if you like a pretty, mainly trouble free plant, that is easy to care for and propagate and looks wonderful all summer and into Autumn you may love a hardy Fuchsia. She can be in the garden or a large pot and will give many months of joy with her gorgeous bountiful pretty flowers and visiting wildlife. I would never be without at least one Fuchsia in our garden. 

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Salt Potatoes a Tasty Side Dish

 These easy-to-make salt potatoes are a perfect side dish to compliment any meal, and your family and friends will love them.

Salt potatoes are a regional side dish that originated in Syracuse New York. The potatoes used for salt potatoes are, first harvested small young potatoes.

As the potatoes cook, the salt forms a crust on the outside, while the inside is soft and creamy. I garnished my salt potatoes with fresh parsley and chives and served them with melted butter to pour over the soft creamy inside.

I honestly have never heard of salt potatoes before. I was telling a friend that I was going to smoke a turkey breast over the weekend and he suggested making salt potatoes as the side dish.

We have lived in Western New York for 33 years and I have never seen these in the grocery store until now. Apparently, you can buy salt potatoes in a kit. So, look in your local grocery store to see if you can find Salt Potatoes in a kit.

If you can't find a kit, you can use young small white potatoes and one cup of salt to six cups of water.

How to make Salt Potatoes:

5 lbs. small white potatoes (Washed)

1 cup salt

6 cups water

1/2 cup melted butter

Fresh parsley (Chopped)

Fresh Chives (Chopped)

Directions:

1. Bring the water and salt to a boil until all of the salt has dissolved.
2. Add the potatoes and boil for 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and tender.
3. Drain the water, pour over the melted butter and garnish with parsley and chives. Serve with more melted butter.

Needless to say that these salt potatoes were a big hit with the whole family. They made a perfect side dish for my Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast.

Here is the link to my:

Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast 

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I Need Help Thinking Positive - Review of A New Mood Tracking Book

A Workbook to Improve Thoughts & Find Solutions

Are you constantly fighting your feelings to remain positive and centered?

Does life require you to continuously take stock of the good things and push away the bad?

If this sounds like you, you can benefit from the Workbook, "I Need Help Thinking Positive." 

This thirty-one-day Workbook lets you track negative energy and analyze patterns requiring attention, change, or improvement.

Even Mostly Positive Thinking People Will Benefit From This Mood Tracking Book

I consider myself a positive person. In fact, I actively work to be this way! I've been "in training" to control my thoughts since 2013. 

It sounds silly to say, "in training to control my thoughts," but yes, it's real! 

Controlling our thoughts requires mental exercise; just like our body needs physical activity, so does our mind.

Those who know me know that I make a concerted effort not to dwell on problems but rather to seek solutions.

My extensive life experience is what led me to create this Workbook.

My Solution-Oriented Nature is How This Book Came to Be

We've all faced challenging and what seems like insurmountable life issues. However, escaping our troubles and negative thoughts ultimately frees us to live a fresh, new day.

What Does The Workbook "I Need Help Thinking Positive" Provide:

There are 31 days of easy, casual, and light worksheet tracking prompt pages to help you self-analyze your tendency toward negative thinking.

The four worksheets allow you to compile your thoughts and review trends and areas of thought that need improving.

Each day's worksheets give you a chance to break down your thoughts.

Here are the Four Worksheets:

Worksheet Number 1:

The Quick Clipboard Chart Page

This fun page features 20 typically standard daily items that can infect our mood. 

Simply check off the items that influenced your negative thoughts for that day, and give each item one point.

It's not about keeping score!

It's about discovering negative trends and repeated issues that keep throwing off your mood.

Check off your overall mood for that day.

Worksheet Number 2:

In My Own Words - A Place For Personal Notes

This workbook sheet allows you to expand upon the clipboard chart items you selected above.

Write down the additional things that turned your day upside down.

Worksheet Number 3:

The Details About Your Negative Feelings

Briefly describe your negative issues using prompt questions.

The prompt questions are based on the basic principle of who, what, when, where, why, and how.

The page is designed to help you dig deeper into your thoughts and really give them a workout!

Worksheet Number 4

Positive Solution Analysis

What would a workbook be without a place to give serious thought on how to solve your issues and, in turn, improve your attitude?

The four questions on this page are designed to steer you toward analysis and solutions.

Track Your Mood for 31 Days, Then Take Stock of Common Trends

This Workbook is meant to help you examine trends and ultimately make changes to improve your thought process.

After a good month of analysis, look at what issues, people, and things affected you the most.

Knowing our problem is half the battle; however, if one day melts into the next without actively seeking out our conscious and often subconscious negative tendencies, nothing will change.

If you're looking for a change, this Workbook is an easy and fun place to start.

Available on Amazon

Book Tip! You don't have to track 31 days in a row - simply use the book on your negative days. If it takes several months or a year to track those negative thinking days, that's perfectly fine!

The purpose is to seek patterns and trends so you can focus on the areas that need attention or change.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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