A Halloween Headscarf Story

October 24, 2012 by mymateriallife

I spotted her in my local cemetery just before the sun went down.  I hadn’t seen a dame with that kind of style since the last time I watched the Turner Classic Movie channel.  There was something so mysterious about her.  Why was she wearing sunglasses?  Where did she get that black rose?  And who (whom?) was she leaving it for?  No doubt about it, she had secrets.  And then she turned around … When I told my husband and […]

Categories: Halloween, Kid Stuff, Other Textiles • Tags: fabric marker, halloween headscarf, silk chemise scarf, thai silks

Ring Around the Rosie for Ghosties

October 30, 2011 by mymateriallife

These little ghost ladies are captivating, aren’t they?  I was so happy to stumble upon this project online earlier this month because this is the kind of thing that fires the imagination.  You’d be surprised how easy they are to make.  Fun, too, and the neighbors are quite impressed!  My neighbor, Rolf, suggested a recording of children singing to go along with it.  That’s a fantastic idea.  But maybe next year because I’d have to find the right kind of […]

Categories: Halloween • Tags: halloween lawn ghosts, pink pixie forest

This is Halloween

October 29, 2011 by mymateriallife

        Are you an early October Halloween decorator or a late October Halloween decorator?  I’m a late one, so I won’t start until tomorrow.  If you’re late too and you still need some ideas, please click on my Halloween category to the right and you’ll find instructions or links to instructions for the decorations pictured above.  I posted these last year, but I continue with most of them every year.  I might have something new to share by tomorrow […]

Categories: Halloween • Tags: Homemade halloween decorations

The Great Pumpkin Cookie

October 28, 2011 by mymateriallife

Because my daughter is severely allergic to peanuts and because so many baked goods run the risk of coming into contact with peanuts when they are made, I do a lot of baking.  This way I can provide her with safe, but similar alternatives for class parties, birthday parties, etc.  Last year her class room mom told me she was purchasing big pumpkin cookies from a local bakery for the kids to decorate with frosting and sprinkles.  I didn’t have […]

Categories: Halloween, Sweets • Tags: cut-out cookies, giant pumpkin cookie, penzey's

My New Header Photo

November 3, 2010 by mymateriallife

About time I changed to something more Fall-like.  As you can see, I did get around to making the mouse house, and it was so much simpler than Cinderella’s coach!  The mice came from Ikea, probably a couple of years ago.  They are from a set of three (there’s a grey one too).  So darn cute!  Knew I’d find a use for them eventually.  I took this photo a bit into the sun, but I kind of like the ethereal […]

Categories: Halloween • Tags: pumpkin house

Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2010 by mymateriallife

I’m not one of those people who remembers a lot from childhood, but I do remember loving the excitement of this time of year.  The chill in the air, the falling leaves and those big yellow moons that seemed so perfect for a witch on her broomstick to fly across.  But then I grew up in Southern California, so maybe it was mostly the idea of those things I was excited about.  Anyway, this year I felt compelled to revisit […]

Categories: Halloween, Kid Stuff, Other Textiles • Tags: felt board, halloween

New Ghost in the House

October 27, 2010 by mymateriallife

I showed you this technique in my first Halloween post, but this guy (gal?) just showed up today.  It was inspired by the book, Ghosts in the House, which is one of my favorite kids’ books.  Do you know it? In the book, a young girl (who also happens to be a witch) moves into a house with ghosts.  But rather than being frightened by them, she puts them in the washing machine, hangs them out to dry, and proceeds […]

Categories: Halloween, Kid Stuff, Reading Material • Tags: ghost decoration, ghosts in the house, kazuno kohara

Cinderella’s Pumpkin Coach

October 26, 2010 by mymateriallife

I don’t think we’ll attempt this again this year, but I’m glad we got around to it last time.  I planned to try it the year before that, but I only got as far as collecting the hardware.  I’ll bet you think this is one of Martha’s ideas, but it’s not.  Two years ago I was in a Hallmark store and they had this Hallmark magazine on the counter with the most amazing pumpkin spread I’ve ever seen – a […]

Categories: Halloween, Kid Stuff, Miniatures • Tags: cinderella, fantasy of pumpkins, hallmark, pumpkin coach

Impromptu Tooth Fairy

October 25, 2010 by mymateriallife

Our school has a costume festival the weekend before Halloween and this is what we came up with for my daughter the day before the festival.  That morning she decided that her Dad’s earlier suggestion to be the Tooth Fairy was a good one and I soon realized that we had just about everything we needed to pull it off. The tights are new from Hanna Andersson and the Target long-sleeved T was recent, but everything else was already stocked […]

Categories: Halloween, Kid Stuff, Sewing • Tags: tooth fairy costume