Decorating on a Dollar - A Gourd by Any Other Name...

Today I want to show you a wonderful idea that should cost any of you less then a $1 in supplies. We will be re-purposing a used book that has seen better days. Instead of recycling this worn out beast lets create something beautiful out of it.

Supplies:

• 1 - Bottle of Helmar 450 Quick Dry
• 1 - Bottle of Helmar Gemstone Glue
• 1 - Used paper back book... the more pages the better (300-500)
• 1 - Jar of Pumpkin Colored Glitter
• 1 - Paper Grocery Bag
• 1 - Sheet of Glitter Leaf paper from the Robin's Nest
• 2-3 - Flowers (I chose orange)

Step 1: Rip off the front and back covers of the paper back book. Begin cutting with an exacto knife the curve of the pumpkin. (It can be done with scissors but it is a bit harder to control your edges and shape.)

Step 2: Once you have cut all the pages into the pumpkin curve you need to ink it with a golden/orange color to help create the "pumpkin" look.

Step 3: Using Helmar 450 Quick Dry, glue the front and back pages and inside the back binding to each other, opening the book 360 degrees. Hold in place for a couple of min and begin to separate any pages clumped together. NOTE: Helmar 450 Quick Dry really is the best glue for the job here. No Joke! I tried to use a hot glue gun for this step and found that the head melts the origional binding glue and it winds up to be a bigger mess (with the binding falling apart) then you wanted.

Step 4: Using Helmar Gemstone Glue select 7-9 pages around the pumpkin to run a bead of glue on from top to bottom. Glitter with Pumpkin Colored fine art glitter and let dry.

Step 5: While step 4 is drying take a brown paper bag and twist and contort it into a stem for your pumpkin. I added brown puff paint to give it more of a two tone color. Fancy cut some fall leaves out of paper (I used a sheet from Robin's Nest) and glitter with Gemstone Glue and a gold colored glitter.
Step 6: Using Helmar 450 glue the paper bag Stem onto the pumpkin and embellish with fancy cut glittered leaves and some flowers.
Here are a few more examples of the pumpkins. Enjoy and Have a Happy Helmar Day!
Short and fat:

Tall and lumpy:

L. Grace Lauer  

Halloween - How am I going to top this one?

Okay, so I need to let you all know that every year I go all out and make the family costumes. Every year it gets harder and harder to make them amazing. This year my daughter decided she wanted to be a paper doll (as seen on the front of the Family Fun magazine, October cover).

Just some poster board and markers... sure... that's easy I thought... LOL! Easy sure... but simple... not if your me. Sometimes I feel I dig myself holes that are bigger then I wish they were when I am down in the middle of them.

Here she is... a 3D Paper Doll Ballerina! (used Helmar 450 all the way! It works great with crate and tissue paper!)

 Here is my costume as a "Literary Work of Art" (used Helmar Acid Free and a splash of water to use with a paint brush to "paper mache" the book pages onto the dress)

The local paper got a hold of us too and put my daughter on the front page!

Then put us both and a small article about Scarysville night and how my costume was the most original.

We also won the best Family Costumes award from our local candy store, The Candy Box,  on D St. Here are the kids with the bucket of candy we won! Tristan was Bumblebee!

As if that was not enough my hubby and I won "Best Costume" and "Scariest Costume" at our friends Halloween party. We got the cutest little trophies and some Denny's Gift Cards!

I hope you all had a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Please see more of our costumes in the following links:

Angel Warrior with Articulated Wings
Jack Skellington  - Disney's Nightmare Before Christmas Puppet Costume

Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope Wedding Gown Tutorial

Moon/Lunar Fairy - with articulated wings

Tron Lightcycle
Peacock Princess with articulated tail
Iron Man - 3D
3D Paper Doll Ballerina
Literary Work of Art