Homemade Halloween Fun

Some of my fondest memories are of the "just for fun" holiday - Halloween! It was the one day of the year that I could stay out late roaming the streets with my friends - boys & girls! As we became teens, we papered a few houses and rang doorbells and ran. But mostly we just dressed up in homemade costumes, gathered candy, cupcakes, popcorn balls, and apples. Yes, I grew up before we were enlightened about all the evils that folks can do, so homemade treats from the neighborhood were totally acceptable. What a wonderful, naive time in which to grow up!

Sweeter still are the memories of Halloweens with my children. We spent weeks before the big day creating costumes. Of course they were handcrafted! We never even considered "store-bought"! We made huge messes in the kitchen too - Carmel apples, Popcorn Balls, and Krispy Kritters were the treats we enjoyed for weeks before and after October 31st. Everyone created and cooked and enjoyed weeks of fun in the name of Halloween.

Now the grandchildren are the only trick-or-treaters in the family. I so miss the bedlam of the good ole days! No sticky carmel, no rice krispies on the sofa....no face paint on the lavatory and mirror! But I still take time to create some handmade fun each fall.

My new passion is creating beautiful new items from re-purposed materials. I've revived the art of making pumpkins from vent hoses.

 Another favorite craft is garlands from "JunkMail Jewels" - my folded paper stars. These were made from leftover Halloween bags.

So while times have changed, my passion for Halloween fun has not! I'm finishing up my "kitty" costume and headed into town to take my 2 little munchkins trick-or-treating! They are just 9 months and 3 years old, so it should be a "treat" to see their faces as they discover the age-old fun. Hope you and yours make this time of year special too! Memories are forever!

Junk Mail!

Just look at this photo!  This is what's left behind after opening and sorting a typical day's mail!

I've shredded almost this much, and I've even removed the brightly colored and interesting bits that I'll recycle!  What an unbelievable waste of resources!  While I'm not a "tree hugger", I do believe strongly in managing our resources, and I hate waste!  Almost daily I receive several 9x12 flat envelopes that contain only 1 sheet of paper!  Often they contain a commission check worth less than the cost of postage!   And there are always duplicate envelopes from the same company.   Whatever happened to a system that gathered correspondence from all departments and combined it before shipping?  Could it really cost more than all the added postage and supplies?  It makes me very sad.

However, this waste is my inspiration for our JunkMail Jewels.  While they don't actually save many trees, they are symbolic of the problem and inspire me to do more.  I use them as magnets, garlands, ornaments, jewelry and hair clips.  They remind me to recycle, to be creative, and they often invite others to share the mission.  Please take a look at our creations.  Maybe you'll find a piece you love or an idea you could share.  We'd love to hear your ideas for creative ways to use all this wasted paper!