October Crafternoon

In an effort to get back on the crafting bandwagon, I decided to plan a monthly crafternoon party with my Mom. What is a crafternoon, you ask? Basically, it is an afternoon of crafting! To me, that sounded like the quickest way to get back to crafting, while surrounding myself with loved ones, and having the opportunity to eat yummy things. On the invitations I sent, I wrote: "crafts, food, fun!"

For October's crafternoon, we made easy luminaries out of mason jars. Basically you cover the outside of the mason jar with strips of colored tissue paper (using Mod Podge or glue to seal the paper) and then add a face with black tissue. After the glue is dried completely, you can place a tea light inside the jar and light it up!

I pre-cut the face shapes (eyes, noses, and mouths) for my crafternoon guests so that they could just focus on gluing. I kept the parts separate on paper plates, that way they could just grab and go!

The luminaries can be monsters, pumpkins, ghosts, vampires, witches, cats, you name it. Any Halloween character could make a fun and festive lantern!

It's important to let the glue dry completely and only put the paper on the outside of the jar, because the fumes from wet glue and any paper is flammable! I didn't have any problems once the project was completely dry, but I did have a scary moment trying to light the candle with a damp jar (Check out the burnt paper on the inside of the jar on that Frankenstein monster). Be warned! ;)





I think everyone had a lot of fun. I already have my plans for a November crafternoon set, so I will be sure to share more photos on the project and the party closer to the day!

Colorado Trip, Part 2

Well, it took me long enough to get to part 2! Hopefully the beauty of these photos from my Colorado trip make up for my tardiness. I know I'd love to be back here right now!

My favorite stop on our trip was Lake Dillon, pictured below. It was a beautiful sunny day, with just a hint of Autumn chill in the air. Truly amazing to behold.

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay at Lake Dillon forever, but the drive back down through the mountains was beautiful, too. How do you like that camper on the hill? That was a fun shot!

We also visited a ranch in Castle Rock, Colorado and saw these cute animals!

If you ever visit Castle Rock, Colorado, I highly recommend a shopping trip to The Barn. Yes, the Outlet shopping in Castle Rock is great but The Barn is one of my favorite places to see. There are so many artists and vendors with their own booths inside, and outside they have even more to see like vintage signs and tin letters.

I also loved this display. It really was perfect for the Fall!

I hope you enjoyed seeing even more photos from my trip to Colorado! It was a wonderful trip and nice to relax with family.