Time for Scarecrows!

Did you feel that little hint of coolness in the air???  It's gotta be a sign of things to come, because according to the calendar, fall is on the way! I decorate for every season and I'm already looking forward to hauling out all of my fall stuff!!  So.... I thought I'd get a bit of a jump on my fall decorating with this cute softball scarecrow! 

I raided my husband's (I promised mention of his contribution in trade for the ball!)  baseball duffle bag hunting for a softball suitable for making my scarecrow, and luckily this one fit the bill!  A new softball would be preferable, but I was anxious to get started!

Needed supplies:

A softball, a piece of 8 1/2" by 11" cardboard, ruler, scissors, hot glue, tacky glue, 1/8th yard of fall print fabric, acrylic paint (antique white, green, black, and rose), paint brush, a permanent black magic marker, clear spray finish (I used Krylon), 2 large teardrop shaped "woodsies,"  a 6" straw hat, a cotton swab or sponge pouncer, a flat black button, raffia,a small sunflower, a needle and some embrodiery thread.

To begin we'll make the base for the softball "head" to sit on.  This will hold the softball in place and make it easier to paint.  cut a 1 x 11" piece of cardboard and a 2 1/2" by 12" piece of fabric.  Center the cardboard onto the fabric and apply glue all around the edge of the fabric.  Then fold it in to cover the cardboard. 

After this dries, fold the strip end to end, overlapping about an inch, and hot glue these ends together forming a ring.

Place the softball on the ring so that the stitching resembles a big grin, and you're ready to paint the face.

You can see by looking at my scarecrow that the eyes are not identical.  I drew them free hand.  It's not important that they be perfect.  Just make sure that each eye has 3 distinct sections.The largest section will be painted antique white, the next section green (I had to use three coats for complete coverage), the smallest section will be black.  Once the eyese have completely dried, outline them with a permanent black magic marker, and add eyebrows.  To highlight the eyes, dip a small round brush into white paint and make a small "comma" in the black of each eye.

To paint the cheeks dip a Q-tip swab in water and then into the rose paint.  Then make circular motions with the swab to form the cheeks.  If they don't show up enough let the paint dry and then repeat the process.  Once the cheeks have dried dip the round tip brush into the black paint to make the freckles.  Spray the face with 2 coats of clear acrylic paint.  Once it has dried glue on the black button nose.

Crows:  If you are unable to find the teardrop "Woodsies" create your own with heavy cardboard.  Paint them as you see in the pictures below.  They are very simple.

Now.....let's put this all together.  Put tacky glue around the top of the ring you made in Step 1.  Add the softball head on top.  Let it dry thoroughly.

For the hair take a handful of raffia approximately 8-9" long and tie it in the center with a piece of string or embroidery floss.  Glue the tied area to the top of the scarecrow's head.  Spread the raffia around the entire head.  Use the tacky glue on the side and back of the head to hold the "hair" down.  You can use a rubberband if necessary to hold the hair in place while it dries.  Trim the hair to the length you want.

Hat:  Use a 6" straw hat.  Bend the brim of the hat back and secure it with embroidery floss.  I used double thread and put three or four stitches to hold it in place.  Glue fall leaves or sunflowers on the brim along with the crows.  I used a hot glue gun to glue the hat onto the scarecrow's head, holding it in place until the glue set.

Using a 2" x 11" piece of fabric, tie a nice "bowtie" and glue it onto the front of the ring that you made in Step 1.  Volia'! There you have it!  For a pair of cute scarecrows, make an additional little guy using a baseball!  As always...if you have any questions....give me a shout!  Happy crafting!

Summer's Last Hoorah!

Am I the only one who's having trouble believing that summer is rapidly drawing to an end???  It's already the middle of August for goodness sake!  So before we turn our minds to cooler temps (ahhhh!), changing leaves, and jack-o-lanterns, I thought it would be appropriate for one last summer "hoorah!"  This watermelon pot seemed to be a perfect send off for everything summer!

You will need the following supplies:

clay flower pot (whatever size you choose)

red, dark green, & black acrylic paints               paint brushes

spray primer                                                         scissors

lemon lime or bright green spray paint               clear acrylic sealer

kitchen type sponge       

1) Spray the flower pot with primer.  I used what I had, which happened to be grey.  Using primer is not vital, however all paints will go on much smoother and will cover better (in my opinon) if you use the primer first.  Allow the primer to dry completely before proceeding.

2) Paint the outside of the pot with a bright lime-green paint.  I used Rustoleum spray paint - Painter's Touch, in key lime.  But the pot could easily be painted with a lime green acrylic.  Again, allow the paint (whichever you use) to dry completely before going on to the next step.

3)  Using a plain old kitchen sponge I cut out two shapes.  First -  a square that will be used to paint the "stripes" on the pot.  Secondly, after measuring the height of the pot's rim, I used a compass to draw a half circle onto a piece of cardboard.  Using the cardboard pattern I cut a half circle from my sponge.

This will be used to create the watermelon "slices" around the rim of the pot.

4)  When painting both the green stripe and the watermelon slices I dipped my sponges into a pool of paint that I had squirted into my paint pan.  Then dab the sponge on paper towels to remove the excess paint.  Gently press the half circle onto the rim of the pot.  Repeat this action as you work your way around the rim.  After allowing the "slices" to dry, the stripes are added in the same way.  There were no exact measurements in my spacing.  I just sorta eyeballed it, and it worked out fine.  If you are on of "those" people that NEED to measure, then by all means....MEASURE!

5)  After the stripes have dried  you're ready to add the seeds.  Using black paint I put 3 seeds on each "slice."  You want your seed to be round on one end and work it's way into a point on the other.  When your seeds have dried, go back and add a white "comma" at the rounded end of each seed.

6)  After the pot is completely dry, spray it with  a coat (or 2) of clear acrylic sealer.

That's pretty much it!  Geraniums look great in these pots. They're wonderful for gift giving too!  Put some raffia in the pot and add a jar of summer's homemade pickles or preserves. The ideas limitless!  Celebrate the last days of summer! But'cha better hurry....'cause they're going fast!!!!!