Tricky Pumpkins

I recently had my cutest-in-the-whole-wide-world twin granddaughters over for a few hours after school.  Since it was a rainy day, and since it is now Fall, and because it is time to decorate for the season, I decided we'd get crafty.  With a trick, that is.

We decided to make "Tricky Pumpkins," which are not really pumpkins at all, but are a heap of fun to put together, and easy to boot.

I had prepared the supplies before the girls arrived, and there's not much to get ready, really.  No sewing, no glue guns, just easy fun.  They were totally baffled when I told them we were going to make pumpkins, with no pumpkins.

We needed several rolls of toilet paper (that's the trick which they were so gleeful about, as if it's not just a little bit obvious what's under the wrapping), a piece of fabric for each "pumpkin" about 18 x 24 inches (I thinks that's about a fat quarter), some precut leaves, and some brown paper lunch or grocery bags cut into strips about 4 or 5 inches by 12 inches for the pumpkin stems.

Step 1 - Set the toilet paper roll dead center on a piece of the fabric, with the right side of the fabric DOWN.  Pull the edges of the fabric up around the roll and tuck the ends down into the hole.  This is the only part the girls needed a little help with - pulling it up tight enough so it looks neat.

Step 2 - Tuck the stem of a leaf or two down into the hole now too.

Step 3 - Crumple up the paper bag piece starting at the short end.  Hold it together in a clump and jam it down into the hole to make the stem.

DONE!  And aren't they so cute?

The girls were excited to take home their "pumpkins," decorate their dinner table, and TRICK their parents until they revealed the SECRET of what's inside.  

Look how proud they are of themselves.  They are just so funny sometimes.

This Germall (that's me) is just crazy nuts in love with them too!

We did some other crafty stuff too, but that'll have to wait for another post.  I'll give you a hint though:  it was scary and it was edible.

AND, it involved chocolate.

 Stay tuned....