Lit Pumpkins for Halloween

4 Lit Pumpkins
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

The girls and I drew and carved the pumpkins one afternoon. We had lots of fun.

This was the first year that Sophia was able to carve her own pumpkins. At 8 1/2 years old, this is an important milestone. Now, not only can she draw what she wants her pumpkin to look like, but she can carve it as well.

Made roasted pumpkin seeds later. They were very good!

More pictures from the pumpkin carving afternoon are at my Flickr site.

Handmade Books

3 Handmade Books
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Made this trio of books for a challenge on Etsykids. The challenge was to create an object(s) that focused on birds and/or owls.

These books are handmade using cardboard from food boxes (e.g., cereal boxes, pasta boxes), decorative paper, ribbon, postage stamps, yarn, and stickers.

My daughters love little books that I make for them (they are only 3 1/2" x 5" with about 8-10 pages in each book. They can fill them with short stories, pictures they draw or cut out from magazines, and things they collect outside (e.g., leaves, feathers that have fallen on the ground).

They are available in my shop. Please see my Flickr profile for the link to my shop.
They are available in my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

Girls at the Minnesota Orchestra

Girls at the Minnesota Orchestra
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Saw the "Percussion Spectacular" at the Minnesota Orchestra. This was the first visit for the girls to the Minnesota Orchestra, and they really enjoyed it.

It was such an engaging performance that the girls and I will remember for a long time!

Etsy Promo Packs

Etsy Promo Packs
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

I create promo packs each month with a variety of business cards and samples from Etsy shops.

Shops send me their cards and samples, I put them into packets and then send them out to customers.

It's a great way to let potential customers know about your business.

I assemble promo packs around the middle of each month. Contact me if you're interested in including business cards and/or samples for your Etsy business.

Sophia with the Pumpkin She Grew

Sophia with Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Each year, one of Sophia's projects is to grow pumpkins. This year, she was very happy with the harvest. There are lots of pumpkins - not huge ones, but lots of them.

This is one pumpkin that she liked and brought up to the house to decorate for autumn.

Fabric Stuffed Pumpkins

Fabric Stuffed Pumpkins with Hand Embroidered Felt Stems
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Made these two pumpkins for a swap on Swap-Bot. They are made with six pieces of cotton fabric that are machine-sewn together.

They are stuffed with wool from sheep I raised. The stem is felt that is hand-embroidered together and stuffed with wool.

I have other fall and winter items for the home in my shop (Harvest Moon by Hand). Please visit the shop at http://www.harvestmoonbyhand.etsy.com/.

Beehive and Honey

Beehive
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

One of the three hives here at the farm. This hive produced 36 pounds of honey.

This year the honey was a very light color. It's very sweet and flavorful thanks to the apple, pear, cherry, and plum trees on the property as well as raspberries (red and black).

Neighboring farms also have raspberry patches, clover, and alfalfa growing which helped make the honey so sweet this year.

Learning about Cells

Learning about Cells
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Learning about cells this week for science. Had the girls look at a thin piece of transparent onion skin under a magnifying glass first.

Then, I had them place a thin section of onion skin onto a slide. They put it in their microscope (it's a child's microscope...nothing fancy) and could see the cells of the onion.

It was actually very cool. Brought to life what we were reading about skin and cells.

First Snowfall

Snow on Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

This was the first snowfall of the season.

Just had brought some pumpkins up to the home to decorate for autumn...and then it snowed overnight.

There's still a lot to be done outside to prepare for winter. Am hoping it warms up soon!

Hand Embroidered Sandman Doll

Hand Embroidered Sandman Doll
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

This is a Sandman doll that I made recently. It is made with fleece and felt and is incredibly soft to the touch.

He wants to help a young child fall asleep at home; be a travel companion in the car; or comfort someone who is sick or at a doctor or dentist appointment.

Every part of the toy is hand-embroidered - there are no loose parts. The face, stars, hands, and moon are all blanket-stitched onto the doll. The Sandman is then hand-sewn together using the blanket-stitch around all the edges.
He is stuffed with sheep wool - from sheep that I raised on my organic farm. The Sandman measures about 7 3/4" x 4" wide - a perfect size for small hands to hold.

The Sandman doll is availabe in my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand at http://www.harvestmoonbyhand.etsy.com.

Sophia with Jumbo Bubble

Sophia with Jumbo Bubble
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Took a field trip to the Minnesota Children's Museum. There was a section where children could make large bubbles or play with bubbles in a little pool.

Sophia chose to make the huge bubbles. This was one of the larger ones she was able to make. Olivia enjoyed playing with the bubbles in the pool.

It's such a simple activity, but one they enjoyed doing for quite a while.

Measuring Green Beans

Measuring Green Beans
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

Am freezing green and yellow beans so we can enjoy them in the winter.

Olivia was cutting the ends off of them (practicing her cutting skills), and kept out some of the long ones. This was was over 7 inches long!

I try to integrate math lessons into daily life whenever possible. I think it's important for children to understand the connection between what they are learning in books to real life.

4 Pink Stars for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

4 Pink Stars
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

These are four of the stars I made recently. They are made for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (in October).

I make the stars by hand-folding small squares of paper, overlaying the folded paper, and then gluing them together to create different patterns. One star, for example, is folded 11 times per point. With 16 points that 176 folds to make the star.)

The stars measure approximately 7 1/2", 8", 10", and 12" in diameter. They look wonderful in groups or individually.

The stars are available at Harvest Moon by Hand at http://www.harvestmoonbyhand.etsy.com.

I also entered this set of stars in HandmadeMN's October challenge that is in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please take a moment and vote this item at: http://etsymn.blogspot.com/2009/09/october-challenge-save-ta-tas.html. Thanks for your support!