March 2025

Thank you to Janet at Today’s Fabulous Finds for the inspiration.  I have bookmarked about five different homemade pumpkin projects, and haven’t made any of them!  When I saw her 2×4 pumpkins, I knew I had everything on hand except the paint, so I decided these were the ones!  Plus, they are just adorable.
Here’s how mine turned out.  I followed her directions exactly, and it took me just a few hours (interrupted by phone calls and the needs of small children).

I put them in my kitchen to add just a touch of fall decor.  So far, it’s been pretty neglected as far as seasonal decor goes.  

Thanks again Janet!  

I’m already starting to feel the need to move on to Christmas decor.  It’s either the list of handmade Christmas presents I am planning, or the creeping decor in the stores that is starting to call out to me.  Either way, I’m pretty sure this is my last fall craft of the season.  But, you never know when inspiration will strike!

Hey everyone! It’s the end of the month, which means it’s time for another Make it Work moment here at Occasionally Crafty. If you missed it last month, the idea is to upcycle, recycle or craft using those leftovers that are building up in your house. Make sure you are following us on Facebook, and you can join in the fun. Head over to our page and share a link to a make it work craft of yours and we’ll share them all throughout the day!


Laura:  
The craft I decided to share with you today is something all of us with young kids could use. Do your kids have a hard time holding playing cards? Well all you need is a chip clip: 
Some cardstock, which all came from my scraps, and I used a little white paper to make a template. Something to adhere the paper to the chip clip- I used my trusty dusty Xyron sticker maker, I love that thing. And something to put their names on it– I used sticker letters. Add some playing cards and you have the perfect tool to help your kids hold those slippery cards while you play Go Fish, Old Maid, or whatever you love to play!


Valerie:
I decided to use this opportunity to finish one of those projects in my half-finished sewing pile.  See, last summer, we bought our daughter this cute denim skirt from Old Navy.   As soon as we got it home, I realized that it was a bit shorter on my long-legged daughter than I was comfortable with.  Modesty is important to me, both for myself and my family, so we decided to keep the skirt and pair it with some cute leggings.
Well, this year- it still fits great (with room to grow) around the waist, but is, of course, even shorter!  I decided to “make it work” by adding a sweet little ruffle to the bottom of the skirt.  By doing this, I’ve given us at least another year of use out of this skirt.
And yeah, I’m kind of a cheapskate when it comes to clothes.  I can’t help it….

By the way- this would also be a cute way to upcycle a pair of too-short jeans….
This post is already getting long, so I’m not going to give a full tutorial.  I think I’ll save that for another day.  But I promise it’s really easy to do.  I used leftover fabric (that my sister mailed me from Korea!), a skirt that obviously we already had, and that’s it.  It was also quick- about 30 minutes from start to finish.  Just in case you’re dying to try it right now- a few quick steps in summary:
1.  Cut your fabric 1 1/2 times the circumference of the skirt bottom, with the width as long as you want it to go.  Mine was about 7 inches wide.
2.  Hem the long sides.
3.  Sew it into a tube, right sides together.
4.  Turn it right side out and sew a basting stitch at the top to gather the fabric into a ruffle.  Pull gathers until it fits around the outside of the skirt.
5. Pin the ruffled tube of the fabric on the outside of the skirt, then sew in place.
I kind of want one for myself.  Would that be weird? 🙂
Now, head on over to Facebook and show us what you’ve got!
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***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

I promised you a giveaway, and here it is!  Let me introduce you to Bonita Bellita:

Stephanie, the shop’s owner, makes beautiful hair accessories for you or that other special girl in your life.  Who can resist this beautiful Rustic Romance headband? She sells gorgeous clips that double as pins.  This pink one caught my eye right away. If you need some jewelry, she has beautiful necklaces, brooches, and adorable rings.
She even has some cute bows and headbands for your baby girl. Everything is hand-sewn and created in a smoke-free, pet-free environment. Bonita Bellita is giving away a pair of her Red Poppy bobby pins to one lucky reader! Want it to be you?  Here’s how to enter (please leave a separate comment for each entry!)

MANDATORY:  1st of all, follow my blog- or remind me that you do! 

Then, visit Bonita Bellita on Etsy and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is.  (That is 1 entry for doing both)
Extra entry #1– “Like” Occasionally Crafty on Facebook. (click on the link or use the sidebar box)
Extra entry #2– EDITED “Like” Bonita Bellita on Facebook This giveaway is open until Friday, February 11th at 11:59 pm MST.  I will announce the winner this weekend!  Good luck!

Aren’t you the lucky readers?  Stephanie from Bonita Bellita, featured here last week as one of my sponsors this month, created a set of fall-inspired hairpins just for one of you! These beautiful clips are perfect for adding a little something to your outfit.  I love the color of the flowers!

If you’d love these, simply visit Bonita Bellita and leave a comment here telling me which item in her shop is your favorite.

If you’d like some extra entries, please leave a separate comment for each of the following: 1.  Follow Occasionally Crafty on GFC  (or remind me that you do)

2.  Add Bonita Bellita to your favorites on Etsy

3.  Like Bonita Bellita on Facebook here (make sure you leave a note saying I sent you!)
4.  Follow Bonita Bellita on Twitter here  (tell her you’re following from here!)
5.  Follow Occasionally Crafty on Facebook, Twitter, or both!

This giveaway is open until Friday at Midnight Pacific Time.  It is open to all readers, including international!  A winner will be chosen using Random.org.  Good luck!