and i think they're hooked.

Literally...Sheri hooked herself as she was sewing her pumpkin closed. 

I guess this so-called non-crafty neighbor loved crafting so much that she felt the need to sew herself to her pumpkin so she would forever be close to her crafts! 

 

We may not have been the speediest bunch of crafters -- but i think the first Centrennial Craft & Wine Night was a hit -- I am pleased to report that I successfully converted 3 non-crafters and by the end of the night they were so proud of their projects they were practically drinking the craftaholic kool aid right out of my hands!  oh wait..maybe that was wine.  Either way, I would wager that this will not be the last of the Centrennial Craft Nights. 
 
(btw...we call our neighborhood Centrennial because it is where Central Avenue meets Centennial Street.) 
 

(thanks for the photo Perk, I stole it from your blog.  Remember, the blog you promised us?  I think it expired over a year ago.)    :)

It was fun to see each crafter take on different roles last night as though we were at

Abby's Craft Academy:

Abby (me) -- Teacher & Hostess with the Mostess. (of course!) :)

Sheri -- Most Improved and Teacher's Assistant. (Sheri had never crafted before and by the end of the night she was teaching others how to make the stuffed pumpkins)

Miranda -- Chaperone. (We all tried to coax Miranda into starting a craft but she kept saying "I am just watching right now." She did, however prove to be very willing to trek through the backyard in the dark to find everyone sticks (or stems) for their pumpkins.  Thanks Miranda!

Suzanne -- Class Pyro. (she almost burned a hole through the table with her husband's industrial strength glue gun)

Alison -- Over Achiever.  (although Alison's crafting strategy was "slow and steady"...she did impress everyone by running out and purchasing her very own glue gun the day before so that she was prepared!  This might not be a big deal for most people, but I bet Alison never thought she would actually own such a thing! What's next Alice, a sewing machine?)

Christy -- Too Cool for School. (Christy's no beginner.  She brought her own crafts!  which, I guess is acceptable since she IS hosting a huge Tag Sale in her home next month -- where she will be selling all sorts of hand made & repurposed items, and refinished furniture. We wait all year for Christy's Tag Sale!) 

Becky -- Tardy Student but Fast Learner.  Becky double-booked our Centrennial Craft Night with another craft party.  The nerve!  We should call her Most Popular Crafter.  But she juggled her appointments well and was able to drop by late and still finish a pumpkin!

and the naughtiest crafter award goes to.......little Finner b. deRoo.

(The name Finner b. evolved from several versions of nicknames...his given name is Finnley, which we shortened to Finn and then Finn bo and Finner bo and then Finner bo Binner and then Finner b.  And Finner b. just stuck because we found ourselves having to discipline this naughty little puppy more than his older brother (York) and Finner b. conveniently turned into our common phrases of "Finner be good!"  and "Finner behave!")

These such scoldings were repeated frequently last night as Finner thought it was his job to "help" Christy with her crafts.  And by "help" I mean steal.  Finn was caught stealing items from Christy's basket of crafts at least 4 times!  He was also busted for stealing a potato (from our failed potato stamp craft) off the kitchen counter.

who me?

YES YOU!

Here is a look at some of our completed crafts!!  We were planning to carve our own potato stamps to decorate our stuffed pumpkins as seen here.  but, well, I didn't really account for having to carve our letters in reverse.  I'm no engineer, you see.  I was whittling away at my Z potato stamp.  (Z for Zeeland...obviously) when Taylor came in the room and pointed out that I needed to carve the letter in reverse.  Like a mirror image.  In order for it to stamp correctly.  That seemed like a lot of work and I am more of a "let's wing it" type of crafter.  (hey, don't judge!  If I got caught up in all of the little details I would never get anything done!)  So...I packed up my potatoes, put away my knife and we decided to just paint and stitch our message onto our pumpkins.  Sheri painted "120" on her pumpkin (her address) and Becky stitched on a "P" for Perkins (her last name.)  I borrowed Becky's P stencil and flipped it upside down to trace a lowercase "d" for deRoo.  Why reinvent the wheel, right?  Suzanne made a mini pumpkin which was basically the most precious thing you have ever seen...but I wasn't able to get a picture before she took it home.  (Suzanne moves very quickly so if you don't plan it quite right you will miss her altogether.  She's always power walking around the neighborhood -- I swear she moves faster than the cars!)

Curious little Finner b. sniffing the pumpkin.  Or...is he trying to steal the stick?

And here is a glimpse at our other little craft!  Suzanne, Alison and I made a felt birdie pin.  (Alison was in the process of making a felt owl pin too but didn't finish before she left...I wonder if she pulled an all-nighter trying to finish it??)  I think everyone was surprised to find out how addicting crafting can be! 

This is the perfect fall accessory for your favorite cardigan, scarf, wool hat, pea coat or jean jacket!!  It's even cute on a throw pillow or lamp shade.  I think my next phase of crafting will include making these little cuties in multiples and sewing a little yarn loop on them and hanging them from my Christmas tree.  A merry folk art Christmas to me! 

I am headed to Chicagoland this weekend with Emily to visit Megan and Bethany.  Check back for reports on our mindless gossip, shopping extravaganzas and crafting attempts.  Top of the list...Stella and Dot look alike (knock off) necklaces.  See the original below.  Stay tuned to see ours this weekend...

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