DIY Plush Fabric Pumpkins

 Aren't these just the cutest little things?!

These adorable little pumpkins are easy to make and I'm going to show you how!

 I grabbed my girlfriend and 1/2 yard (each color) 

of this minky soft fleece at my local Hobby Lobby. 

We gathered up the following supplies and then got to work; 

Thread in my three colors and a nice thick-ish needle.

Dry beans (for weight). This is what I had in the pantry. Any kind of bean will do.

 Pumpkin stems (found at the bottom on the bin where pumpkins are sold!) 

You can also use sticks, they'll look cute too!

Two large trays (19" and 16") and a dinner plate to trace for each size pumpkin.

You'll also need some polyfill (stuffing) or plastic bags and a glue gun.

 Start by tracing out your circle on the back side of the fabric.

 I used this fancy Disapearing Ink/Mark-be-Gone pen (found at craft and fabric stores), 

but you could use a pencil and it would work just the same.

 Cut out the fabric circle.

 Stitch around the fabric circle with big wide stitches so it's easy to gather.

 When you come back around to where you started, pull the thread to gather the fabric.

 Before you close it up, add a handfull of beans 

(maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a cup depending on your pumpkin size). 

Then add the polyfill or pastic bags.

 Close up the hole by hand stitching back and forth. 

Making it nice and tight so it's hard to see the seam.

Hot glue your fabric stem to the top of the pumpkin.

 Voila! 

And in no time at all you can make a bunch of theses adorable Plush Fabric Pumpkins!

 This could be a great project to get the kids involved in too!

 I love displaying them in a group.

Between my friend and I, we each made 8 and I still have some fabric left!

Happy Fall Y'all!

P U M P K I N

I've gone crazy for Pumpkin!!!

I've been stocking up on canned pumpkin. 

I heard that last year stores ran out, so I've been buying a can every-time I grocery shop.

Last week I made, Pumpkin Muffins (two kinds!), Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Flapjacks, Pumpkin Milkshakes, Pumpkin Spice Muffins and Caramel Gingersnap Pumpkin Cheesecake. So thought I'd share my recipes with you!

Pumpkin Cheesecake has become a favorite among my friends. I must make it a half a dozen times each fall. 

 Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 (16oz) packaged pound cake

4 tsp pumpkin pie spice, divided

3 large eggs

2 Tb butter, melted

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (15oz) can pumpkin

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp salt

Combine the cake mix, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 egg, and butter in a large mixing bowl; beat at low speed with an electric mixer until crumbly. Press mixture into a greased 15 x 10-inch jellyroll pan.

Beat softened cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, remaining 2 eggs, pumpkin, condensed milk and salt; beat until blender. Pour over cake mix mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until set. Cool completely in a pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill. Cut into squares.

These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are Super Simple and SO yummy!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 box of Spice Cake

1 can pumpkin

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup chocolate or cinnamon chips

Mix it all together, fill muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

Pumpkin Muffins go really well with Pumpkin Milkshakes. The ingredients are simply:

For our milkshakes we used 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1 cup of ice-cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon & nutmeg if you don't have pumpkin pie spice). 

We added some crushed Oreo to our milkshake, yummy!

Let's not forget about the Pumpkin Flapjacks!

and for this recipe go here.

And then there were the Pumpkin Spice Muffins. I made these for the ladies in my Bible study and individually wrapped them. It was to remind them that our God is sweet to us!  This recipe was from the Pioneer Woman, check out the recipe here. 

And last, but not least I made the most delicious but-impossible-to-get-out-of-the-pan Caramel Gingersnap Pumpkin Cheesecake by the Pioneer Woman (I forgot to take a picture & TPW wouldn't let me copy hers). If you decided to make this, I think I'd leave the caramel out on the crust portion and only add it to the top.The recipe is here.

Happy baking! I'd love to hear about the pumpkin things you like to make.