autumn, craftily

The holiday season is officially here! At the time of this writing, we've celebrated Thanksgiving once, with another thankful feast scheduled for tomorrow. After that, it'll be full-on Christmas spirit for 30 days straight. So before the seasons get completely away from me, I bring you an autumnal-themed, Pinterest-inspired post: Autumn Craft Night.

Many of my friends are on Pinterest, and we're all guilty of over-pinning and under-performing. In other words, the board where I accumulate recipes I've made is sparsely populated as compared with the board containing recipes I intend to make. Every once in a while, it's nice to have an excuse to clear out the pin ideas by actually doing some of them. And that's what brought on our girls' craft night this fall.

Everyone brought something sweet that they had pinned and had wanted to try, so we ended up with lots of pumpkin and apple-based treats.

Mega yum. Mine was a colossal fail from beginning to end, so I promptly deleted that pin from my board and moved on with my life.

Our hosts for the evening were SS and AK - the crafter extraordinaires in our midst. AK made the Pinterest bags above - created by her very own self, without a single pin to guide her. SS made the pumpkin candy-filled favors below - flawless on the outside, delicious on the inside!

The house smelled amazing - like an apple pie was in the oven, thanks to some fragrant apple slices boiling on the stove. And the real pumpkin on the counter kept things festive.

AK and SS had all their supplies ready and waiting for us - it was like going to an art class!

And although the point of the evening was crafting, a couple of us (ahem, SM) kept a plate of food nearby to keep sampling the finger-licking goodness.

Okay, so she did actually get crafty.

One adorable thing about my friend SS: I've never seen her happier than when she's crafting. Oh my goodness. It's like she can't contain herself.

Actually, I think we all were pretty happy. There is something so therapeutic for me about using a paint brush. When NS was in the Air Force years ago, we lived near Ft. Dix, which had an Arts & Crafts Center. I used to go there to paint ceramics for a few hours every once in a while, and between the color selections and the layering techniques and gabbing with my awesome friend AJD who worked there, the hours truly flew by.

I loved it, although I can't claim to be the cleanest crafter.

Dropclothes aren't just for kids.

 We actually had two crafts: One on a canvas, and one paper-based. There aren't a ton of options for craft supplies on island (I guess Book Nook and Office Supply are the most likely resources), but AK brought her arsenal of paper selections which she's collected over the years. There were more than enough lovely choices for all of us.

Speaking of AK, she could probably open a successful craft store just about anywhere. She's passionate about crafts, but is also one of the most organized people I know. Killer combo.

Look, she even has a crafting apron with her initials!
Proof of legitimacy.

Another proof of a legitimate crafter: Someone who can arrive late, quickly make color choices that work, and finish the project first. Slow down, KO, I'm still tracing circles on my paper!!

The evidence from tracing circles on my paper.

SM kept up the pace, both in crafting and in nibbling. A skilled multi-tasker, that one!

I failed to take proper photos of the finished products (that's what happens when I'm awake past 11 p.m.), but you can see the paper pumpkins that SS made over on the right below.

Meanwhile, Super-Crafter was trying to talk all of us into doing a third craft with all our spare time.

Slow down, AK, I'm still cutting circles in my paper! Seriously.

The Pinterest project bags were a great take-away - no matter what the end result of our projects were, we could hide them carry them off to decorate our own homes.

Thank you to all the girls who brought seasonal treats to share, and a huge thanks to SS & AK for planning, organizing, and conducting a fabulous fall craft night! I'm excited for our Christmas crafting to begin!