Ghosts, Playdough, and Tote Bags...OH MY!

We've been busily crafting away even while operating the pumpkin stand at full steam.  We've just been crafting by night instead of during the light of day. 

First on the agenda, Nicole's lesson in hand sewing. 

She practiced learning her straight stitch (running stitch) by sewing this ghost.  As you can probably tell she got a little confused and made the first couple stitches with the whip stitch instead of the straight stitch.

The resulting ghost was a very well loved, thoroughly colored, whip/straight stitch masterpiece Halloween decoration.  She's extremely proud of that ghost :D

Today we moved on to different, and more colorful, things. 

Homemade Playdough. 

This stuff is so neat, even I was impressed and had to play with it for awhile.

And it's easy to make and inexpensive.  See the recipe below.

Everything is done in a 2:1 ratio so you can make a bigger batch if you'd like.

You need:

2 cups flour
2 cups warm water

1 cup salt

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon cream of tartar

Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan.  Stir slowly over low heat until the mixture forms a dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan and comes together in a large ball.

It should at this point be the consistency of playdoh. If it's still too sticky, just keep stirring it over the heat a little longer until the right consistency is reached.

Then, take it off the heat. Allow it to cool enough to handle.

Break off several handfuls and form into balls.

When the balls are formed, take your finger and create a little divet in the center. 

Put a few drops of food coloring into each little divet and knead the color in until it's uniform.

Then play away!

The kids weren't the only one's who were busy.  I completed a small crochet project this week while working at the stand.

It's a mini (child sized) tote bag. With a little car crochet applique.

It's perfect for holding small toys like crayons, cars, army guys.

My son likes it so much that I've been thinking of making one with a flower applique for my daughter.