Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Emergency Room Pumpkins

Recycled Halloween Craft Challenge 1st Place Winner!
WOW!!! What a crazy few days I have had! I started these pumpkins last week, and was hoping to post them a few days ago, but they have been the cause of 2 (yes TWO!) ER visits!
When I started these pumpkins, the cost was $0 because I was just using scraps and paint I already had, but after two ER visits, and the ruined clothes and porch, I would have to say they cost me a whoppin' $150!!! Probably the most expensive craft I have done yet! :D
So, here is where it all started...I am shopping at Hobby Lobby (big surprise) when I see these:

I instantly fell in love and thought, I can make those!

I bought them to duplicate (shhhh...don't tell, I still have to return them) $3.99 each!

I raided my scrap wood bin, then free handed the pumpkins on the wood.


It took all of 5 mins (if that) to cut the pumpkins out with my SCROLL SAW (can I just say I LOVE my scroll saw?!)

I then took my DREMEL with a drum sander bit on the end and gouged the edges and rounded details. See the difference?



For those of you who don't know what a dremel is...

Next I painted them black (not completely) just where the crackle would go.
Once the paint dried I put on the crackle medium

After about 30 mins of dry time, I was able to paint my pumpkins orange. (I mixed a couple of different versions of orange by adding brown and red)

I love the way crackle works! (I have to confess, I haven't used my crackle in 8 years or more, remember when everything was crackled? I guess it has made a come back!)
I am lovin' the results!

I let them dry overnight (and finished reading the Maze Runner while I waited!)

I free handed the damask designs on with pencil (I copied the ones on the HL pumpkins) and I also copied some damask designs from some scrap book paper I had.

I then took brown paint and hand painted over my pencil designs. It was a little tedious, but didn't take too much time - maybe 30 mins tops...


This is where ER visit #1 comes in to play!

So I am just about done painting the damask designs when my little one year old, Josh, bangs his head on the bar stool I am sitting on! (you know how they like to play at mom's feet at all times) I pick him up and see this instant bump right between his eyes with a pretty deep cut.

I rushed him to the instacare by my house, and they said I needed to take him to Primary's in downtown SLC. So we head down there, and wait 5 hours to get two stitches.
He was such a trooper! He laughed and smiled most of the time!

He loved the slurpy they gave to wake him up!

I think he got a little drunk from the drugs and slurpy! :D

Red crayon bandaids are the best!

We were both exhausted by the time we got back, so I decided to finish the pumpkins the next day.
So this morning (the very next day) when I laid Josh down for a nap, I decided I could FINALLY finish the pumpkins. I finish the paint from yesterday, sand the edges up a bit, then it is time to stain.

Being good I go out on my porch to stain the pumpkins. There are only 6 of them, so I figured it would take about 5 mins. I am half way through staining them when my 4 year old has a lost shoe crisis. No big deal right? Just help him find his shoes, then finish the staining. Here Comes ER visit #2! I go inside, can't find them anywhere and decide to look in the room where my baby is sleeping (and of course he is wide awake and won't let me leave w/o getting him out) so I get him out, find some shoes, and go outside to talk to my neighbor who was taking my 4 year old to the park. About 1 minute later, we hear this coughing, I turn around to see my little one year old Josh coughing with a ring of stain all around his face, and stain pouring out his mouth and all over my porch and him. AHHHHHH!!!! I rush to him, my neighbor calls Poison Control for me, and I try to help him. He is coughing like crazy and trying to throw up. PC tells us to get him to the hospital ASAP, good thing it is only 1 mile from my house! I rush him there, PC has called ahead and informed them I am bringing in a baby who swallowed wood stain, they immediately take him back, get his vitals, then nothing. After all that rushing, I end up sitting in a room trying to keep him entertained, and I wait for 1 1/2 hours! The doctor finally comes in saying that PC will call me 6 hours after the incident to check on him and that I am free to go. Seriously ??? I just payed $50 bucks to have someone tell me to wait for a phone call??? They thought they would x-ray his lungs, but then decided not to, and said to wait a few hours to see if his lungs would start reacting to the stain. I guess if he inhaled any it can cause pretty bad pneumonia, so we are still waiting to see. Personally I think he is fine, thank goodness!

The nurses were great and brought him plenty to play with, unlike at primary's!

Josh and I getting pretty used to this ER business!

I feel so horrible about the whole thing! And now I have a constant reminder stained into my porch concrete of what an idiot I am!!!
Once we got home, and I got him back down for a nap, I decided it was now or never to finish them. My stain was gone, but I was able to salvage enough from the shirt he was wearing to finish the last few pumpkins. (how sad is that?) I then threw away his clothes, and mine are next. :(
Last step, FINALLY! :D
I twisted some bailing wire around the stems with some needle nose pliers to finish them off.

What do you think? I think they are cuter than the store bought ones! Even if they ended up costing a whole lot more! :)

I love them on my shelf wedges in my kitchen! Too bad it is only August, I want to leave them there!

Fall will be here soon enough...patience!



Cost:
Wood: Free
Paint: Free
Wire: Free
ER visit #1: $50
ER visit #2: $50
ruined clothes: about $50 :(
Cost: Way too much for little wood pumpkins!!!
Oh well, at least Josh is okay (number 1 priority), and besides, I still think they turned out great!

Moral of the story...don't leave stain out where a small child can get it! And ALWAYS have the # for Poison Control where you can see it!
Happy Crafting! :D


I was featured:

And at:



Thanks Michelle! I'm so honored!

I am joining this challenge:
Recycled Halloween Craft Challenge on Henthorne Handmade
Visit thecsiproject.com

39 comments:

Jocelyn said...

omgoodness! so glad he is ok after all that! but your pumpkins turned out super cute. (i too buy items to copy, and then return them...LOL!)

ProcraftinatingPA said...

Wow, the adventure of having young kiddos!! I'm so glad that everyone ended up being 'okay' minus the panic and a few stitches. The pumpkins turned out great!!

Chelsea said...

OH MY GOSH I am so glad that Josh is ok!!!! Scary!! The pumpkins look awesome though... I love them!

Terrell said...

Loving this craft!! You're so talented! I love your blog and I'm your newest follower! I'd love to invite you to join my link party/giveaway every Friday at FFD! I hope to see you there!
PS - glad your little one is ok...awww! What a cutie pie!
~Terrell @ FrouFrouDecor~

Danae said...

Well, that's one project you won't soon forget! Glad he's okay! The pumpkins are super cute!

Windy said...

wow Maria you have your hands full...and that is why I spend the $3.99 at stores to just buy them instead haha yours are way way cuter though! next time call me i will come sit with Josh. I am so glad he is okay busy boy! :)

Anonymous said...

Those turned out really cute even with all the ER visits. We all do stupid things. I burned my hand with the hot glue gun while being distracted with children this week. Now I have 3 huge blisters on my hand and have not been able to do much with it since. Glad everything turned out fine.

Marty said...

Glad the little guy is okay!! The pumpkins turned out great, very smart!! Newest follower=)

Unknown said...

Poor little guy (and mommy too!)! Good to know he's ok! Your pumpkins turned out fantastic! What a story they have to tell, in years to come, huh?!
Thank you so much for sharing them with us at Anything Related!
{Rebekah}

Ruthie said...

I absolutely love these! Great job! Your pumpkins look alot better than the Hobby Lobby ones! I am your newest follower and look forward to reading more of your blog!

Nikki ~ Let's Craft!! said...

Super cute!! Sorry about the ER events but all in all they are awesome! YOu should make more (drama free hopefully) and put them in an etsy shop!! Gain back some lost money! LOL

Unknown said...

You know you have skill when you can paint that amazing damask like design. LOVE LOVE THE PUMPKINS. THEY ARE SO FAB. So sorry about your sweet little guy. He looks happy though so its all good. Jen

Gail said...

I'm so glad your little one is okay. He is adorable! Love your pumpkins. You did a great job. I'm a new follower of yours.

Have a wonderful day.

Jess said...

Oh My Goodness. Wait until you get this huge envelope from PC telling you all the things that you already know. You will really feel like an A#1 parent then. LOL
Pumpkins are super cute. I use the camera on my phone to copy ideas from Hobby Lobby.

AliceAnderson said...

I am in love with those pumpkins. Seriously. Love them!

Don't feel bad about the kiddo drinking the stain. They can get to things even when you are careful.

Case in point, my husband when he was a year old. He climbed (yes, climbed!) a shelving unit in the garage, sat on the 4th or 5th shelf, opened a can of paint thinner and started drinking it! My MIL realized that it was too quiet and rushed out there. Mind you, DH has a twin sister. So they had to rush him to the hospital, tried to get him to drink something to dilute the paint thinner. But of course, he wasn't thirsty. So, to the cafeteria for dry cookies. Meanwhile, poor MIL has DH's twin in need of a diaper change and in the middle of all the craziness, she left her diaper bag at home. She had to scour the hospital for a diaper. DH finally drinks whatever it is they wanted him to drink. He was fine. Still the smartest man I know, so it couldn't have killed too many braincells. :) But see, even when they were behind a closed door, on a high shelf, kids can still get into trouble.

Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple said...

So cute!!! Good way to pass the time in ER

Crys said...

The joys of being a mom right???? I love your pumpkins!!!!They are way better than the ones at the store, I am going to try and make some :)

Unknown said...

Hi Maria~ Your OH' SO CUTE crafted pumpkins have been featured at CraftOManiac.blogspot.com well done, thanks Jen

dubb and dawni said...

Wow what a time you have had. The pumpkins are almost as cute as your little one !!

Michele {The Scrap Shoppe} said...

Oh, your poor little guy! He's a trooper. I love your pumpkins and featured them on my blog today for some Halloween inspiration. They are too cute!!

Kulla Klan said...

Great job on the pumpkins! They are so cute . . . might have to try it - they would be so cute as a fall decoration:) And they look just as great as the ones you bought to copy! Glad everyone seems to be okay! Aimee

ANKH said...

Well, look at the positives:

You have an adorable son, some cute memory photos with a crazy story to last a lifetime, new lesson learned, and cute pumpkins!

I'd leave them out early, but that's just me! ;)

You should enter this in my Recycled Halloween Craft Challenge. They came from wood scraps, right?

ANKH said...

My link disappeared! Here it is, again:

http://henthornehandmade.blogspot.com/2010/08/recycled-halloween-challenge-will-you.html

Unknown said...

These are gorgeous! You should make 100 of these to pay off the hospital visits! OR rename your blog the Crafting in the ER!:) Ia m featuring your this project at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com today. Grab my "featured" button.

Taija said...

Oh my goodness!! What a story! You poor mommy! It is never fun when our little ones get hurt, and you had to deal with it two days in a row!! I'm so sorry!! The pumpkins could not be cuter!! Fantastic job! Think I'm gonna have to try some of those! You are very, very talented!!

irbuanosraL said...

I just found your blog. These pumpkins are so cute. You could earn back some of the ER $ by selling the wooden pumpkins, I would buy some!

Kimber said...

just found this post of yours through somedaycrafts and i am IN LOVE with this project!!! absolutely amazing! i would so badly want to make this!!!

Amy Lynne said...

Wow! Well your pumpkins turned out great even with the series of unfortunate events! I am glad your little man is okay!!

Olive Juice Studio said...

Wowwww!!! What a heck of a story! It's a funny one but I can only imagine how terrified you were - especially after the stain cocktail! OMG! I would have freaked! Now, you will have a reminder every fall when you pull your punkins out to decorate! LOL!

Great blog and I'm now a follower!

-Kim

ANKH said...

Due to the difficulties in getting the word out about the contest, I've had to make it a requirement that contestants either put the button or a link back to the contest on their blog somewhere. Sorry for the inconvenience.

PS: Don't forget that you can enter up to 3 different craft tutorials!

~Kimberly said...

Oh my what a story! But I'm glad the little one is ok! What a trooper! The pumpkins, on the other hand... FABULOUS! I would totally buy yours! Very very lovely! Thanks for sharing!

Liz Taylor said...

I have a one year old who insists on playing right at my feet all the time... makes it hard to get crafts done. I'm so glad he's ok! I LOVE your pumpkins and would buy these if you are selling them... I understand is you never do this craft again after the experience you had!
Liz
projectnaptime.blogspot.com

Kristy said...

I love your pumpkins. Incredibly cute and well made.

ANKH said...

Don't forget to add a button or link to the Recycled Halloween Craft Challenge! (Just a friendly reminder...)

Katrine said...

Oh my goodness those pumpkins are so cute! Your poor little guy is adorable even with a swollen little nose!

Unknown said...

VERY CUTE PROJECT! Sorry about the ER! Poor little guy!

Holly Lefevre said...

There is nothing good about the ER. Poor little guy!

BUT these pumpkins are fabulous. You did such an amazing job with them. The flourishes on them are fabulous too. Really beautiful.

Holly
504 Main

Amanda @ Frills and Frolic said...

I bet those pumpkins will be truly cherished! I loved the tutorial! I found this through Someday Crafts and added a link back to your blog.

Amanda

frillsandfrolic.blogspot.com

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

Cute pumpkins!
I'm glad all is well now.

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