Pumpkins From Up North

With the days as beautiful as they were when we were up north, I was inspired to do some crafts that required things from the good old outdoors.  There are lots of birch trees around in the woods and beings as it is Autumn how about some birch pumpkins?  Now this was something that I had thought up in my head and really wasn't sure how it was going to work out.  So the first course of action was to peel some birch bark from the trees around my Mom's property. 

 
Birch bark peels easily right off the trees and it is a light orange on the inside and an ashy white on the outside.  It will peel off in strips that can range from the thickness of tissue paper to hearvy cardboard.

 
I soaked the bark in hot water to help make it pliable and bend the way I wanted it to bend.  I found that this also loosened up the layers of the bark and I was able to make the pieces that were too thick much thinner by stripping away some of the layers.

 

Using handy dandy hot glue, I just started covering the artificial pumpkin with the strips of bark, overlapping as I went to make sure I had good coverage. 

 
Once the pumpkin was covered all of the pieces came together on the bottom and did not look very good so I cut a round piece of bark and glued it down.

 
Next, I drilled a hole in the top and glued in a birch branch.  Taking some thin bark, I cut some leaves and made some curls for vines and glued them next to the the stem.  

 
These turned out way better than I ever expected.  I love them.  Now my mind is going crazy as to what I can cover with birch bark next time I am in the north woods.

 

 I am participating in the following link ups: Its So Very Creative, The DIY Showoff, Between Naps on the Porch, The Halloween Scene, The Girl Creative, Today's Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, New Nostalgia, Life as Lori, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Paisley Passions, Tales from Bloggeritaville, Its a Blog Party, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Its Fun to Craft, The Shabby Nest

Comments

[Sue]

Oh how creative and the pumpkin is still in tact so you can cut to eat after you are done with it as decoration. Beautiful.

[Gail]

Now these are awesome, very creative. I love them, they would be perfect in my rustic chic home.
Hugs
Gail

[Tamara]

Those turned out AMAZING! Very nice project

[Lori]

These are fabulous. I am so jealous that I was not there to do them with you and mom.

[Ginger]

Oooooh, just lov'n these!!! So cool looking...Thanks for linking up to The Halloween Scene!

[Amanda]

I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :)

Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/birch-pumpkins/

If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

[Sherrie]

What a fabulous idea. I am very impressed. I would keep these pumpkins up until christmas added with some pinecones and other natural elements. Just plain gorgeous. Thank you for sharing.

[Bridget]

Wow, these are sooo amazing! I've never seen pumpkins look so chic! Nice job! Love it!

[Stephanie]

Those pumpkins are beautiful! And I've got a birch tree outside just waiting for me!

I thought you might like another idea for birch bark... you can see a photo on my blog at
http://ledbytheshepherd.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/handmade-for-christmas/

I used birch bark on paperboard star ornaments for Christmas gifts last year. Very easy and turned out wonderfully.
God Bless,
Stephanie

[Ginger]

You have been featured at SSB for The Halloween Scene! Check it out at the link below:

http://superstinkyboys.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloween-scene-3.html

Be sure to snag my I was Featured button for you blog!

[Gay Vaughan]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful pumpkins with us! I have featured them in my wrap-up.
~Gay~
itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com