Category: Lane and Lauren’s World

Activities · Lane and Lauren's World

Halloween Pumpkin Craft!

Lane & Lauren2 Comments

It’s October 31st, everyone!  While Lane and Lauren are getting pumped up to hit the sidewalks as a unicorn and kitty tonight, I am finally getting around to sharing this super cute pumpkin craft we made last week.  These fun yarn Jack-o-Lanterns are pretty easy to create, but they did take a few days to complete, as we needed a lot of drying time for glue overload!

What you’ll need:

  • Balloons
  • Clear glue  (pour a good amount into small paper bowls).
  • Orange yarn
  • Green and black fuzzy sticks (I still call them pipecleaners!)
  • Googly eyes!

Start by blowing up balloons to your desired size.  Hint: the larger the balloon, the longer this craft will take!  So, if you have very young children with shorter attention spans, you may want to stay on the smaller size.

Next, cut your yarn into long, but manageable strands.  You’ll need a lot!  Then, dip individual strands into your bowl of clear glue.  Carefully wrap the yarn around your balloon.  Repeat until your balloon is substantially covered with yarn, and almost looks basket-like.  Lane was really soaking her yarn in the glue, so be sure to work on a protected surface.


Once you’re happy with the look of your “pumpkin,” allow substantial time to dry.  Our yarn balloons actually took a couple of days to dry, as the girls used a TON of glue, and we had to rotate the balloons to allow all parts exposure to dry.

When your yarn has dried completely, it’s time to deflate your balloon!

Don’t expect a satisfying POP!, though. We deflated really carefully to avoid damaging the delicate hardened yarn. I cut a small hole near the knot on the balloon, and we watched as the balloon slowly deflated within the yarn. You may need to gently press the balloon through the holes to help push all the air out. 

The girls’ tutorial 😍: 

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The results looked like this:


Finally, it’s time to decorate!  Green fuzzy sticks can be shaped into a stem, and googly eyes are strategically placed and secured with hot glue (the girls showed me EXACTLY where to apply the glue for optimal eye placement!).  The black fuzzy sticks can be used in so many ways:  to create a creepy spider for your pumpkin, a Jack-o-Lantern mouth, etc.  Lauren decided her pumpkin would be an “eyeball pumpkin” and opted against giving it a mouth.  🙂  Here are some photos of our finished products!
Fall pumpkin craft - www.laneandlauren.com

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Fall pumpkin craft - www.laneandlauren.com

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Fall pumpkin craft - www.laneandlauren.com
We’d love to see any Halloween or fall-themed crafts you guys tried this year.  Please share in the comments!  Have fun trick-or-treating tonight!

 

 

 

Lane · Lane and Lauren's World · Lauren

Lane and Lauren’s World is on YouTube!

Lane & Lauren2 Comments

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Toy reviews, unboxings, movie trailers, cake decorating tutorials, even watching other kids play (!?)… the girls love them some YouTubeKids.  As opposed as I am to overdoing the screen time, we do allow the girls restricted tablet time – and it’s given them plenty of ideas!  Lane has been begging for ages to start a YouTube channel, and with some extra time on my hands this summer, I’ve finally given in.  They are absolutely thrilled to present their new channel, Lane and Lauren’s World!

Please take it easy on me – I’m new at this stuff, so our first two videos include glimpses of my thumb and some choppy editing… but we’re just getting started!  Our first video features the girls opening Hatchimals CollEGGtibles blind bags (and we’re even giving away a free blind bag to a lucky viewer – just “like” the video, subscribe to their channel, and leave a comment to enter!) and the second video is a read-aloud of one of Lane’s kindergarten summer reading titles “Today I Will Fly,” by Mo Willems.

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The girls are already planning their next few videos, so expect to see more read-alouds in addition to princess fashion shows, day trips with the family, toy reviews, fun activities, and dance-offs!   YouTube Kids has changed its policies, so new channels need 100 subscribers before they can register a custom URL, so it would really help us out if you could subscribe and spread the word to any toy-obsessed princess fanatics you may know and love.  Or, you could just share with fellow tired moms who need a few minutes to make dinner or pick up the kitchen without interruption!

CLICK HERE to check out Lane and Lauren’s debut episodes and please subscribe and enter our Hatchimals giveaway!  We’d also love some suggestions and ideas about books or toys you’d like to see the girls review!  Share your comments here or over on their YouTube channel.

xo