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Alexandra Bleicher<O:P>

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Harvest Wheat Centerpiece

Bring the beauty that is Fall into your home with this dramatic centerpiece. You can place this on your dining room table for holiday entertaining, or on a side table or mantle for a decorative accent.

Supplies:

2 pkgs. Blonde Wheat
1 pkg. Transparent Oak Leaves
1 pkg. Fall Eucalyptus
2 Chenille Stems, each cut in half (or use wire covered with floral tape)
4 Gourd Picks
2, 6" strands of ivy garland
3 Gifts From The Earth^TM Apples
1 pkg. Dried Salal (lemon leaves)
Glue Gun

Directions:

Separate wheat into two groups. Hold one group under wheat heads. Secure cluster with chenille stem to create a binding point. Repeat for other group.
Overlap the heads of the two wheat sheaf groupings. Use chenille stem to bind stems between wheat heads. (Remainder of wheat stems extends beyond other grouping's heads.)
Cut apart oak and salal leaves, creating clusters. Position atop and beneath the wheat sheaf. Place stems of the leaves into the binding points to secure. Glue if necessary.
Split eucalyptus in half. Place each group into a binding point, facing in the same direction as the wheat. Glue if necessary to secure.
Add salal in the same fashion.
Glue fruit to the wheat, leaves, and eucalyptus bundle. Apply glue directly to fruit and to stems of picks before inserting into centerpiece.
Add ivy bunches to top. Glue in place.

Tip:

When clustering wheat heads, be sure to twist chenille gently so wheat is not cut by the binding.

Harvest Time Scarecrow<O:P> </O:P>

By: Alexandra Bleicher<O:P> </O:P>

Finished size: 15 tall<O:P> </O:P>

Skill level: beginner<O:P> </O:P>

Crafting time: less than 2 hours, excluding drying time<O:P> </O:P>

This little fellow wont scare away your friends and family, but welcome them with his country charm. Hang him on your front door or in your entry. Few materials required; wooden pieces, fabric scraps, raffia, wire, fiberfill stuffing, hat and paint. Project is simple to paint with some dry brushed detailing. Material cost is under $10.00.<O:P> </O:P>

Materials<O:P> </O:P>

Wooden pieces: 2 x 5 ¾ wing banner; 2 ¾ disk or frozen juice can lid, *1/16 thick pieces: 7/8 teardrops, four (crow wings); 7/8 hearts, two (crow bodies); ¾ circles, three (crow heads and sunflower center); 7/8 ovals, twelve (flower petals)<O:P> </O:P>
5 straw hat<O:P> </O:P>
Raffia<O:P> </O:P>
19 gauge craft wire 30 length<O:P> </O:P>
¼ black satin ribbon, 12 length<O:P> </O:P>
Fabric scraps: 5 x 8 brown plaid, 5 x 10 light blue<O:P> </O:P>
Black fine tip permanent marker<O:P> </O:P>
Fiberfill stuffing, small amount<O:P> </O:P>
¼ black snaps, two<O:P> </O:P>
*Acrylic paint: Linen, Glazed Carrot, Burgundy, Licorice, Burnt Umber, Sunny Yellow, Buckskin Brown<O:P> </O:P>

*Forsters ® Woodsies and FolkArt® Acrylic paints by Plaid ® Enterprises were used for this project.<O:P> </O:P>

Supplies: scissors, glue gun and glue sticks, paintbrush, toothpick, paper plate, paper towel, pencil.<O:P> </O:P>

Instructions<O:P> </O:P>

Paint pieces as follows: banner Buckskin Brown, ovals Sunny Yellow, one small circle Buckskin Brown, large disk Linen and remaining pieces Licorice. Let dry. Dry brush banner edges with Linen.<O:P> </O:P>
Face. Using picture as guide dry brush cheeks on linen disk with Burgundy, paint triangular nose in Glazed Carrot and let dry. With black marker draw mouth, eyes and stitch lines around nose. Wrap a few strands of raffia around four fingers, remove loops and tie center with another piece of raffia knotting to secure. Cut lopped ends and glue knot to center top of face. Glue hat to top of head.<O:P> </O:P>
Hands and feet. Take one strand of raffia and wrap around two fingers, remove loops from fingers and tie one end with a small piece of raffia. Trim untied end. Repeat three more times. Set aside.<O:P> </O:P>
Top. Cut two ¾ 1 square patches from brown plaid fabric. Cut remainder into a 4 x 8 rectangle. Fold fabric piece with right side in and glue long sides together to form a tube, let cool. Turn tube right side out and stuff with fiberfill stuffing. Glue one hand, knotted side in to each end of tube. Cut two 3 lengths from raffia and tie sleeves. Glue to bottom back of face. Cut a 7 length from black ribbon, tie into a bow and glue to center front neckline.<O:P> </O:P>
Pants. With right sides together glue long sides of blue fabric, let cool. Turn tube right side out and stuff with fiberfill stuffing. Cut two 3 length of raffia. Glue one foot into each end of tube and tie with raffia. Bend pants into a 90o angle and secure with a dab of glue between legs. Hold in place while cooling. Glue one patch to each pant leg. Glue center top of pants to center bottom of top. Wrap remaining length of black ribbon around waist for belt, secure with glue.<O:P> </O:P>
Crows. Dry brush edges of all Licorice pieces with Buckskin Brown. Glue rounded end of two teardrops to pointy end of one heart, then glue one Licorice circle on top of teardrops. With Glazed Carrot paint beak and dot eyes with Wicker White, let dry. Use black marker to draw nostrils. Repeat with second crow. Glue one crow to right shoulder of scarecrow and second crow to left side of banner. Tie a length of raffia into a multi loop 1 ½ bow, glue below crow on banner for nest.<O:P> </O:P>
Sunflower. Dry brush edges of Buckskin Brown circle with Burnt Umber and edges of Sunny Yellow circles with Glazed Carrot. Glue petals all around circle and glue flower to right side of banner.<O:P> </O:P>
Hanger. Wrap one end of wire around left wrist of scarecrow. Loosely wrap the next 8 of wire around pencil to curl. Thread wire through left hole of banner. Now loosely wrap approx. 10 of wire around pencil to curl. Thread wire through hole on right side of banner. Curl remaining wire around pencil and wrap end around right wrist of scarecrow.<O:P> </O:P>
Finishing. With black marker write Harvest Time on center of banner. Wrap one end of wire around left wrist of scarecrow. Loosely wrap wire the next 8 of wire around pencil to curl. <O:P></O:P>

<O:P> </O:P>

Mabon Prosperity Candles

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By Patti Wigington, About.com

The Bounty of the Season

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In the Norse rune system, Fehu symbolizes prosperity, wealth and financial gain.

Image (c) Patti Wigington 2007

Mabon¹ is a time to be thankful for all the things we have -- a garden full of crops to pick, full apple trees in the orchards, and the bread we've been baking with the grain already harvested. Although this is a time of balance, it's also a time to look at what you have and be grateful for it. Celebrate the abundance of the harvest season by inviting prosperity into your life. These simple candles can be given as gifts, burned on your altar, or placed around the house to bring abundance your way.

You'll need the following items on your workspace before you begin:

An unscented candle in a harvest color -- yellow, orange, brown
Your choice of Money Oil² or essential oil of cinnamon, orange, or ginger
Something to inscribe the candle with -- a pencil, stylus, etc.
A pinch of dried basil, sage or dill

If you normally cast a circle³ or invoke Deity before a working, do so now. Using the stylus or pencil, inscribe your intent upon the candle. For example, if you need money to pay the bills, carve that on there. If you just want extra fun money, write that on the candle too. If you're not sure how much you need, you can use symbols of money such as the $ dollar sign or a runic symbol. In traditional runes, Fehu is the sign of prosperity (see image).

A Little Candle Magic

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Mabon is the perfect time to draw abundance into your life with a bit of simple candle magic.

Image (c) Patti Wigington 2007

Once you've completed your inscription, anoint the candle with the Money Oil. If you don't have Money Oil, use another essential oil that brings prosperity -- cinnamon, orange or ginger are all good to use. Focus your intent into the candle, drawing abundance to you. Rub a small amount of the dried basil, sage or dill -- all herbs connected with money -- into the oil. As you do, clearly visualize how you will be using the money that comes your way. Will you use it to pay off debt? Buy a new car? Take a class for personal growth?

Light the candle, and meditate on the flame. Continue focusing on your intent, and imagine it building, first as a small spark, and then growing into a large ball of light. Maintain this image as long as you can, and then release it into the candle flame. Make sure the candle is in a safe place so as not to be a fire hazard (a bowl of sand is perfect for this) and allow the candle to burn out on its own.

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