Longer-Lasting, No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating for a Small Stoop

On his birthday last month, our little one desperately wanted to create a jack-o-lantern. Knowing full well that a hallowed-out pumpkin wouldn’t survive long under the fluctuating marine layer and beaming sun in our coastal town, we caved in and carved one.

The results were endearing, but — as expected — only lasted until October 1. 

After collecting and devouring a dozen Halloween books in recent days, our 4 year old was adamant about replacing the pumpkin. So we took a Tiny Adventure to a local farm / pumpkin patch, and selected a handful of funny little beauties to introduce to our small stoop. The agreement upon securing the batch was that they would be no-carve pumpkins, with the goal of them lasting longer.

We used the metal pumpkin glasses I found on Etsy years ago, along with a few other decorative facial features (made into stakes) that we found on-site at the farm.  

(Click here for the pup version, click here for various other characters.)

The results continue to make us giggle whenever we walk into our home. 

We’re not quite done yet. We intend to make a VOTE pumpkin, of course. See you at the polls, or at the ballot drop box, folks. Let’s vote in epic numbers — for the planet and for racial justice — so our voices cannot be ignored.

Tiny Adventures: Searching SoCal for Fall During the Pandemic

In need of some fresh air and a change of scenery, we took a tiny adventure to Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark (just outside of LA) this week.

We figured it would be a good way for our little one to stretch his legs while we sourced locally grown pumpkins and produce. 

We wore our masks, of course— not just to keep ourselves safer, but to help protect others.

We also adhered to social distancing protocols, and visited right when the farm opened to the public at 9am in order to avoid crowds and the heat. 

In order to both reduce waste and possible increased exposure to COVID, we toted our own snacks and beverages as usual.

We brought home a handful of funny lil’ pumpkins.

We’ll be decorating them in a no-carve way in order to extend their lifespan. (More on this in the following blog post.) 

When we arrived home, we were thrilled to discover our mail-in ballots in our post box. We’ll spend the week educating ourselves on the issues and candidates with which we’re unfamiliar. And in the days to come, we’ll also send out our Vote Forward letters to residents in swing states. After all, October is the new November. 

A Living, Over-the-Table Display of Fall Foliage for a Festive Occasion

Post Summary: How we created a space-saving, over-the-table canopy of real branches and flowers in celebration of the little one’s 4th birthday.

Time continues to boggle my mind— our little one turned 4 this week. 

I believe this was the first year that he really understood the concept of his birthday. But, of course, it’s also the first year in which a proper party was out of the question due to the pandemic. 

We pieced together a simple but festive celebration, replacing hugs with FaceTime calls (sigh), balloons with branches, wrapping paper with household linens (view more photos of this in last year’s birthday post), and a traditional cake with what I imagine must have been the world’s actual biggest donut.

Above: A child’s blanket designed by our friends, New Darlings, doubles as wrapping paper.

The birthday kid helped me create an arrangement of living fall foliage and sunflowers, which we picked up during a swift, masked visit to the flower market.

We used this adjustable, over-the-table system to frame the space-saving display.

What I appreciate about this design is that it consumes no tabletop inches, but instantly creates usable vertical space for a dynamic visual when paired with greenery, hanging lights, and/or decorative accents. 

I use zip ties sparingly, as they’re single-use plastic, but I admit to using a handful for this display.

We’d run out of floral wire, as Adam uses it to train the cherry tomatoes on the grow porch, and twine couldn’t support the larger branches.

So the zip ties came to the rescue, making the process faster and much more secure— helpful, given that a (4 year old!) child was actively participating in the creation process. 

An hour later, we had a cheerful little spot to quietly sing West a birthday song and attempt to make a dent in that enormous donut. 

It was the activity more than the finished product that my son clearly relished the most. Brushing each other’s hands as we reached for the same magnolia branch, our sincere deliberations about where to place the prized sunflowers, and our cartoon-like exclamations when parts of the arrangement tumbled off the rods and crashed to the floor before being properly secured. 

When the display dries out later this week, we’ll disassemble it together and tote the greenery to the compost and green bin via our fold-up wheelbarrow, which he loves to hitch a ride in once it’s empty. I vow to indulge him on every wobbly ride he requests— even when my back is sore and I’m behind on work. Time is boldly reminding me that my little one is swiftly becoming not-so-little, and that he won’t fit or delight in our sweet wheelbarrow rides forever.