Glittering Pumpkins!

Hello everyone! It's me, Inky!



This is my friend Meritaten (We call her Meri).



And this is my friend Coral! Today we're going to show you how to decorate pumpkins with glitter!



To begin, you're going to need some supplies. First of all, you'll need pumpkins! We bought ours at Trader Joe's, where they come in both orange and white. You'll also need glue, glitter, and a brush to apply the glue. Before you get started, put down some kraft paper on your table to catch the glitter. Ready? Let's get started!



Get out your paintbrush (a sponge brush works very well too!) and cover your pumpkin with glue. We used glittering glue, but any glue that dries clear is perfect.



Carefully cover the whole pumpkin. Any spots you miss will not have glitter on them.



Make sure you also cover the bottom!



Once your pumpkin is covered in glue you'll need to choose a glitter color. Any color will look great! Coral choose this lime green.



Shake your glitter over the pumpkin, being careful to cover every last bit. You will use a lot of glitter- don't worry! You can pour the excess back into the container when you're done.



See how Coral's pumpkin has a few spots where the glitter didn't completely cover the pumpkin? If you'd like, you can repaint these spots with glue and reglitter. Coral likes hers this way, so she's going to leave it.



You did it! You glittered a pumpkin!



I think Meri's looks especially nice- probably because she used orange glitter on an orange pumpkin, so no "mistakes" show through.



And that's how you glitter pumpkins!

Now that you're done, wipe the excess glitter from the kraft paper into your containers. Once you've done that, you can just roll up the whole kraft paper sheet and throw it away. Easy peasy!



After that, take the time to enjoy some Halloween treats. Yum! Happy Halloween everyone! Have you ever done a Halloween or Harvest craft?

In this entry I'm wearing:  white long sleeved tee from American Girl Place, orange Jiminees tee with iron-on graphic, jeans from American Girl Place, kitty ears from 2007 Kitty Cat Costume from American Girl.

Jamaica Bay with Summer

Whenever a guest visits from out of town, I try to bring her to one of my family's favorite places- Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Tonight, my family brought Summer there to go on a sunset hike. It was chilly, so we wore home-knit sweaters. I had my fingers crossed that we'd see some wildlife that Summer can't see back in Tucson.



We were lucky! As we walked up the path to the pond, we saw a raccoon climbing a tree! We stood very still, but the raccoon still saw us and ran away. After that, we stopped at a little bench to look the osprey platform, but the ospreys were not there.



Here's Summer in front of the pond at Jamaica Bay. The pond is a beautiful place where many different kinds of birds stop during their migrations. Usually the park is full of bird watchers, but tonight the sun was setting and they'd all gone home. We saw about 10 beautiful swans swimming in the water; they were so beautiful!



I love climbing on all the benches at Jamaica Bay. Summer was very patient and sat watching all the birds, but I couldn't keep myself from climbing all around! I was so happy to be wearing my green sweater for the first time- do you like it?



In this picture of me and Summer together, you can see Jamaica Bay behind us. Only a few feet separate the waters of the bay from the pond, but they are very different environments. Once when I was at Jamaica Bay, I saw a seagull opening clams! They do it by flying high into the air with a clam, then dropping it onto the rocks until it breaks. Seagulls are smart!



The sun sunk lower and lower until it was time for us to walk back to the parking lot. Can you see the lights in the background of this photo? The lights are on Far Rockaway, a community on the ocean shore. It was a wonderful, quiet trip to Jamaica Bay. I'm glad I got to take Summer to see one of my favorite places! Do you have a favorite place you like to bring friends when they visit? Where is it?

In this entry I'm wearing: corduroy pants by Liberty Jane, Janes shoes by A Bee Line, green tee by Dynamite Threads, sweater by SLT (pattern by Qute). 

Nutcracker Auditions!

Every Saturday morning, I have ballet class. Saturday morning ballet class is difficult- I have to wake up really early in order to get to class on time. The subway doesn't run as frequently on weekends, so I have to be prepared to wait for the train. This Saturday was special- after class, we had Nutcracker auditions! Since auditions were coming, you'd think class would be a bit more relaxed, but it was not. Even so, some girls wore their hair differently so that they'd look more unique at the audition.



I was feeling very nervous in my belly. I have been seriously thinking about leaving ballet, but I love performing in the Nutcracker. I decided that I would audition for a part and see what happened. My friend Coral is in my class this year and I knew she was really hoping to be in the ballet. If we were in it together, it would be a lot of fun! I tried very hard to concentrate during class, but I kept missing steps because I was thinking so hard about what part I might get (or not get). Luckily, the ballet mistress was very understanding.



Soon, the auditions began. All the kids sat on the floor of the studio, waiting their turns. Most of us sat with our class groups. I was proud to sit with my new level; we wear green leotards! There were still some girls in my old class, the pink level, that I recognized. I waved to them and they waved back. It doesn't matter that some of us are in different levels- anyone can audition for any part. You might not know this, but sometimes you get a part just because you are the right height!



Soon my name was called. I went up and danced my heart out. As soon as the ballet mistress asked to see me do a pas de chat, I knew my part- and I was right! I'm a polichinelle for the third year running! I don't mind, because I love being a polichinelle! Coral looked over at me and gave me a thumbs up. I know she was nervous at that point because polichinelles and candy canes (hoops) are the "best" parts for girls our ages. Still, I knew she really wanted to be a party girl, even though she's a bit old. Coral is short though, so she had a chance!



Finally, Coral was called up with Freyja Schultz. Freyja was the best dancer in our class until Coral came along. Freyja isn't Coral's biggest fan as a result. The both started to do a pas de chat when the ballet mistress called them to her. She patted them each on the head and said "These are our Maries!" Coral turned and looked at me with the biggest, happiest eyes! Marie is what our school calls the main girl's part- often called Clara! Wow!

Coral had clinched the best part in the entire ballet! Holy hotdogs! The ballet mistress quickly declared that Coral would be in the B cast, since it was her first year, and Freyja would be A cast. (Freyja was Marie last year too.) You could tell Freyja was upset that Coral got such a good part in only her first year at her school. I was so proud! Go Coral!!! The only downside is that I'm in the A cast this year, but that does mean that Coral and I can go see each other's performances. Wow! What a great end to a nerve-wracking audition! Have you ever performed in a ballet, play, or other performance? Did you get the part you wanted?

In this entry I'm wearing: green leotard with light blue edging by Dynamite Threads.  Tights and ballet shoes by American Girl.