Still Missing Fall...

A few more weeks of Autumn have passed and we are still missing it here in Okinawa.

The temperature here has started to drop a little bit,  but not enough to get that nice crisp Autumn chill.

There are no leaves changing to beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange

and none of them have fallen on the ground so we can hear them crunch under our feet

as we walk through the narrow streets of our neighborhood.

There are no pumpkin patches to wander around in.  There are no deer to hunt.

Oh to be back home and be able to enjoy this beautiful time of year.

We will be moved back by this time next year so I know we will be soaking up

all things "Fall" and relishing all the sights, smells, tastes, and activities that come along with it.

I was feeling crafty the other day and really wanted Emma to make 

a Fall/Thanksgiving decoration to hang up in place of the pumpkin she made for Halloween.

I looked to see what I had laying around the house to make this happen and 

the easiest Autumn tree ever is what I came up with.

Supplies:

- scissors

- brown paper bag

- Fall colored paint

- plastic grocery bag

- foam brush or paint brush

- masking tape (optional) 

- sticker letters (optional)

-  Mod Podge (optional)

The first thing I did was wad the plastic grocery bag up into a ball.

Since I was going to have Emma do the painting I taped the bag so it would stay wadded up.

If I were the one doing the painting I probably would have just left it.

I dumped a little bit of each color of paint onto a paper plate and then dabbed different parts

of the bag in each color.  Then it was as simple as letting Emma have at it.

(I turned the bag several times as she was painting so she would cover a greater area.)

I was originally planning on cutting a tree shape out of the bag once she was done, 

but in the end I thought her splotches were already in a great position so I just left it.

I just simply added the tree trunk.

Once the paint was dry I cut that side of the bag off and added

sticker letters to write "Happy Thanksgiving" across the top.

Finally, I put a thin coat of Mod Podge over the entire thing for a little bit of protection.

I absolutely love how this tree turned out and look forward to hanging it up year after year.

I personally think homemade decorations are much better than anything you can buy at a store

and I can't wait to add more Emma masterpieces to the great collection we are starting.