Saturday, October 17, 2009

Tiny Pumpkin Patch Playset -- Cuteness Overload!!

We had so much fun creating this tiny pumpkin patch playset for our little friends (in this case, Calico Critters). Emily has been busy helping me make this, and then playing with it all day!

First, we made tiny pumpkin seed packets with some paper and flax seeds. Dog got to work planting the pumpkins right away.


Then, a tiny vine (yarn with some felt leaves) started to grow....


The first pumpkin appeared (An acorn with the cap removed, painted. Does it get any more frugal than that?), but it was green! At this point, Bunny started to become very impatient and declared that these pumpkins were taking forever to grow. Emily tried to distract him with things he likes to do, and that seemed to help pass the time.


Finally!! The pumpkins turned orange! Bunny and Dog set out to pick their pumpkins. Bunny, however, was quite particular about his pumpkins... "This one's too small. This one's too big..." They were both so excited to see so many pumpkins to choose from!


They went home, and made Jack-o-Lanterns.....


...and lots of pumpkin pie (an acorn cap filled with some felt)!



Note: If you plan on keeping your pumpkin playset for an extended period of time, roast the acorns in a slow oven first, be careful not to burn them.

So much fun!!!

27 comments:

Mark said...

Dear Valerie,

What are the odds that I will step on one of these (barefoot) in the middle of the night? I'm not sure if I am up to date with my acorn shots..

Love,
Mark

Christy Killoran said...

Now, this is definitely the cutest thing I have ever seen! How on earth do you think of these things?

Mark,
I think the odds are pretty good that you are going to step on one of those in the middle of the night. At least in our house you would! Good luck with that. Maybe Emily is better at picking up her toys/playthings than my children.

Rebecca said...

You are amazing :)

maryanne said...

adorable =)

Anna said...

So freakin' adorable. I'm impressed time and again by your creativity.

Anna said...

So freakin' adorable. I'm impressed time and again by your creativity.

Mandy said...

that's just ridiculous it's so cute. i would love to get donut some calico critters... she doesn't have any girl toys for the most part. i wonder if i could find a bunch of them used on ebay!

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

That is really cute!!

Imene said...

This is so awesome. Really amazing

Elizabeth said...

Oh my goodness, this is so cute! We just got a bunch of acorns and slow-roasted them (although I'm not sure if I slow-roasted them properly...how did you do it?) The plan was to turn them into pumpkins, but now I'm totally going to copy this. What a fabulous idea!!

Elizabeth

momandkiddo said...

I am having a hard time processing how incredibly cute this it. I have always loved the miniature and those pumpkin pies, oh my goodness!

Valerie @ Inner Child Fun said...

@ Elizabeth -- 250 degrees for about an hour will do the trick. Also, we found the best way to coat the acorns was to dip them in orange paint, instead of brushing the paint on. Hope this helps, it's so much fun!!

♥ meninheira ♥ said...

Pero qué cosa tan dulce! :)

Petula said...

That's so cute. Where do you store all of these little things? Is there a Princess and the Pea and a pumpkin patch box. :)

Jenny said...

That is the cutest thing I've ever seen!

I'm glad my daughter didn't see this or she'd have me working on one right now!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Oh my. This is almost more cuteness than I can take so early in the morning. I LOVE it! You are so creative. Those vines are fabulous.

Val in the Rose Garden said...

OMG... I have not been here in far too long. This is completely adorable! Cyan has a doll house that I do this type of stuff with quite a bit. We make pumpkins out of flower husks... but acorns are a GREAT idea! I will have to keep that in mind for the future doll house gardens.

Love Val

Mama King said...

You really make the most with your alone time with Emily. I can imagine the two of you hatching the plan and then executing all the while having so much fun.

urban craft said...

Everything is always so imaginative with you! I adore that patch. I feel like reading your blog makes me a better mom, cause one day I can use your inspirations to help foster creativity in my own child.

Valerie @ Inner Child Fun said...

@ Rachel -- I tried to warn you! Hee hee! So happy you'll be linking.. thank you!

Valerie @ Inner Child Fun said...

@ Val in the Rose Garden -- Pumpkins from flower husks sounds super-cute too!

@ urban craft -- Wow, your comment just made my day! That is so awesome, thank you!!

Taking Time said...

How sweet! I love this!

Mama Rose said...

What an adorable playset! I really love the action shots of the little "friends" :D
Too cute!!

jennwa said...

That is super cute and looks like fun to play with.

Thanks for linking.

Laura Bray said...

That's so cute. I love the vines and seed packets and the story! You can also make pie using bottle caps. Here's a photo of my pies: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katydiddes/2974743869/in/set-72157608393398855/

Anonymous said...

this is just TOOOOOO cute - especially since we have Calico Critters here and my DD plays with them everyday.

I'd better get to work, LOL!!

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

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