Archive for the ‘Halloween’ Category

Decorating with Crows

Friday, September 9th, 2011

There is definitely something to crow about at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop! Our fun selection of crow themed decor items will enliven your country home for the upcoming fall season.  These  intriguing black birds are a common sight across all of America. You might find them perched on fences or pestering farmers for their corn crops. Immortalized in poems, featured in paintings and songs, the crow is a fascinating avian addition to our landscapes.

Did you know that the crow is now one of the world’s most intelligent animals? They are able to comprehend the need and use for tools. Like us humans, this remarkable bird can solve problems with the use of tool making. For example, in a 2002 study, researches witnessed a crow bending a piece of wire to assist himself in making a hook, in order to grab a bucket of  food! Due to this fascinating behavior, some scientists believe it puts the crow’s intelligence level above that of the chimpanzee. Although being known throughout our history as filthy, scavenging birds who “squawk,”  there really is a lot more to the crow. Let Sturbridge show you with some of our best crows.

The warm scent of hot buttered maple, is found in our Crow Candle that makes your home smell cozy and warm. It’s generous size provides a long burn time, so you can enjoy a long-lasting tribute to the crow! Next we have our Our Family Tree Plaque, that showcases folk art at its best. The plaque would look lovely representing your family on any wall in your home. Other wall decor items you might like are the Old Crow Inn Clock and the Crow Bar Print. The clock, (featured above) is made with a distressed wood appearance, offering a vintage spin on crow themed decor. Hang in an entryway or kitchen to highlight its unique charm. The fun and clever Crow Bar Print, by artist Will Bulas, shows us a group of high flying friends cackling and sharing stories over a drink at the bar; definitely suitable for the home bar!

Our captivating Crow Candle Holder is a little bit folk art and a little bit country. The finely detailed, wooden crow provides a primitive accent to any tabletop or shelf. Perfect with our Forever Taper Candles, sold separately. If its the floor your looking to dress up, consider the Crow Star Jute Rug. Made of eco-friendly biodegradable jute, our Crow Star Jute Rug is both good for the environment and your home! Its striking design of a crow adds charm and distinction. Place it by the front door, near the sofa, or by the kitchen sink to really get to know your crow. Happy Decorating!

 

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Fall Family Fun – Outdoor Movie Night

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Colonial LanternsOutdoor movie nights in your own backyard can be a way to watch a great movie while enjoying the great outdoors. Here are a few ideas to turn your back yard into your own place to view that favorite movie. Invite friends and neighbors for some outdoor fun. Have the adults bring a lawn chair and the kids bring blankets to sit on the ground.

Option/Idea One: Simply take an extra T.V. and move it to the backyard in a suitable location for sitting or lying on a blanket. Or use a card table. If you have a small portable DVD player or an old VHS player, this will have to go out with the T.V.

A spare set of speakers to go along with the T.V. will make the experience even better. However, remember that not all of your neighbors may agree, so make sure the audio portion is appropriate.

Option/Idea Two: relocate a computer that plays DVDs. With the proliferation of flat-screen monitors they tend to be light and easy to move. A good solid table or stand are probably the main considerations so as to limit the exposure of your pricey computer system to the elements.

Sturbridge Braided RugFor those that have a laptop, consider locating the laptop and a decent viewable screen to the desired place in the backyard as laptops are portable and offer much more flexibility. A flat screen or standard T.V. may work depending on your laptop’s monitor output capabilities. Most modern laptops offer several options to put the screen on TV’s for photo viewing and that can be extended to allow DVD player software to be viewed as well.

Option/Idea Three: An overhead projector. If you don’t have one at home, you may be able to rent one. Connect a laptop or portable DVD player to the projector system on a table and prepare a surface for projecting the image. The best and quickest way to get the movie projected is to either shoot it onto the side of the house or strategically place a large white sheet in an appropriate place.

For a screen, here’s where you can get creative. A white or light surface is the desired area for any projection. Using a white sheet gives you limitless options. Throw a rope between two trees and drape the sheet or if your house is of a darker color, tape or secure the white sheet to the side of the house.

Make hot apple cider and kettle corn as snacks. Kettle corn is simple to make with popcorn kernels, sugar, oil and a dash of salt. Eating popcorn outside means no clean up!

Outdoor movie night can add excitement and make the ordinary a little more extra-ordinary. Kids love being outside and an outdoor movie could top off any movie night as well as make it special.

Copper Beverage TubPumpkin Gourd Candy Dish

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DIY Halloween Costumes

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

Mini Pumpkin LanternLet’s face it – Halloween can be expensive. Between decorations, candy, parties, and costumes, the cost can be, well, frightening! Let’s take a look at some of the most popular costumes for 2010 and see how we can re-create it at home, hopefully for less!

Babies
Of course you should not sacrifice safety for convenience when creating kids costumes.

  1. Pea In The Pod! Swaddle your baby in an emerald green blanket and add an emerald cap with a pom pom on the top.
  2. Baby Lobster Costume. Use a red ski cap, a red blanket, and red mittens for ‘claws’. Add a couple of pipe cleaners through the top of the cap for antennae.
  3. Yoda Baby Costume. Try a brown onesie, an oat-colored blanket, and a light green cap. You can cut ears out of felt and reinforce with pipe cleaner to attach to the cap.

Girls

  1. Hannah Montana. It’s all about purple and gold. Black leggings, black boots, a bangle bracelet and a microphone are the finishing touches.
  2. Avatar Neytiri Costume. This may be a little trickier. However, you may be able to convince your child to go for a long black braided wig and blue face paint to go with their jeans and sweatshirt. You can also get a jogging ‘under armor’ top at your sports shop in a pretty close Na’vi blue.

Boys

  1. Speaking of Avatar, Jake Sully will also be a popular costume this year. Use the same ideas as above and add khaki pants and a khaki safari shirt.
  2. The next Harry Potter movie will come out towards the end of 2010. Your old college robe, a dress shirt and tie, and some fake glasses may make this the easiest costume ever!

Trick or Treat WoolyWomen

  1. As much as we may hate to admit it, Jersey Shore is a runaway hit in the US. Entire offices are challenging each other to dress like Snooki. Fortunately a black bumped up wig and your shortest black dress will work. Feel free to bump up other areas as well for the full effect.
  2. Or, go the complete opposite way and dress like a nun. Use that college robe, a white turtleneck, and a yard of black cotton fabric for a wimple. Be sure to have a cross handy to fend off those Snookies!

Men

  1. Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater grabbed his 15 minutes of fame when he flipped out at work after a disagreement with an unruly passenger. A navy jacket with some felt striping at the cuffs over a dress shirt and tie will get you halfway there. The rest is all attitude.
  2. Star Trek is still very popular and easy to do. Most shops have the basic ensign shirt; you just need black pants and shoes.

Family
There are a wide variety of Toy Story costumes out there for adults and kids alike. Why not dress up as Woody and the gang together this year?

Hopefully you have a few ideas to get you started. Have a fun and safe Halloween!

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