Aunt Elizabeth describes her European childhood and shows you some interesting crafts to add to your fall frolicking....

I will let you know now that Halloween is not celebrated at all in Hungary. That was something that we understood to be celebrated in Britain, the United States, and other such Western countries. In Eastern Europe, we celebrate the Day of the Dead on November 1st. It is a much more serious holiday than Halloween; maybe they are opposite sides of the same coin in the view of death.

Nevertheless, the fall season was a very tradition-oriented time when I was growing up. The fall harvest meant plenty of work cooking, canning and storing the wonderful fruits and vegetables from the Earth. People often gathered for supper, and story-telling, and there was a great sense of community amongst neighbors. Everyone was always welcome for a little hot coffee, a little wine, and a nice game of cards.

My father was a big fan of cooked pumpkin. There, the pumpkin was very sweet, almost like a yam, so that you didn't need to sweeten it with anything.I think he would have eaten it every day if he could (for more on pumpkin cuisine, click HERE).

The colder temperatures also meant that you were much more confined to the house and, as a young lady, this was the perfect time to learn--or perfect--skills like embroidery, sewing, knitting, and other craft making. My mother was very good at all of these, and it was always good to pass this knowledge along in crafting. Even today, I think much of this knowledge translates well to Halloween merry making.

It is a shame, I think, that so much modernization leads to so much busy-ness amongst young people; they have little time to learn such skills. Handiwork was always a way for me to relax and challenge my own cleverness in making beautiful things. More importantly, in my era there were barely any huge stores, as there are now, so that sometimes you had little choice but to sew and knit your own clothes and make your own food. Plastic toys, microwave food and designer clothes were non-existant.

Thankfully I think that now, slowly, there is a new curiosity in these old fashioned skills. And, of course, creating things is fun.

While some projects can be quite complicated, they are also rewarding. I have included a few that are somewhat involved, and not too complicated and, of course, fit into the Halloween tradition. The good thing, especially now, is that many manufacturers are making products that appear vintage and handmade, so that you don't necessarily have to wear yourself out making so many things. A nice combination of these might just be the perfect solution for your enchanted Halloween home!

PROJECT #1
"OLD TIME CARD" aka Perfect Potato Press
This is one of those types of projects that I have come to call an EverObject. That is a sort of slang for a piece of handi-work that could be used in various ways. You can use it for whatEVER you wanted. This old time card is really simple and elegant. And it doesnt take long to make. There was a time when rubber stamps weren't available, so to be ingenius, one could use potatoes. They are sturdy enough...and this project sort of reminds one of the apple-head dolls of early Americana. Of course, if you start to get impatient, you could always stick to regular stamp tools. You can use the cards as place cards, and invitations, or as a halloween ornament.
What you'll need:
* Thick orange stock paper
* Pencil
* Scrapbooking scissors with wavy, scroll, or other unusual blades
* A large cup, a wide mouth jar, or a jar lid
* 1 large potato, washed, and dried AND/OR
* Halloween stamps with black or gold/metallic ink AND/OR
* Halloween Stickers
* Needle large enough to hold a ribbon or thick thread

1. Place the cup upside down on top of a sheet of the stock paper, and draw the outline of the circumference of the cup LIGHTLYonto the paper. You may create various circle sizes using large mouth jars or lids, if you wish.

2. Using the scrapbook scissors, slowly cut around the lines--this creates an intricate edge, and definitely beats trying to do it byhand!

3. When you have finished making your fancy circles, begin your "potato stamp". Take a large potato, and cut in half

4.With a sharp knife, begin cutting your design, or "die"...the best for these are large, blocky images, such as the black cat we are carving. Cut the potato away around the design edges, until you only have the design left.

5. Dry the design area with a paper towel. Apply a think amount of craft paint onto the surface of your design. If you absolutely must, use the stamp on an ink pad.

6. Before you apply your design onto the circle, test it on a scrap of your circle material. Once you are satisfied with the results, make your final stamp onto the circle (you may need to reapply the ink to your potato stamp at this point).

7. Stamp the circle with on firm, fluid motion. Release after a moment of pressure. You should have a "ghostly" intricate pattern in the circle.

8. Once the design has been applied, wait a few moments to be sure it's dry. Then take a the needle that either has embroidery thread or a small ribbon, and gently sew a hole through the top. Once the needle is on the other side, remove it and tie the two ends of your thread together.

There you have it! Your very own Halloween ornament!

CITYSTYLE: for those of you who don't have the time or patience for the sponge technique...the "cityfied" version:
* Use a stamp with black, purple or metallic inks. Lighter color inks will not show well on the orange paper.
* Stickers are perhaps the easiest way to add images to your orange "canvas".

OTHER IDEAS: Fun alternatives for your Everyobject project
* Instead of sewing through the top of your circle...leave it and use the back of the design to write on, as an invitation.
* To create a cute placeholder, simply take colorful markers, or a calligraphy pen and write each guest's name at the top of the circle.
* Fortune teller: write each person's name in the front, and an interesting or cute "fortune" on the back, based on what you know about each guest.

UP NEXT: KITCHEN WITCH FABRIC PROJECT!