I’m signed up for a bazillion classes right now. Currently I’m enrolled in an online photography class taught by Candice Stringham called “Oh Shoot.” Candice is an amazing and cute teacher. Unfortunately, I really stink at using my digital camera. I’m not sure if there is any hope… You all know that I hire professional photographers to shoot my parties, right? Right? The really bad photos on my blog are mine. Luckily I’m signed up for 3 more photography classes over the next few months (these ones are more hands on) but I’ll tell you more about those later. Did I mention that her class sold out in less than three hours? People from all over the world are signed up.

Do you hate leftover Halloween candy as much as I do? I mean, really, do my kids need that much sugar? I read about this idea before I was ever married and I’ve been using it since my oldest child could understand the concept. The Great Pumpkin comes on Halloween night, takes the candy that kids put out for him, and leaves a present in its place.

Here’s the scene. On Halloween night I get my kids dressed up in their costumes, make them eat dinner, and then either my husband or I takes them out trick-or-treating. It’s always cold here in October, so they don’t stay out too long. My kids walk into the living room, dump their candy onto the floor and check out their loot. I let them eat as much candy as they want. I let them keep all of the non-candy items. And then they willingly put their uneaten candy back into their trick-or-treat bag and put it on the kitchen table. They don’t have to do this–it’s purely voluntary. But they know that if they leave their candy out, if they can part with the mini sized candy bars and endless rolls of smarties, there will be a cool present waiting for them when they wake up. The Great Pumpkin then comes sometime during the night and takes all of the candy out to the car to be taken to work the next day. Much like Santa, he then leaves a gift for each child.

Why I love this:

1. I don’t need all of that candy lying around my house and I certainly don’t want my kids to eat it. I know, I sound like the bah-humbug of Halloween. I’m not. All four of my kids get to choose if they want to participate. Every year every single one gives up their candy.
2. I don’t have to fight with my kids over getting rid of the candy.
3. I really love Christmas and since it’s still 2 months away, I love the chance to give my kids a quick present to tide us all over through the holiday season. I know, it’s contradictory. I don’t care.

I’m posting this early in the month so that you’ll have time to think about this, an opportunity to introduce the concept to your kids, and a chance to purchase a Great Pumpkin gift for whoever wants to participate. Let me know if you’re going to give it a try.

I have such a fun weekend planned–all starting tomorrow! It’s packed full of so much craftiness. The amazing & super sweet photographer Nicole Hill Gerulat and her awesome crew are putting on The Art Weekend. I’m signed up for 5 classes: Floral Arranging, Photo 101, and Tabletop Photography on Thursday. And on Friday I’m taking Screenprinting and Bookbinding. Nicole has rounded up so many fabulous teachers that I wish I could take MORE classes.

Unfortunately Spark the Event is also this weekend. (Our fair state never has cool stuff like this. Why oh why did they both have to be the same weekend?) Anyway, I am overlapping classes a little bit on Friday so I’ll be hurrying back and forth between the two (luckily both events are in downtown Salt Lake City). Hosted by the darling & talented Rhonna Farrer, Margie Romney-Aslett, Jefra Linn, and Elizabeth Kartchner, Spark is going to be a once in a lifetime experience. They have rented out the historic monument site This Is The Place that is full of cool old buildings. It is Utah history to a tee. They are offering a bunch of mini classes on Friday. And on Saturday, there is a fabrics class, jewelry class, photography class, and a paper crafting/journaling class. I’m even making a weekend of it and staying in a hotel in the city to save on driving time. Anyone else going to one or both events?

Do you ever see those cute flower bunches at Costco or at an outside market? What do you do with them once you get home? I usually take my bouquet and cut off the ends and put them in a vase. I fool myself into believing that they are “wild” and “naturally” arranged. That they look good like that. Um, no. They don’t. I recently took two different floral arranging classes from two completely opposite teachers. One from an extension program through a local university and one at the Art Weekend that I recently attended. The first teacher was an old school, east coast professor type and the other was a hip, self taught wedding florist. I liked them both. And I will admit that with taking just two basic classes, I feel confident that I can now turn a simple bunch of flowers into a decent arrangement. Don’t get me wrong, flower arranging is a total skill that takes time to master. And I’d always prefer to have a pro do it for me. But in the comfort of my own home, surrounded by my four adoring kids who basically think everything I do is genius (they’re still young, okay?) I definitely have enough confidence to make some centerpieces for us. This is a fun and relatively inexpensive hobby and I would recommend a class like these to anyone. Did you see that Jane Packer has classes in NYC? Good thing I know a cool brother with an apartment there… And sometimes Eddie Ross will post a floral arranging class taught by him. I love Eddie Ross. Oh, and p.s. telling a professional florist that you buy flowers at Costco and just trim the ends and then throw the whole thing into a random vase is like telling your photography teacher that you always shoot on auto. They look at you horror stricken. Horror stricken, like you just admitted to a horrible crime. So if you find yourself in a similar situation, keep that little bit of info to yourself.

Three things that I learned:

1. Don’t make your arrangements too tall or else people will move them off of the table. Both instructors mentioned this.
2. Choose your vase and THEN find flowers that will look good in it. Interesting, since I always do the opposite.
3. Put your greens in first in a nice even distribution. No, put your greens in last to fill in the holes. Some contradiction between the two teachers, so either way is fine, I say.

Okay, I totally arranged both of these centerpieces. (Keep in mind that I didn’t get to choose the flowers, they were provided at the classes, so don’t judge.) And my photography is improving too, right?

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