calendar | The CSI Project

Hi, everyone! I’m Catherine from Avery & Winslow. I blog about simple projects, personalized crafts, and ideas for creating with children. Thank you CSI girls for letting me share one of these simple, kid friendly projects during “orange week”! I have a six year old who starts asking “How many days until Halloween?” while I’m still trying to squeeze in beach trips and icy drinks on the back deck. To help me solve the whole “must do math quickly in my head to answer how many days until Halloween” dilemma, I made a Halloween countdown for our mantel. Want one for yours? Start with a plain tray. I found mine at the thrift store, but they are also available at the Dollar Tree. Use chalkboard spray paint to cover the front. Next, punch circles out of orange cardstock. The number that you need will depend on the size of your tray and circle punch. Nine fit nicely on my tray. Be sure to leave some space at the bottom (or top) for your countdown text. Give each circle a jack o’lantern face using a black marker. If you happen to have an adorable mini-me hanging out, be sure to hand him a marker and let him make a variety of happy, scary, and cute jack o’lanterns. Cut a 1.5” piece of green ribbon for each pumpkin. Fold the ribbon and attach to the back of a jack o’lantern with a brad. I found it easiest to use a teeny hole punch on the circle first and then on the doubled over ribbon, so that the brad slipped right through. Repeat until all pumpkins have a stem. Adhere the pumpkins to your tray. I used 1/8” thick sticky squares to elevate the pumpkins. Use chalk to keep track of your countdown. I wrote the text with brilliant chalk markers that little fingers can’t erase and let my son record the number with traditional chalk. If you don’t decorate for Halloween, make your circles out of autumn colors like mustard, rust (that's orange, too!), and cream. Add an olive ribbon to each pumpkin and display in a rustic frame. Thanks so much for checking out my tutorial! Hope you get a chance to add this crafty tray to your decor this year. ♥ Cath