In Texas it’s hard to keep a jack o’ lantern looking fresh for very long. About an hour after carving the flies arrive and the heat starts to melt the pumpkin into a slump. Within a couple of days it’s caving in on itself in a sort of gelatinous lump. It dawned on me that pumpkins aren’t really a southern kind of thing so I looked around to see just what native fruit or veggie I could use as a substitute. In the grocery stores I came upon a mountain of Texas grown Ruby Red grapefruits which are as beautiful as they are delicious. Last year we had made little oil lamps out of our cast off orange rinds and this year I decided to bump it up a notch.

Lo and behold our Ruby Red, fresh from the Rio Grande Valley, grapefruit jack o’ lanterns.

Step 1:

Cut off the top of the grapefruit, in a similar manner to cutting off the top of a pumpkin.

Step 2:

Run a sharp paring knife along the inside of the grapefruit between the fruit and the rind. Go along the sides and the bottom too.

Step 3:

With a spoon, scoop out the insides as best you can. Put it in a bowl for your eating pleasure.

Step 4:

Put a small votive in and light or do steps 5-7

Step 5:

Using the tab from a soda can, tie a piece of wick around the middle of the tab leaving about a half inch of wick sticking up from the top.

Step 6:

Place the tab, wick up, in the bottom center of the grapefruit.

Step 7:

Pour in about an inch or so of vegetable oil or any other kind of cooking oil you might have handy.

Step 8:

Light and enjoy the show!

For these craft nights, everything needed to create is provided – the space, the materials, the tools and the scheduled time. Mamas just need bring themselves and a little wine or beer if so inclined. At the end, walk away, completed project and new ideas for life, living and the pursuit of happiness tucked safely in hand.

For the Fall season the Collective craft nights will focus on holiday crafts – advent calendars and greeting cards.  All craft nights will be from 7:15-10:00pm. $25.00 per night.*

• Saturday, November 7th: Advent Calendar This is a two-part workshop during which we will create an advent calendar to countdown to your family’s holiday of choice – be it Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Festivus or New Year’s Eve. Attend two workshop nights for completion as this project it will take 5-6 hours total. Mostly hand sewing with machine sewing optional. Another option is to come one night and finish up at home.
• Thursday, November 12th: Advent Calendar
  
• Saturday, November 14th: Advent Calendar
• Friday, November 20th: Holiday collage cards or Advent Calendar Bring family photos to create your own holiday greeting cards or skip the photos and make cards to send or give as gifts. Envelopes provided.Make cards to send or to give as gifts.
• Saturday, December 4th: Holiday collage cards or Advent Calendar completion
• Thursday, December 10th: Holiday collage cards
  
• Advent Calendars can be completed on any of the collage card nights with advance notice!
  

If you can email futurecraftcollective@gmail.com ahead of time and let me know you’ll be attending, that’d be great.  Register here with Paypal** if that makes things easier.

*If money is an issue, please let me know. I’d be happy to work something out.

**A nominal paypal fee is added to the price of admission.

And this month, just in time for Halloween, we present our Halloween t-shirt Trick or Treat bag. Check it out. Whip up a few and get ready for some free candy!

With that in mind I’m putting a few Collective Craft nights on the calendar between now and Thanksgiving – because we all know how the best laid plans for making during that time of year can get pushed aside if not claimed and calendared. We’ll have a few nights of holiday card making using family photos as the base for some very creative collage fun. We’ll have a 2 part craft night making Advent calendars – counting down to whatever your family celebrates that time of year, be it Christmas, Solstice, Hannukah, Festivus, the New Year or whatever.

Advent by Sarah Bork Hamilton

There’s also talk of a possible costume making craft night organized by a very amazing costume maker in town so stay tuned. And come back soon for dates and other important details. These craft nights have been super fun so far and I am really looking forward to hosting some more.

We’re back on Craftzine this season with a new collection of projects under the heading, Reduce, Reuse, Refashion. Our first project out the bag, (pun totally intended) is for these super cool, lightweight and breathable produce bags made from sports jerseys. Get on over there and check ‘em out. And while you’re at it, check out the newly revamped Craftzine site. Full of super crafty ideas for your itchin’ to craft fingers.

Last one was pretty fun. A bunch of mamas crafting, talking, sharing, having a drink and a crafty night out. This time we’ll be making Appreciation  Banners to up the appreciation ante in your home. These simply sweet banners will help you and your family focus on what’s working in your house thereby raising the gratitude all around.  So come craft with some other mamas, make something fun, drink a beer or a little wine and have a delightful mamas night out. BYOB. Everything else provided.

Where: Austin Amp 411 W. Monroe, Austin, TX 78704

When: Friday, October 2, 7:00-10:00 pm

What: Appreciation banners $30.00 per person or $50.00 for two

Why: Because you need a night out with some mama friends and why not make it a crafty one?

Who: Any mamas you know. Be they mamas in the literal sense or figuratively speaking. This is a fun project and can be applied to home, work or even presented as a gift to some family you know and love.

Email if you have questions. RSVP if you can. I’d appreciate it.

If you want to pay in advance, click here.

So Liz is having a big release party for her new book this coming Saturday at Austin’s Book People and she has asked Future Craft to participate!!! Kathie and I will be there to honor Liz’ latest and greatest picture book by way of a little Prayer/hope/wish flag making crafting. We’re scheming and dreaming up our vision for this honorable position thinking of colors and clouds and trees and all kinds of closely aligned images.

If you’re in Austin this coming Saturday and are up for a little party, a little crafting, and a reading and signing of what will surely become a classic, come to Book People at 11:30. We’ll see you there. We’ll be the ones with joyful tears in our eyes. Oh wait. That would be everyone who sees this book so nevermind on that.

In addition to working, I mean, um, volunteering at school, we’ve got a few good projects up our sleeves and we’re just now starting to once again don our Future Craft hats, and a few other hats we wear, and gear up for some fall fun.

Starting September 25th look for us on Craftzine with our new monthly “Reduce, Reuse, Refashion” projects. Each month we’ll be taking some item and refashioning it into something else. I’ll give you a hint for our September project. It has to do with football jerseys.

Kathie just finished up a weekend of Handmade Nation fun including a book signing and a showing of the film, featuring filmmaker Faythe Levine.

This Thursday, September 10th, I’ll be hosting the first Collective Craft Night from 7:30-10:00 pm. If you’re a lady looking for some crafting action, come on out and join us as I set the stage for a night of collage and card making.

We’ve also got a little writing project we’re working on, but that news will have to wait until we’re given the go ahead for a full blown release. We’re excited though!

If you’re in the market for an uber unique and amazing custom made personalized western shirt, you can always check out Kathie’s Ramonsterwear site. Her latest creations have been nothing short of jaw droppingly beautiful!

And finally, my other endeavor, Slow Family Living, has a few classes, workshops and fill-ups lined up for September and October. If you’ve a hankering to slow things down a bit on the home front and spend some intentional time connecting with your family, go check it out.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear what projects you’ve got lined up for fall…

We had half a dozen sewers on hand making yoga pants (the pattern for which you can find at this link) and tote bags out of t-shirts and revamping clothing into new and exciting fashions. As Lisa said, “They don’t know what’s not possible, so part of my job was making the impossible, possible.” And she was totally cool with that. Our machines were generously donated by Maurice at City Service Sewing Machines who loaned us 5 beautiful refurbished machines to use. They were/are available for sale so if anyone is seeking a good refurbished machine, contact me this week or visit Maurice at City Service Sewing Machine behind Cafe Mundi.

Our youngest sewer Zoe was working her own machine for HOURS on end, making bags, bags and more bags out of the many shirts that were brought her way. Way to go Zoe for making child labor look so good!

Our sorting crew was indefatiguable and sorted the hundred or more bags that came their way – sorting it by gender and size and sending it out to the appropriate piles. Amazing work girls!!! And I say girls because 80% of our crew were under the age of 15 and non-stop!

We extend big thanks too to Teresa Ponzoha, the Zilker Elementary school PE teacher who generously allowed us to invade her gymnasium just 2 days before the start of school. And to Mr. Thompson, the principal, who gave us access and set up the crew to get us in and out of the building.

So thanks to all who came. All who sorted, silk screened, sewed and swapped. Each role is integral and the beauty of it all coming together was like a well oiled machine. And thanks Leslie for these great pics…

Finally, thanks to Sweet Leaf tea for donating 5 cases of delicious iced tea for our amazing crew of volunteers. You certainly helped sweeten the pot!

For me and Kathie, this swap is like a dream come true. Everyone coming together, getting what they need, hanging out, sharing ideas, and piles and piles of second hand clothes. We might even make it bi-annual!

Remember too, if you want to run your own, we’ve got a tutorial here on our site.