Magic Tree House is a popular children's book series written by Mary Pope Osborne. It follows the adventures of a brother and sister, Jack and Annie, who discover a magical tree house filled with books that can transport them through time and space. In each book, Jack and Annie are taken on a different journey, visiting different places and historical periods. They could be exploring Ancient Egypt, visiting the dinosaurs, or even meeting famous historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci or Abraham Lincoln. The main idea of the Magic Tree House series is the power of imagination and the joy of reading. The tree house acts as a portal to different worlds, opening up a world of possibilities for Jack and Annie.
DIY Lighted Witch Hat (Grandin Road Inspired)
Years ago in a cold-and-dark-wintered land called Connecticut, my babes bought a trio of lighted grapevine cone trees from BJs Wholesale Club. For the next several holiday seasons, those glittering cone trees adorned various nooks and corners around The Navage Patch v1.0, indoors and out. At $50 for the trio, it was a bargain, and we got good use out of them, but after a time (and especially after displaying them indoors), they just became a glittery nuisance.
If there is one inviolable rule in the craftiverse, it is that glitter can, will, and must shed from wherever it is applied. There is no glue in the known universe that can hold it, no adhesive strong enough to contain the infinite power of a single speck of glitter. And when freed upon the world – whether onto a wood or carpeted floor or onto a hand or in the hair – there exists no vacuum powerful enough to inhale it nor any soap or surfactant powerful enough to draw it from the body.
So it was no surprise, really, when our glitter-encrusted triumvirate began divesting themselves of their tiny golden sparkles. By Winter Solstice, the glitter had spread throughout the house.
We endured the sparkling onslaught for the first few years, taking it all in stride. It was the Christmas season after all, and we were supposed to be brimming with good cheer and kind thoughts and goodwill towards all men, women and children.
But that glitter…
It just wouldn’t go away…
Good cheer turned to grumbling as we wrestled mightily with something so small, it didn’t have a measurable mass.
Finally, in our last winter in Connecticut, my babes had had enough and sentenced the offending cone trees to life in contractor bags until such time as she could think of some way to upcycle them.
And thus began their journey.
From Connecticut, they made their way south to Georgia where they continued to serve out their plastic-bound sentence.
And just recently, one of the three made its way from Georgia to Florida.
If there is one thing that amazes me about Handan (in fact there are many), it is her determination to pack and move…well, junk, not to put too fine a point on it, from city to city and state to state just because she knows she’ll eventually find a use for it!
Were it up to me, those three cones would be moldering in a Connecticut landfill right now. But it wasn’t up to me, and now we’ve got another cool upcycled project for you!
As happens at least once a year, my babes got her inspiration for this particular project from the Grandin Road Halloween Haven catalog. Sometime in July or early August, the first of many Halloween Haven catalogs appears in our mailbox, and Handan devours it from cover to cover. When she saw their Lighted Grapevine Witch Hat, she tore out the page and stuck it to the fridge with a yellow magnet advertising the many wonders of Abu Dhabi.
When the next Halloween Haven arrived, it had a different image of the same product. She tore that one and and hung it next to the previous one.
Long before we packed up Baris and shipped him off to Virginia Tech, my babes was showing me the plan out on our deck. I did a lot of head-nodding and general understanding. Cone trees and grapevine wreaths (of which we have many squirreled away from previous years) seemed to be the gist of it.
And I was gonna do it. I was gonna start.
But you know how it goes, madam! There was this thing and that thing oh and that other thing over there that demanded my full attention, and I just truly didn’t have a moment to spare for the glitter-infested cones!
Truth, madam, when we discovered we were moving, I breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Surely that meant that this sparkly boondoggle was DOA, and I wouldn’t have to worry about transporting all that glitter across state lines!
Indeed not. One of the cones and several grapevine wreath forms were (and I’m not making this up) among the very first items loaded into the U-Haul.
DIY Witch Legs (Grandin Road Inspired)
This is Handan’s favorite third of the year – the days and weeks from September through December.
From the first maple leaf to break ranks and turn red to the last sip of golden champagne on New Year’s Eve, Handan is the Energizer Squirrel, darting from this idea to that project to those things over there and OHMYGODSOMETHINGSHINY!
She runs rampant through fields of inspiration as ideas bloom like late-summer flowers.
The halls of the Navage Patch echo with her craft-induced babbling as she hits upon yet another project for Yours Truly.
It’s a good time for me to be outside, preferably behind the shed or lurking among the yellowing ferns.
Out of sight, out of mind, hehehe.
Alas, there’s no hiding from a hypercharged squirrel.
Just this past weekend, I was studying a fascinating wood-ear mushroom on the far edge of our property when I heard The Call.
I told myself it was just the wind rustling the oak leaves.
But there it was again.
Maybe a crow? Perhaps a raven? We have legions of both up here at the summit of Navage Patch hill. Just to be safe, I crouched a little lower, safely out of sight.
That was no crow – it was my wife! And she wanted me to do something.
I dropped the wood-ear and shuffled closer.
Yeesh, what a screech! Maybe it was a raven after all!
“Yes, my babes!” I said as I stepped out of the forest and into the yard.
She stood on our deck, illuminated by golden shafts of late afternoon sun.
I stopped a moment to take in the scene.
There, the pond – an oasis in green.
The house set against the deepest blue sky.
Wind in the trees, their rustling leaves joining the symphony of cicadas and falling water.
And my babes on the deck, bathed in ethereal light as she held out her hand to me.
What was that in her hand?
I broke my reverie and walked across the grass towards her.
Not a magazine. A catalog!
I should have known! T’was The Season of Selling, when every Decor slinger this side of Singapore turned acres of forestland into shiny, paginated testaments to the Almighty Dollar.
I looked closer still, but I already knew what I’d see.
Handan held the Grandin Road Halloween Catalog for 2019. Well, one of them, anyway. Grandin Road spits out catalogs like Turks spit out sunflower seeds. Seems we get a different Grandin Road Halloween Catalog every week!
Don’t believe me? Think I’m exaggerating? Here’s what a quick excavation of Handan’s sofa seat revealed.
And now you’re probably thinking, “Oh, you’re pulling my leg! Those must be three years of catalogs!”
To which I reply, “Madam, on my honor, those are all 2019 catalogs!”
(And I’d bet there are more on the way!)
But hey, as far as Halloween decor goes, Grandin Road is tough to beat – even I can see that! And their catalogs are eye candy to those of us who count the days until goblins and ghouls come out to play.
So anyway, there she was, my beautiful babes, standing in a pool of afternoon sunlight with a Grandin Road Halloween catalog in her out-thrust hand. She flicked her wrist, and the catalog spun open to page 50.
And then I understood my next project.
Witch legs in an urn.
Now, historically this would have been the point where I’d try to weasel out of it or start slinking back towards the woods, but not this time!
This time I grabbed the catalog, peered up at my squirrely wife and said, “Okay, my babes. Let’s do it!”
- 2 mannequin legs – we bought ours from Amazon.com as the price wasn’t outlandish.
- Orange & black striped over knee high socks
- A pair of black shoes or boots – we found ours in our local thrift store for $3.
- A medium sized urn or plastic cauldron – we used our old urn.
- Spanish moss
- Metal rods or bamboo stakes
The tree house acts as a portal to different worlds, opening up a world of possibilities for Jack and Annie. Through their journeys, they learn about history, different cultures, and the importance of friendship and bravery. The series is beloved by children around the world, as it combines adventure, mystery, and educational elements.
DIY Witch Legs Tutorial
Though we would have loved to find legs shaped exactly like the ones Grandin Road sells, the mannequin parts we found online only came straight with a slight bend at the knee.
But, hey, I could work with that!
When we received our box of legs, Handan tried to fit the boots on, but the shape of the foot didn’t allow for footwear. These witch legs were made for standing au naturale!
Not to be outfoxed by a pair of plastic gams, I took them downstairs and sawed off the forefoot.
They fit right into the boots.
Grandin Road’s witch legs look to have painted stockings, and that gives them a rather garish shine. Instead of painting them (which would have been way too complicated), we just bought orange and black stockings. They took all of a minute to put on, and they look more realistic.
These legs were almost as smooth and shapely as my own!
After the stockings came the boots, and then we took the legs out to our urn.
The urn had spent the summer by the pool growing a mélange of artisanal heirloom weeds. I probably could have sold those weeds at the farmers market to unsuspecting Millennials looking for some trendy new vegetables to post on Instagram.
Instead, I pulled the pretentious produce from the urn and tossed it over the fence. Let the foxes have it!
I carried the urn to the front portico where Handan gave it a quick clean with a damp rag.
To hold the leg upright, we used some random spare metal rods we found in the basement, but anything straight and stiff will do.
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking!
But no, I’m not talking about whiskey!
I pushed the rods into the dirt. There are rocks at the bottom of this urn to give it more weight, so the rods stuck firmly in.
Instead of filling the rest of the urn with dirt, I used mulch. I had a bag left over from my my summertime toilings, so I figured I’d use it to save on weight.
After filling the urn with mulch, I placed the legs on the rods.
Now our witch legs needed a sign. Handan had bought some dollar store seasonal signs a while back thinking she’d paint them and use them for something. We finally had our “something!”
I painted the sign black of course.
To letter the sign, we used our Cricut Maker and rose gold adhesive foil, though a painted stencil or hand lettering would work equally well.
For the hat, I traced the dollar store wooden hat with one of the weeding tools and then cut it out with scissors.
Then I peeled the hat and stuck it on the sign.
For the signpost I used one of the dozens of paint stir sticks we have hiding in every corner of the house. A little hot glue, and the sign was done.
Ta-da! I was thinking that I should actually tape this to the back of Handan’s sofa seat, but then I remembered how much I like sleeping in a bed. 😆
I brought the sign out and stuck it in the urn.
The final touch was to add some dried Spanish moss.
Just then, we realized the plain paint stick signpost called too much attention to itself, so we quickly painted it black. We liked it much better that way.
And that’s it! We staged the area with some funky pumpkins and a few broomsticks, and now we have a brilliant Halloween entryway!
In case you’re wondering how much the whole thing cost us: the legs were $51 and the sign was $1 (as we used leftover materials for the sign.)
So what do you think? Not too shabby considering we made it for less than half-price, right?
Before you leave, here are some more awesome Halloween prop ideas for you.
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Each book is filled with vivid descriptions and interesting facts that engage young readers and spark their curiosity. Jack and Annie are relatable characters that children can easily connect with. They are brave, curious, and always eager to explore new worlds. As they travel through time and space, they face challenges and solve puzzles, teaching children problem-solving skills and the importance of perseverance. Overall, the Magic Tree House series is a magical journey that encourages children to dream big, discover the world, and develop a love for reading. It ignites their imagination and teaches valuable life lessons along the way..
Reviews for "Traveling Through Time and Space with the Magic Tree House Series"
1. Samantha - 2/5 stars - I didn't enjoy the Magic Tree House Journey at all. The story felt overly simplistic and lacked depth. The characters were one-dimensional and the dialogue felt forced. Additionally, the pacing was off, with too much time spent on unnecessary details and not enough development of the plot. Overall, I found the book to be predictable and unengaging.
2. Benjamin - 1/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Magic Tree House Journey. The writing style was too juvenile for my taste and I found it hard to connect with the characters or the story. The plot felt rushed and underdeveloped, and I never felt fully immersed in the magical world. The book also lacked any significant twists or surprises, making it a tedious read for me.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for the Magic Tree House Journey, but it fell flat for me. The writing was simplistic and lacked the imaginative quality I was expecting. The story felt too formulaic and predictable, and I found myself losing interest quickly. The characters didn't have much depth and the dialogue felt uninspired. Overall, I was disappointed and won't be continuing with the series.