Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Til Death Do Us Part Couples Shower Candles


 Happy Halloween all! Hope those of you with Trick or Treaters are prepared for tonight. We are winging it. We have no idea if we'll get any at all but I was a Girl Scout so I'm prepared with candy ( my favorites just in case no one shows!).

My BFF just threw an amazing couples shower for "our" daughter and future son-in-law. The inside joke is that I'm her "real" mom because we tend to like a lot of the same things, and those things are very different from what my BFF tends to like. We all converge around Harry Potter!  Since we were pregnant together, there's always been a connection there.

The wedding isn't until January but "our" daughter LOVES Halloween and all things skully and gothic so October was the perfect time for the shower.

Supplies:

  • Plain Prayer Candles (Dollar Tree)
  • Black Vinyl ( I used Cricut Glossy Black)
  • Skull Image ( downloaded from Silhouette online store)
  • Decorative Paper ( I had this in my stash)
  • Washi Tape (also stash)


Tip: if you need Dollar Tree items in a specific quantity and don't want to risk your store not having enough, you can order online and have sent to your store for you to pickup. I had a little hiccup with mine but it's the first time it's happened and luckily the store still had the 20 candles I needed.



I wrapped the bottom of 10 with the silver paper and 10 with the black and silver paper.




I used a strong double sided tape to adhere. I had some coordinating washi tape in my stash so I used it with the silver paper. 

My images were busy  cutting on my Cameo while I was wrapping the candles. Once they were cut, the fun began: weeding. Not my favorite part of vinyl, but oh so necessary! 


Weeding As Art ! These are all my little scraps removed from the images. 



Once the weeding was complete and the transfer tape applied, applying the images to the candles was easy peasy.  My BFF was so happy with them and they went perfectly with how she'd decorated for the shower. 



Monday, October 29, 2018

DIY Felt and Zipper Bat Collar


I think I love dressing up at Halloween as an adult almost more than I did as a kid. We had some "Halloweekend" fun at some local festivities in our new hometown and I wanted to make sure I was dressed for the occasion so I whipped together an ensemble using a mini Jack Skellington themed top hat I picked up on a trip to Disneyland. I'm showing the basics of the collar here but I finished my ensemble off with a zipper ring and skull earrings. 

Supplies: (I had everything in my stash which made things even better!)
  • Felt
  • Flat Backed Rhinestones
  • Beads
  • Zipper
  • Glue ( I love love love Beacon 3 In 1)
  • Old Broken Jewelry


I wasn't going for perfection so I freehand drew a bat themed template on a piece of scrap paper to use as my pattern. Cut two of these from black felt. Set one aside. 


Cut both ends of a black zipper off so you have two sides. Set one aside. Measure along each side and down the middle as shown  and sew ( I just did a hand stitch) your zipper to the felt. 


I will pick up jewelry pieces when they're on sale or at thrift shops etc. because sometimes it's cheaper than buying actual supplies. These were a pair of chandelier earrings that had additional dangles I used for a different project. I found these at Top Shop for $2!  I sewed these on either side of the middle zipper as shown. 


The rest I just kind of winged. I had some clear rhinestones I glued to each side and did a little bead embroidery with gunmetal and white seed beads. I finished the top of the collar with other silver beads in my stash.  When you're done with your collar top, grab the other piece of felt that was set aside and some scrap ribbon. Sandwich the ribbon between the two pieces of felt and glue using either hot glue or as mentioned above I love Beacon 3 In 1 glue. It holds and is water proof if (not that I plan on getting this wet). 


Of course, "makers gonna make" right? I had that other side of zipper sitting there staring at me. Oh hey I could make a rosette or something! I was thinking pin but thought nah , I want the collar to stand alone. How about a ring? OK! Found a ring blank in my stash. Did a spiral rosette with the zipper. Glued to the ring. Easy peasy! 



I already had a pair of skull themed earrings I made for a different occasion. They went perfectly with my look! 


I'd made these to wear to a fun "Til Death Do Us Part" bachelorette party and shower for my BFF's daughter. 


I was really humbled by the compliments I got because we were at a few artisan markets and galleries this weekend and what creative person doesn't feel validated when other artists compliment you on your work? !

Who says Halloween's just for kids? Where's my candy? Chocolate, of course!



Thursday, October 25, 2018

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve all and can you believe a week from now, we'll all be recovering from our Halloween candy comas? We're not sure whether we'll get any or many Trick or Treaters yet so stocking up just in case.

Let's see some ideas from last week's party. 


One of my favorite rides at Disneyland is The Haunted Mansion. We've been lucky to be there when it's decorated for Halloween which is a sight to see!  Bring a little Disney into your decor with this DIY Haunted Mansion Door Sign from DIY Party Mom


It's not to late to whip up a little magic under glass like this "No Snow" Halloween Snow Globe from Artsy VaVa


Since we'll quickly be changing out Halloween decor for Fall / Thanksgiving, I love this Leather Leaf Garland from Shoppe No. 5


Finally, I adore this Buffalo Check Drum Shade from Faeries and Fauna. Isn't there just something about buffalo check? 

Now let's see what you've all been up to this week!

   
   

Monday, October 22, 2018

2018 Halloween Cards Gothic Grey Gold and Purple


Michaels Recollections collections continue to make my card making life easy! I 

I fell in love with these papers the instant I saw them. The colors and designs were perfect for my more gothic Halloween style, and the fact that they were already foiled left me with not a lot to do. 

I was also thrilled that it happened to be when the focal papers and washi tape were 50% off AND on a day when I had an extra 20% off coupon on my phone. 


I knew I had coordinating papers in my stash at home since I tend towards similar styles and colors. I couldn't wait to get home to start playing! With sale and coupons, my cost for the new materials was $5.99!  

Supplies: 

New: 
  • Recollections Halloween Cards stack, 24 double sided sheets
  • Recollections Moonlit Manor Paper Pack, 24 sheets
  • Recollections Foiled and Spider Washi Tape

Stash:
  • Black and White Cover Stock (Recollections)
  • Gold Foil Paper (Recollections)
  • Black Kraft and Gold Foiled Stack ( This was a Michaels "Hot Buy" when they have 12x12 Stacks for $5)
  • Misc. Embellishments
  • ATG  Tape Gun and Tape

The cards are all 5 x 7, trimmed from 8.5 x 11 sheets, and then scored using a scoring board. I selected sheets and trimmed panels of the Kraft Black and Gold foiled papers measuring 4.75 x 6.75 ; trimmed panels of the Halloween Cards stack and layered onto the gold foil paper and attached to cards as shown. 




I had some gold Halloween themed word stickers in my stash so I mounted those on scraps of cardstock and mounted to the cards with foam tape. To embellish I used the washi tape, and Stickles Glitter Glue. 







Thursday, October 18, 2018

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve all! Hope you've survived the week. I have, barely, but fortunately taking tomorrow off and told my day job to lose my cell number. 

Let's see some projects from last week's party! 


I am a total coffee queen. So this coffee tray from Lisa at Fresh Vintage by Lisa S definitely caught my eye! Love!


If you've seen teal pumpkins in the stores it's not just because it's a fun color to play with . Teal pumpkins let your Trick or Treaters know that you have non-food options available to them. This is a very important thing for those with food allergies and makes Halloween more inclusive for children who have them. Learn more and check out these ideas at Kippi At Home


Do you have something on hand that you would love to make into something else? Using a mold is an easy way to do that. Sheri, from Hazel and Gold Designs shows you how to use a silicone putty to do just that! 


Finally, how cute are these Spiderweb Cookies from Family Cookie Recipes

Now, let's see what you've been up to this week! 

   
   

Thursday, October 11, 2018

BFF Open House Link Party


Well, it's been one of those weeks so no features unfortunately. But Happy Friday Eve all and hope you've had a less stressful one than I have!! If any of you Chocoholics are in the path of the current hurricane, I hope you and yours are safe!! 

Let's party! 

   
   

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Adventures In Paint Pouring, A Beginner's Journey: Dirty Pouring


My fascination ( obsession? ) with paint pouring continues. I am hooked on this! No two pieces are alike and watching the paints as they interact is hypnotizing and meditative. Seriously, I had a really bad day last week and doing some paint pouring completely changed my mood. 

What's that picture at the top? It's actually the inside of the cup I used for this technique called a "dirty pour". 

My simplified explanation of the dirty pour is you layer your paints in the cup vs a clean pour where you pour each color individually. In either process you need to mix each  paint color in its own cup. 

Supplies: 
  • Surface to paint. I used an Artist Panel ( aka a piece of wood they get to charge more for) 
  • Paints and flow additive
  • Cups 
  • Stir sticks
  • Paper towels or rags
  • Lots of stuff to cover your work surface



I got out some paint colors to play with. I had someone in mind for this if it turned out OK and I didn't have to smash it with a hammer, so I went with her colors. 

For my first couple of pours, I used Liquitex Pouring Medium, but at $16.99 a bottle ( before 50% off with an additional 20% off total purchase coupon from Michaels) that's going to get a little pricey while I learn how to paint pour. I'd seen something called "Floetrol" mentioned as a good alternative. This is available at the HW store. I went looking for it but they only had a bigger size than I wanted to get (because what am I going to do with it if this piece turns out hideously ugly and the aforementioned hammer smashing was needed?) BUT they did have this Zinsser Paint Booster stuff shown above that I bought for $7.85 at Lowes. 

Looked like the same contents as the Floetrol to me and MUCH bigger than Liquitex for half the price. SOLD! 

I had a few of these "Artist Panels" in my stash from when Aaron Brothers Art and Frame was going out of business ( RIP AB! I know you're inside Michaels now kinda but I really liked your stores. Sniff) but basically, it's a piece of wood. 



I decided to play with this vs a canvas this time. 

Prepare your paints! So one thing you want to do is make sure you have all your mixing etc. done before you pour because well, you'd have nothing to pour? I've been playing with a ratio of 2:1 paints to additive. The Paint Booster stuff is thin so I think I may up this to 3:1 for the next one. 

Mix each color in its own cup. I have found I like the wide craft sticks the best for mixing. Personal preference. No rules! 



These are the colors I ended up going with. You can see for this 8x10 surface, I didn't need to fill each cup. Now it's time to prepare your pour. Take a clean cup and pour in your first color. Add pours of your other colors, color by color. Again: no rules!! Some people do it making concentric circles ( pour each color dead center of the last). Other people drizzle and drop their color layers. I did everything. Pour. Circle. Circle. Drizzle.Drop. Drop.  Repeat until you have enough paint that it looks like you'll probably cover your surface. For this size piece I filled my pour cup a little more than half full. 



 I actually started with black then blue then green then white ( and just realize this looks like sour cream over guacamole or am I just hungry) and somewhere in there are purples and lavender. Once you're happy with your pour cup, place your surface on top of the cup and flip so the cup is now on top. This is understandably called "the flip" ( oooooooh aaaaaaaaahhhh).


 You can see the paints start to work together as they run down the insides of the cup. Isn't it pretty?!

The next step is , and this is the part where if you didn't protect your work surface then you still have time ...."paint pourer lift that cup". Your paints will take off and go making their way across the surface. You can help this along by tilting your panel in whichever direction is needed for the paint to spread. This is where you want to have gloves on if you haven't up to this point.



This is the wet paint after I tilted and turned to cover the entire surface and the sides. I love sitting there watching the paint continue to interact and form new patterns and colors. I could sit for hours.

Since this isn't an exact science with precise measurements I had leftover paint. So I thought I'd use the same colors to do a clean pour. I didn't take pictures but this was done by just drizzling the remaining paints since I didn't have enough to do layered puddles.  The flow additive really made a difference and the paints flowed much more freely than with the Liquitex (which could have been more to do with me not using enough additive).  Blah blah blah...I love the result!


I'm loving this journey because I don't think there's a final destination! Now what can I do with that pretty pour cup ??






Monday, October 8, 2018

Easy Paper Hoop Project : Halloween Edition


I was meeting a couple of girlfriends for Brunch and I always like to bring a little girlfriend gift. I whipped these up quickly because my week hadn't gone as planned and I didn't even take a pic of the "final final" so not even sure I should post but...

I was inspired by this Christmas idea from The How To Home

and have these planned for Christmas. But I thought "hey, I could do something easy peasy for Halloween" to take my friends. 

Supplies: 
  • 3" Wood Embroidery Hoops 
  • Paper of choice
  • Vinyl decal ( I cut mine using my Silhouette but you could use pre-made or use stickers or diecuts!)
  • Embellishments 



This was a great way to use some papers from prior Halloween cards. I chose two sheets , traced the outer hoop, and cut out the circles. 



Glue to the back of your hoop using hot glue.  I chose a Halloween themed image from the Silhouette Library and added each of their initials in the center. 


Applied the vinyl to the center of the hoops and voila! 

I finished these ( bad blogger...forgot to take a picture!!) with a black organza ribbon bow at the top and tied a Halloween themed enamel charm with black and white baker's twine. And me, being me, added a few clear sparkly rhinestones o the broom and monogram. Super easy. Super fast. And I think super cute!!