BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve, Creative Peeps! October is just rolling along...more like steamrolling, right? I was in Michaels the other day, talking to myself as I sometimes do, and one of the guys was putting up Christmas trees and heard me and said, "Talking yourself out of buying more stuff?" To which I replied, "I plead the 5th," and we shared a laugh. 

Have you seen some of the Christmas stuff they're getting in? I CANNOT add another tree! We have FOUR. But the temptation, especially with some very pretty jewel tone and jeweled ornaments, and some gingerbread themed goodies...TEMPTATION! 

I got the paint and eye pins I went in for, along with some Fall florals at 60% off for when I switch out my table centerpiece. 

This week I shared:

My Haunted House 

Shakespeare Inspired Halloween Decor 

Lots of inspiring ideas shared at last week's party so let's take a look at some of them! 

From Bay to Beach shared a great way to combine current Halloween trends with a natural, beach, Coastal Halloween Decor. 

The Apple Street Cottage shared this fun Doily Ghost. Visit to see it lit up!

Creatively Beth shared these adorable Halloween Wooden Spoons with easy supplies from Dollar Tree. Fun to make with little ones. 

Finally, these wonderfully creepy cupcakes with Homemade Halloween Eyeballs are perfect for the season. From Ann's Entitled Life. 

Thanks to everyone who shared last week, and can't wait to see what you have in store this week. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Halloween: Black and Copper Ode to Shakespeare

 "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio. 

A fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy."

--Hamlet, William Shakespeare

I'm a bit of a Shakespeare nerd. Not sure if this scene from Hamlet inspired this idea, or it immediately came to mind once I finished it. 

Since we live in the Copper State, it felt fitting to add some copper to my Halloween decor!

Supplies:

• Skull and Hand (Dollar Tree)
• Multi-surface acrylic paint in black and copper or colors of choice
• Dimensional Glue (Judi Kins)
• Seed bead mixture
• Glitter

No doubt, you're familiar with the skulls they have at Dollar Tree every year. I forgot to take a pic of it before I painted it. Used a sponge spouncer (DT) to cover with Craft Smart multi-surface acrylic paint in black. 

I used this Martha Stewart multi-surface paint in Rust, which is a deep reddish copper.

I also used this to highlight the cracks in the skull, and to highlight the teeth. 

I used a fine-tipped brush for the cracks and to outline the mouth and nose, and dry-brushed some of the paint onto the teeth. 

I used some Diamond Glaze by Judi Kins, a dimensional glue, to hold a mix of seed beads and coordinating glitter in the eye sockets. Pool a little glue, sprinkle bead/glitter mix, and then add a little more glue. It dries quick and clear. 

To finish, I outlined the eye sockets with these Creatology Gems from Michaels which I treat like your favorite seasoning and add to darn near everything lol! Used the same glue to attach, and used up some leftover dark gray rhinestones for the center and sides of the head. 

Originally, I planned to glue the skull into the hand, but it actually cradles perfectly in the hand. Like they were made for each other! 

Creepin' it real! 

Sharing At:

Creatively Crafty Linky Party #270

Halloween: 2025 Haunted House Tour

 

Welcome to my Haunted House! Here is how I used several of the projects I shared along with others from years past. Things bolded and w/hyperlinks are things I made this year! 

Entry table with projects from years past.

Spooky Sitting Room

Witch Cottage, Resin Stand, Tombstones, and Witch Furniture, 2025

Dia de los Muertos Sipper from Disneyland last year, Dollar Tree Skelly Coffin Boxes, Tiered Tray made from chargers and candlestick, and Skulls

I didn't do a post on this, but made this skull from a DT plastic skull and tissue paper. Used acrylic pens and rhinestones to decorate.

Dollar Tree Doll Houses to Glam Haunted Mansion. I painted and decorated a DT crate for the "foundation and made the stairs from DT wood blocks. 

Pottery Barn cloche on my bedroom dresser that I change out seasonally, filled with a set of DT figures I painted to coordinate, and embellished. Five Below Mirror Ghosts. 

DT "Sugared" Skull

Haunted Shelves 

Side Table with Glam Pumpkin Bucket and DT lights. DT Skelly, Rustoleum Chrome.

I added a tulle tutu and witch hat. 

Da Tree. Made the skirt three years ago with fabric panels, fleece, and rhinestones.

DT picks, ornaments, skulls, treat holders, ribbon

I debated about doing the viral Pottery Barn twine wrap on the Witch Boots, but decided the purple went so well as is. 

Couldn't resist the "Pinkoween" trend so devoted this little painted tiered table to that with spray painted and acrylic painted skulls. The crowns are some beads I had in my stash. DT sign.

Pinkoween Skeleton Plaque

Jack Skellington Glass Block Makeover with Mini Top Hat I've had for years!

I didn't do a post on this centerpiece for our table. Pool Noodle base, metal candlesticks, mesh pumpkins, all Dollar Treek with DT, Michaels, and Walmart florals. 

We may not entertain like we used to and we live where we don't get Trick or Treaters. People have asked why I bother. Because it brings me joy! Something we should all seek. 

Thanks for coming to my Haunted House! 

BFF Open House

Happy October and peak crafty, creative, and cooking season! And just like that, our weather's a bit cooler, the humidity that comes with monsoon season seems gone, and I find myself saying "I'm cold" which is a joke to the rest of the country because I say that when it's below 90. I used to tease my mom and friends mercilessly when they'd say they were cold, and then we moved here and I had to eat those words. Bodies do adjust and change! 

Still having fun with Halloween projects (although I'm feeling that Christmas itch). This week I shared: 

Glam Sugared Skulls

Repurposed Halloween Decor

Some fun ideas shared at last week's party! 

Two Chicks and a Mom shared this fabulous Hanging Halloween Bat, perfect for a porch, door, or inside! 

Whether for Halloween or Harvest, this time of year is pumpkins time to shine! Master Pieces of My Life has some stunning and creative ways to display them! Check out 10 Unique Ways to DIY Pumpkins.

Transform a simple brown bag into an elegant way to display Fall flowers! My French Twist shows you how to make these beautiful Paper Bag Vases. 

Finally, how perfect for the season are these Chocolate Chip Autumn Leaf Rake Cookies from Cindy's Online Recipe Box?!

A huge thank you to all who shared, and I hope everyone's taking a moment to visit other posts! The world needs our creativity, especially now. We, the Makers, are sometimes the ones who bring a bright spot to someone's day with a handmade gift or shared enthusiasm when we find another Creative. Let's use our superpowers for good! 

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Halloween: Repurpose Old Decor...Jack Skellington Glass Block

 

Every time I put out decorations Mr. Chocolate unnecessarily tells me, "Feel free to get rid of stuff!"

Not that I need the reminder, and he also knows I've been making new stuff, but since he's the keeper of the bins...

I had a Halloween-themed glass block made years ago that I've debated about making over, but the lights kept working until now, which gave me a reason to make it over. 

Supplies: 

• Glass Block (the kind with an opening / seal unless you want to drill!)
• Black Vinyl and Transfer Tape
• LED Battery Operated Lights (Dollar Tree)
• SVG image of choice
• Digital Cutting Machine (Cricut Maker)

This was my original with some spider webs in each corner and decorative rhinestones. I was initially going to remove them and then looked at the block and the other side was blank so I used it and left this as is. 

Removed the broken lights, cleaned up the block, and then looked for a "Jack Skellington" face to use. I found this one here.

I missed that one of his nose holes got stuck to the vinyl as I was weeding, but didn't feel like cutting again. 

Positioned my image on the glass, and then used my scraping tool to apply the vinyl. I thought I'd just use an acrylic paint pen to draw his missing nose hole in, then remembered I had some rhinestones that would work!

I removed the other nose thingy and used two of the teardrops. 

I had some of these LED lights from Dollar Tree in my stash and thought they'd be perfect for this, so threaded those into the block, and...

It's actually a bit brighter than the pic shows. I love it when I can reuse and repurpose things, and it got the Mr. Chocolate seal of approval!