BFF Open House: 2 Week Party

 

Happy Friday Eve, Creative Peeps! As you can see from the title, this will be a TWO-WEEK party because Mr. Chocolate and I are running away to our favorite home away from home, Disneyland (again!). This time, we're celebrating our 35th Anniversary (and an early birthday for me!). I have no idea where the time has gone, but here we are. We met 40 years ago in college, were "just friends" for four years, then dated and got engaged within months. And guess where we celebrated our engagement, spent part of our honeymoon, have observed anniversaries, birthdays, son's HS and college graduations? And now in our Junior-Senior years, we're still at it. The marriage and Disney! 

And it's going to be fully decorated for my favorite season, so that's even better!🎃

 

This week I shared: 

DIY Witch Broom 

Summerween Printables:

Now, let's take a look at some fun ideas from last week's party and I'll see you on the other side in a couple of weeks! 

The Apple Street Cottage shared this gorgeous Fall Pillow she made from her fabric stash! Perfect for the entire Fall season! 

Mason Jar Crafts shared 15 Fall Recipes in Mason Jars. These look delicious, not to mention how practical and functional they are whether to use yourself or whip some up as gifts! 

Crazy Little Lovebirds shared how to use wood pumpkin cutouts to make these festive Jack O'Lanterns. 

And finally, Cindy's Online Recipe Box shared this Frozen Banana Split Cocktail that would be a hit with Mr. Chocolate since he loves banana splits. You can skip the alcohol if you like, and it'll still be amazing! 

Thanks to everyone who linked up and wishing you all an early Happy September! See you in a couple of weeks. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Summerween: Plunger Witch Broom

 

I saw a similar one on Pinterest late last season after I was done with Halloween crafting, and actually remembered to get the supplies on a recent Dollar Tree trip! The ones I saw were more rustic and therefore probably more realistic, but I've had enough reality, thank you very much! 

Supplies

• Plunger (Dollar Tree)
• Masking Tape (Dollar Tree)
• Black Rope (Dollar Tree)
• Tulle (Stash)
• Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

These are the main supplies I used. Didn't even bother showing these to Mr. Chocolate before I made my broom because how many "If you say so" comments can one person hear?! 🤣

I keep saying I'm going to refinish my work desk, but then I ask myself: what's the point, except for pictures, since it's a working desk...I digress. Wrap the handle of the plunger in masking tape, the messier the better. Squeeze and crinkle along the way.

Keep going until the handle is completely covered. You could also use the tape to create some knots and bumps along the way. Grab some paint in the color of your choice and paint the handle. I used Craft Smart Espresso Bean and a sponge spouncer. 

The crinkles and bumps from the masking tape, combined with the paint, give you a very cool effect, I think! 

Cut lengths of your rope and glue around your handle. 

NOTE: This is where you can get REALLY creative. You can use sisal rope or twine or yarn or ribbon or whatever comes to mind. You can see that this rope is made of smaller twists. We'll get to that.

Oh look, we're here at the point where you un-twist all those twists! I wanted different textures so I grabbed some tulle to add to my broom. You could however, do only rope and I woudl suggest starting closer to the plunger part if you do so you get better coverage. 

I tied up my rope strands to keep them out of the way because you know how glue strings get EVERYWHERE, and then cut lengths of tulle, knotted and doubled them over, and glued around the plunger. This gave my broom some depth. 

Then I untied my rope strands and added a few more pieces of tulle to cover any gaps. To finish, I wrapped the top of the bristles with a metallic pipe cleaner. 

Et, voila!

Back to Mr. Chocolate: "VERY Cool!"

BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve, Creative Peeps! Just when I thought we were winding down monsoon season, the skies opened up, and we had both quite the light show and thunderstorm last night. Whew! I'm so thankful this big dog of ours is unfazed. 

I know a lot of kids are already back in school. It seems around here, like they just got out! If you're sending kids back, good luck, and I hope all goes smoothly. I remember those days when it seemed like every day, more paperwork came in with lists of supplies needed!

I started on some Halloween projects this week and shared this one:

Dollar Tree Vintage Ghost Makeover 

Looks like the trend this year is BIG on vintage so these were fun! 

As we wind down Summer and start up Fall, here are some ideas from last week's party! 

Steph Creates used supplies from Dollar Tree to create this lovely Autumn Leaf Wood Riser. 

Petticoat Junktion shared how to use repurposed items and paint to make pretty Painted Succulents, unifying them with one color. 

Got ribbon scraps or just ribbon? Check out this idea from Artsy Karma on How to Make a Ribbon Bowl! 

I can't think of a better way to mark a transition from Summer to Fall than these S'Mores Cookie Bars from Cindy's Online Recipe Box! No campfire needed. 

Thanks to everyone who linked up and let's see what you've been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Summerween: Dollar Tree Vintage Ghost Makeover

 

Starting my Halloween crafting during "Augtober/Summerween", whatever! Vintage is having a moment this season. Popped into a Dollar Tree last week and found these adorable little vintage-inspired Ghost Pumpkins. Being contrary like I am, I didn't love the colors as-is, so I did what we makers do and made it my own style! 

Supplies: 

• Vintage Ceramic Ghost Pumpkins (Dollar Tree)
• Acrylic Multi-Surface Paints 
• Fine Line Paint Pen (Apple Barrel)
• Rhinestones
• Baker's Twine

I grabbed black, white, and metallic paints from my stash. Ultimately, went with black, white, and gold as my color palette. 

I painted the pumpkin base with Craft Smart multi-surface paint in black. Two coats. 

I used a sponge paint spouncer (Dollar Tree) to coat the white ghost head with multi-surface white paint. 

To finish painting, I did the ruffled collar in gold (two coats), and outlined the ghost eyes with an acrylic paint pen. 

I grabbed some clear rhinestones and used different sizes for the eyes and collar. It didn't matter of some of the original paint peeked through because the next steps will take care of that! 

I went around the collar and glued rhinestones in the ruffles using a dimensional adhesive. 

Once that was done, I used coordinating baker's twine to wrap around the top of the collar (this took care of any more paint bleed-through). 

And done! 

And now they fit in with my more goth/glam style! Easy Peasy, and you could do these to match any color combination you prefer. 

Sharing At:

The House on Silverado

BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve, all! I hope you're all "weathering" Summer well. It's crazy everywhere. Chicago Son got caught stuck on a train that had to be stopped because of a tornado and said they've set a record for tornadoes this Summer. EEK! We continue with monsoon unpredictability and people not heeding heat warnings about hikes here in the desert. 

And, as I found out last week, COVID is having a Summer moment. Stay safe, peeps! 

This week I shared a birthday card for a creative friend and more doodle fun. 

Cricut Birthday Card:

Pen and Ink Meet Procreate:

Lots of fun ideas and yummy recipes shared at last week's party, so here are a few ideas! 

Selep Imaging shared this gorgeous Mosaic Flowering Tree Stepping Stone. 

The Apple Street Cottage shared a wonderful way to prep for the holidays now: three different ways! Left to right: Emery Board Sleeves, Tea Holder, Repurposed Paper Gift Tags. 

Steph Creates shared how to transform a plain ceramic tray into a beautiful Trinket Tray. 

Finally, The Kitchen Is My Playground shared this delicious-looking Pear and Walnut Crisp. 

Thanks to everyone who linked up and let's see what you've been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter