Haunted Halloween Mantle and Halloween Spooktacular Giveaway from Oriental Trading Company

Surprise! It’s been a while since I’ve posted any projects but I’m excited to share my Haunted Mantle with you. (Disclosure, products for this post were provided to me by Oriental Trading Company) .

I’m sharing the overall mantle and in the coming days will share some tutorials of projects in this post.

I’ve been moving to a more gothic spooky look and when I saw these DIY ceramic skulls from OTC. I painted, crackled and gold leafed these for an elegant but spooky look.

To enhance the spookiness, I turned a large vase upside down and placed one of the skulls under it like a specimen in a lab.

I fell in love with this silver glitter fabric the minute I saw it and it was the perfect thing to simulate a magical spider web. I covered the mirror on my mantle with it and I wove more  of it on a side table.

I covered plain DIY wood photo blocks with paint, gold duct tape and scrapbook paper from a Poison Paper Pack  to make holders for signs to go with my spooky vignette.

Now here’s the best part of this post. Oriental Trading Company is having a weekly giveaway through October 17 with a chance to win $250 in Halloween products! They're also giving away a $25 gift card DAILY! Between craft and party supplies and Halloween decorations, think what kind of a party you could throw! Here's how to enter:

Visit www.spooktaculargiveaway.com today and enter to win their weekly prize -- $250 in Halloween products of your choice from Oriental Trading. Plus, they’re giving away a $25 Oriental Trading gift card every day! Contest ends October 17, 2015.

Halloween: Mummified and Mustached Monster Cookies...College Boy's Last (Undergrad) Halloween Goodie Box

I can’t believe this is the last year I’ll be sending off a Halloween Treat Box of goodies to College Boy. At least as an undergrad :) Just because your child goes to school out of state, doesn’t mean you don’t still celebrate fun holidays with them. OK I'll speak for myself lol.  I started this his freshman year and it’s just become tradition. 

This year I decided to try my hand at Mummy Cookies I’ve seen around the way.
You can find lots of tutorials on Pinterest .

These are SO easy. I used Nutter Butter cookies, white Wilton candy melts, and my new favoritest ( that’s a word!) thing ….candy eyes! Because who doesn’t need eyes made of sugar?!

I shmoosheared ( that’s another word….between smoosh and smear) the melted candy melt on the cookie using the back of a spoon just to give it a base coat. Knowing I was going to pipe more candy over the top, I  wasn’t exactly neat about it.  While still wet, attached the candy eyes. Using a disposable cake decorating bag with a round tip ( I wish I had a smaller tip but you make mummies with the tips you have) pipe more  melted candy coat stuff on the mummies. Just freehand back and forth.

College Boy loves all things mustached so when I saw candy mustaches next to the candy eyes ( cake decorating supplies Michaels, JoAnn’s, Target) I had to get those too. Behold Mustached Oreo Purple People Eaters. Originally I was going to do bats to go with the mummies but the power of the ‘stache won out.

Good thing too because the black candy melts I bought weren’t really black when melted, but rather dark purple. So I dipped the Oreos, applied the eyes and the mustaches and then covered with purple decorating sugar.

Since I had leftover everything, I decided to make this monster bark. Melted semi sweet chocolate, plopped broken Oreos and Nutter Butters, candy eyes and some sugar bones from last year randomly, let set, cut or break into pieces. Oh and more purple sugar because clearly this was not yet a nutritionist’s worse nightmare.

Did I mention I have to mail all of this stuff ( that no one told you you had to make for your son and his friends but lalalalala I can’t hear you and thank goodness for flat rate shipping)? Yay tissue paper bought after Christmas last year for $.25! Wrap and cushion all in one.

I spread the contents as shown on a layer of tissue then gathered up the edges to make  little bundles. Tied with ribbon and then “ let there be tags”. Because each bundle must have a tag. It's a rule or something.

I love making tags. It’s a great way to use up the scraps from other projects.

And voila! Monster Mummy Treat Bundles because this Mummy loves her College Boy.

Halloween: BEWARE Banner and Ghosts of Projects Past

We have a 2nd  fireplace without a mantle that was sitting there all naked and bare and I decided it needed a Halloween banner.

For this project you will need:

• Chipboard
• Scrapbook paper ( I used a black and white pack from Oriental Trading Co)
• Textured Cardstock ( Core’dinations)
• Paper Straws ( Oriental Trading Co)
• Glitter Tape
• Self adhesive rhinestones
• Jute twine
• Adhesive

For the banner, I cut the letters from a textured cardstock using my Cricut.  Cut the pennant shapes from chipboard (4.5 x 6.5) . I did these the old fashioned way using math and everything! Determine the center point of your rectangle ; draw lines to the bottom corners to make a triangle and cut. Same for the scrapbook paper layer reduced by 1/4”. Layer scrapbook paper pennant on chipboard , cut photo corners from glitter tape and apply, adhere letters and finish with rhinestones.

I got the idea to use the paper straws both to embellish each piece of the pennant because that's how I roll.

Cut straws to width of pennant pieces and attach with hot glue.

Using another piece from the scrapbook paper pack, I made rolled paper roses for each of the letters. To hang, thread jute through each straw and attach with washi tape.

Also sharing some of this year’s Halloween décor using past projects (active links go to tutorials):

1. Paper and Vinyl Owl
2. Pressboard and Paper Pumpkin (I didn't do a post on this but it's a leftover pressboard "page" from a shaped album, covered in scrapbook paper using Mod Podge)
3. Gothic Coffin Boxes
4. Halloween Snow Globe (Halloween take on Christmas snow globes; old jar, Halloween figure, glitter )
5. Glitter Decoupage Pumpkin
6. Tissue Paper Pumpkin

Sharing At: 

Halloween: Beaded Spider Web

Oh what a tangled web we weave as the saying goes. Only with this project, the deceiving part is how easy this project is to make. Now I know not everyone loves spiderwebs or spiders (including College Boy who is very happy he’s safely away at school nowhere near my “pretty but evil” creation…his words).

For this project you will need:

• Wire Snowflake Form
• Seed Beads and Bugle Beads
• Misc beads for center
• 26 Gauge Wire
• Needlenose pliers

I had the snowflake forms in my stash but you will find them with the Christmas supplies at your local craft store:

Starting with one of your “misc beads” ( I scrounged around in my leftover beads and found enough that matched)  string onto one spoke of the wire form. String seed beads until almost full, leaving enough exposed wire to make a loop for the end. Use the pliers to bend a loop. Repeat until your wire form is covered.

I started with about a two feet of the 26 gauge wire and wrapped the starting end around one of the beaded wire spokes enough to secure it. Work from the middle out and string enough bugle beads to get to the next spoke. Wrap that spoke with wire, string more bugle beads. Rinse. Later. Repeat until you’ve gone around the whole thing.  Eyeball where you want the next row of your web to be and repeat the process two more times as shown.

I finished my web with a bow of scrap grosgrain ribbon I saved from a package of curtains. Left it all wrinkly because of the creepy factor.

But what’s a web without a spider? The basic construction is two beads and some wire. There are tutorials on Pinterest and You Tube you can follow to get the basic construction. I decided not to bead my legs because I liked the wire legs plain.

 

I also used the same size beads (10mm) vs two different sizes that a lot of the tutorials show. And I added some beadcaps. Attach your spider to its web using a jump ring.

I hung mine from our dining room light fixture ( "Hi welcome to dinner don’t mind the spider hanging above you”) using some jute twine.

They’re creepy and they’re kooky

Mysterious and spooky

They're altogether ooky

My beaded spider webs

You're welcome for the Addams Family theme song ear worm.

Sharing At: 

Halloween: Flying Monkeys Printable

I saw a similar quote on Facebook about Flying Monkeys that inspired this printable. I have love The Wizard of Oz since I was little including watching it every year it was on TV, then owning the VHS, DVD and Blu Ray editions.  Then I fell in love with the book "Wicked" , have seen the musical live , and know most of the songs by heart.

Being the weird kid ( ask The Mumster and Mr. Chocolate) that I was, I loved the flying monkeys. Some things never change! 

Made this using PicMonkey and some elements from EyeInspire . Click on the image to bring to full resolution. Right click to "Save As". Size accordingly. 

Halloween: French Gothic Coffin Boxes

A couple of years ago I had so much fun altering these little coffin shaped boxes I found at Michaels. Darn if they don’t keep stocking them and darn if I don’t keep finding ways to play with them.

It helps ( or doesn’t help depending on whether you’re Mr. Chocolate) that I love digging through clearance aisles and 50-60% off bins which is where I found the embellishments that inspired this project.

The metal Fleur de Lis and Crown pieces were in the $1.50-$3 bins and were 60% off when I found them. On a previous hunting expedition, I’d found the Jolee’s Boutique embellishments on sale. 

We went to France several years ago and while there we toured the Catacombs which are not for the faint of heart but an amazing piece of history. The ornate metal embellishments brought back memories of that trip and the coffin boxes brought back memories of the Catacombs so voila. Gothic Coffin Boxes. Welcome to my brain.

I left a couple of the boxes unpainted and painted the others black. Using the boxes as a template, traced around them and cut out coordinating papers and Mod Podge’d them onto the boxes.

I love it when  a plan goes awry. I intended to use the polka dot paper on the BACKS of each coffin and oops…one made it on the front. Oh well. Lemons / lemonade.

You can’t really see it but I crumpled the skull and bones paper before applying so it would be a little wrinkly. And for once, I was patient and let the boxes dry overnight so the paper would be good and stiff when I sanded the edges.
TIP: Package of emery boards from the Dollar store work great for this

I glued the metal embellishments to the front and added the Jolee’s embellishments as shown. Edged the boxes with torn pieces of  coordinating washi tape.

Sharing At These Fun Places

Halloween Gothic and Glam: Skulls and Bows Earrings, Necklace, Bracelet

With Halloween approaching  and the return of one of my guilty pleasure TV series  “Sons of Anarchy” , I was inspired to make some fun gothic jewelry. My real life couldn't be further from what happens on the show but I do have some things in common with the female characters style: B L I N G.  I love it when worlds collide.

Included in  my Blue Moon Bead design team supplies (all supplies are Blue Moon Beads ; design is my own)  were strands of black and clear crystal beads with rhinestone skulls.  Also included were silver filigree bow beads.

My photography skills don’t do the details justice but these are the perfect combination of gothic and girly , bold and bling.

For the earrings I strung a glass bead, skull bead and bow bead on a head pin and attached to pendant pieces. These are non-pierced earrings so I glued clip findings to the back of the pendants.

For the bracelet, I used stretchy cord,  two of the clear rhinestone skull beads , one of the bow beads and alternating black and clear crystal beads.

For the necklace ( choker length) I used two different chains, more of the pendants made the same way as the earrings and then clear and black beads on head pins attached directly to the links with jump rings.

Blue Moon Beads can be found at your local JoAnns.

Halloween Archive : Vintage Witch Hats and Spooktacular Giveaway

This is a re-post of a popular project I shared last year, inspired by the  Three Witches from Macbeth. Supplies I used last year were from Oriental Trading Company.Project idea 100% mine.


One reason I thought to re-post this is because to get ready for Halloween this year, they're having a spooktacular giveaway that you definitely want to enter: 

The Grand Prize is $500 worth of stuff ( $500!!) but they're also giving away a $25 gift card to their site EVERY DAY until 10/18! Who wouldn't want to enter to win?

If you're not familiar with Oriental Trading Company or haven't been there in a while, in addition to a great selection of party supplies and project kids that are great for kids, they have really really expanded their crafting supply section. I was able to go through the ordering process which was straightforward and easy, and my shipment arrived quickly.

The hats themselves are not actually hats. They started out as these:

Plain paper mache cones. I covered them using torn and twisted kraft colored butcher paper and Mod Podge  and glued them to a cardboard circle base.

Since I knew I wanted them to be old looking, I wasn’t precise and just kind of went over the form until it looked like a witch’s hat. When dry, painted with black paint. Now for the fun stuff!

I chose some of the Halloween papers from Oriental Trading Company along with epoxy poison labels. I used the papers to make layered flowers that I scrunched and crumbled. After all, the witches from Macbeth would not be seen in pristine new hats.

Using some of the die cuts and stickers I also received, I made accessories for my hats, keeping with a poison potion theme.

Waste not want not, so I used from of the scraps of paper to embellish the hats going around one of the cones, and one of the brims.