Spider Vase

Another holiday season another version of the vase, the very simple vase that I picked up 6 of on clearance at AC Moore for $2.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Here is what I started with:

Materials:

• $2 Ceramic Vase
• Black vinyl
• Paper Doll Dress Up Cart

Step 1 - Cut several spider webs at a variety of sizes.

Step 2: Weed out the portions of the design that you won't need.

Until you've revealed the spider web.

Repeat with the others.

Step 3 - Apply to the clean vase.

Then add the others...

Final little detail, my little spider friend.

The finished piece:

 

Super Simple Halloween Bracelet

If you've been avoiding making jewelry, but want to, this is the perfect project to start with. Especially the bracelet - you don't even need any special tools for it - $10 or less in supplies and you'll have what you need for more than 1 bracelet. As soon as I saw these tiger's eye green beads, I knew they'd been fun for halloween-time. I'll post the tutorial for the earrings next week...

Materials:

• Stretch Magic - this is the elastic material that you'll string the beads onto
• Super glue or "bead glue" - seriously, all bead glue is, is super glue. (But if I bought super glue, my husband would have eventually put it in the junk drawer and I wouldn't have it when I needed it. "Bead glue - he'll leave alone.)
• Beads
• Tape measure
• Scissors 
• Scotch tape
• Pictured above is a beading tray - they are under $5, but you don't really need it. Just lay down a towel to keep your beads from rolling away.

Step 1 - Measure your wrist. Your finished bracelet will be this measurement plus half an inch.

Step 2 - Cut the Stretch Magic to the size you want, plus 4 inches:

Step 3 - Secure one end of the elastic with scotch tape, this will keep the beads you string from winding up on the floor. 

Step 4 - Plan out your beads, I didn't like my first attempt, their was too much of a difference in the size of the beads. I ended up using a 8mm black bead to go with the 10mm green. 

10mm green with 6mm black - didn't like it.

10mm green beads with 8mm black - that's better.

Step 5 - Begin stringing your beads onto the elastic, keeping an eye on your finished size.

Step 6 - When you've reached the size that determined you'd need, secure the end with tape and try it out on your wrist just to be sure. The size of your bead can impact the size you need for the finished bracelet, the bigger the bead, the larger the bracelet will have to be.

Step 7 - tie a square knot with the 2 ends of the elastic.

Step 8 - Take 1 end of the elastic and thread it back through one of the beads so that your two ends of elastic come out of the opposite sides of same bead - but keep the knot visible, don't pull it through - yet.

Step 9 - Add a drop of glue to the knot and then pull the end of the elastic through, into the bead and allow it to set for 3-5 minutes.

Step 10 - Trim the ends of the elastic and you're done.

Spooky Halloween Trio

Ahhh yes - another season, another look for the trio of frames above our bookcase... this time, Halloween inspired.

This little trio of frames has featured butterflies, toile, hearts...

And to think, I hesitated when buying these 3 frames, not sure I'd use them.

Here is how I created this version of the trio. Materials:

• Halloween Paper (actually left over from the BOO I created last year)
• 3 Square frames
• Dimensional mounting adhesive
• Scissors

This was a pretty straight forward project - I selected 3 background papers for each of the 3 frames:

Then, I browsed the other papers to decide what else I wanted to use with each of the frames.

The dimensional mounting squares were cut and sometimes layered to get the dimension I wanted for each part of the picture.

The paper was 2 sided, so pictured above is the back with the mounting squares. 

And here is the front.

That is pretty much it - the art was popped in the frames and we've got our spooky little halloween trio.

Know one of the best parts of this trio - it cost nothing. The frames are on their 4th different life and the paper was left over from a project completed last halloween.

Pumpkin Stem and Tendril Tuturial

Thank you all so much for the fabulous comments about the pumpkins! I can't tell you how much I loved this project and to see that you do to... it's awesome!

Judy did ask for a bit of clarification on the stem and tendrils that were on each pumpkin:

I kind of glossed over those in the tutorial - sorry about that... but I'm back to day with the full instructions on how to make them.

Materials:

• Streamer in the color of your choice
• Scissors
• Chop stick
• The cat is optional, cute, not terribly helpful, but optional.

1st up - the tendrils 
Step 1 - cut a 8-10" length of streamer.

Step 2 - Start rolling the streamer on the long edge.

Step 3 - Then start twisting and twisting and twisting...

Until the entire length is twisted.

Step 4 - Starting at the end of the streamer, wrap it very tightly around the chop stick continuing to twist as you wrap.

Step 5 - Pull the tendril of the chop stick and lightly tug on each end of it to help unravel it just a bit.

And there you have it... a tendril.

Next up, the stem. 

Step 1 - Start with a slightly longer streamer and repeat steps 1-3 above so that you have a twisted piece of streamer.

Step 2 - Tear off another 8-10" piece of streamer and start wrapping the short end around the twisted streamer.

Step 3 - repeat over and over and over to beef up the stem.

Step 4 - Then really start twisting the stem, get out all your aggression on this little sucker.

Step 5 - Fold the stem in half and twist away again.

Then just trim the end of the stem and there you go... pumpkin stem and tendril just waiting to be glued onto your puffy pumpkins... or whatever other pumpkins are in need.

Another thank you to Judy for asking for clarification on how to make these. Any other questions, let me know!