On the 23rd Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I think I've finally pulled myself of my card-making rut. I've made seven cards this month alone. There were two last month, and I made a wedding card in May. I haven't been making cards for quite a while now, but Pat got her groove back (mostly because she recovered all her hundreds of digital images that were backed up in the Cloud but couldn't access until recently).

This holiday card uses designer paper, two die cuts and a few snowflake stickers on dimensional dots.  I just reached my hand into my magic bag of die cuts for the holidays (eyes closed) and pulled him out. This time I matched the papers and embellishments to the snowman die cut...

Do you draw out or plan your cards ahead of time?  Do you base them on the images, the papers, the embellishments, or does it just come together as you're playing with your crafting supplies? I have to admit when I make a card I have no plan, no diagram, no sample to work off of. Often, an image will inspire a greeting or quote (usually funny or punny). Other times, I will search for the right image for a particular quote. Unless  I'm challenged to create something with specific parameters, it's like trying to catch a fish in your hands at the local creek. Whatever I catch shows me how to cook it.

Now that the craft fairs are a thing of the past (month), I'm tapering off new crafts so that I can pack away items to sell at next year's fairs. I'm also planning on decluttering my stash, in order reclaim my basement as a family area (mostly for entertainment). Once it's clean, organized and uncluttered, I plan on hosting a brunch for neighbors and friends. Maybe make the theme a "Board Meeting", as in everybody bring their favorite Charcuterie board to share. There are plenty of Pinterest posts to inspire a few friends to try something new...

On the 22nd Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Still finishing up my outdoor decorations in the frozen tundra we call Chicagoland. Today I wrapped a couple cardboard boxes, wrapped them in colorful plastic tablecloth sand added bows to them both. Next I took some leftover plastic bowls( from my Halloween crafting) bought from my local Dollar store, glued them together and created ornaments out of them. The ornament holder is made rom sample-sized cups I snagged from a thrift store eons ago (I use them when I paint).The hooks are over-sized jump rings.

I decorated each with a White Posca marker and adhesive bling. They sit gracefully at Santa's feet in my lamp post garden in front of the house. And if the weather doesn't warm up, they will be the last decor I put outside before Christmas!! Yikes, it's cold...Note in the photo below, the grass, though frozen, is still green. The weather went from mild to freezing that fast. I am so glad I stuck those metal candy canes into my grass last week...

On the 21st Day of Christmas Crafting...

 Good morning, crafters! Today I added some new holiday decorations to my front deck. I have a ramp that extends from one end of the front of ,my house to the other, ,and this is where I put my string of Christmas lights and my new candy cane hearts.

 I made three of these large hearts using Dollar Tree candy canes and good old-fashioned hot glue. They are hanging from the posts between those that have thicker red & white candy canes attached. I added a small accent to each cane: a  sprig of pine, a red bow and a poinsettia.

At first I was going to join several "hearts" that I put together to create a huge wreath, but I was short on canes AND room to hang it!! I had enough problems hanging my crystal 8"snowflakes off the gutter as hubby had put leaf guards on all the gutters before he passed. Nothing worked to hang my lights so 

 I bought some industrial-strength Velcro and attached the strings of lights to the window frames on the deck. They won't be coming off come snow or high winds (hopefully I can bring them down before Spring).

I'm so glad I did most of my holiday outdoor decorating last week! The temps went from a balmy 50s to a frigid 20s!! Ho, ho, ho, Chicagoland!

On the 20th Day of Christmas Crafttng...

 

I wanted to take a class at my local junior college. I've tried water colors on my own but there's so much I don't know, never taking an actual art class ever. So a couple weeks ago the college sent out a brochure for continuing ed classes starting in January, and s Sketching & water Color Painting Class was offered.  I was so set on taking the class...

until I discovered that all their non-credit, continuing ed classes are only offered at their other campus, with which I am not familiar, and would likely skip on those January class days when the the temps are sub-zero or the roads are unplowed or icy. 

So I decided to check out YouTube and Pinterest and fill my art journal with exercises in sketching, as well as inspiration tips and tricks from  other artists. This is one of my art journal pages, although it is more mixed media than plain old water colors. The main scene is water colors, but I added the snow using white acrylic paint. I think I did an okay job. In fact, I just might print this up and make holiday cards for next year. What do you think?

We are now at Day 20 of the 20 days of Christmas crafting. Have any of my crafts, artwork or upcycling inspired you this month? I hope so!! 

On the 19th Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I have been storing a pair of metal art pieces I picked up from a garage sale a few years back. I decided this was the year I would transform it into holiday decor. I spray painted my base layer white, and it needed three coats! Then I brought out my Posca pain markers to decide on a pattern. Once I liked my pattern, I went back over the markers with acrylic paints. Each swirl is raised, so I had to refine the edges on each circle several times. I was finally satisfied after three days worth of tedious correcting with a very thin paint brush.

Once the paint was dry, I used Liquid Gloss Sealant so that I could hang the set outside. I've been upcycling metal artwork since COVID, and I really like it. I have a deck in the back, as well as in  front, and I enjoy changing out  the look of them with each season. 

On the 18th Day of Christmas Crafting...

I love making shadow boxes, especially for Christmas and Halloween. Today's project features a house-shaped shadow box made of wood. After lining the back with holiday designer paper, I riffled through my holiday stash and found characters, presents, trees and decorations enough to fill all three cubbies. I look for bags of small holiday ornaments and knick-knacks at garage sales and thrift stores throughout the year.

In the bottom cubby, there's Mrs. Claus baking Christmas cookies while elves are making toys. In the middle, Santa is trimming the tree and putting presents under it. The top compartment is where candy canes and poinsettias are stored. I finished the box off with holiday buttons and stickers after decorating the roof with paper doilies, a bell and a holiday greeting.

I used to facilitate workshops for shadow box making, but the store front closed after a couple years. Now I make them for craft fairs and take commissions for specifically-themed ones. 

On the 11th Day of Christmas Crafting...(another post lost in drafts until now)

 

Today I decorated a cardboard box shape like a book (some call it a card box). I had two left that I purchased from a yard sale at the trailer park where I park my "getaway" home. I had a total of twelve and had made both Halloween and Christmas book boxes last year and given them to neighbors. They were a hit with my friends. This year I made a new holiday box to hold a present I am giving my nephew this year. I used leftover designer papers inside and out, giving it a cheery red spine.

The front is decorated with a metal dressed in Christmas colors. I used leftover lace to give the book's cover a border, and snowflakes stickers decorate the front. 

My nephew does a lot of riving to jobs and is always complaining about the price of gas, so his book box will hold a gift card for gas.

Are you ready for Christmas? I am--presents wrapped and under the tree, meal planned for the family, decorations up and stockings hung.  I hope this year's holiday holds no last minute surprises, and everybody leaves with leftovers and happy memories...

On the 17th Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I discovered that my Christmas card supplies were getting low, so I had to create a few more this month! These cards showcase an image by Fresh Brewed Designs (closed). I printed the image twice for each card and used dimensional tape to make the candles pop. They are note card-sized, 4.5x5.5. I have sold most of my holiday cards at craft fairs in packs of four. I guess I'll be making quite a few of these in the New Year!!

How are you doing on your holiday crafting? Are you mainly a card maker, or do you play with other types of crafting? I have ADHD, and I call it my super power. I can go to a thrift store and see something on a shelf and think "I can make this into such and such" or " this would look good if I just blah, blah, blah..."

...which of course leads me to buying on impulse and sometimes storing an item for a week or three or 12...which is why I am always decluttering because I have a backlog of projects and a lack of storage...

...life is never dull at my house!!

On the 16th Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Welcome back, crafters! Today I have a Christmas wreath for you. The wreath base is made of faux tree branches on which I adhered several stars, snowflakes and white pinecones. I added some colorful mini gifts as well as a reindeer. To fill in the center I "parked" my trailer between two snow-covered trees, with the brightest star shining above it.

I sold this at the last craft fair, as well as a few other wreaths and holiday decor items. I didn't sell out my table, but I did leave with two empty storage bins and some cash, so I'm happy!

On the 15th Day of Christmas Crafting...

 Hello, crafters! Today I offer you a hybrid canvas. It's a cross stitch canvas stretched onto a wooden frame, with a painted background and stitches using embroidery thread. I also embellished my canvas with a felt wiener dog, a sticker (bells) and small sequins for tree ornaments. The branches and the ribbons and bows on the presents showcase my stitching. I guess you can call it a mixed media project!

On the Ninth (14th) Day of Christmas Crafting...(oops, it was still in drafts)

 

Today I made an unusual shadow box. The box is actually one of three pieces of wood used to form shelves to hang on walls. I went a step beyond and filled the empty space with a winter woodland scene. My clear acrylic deer stands majestically in front of snow-laden trees. I added a few floral picks(?white swirly ones) in back of him, and two cards that read, Peace and Joy in front. I sprinkled "Faux Snow".  That's my name for the fake snow I make by rubbing two styrofoam balls together (easy and cheap).

I had made another, smaller piece, placing  the same-sized deer on a large wooden slice and added trees, cards and snow. Both were hits at the craft fair I participated in, and sold to a mother and daughter for their homes. It makes me happy knowing they're going to a good home...

On the 14th Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Today I am showcasing my "bucket of holiday cheer". During COVID, I fell in love with metal containers and discovered a few I hadn't altered. For the craft fair, I pulled out supplies I had bought at least a year ago and got to work on this half bucket, sanding and painting it before sealing it with gloss varnish. 

I added wide lace at the top and a very large snowflake. I filled the bucket with Dollar Store poinsettias and floral ornaments and decor at WalMart at 90% off last year. Its staying power is a chunk of green floral foam/styrofoam? that I hot glued down inside.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I am slowly finding my way back to water colors. Here's my first attempt (after a long time) at a winter scene. If you discount the deer, I think it looks nice. Of course, if you discount the deer, you get a boring scene with no focal point. Gotta give me points for trying! I'm self-taught, no art classesexcept what I can find online for free.  LOL

To be honest, this is only a part of the original canvas. I cut it down to fit into this frame I had stashed in the basement. I was able to salvage another small part of the scene to put with my older, unframed water colors. 

On the Seventh Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Another fantastic find at the Amazon Returns store was this white holiday sign for $1. There were three in the package! I added some 3-dimensionaldecoratiob on each. Two got sold at the craft fair, and one went to a new neighbor as a holiday house warming gift.

I know, I didn't do much here, but sometimes a little added touch makes things better. 

On the Sixth Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Welcome back, crafters! I made another small canvas out of the small wooden boxes and an image from the Graphics Fairy. Again, I added the hats from the Doll House, care of Eena's Creations. Aren't those cats the cutest? This time I framed the canvas with gold trim and added a bow to the bottom.

My daughter's in love with this one, so it's hanging up in her bedroom as I type! 

On the Fifth Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Earlier this month, I strolled through an Amazon returns store when the prices were lowest at $1 each item. The box this came in was closed, so I took a chance and scored a large sealed poster of the Grinch, along with one of his dog and another with his hand held out (maybe to hang something from it.

I was inspired to create this "wreath" out of one piece of an embroidery hoop and spray painted it white. After attaching the Grinch to the hoop, I added a sprig of pine tree to the top. Then I took three green glittery ornaments from my Christmas stash and wrote the words, "Stink, Stank, Stunk" with glossy 3D paint. I hung them from the hoop and now I have another new Christmas wreath (never mind, the craft fair brought a new owner to mybooth and they now have this fun wreath for their own home...

On the Fourth Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I found a burlap-wrapped cork board in need of a lot of TLC at a thrift store last year. After taking off the frame, I made pockets and covered them with designer papers that were in my stash. I put last year's handmade cards in the pockets to show how it worked after attaching a Santa head and bow to the front. I added snowflake stickers to the frame. 

I think it's time to pull last year's cards out and start slipping this year's cards in...

On the Third Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I played around in Photoshop to create this cute puppy holiday wall decor. The dogs are a free digital image from the Graphics Fairy. I added their holiday caps from Eena's Creations from the Doll House. To frame the scene, I added green and silver trim to the edges and topped it all with a small Christmas wreath that used to a magnet.

The canvas is a wooden box, like those sold at the Dollar Store, but i bought this along with 11 others at a thrift store for $3.50. What a deal!!

On the Second Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

This piece caught my eye at a thrift store. When I go to garage sales and thrift stores, I see what things could be after altering. Do you? This was rusted and ugly and had no backing, but I saw it in my mind with new paint and a pretty winter scene hanging behind it.

Giving new life to this old card holder was fun. The copper acrylic paint looks good and I created a backing out of foam board to fit the circle. A ribbon and bow finishes it off and I'm ready to add cards to it. Um, does anyone still snail mail holiday cards out?... 

On the First Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Good morning crafters! Since my holiday card supply is running low, I decided to make a few cards for family and friends. Today's card features an image called  Vintage Christmas Sticker Sheet from Conjuror of Dreams for the base or background. It's a  beautiful grove of pine trees, which works perfectly with the images I colored and fussy-cut to pop into the winter scene.

I wanted some dimension on the card, so my Simply Betty images were colored with Copics, then adhered onto the card with dimensional tape. After framing the paper layers, I popped a shiny star up top and my first Christmas card of the season is finished. 

 Challenges I am Entering :

 

A Season of Thanks and Giving

 Check out the Path of Positivity challenge blog for their newest challenge, The Power of Words: Family & Friends. They're at the midway point of the challenge...

 

Most of my neighbors know that I'm a crafter. They've also seen me pock up interesting things from the ends of driveways to upcycle or alter. Last month I created and gave mini charcuterie boards complete with cheese and a Halloween spreader/knife. 

This month I'm gifting a couple more neighbors with a portable family game center. because I was inspired by the Candyland tin to fill it with game materials. It holds a new holiday deck o cards, Yahtzee score sheets with dice and little golf pencils, and an unopened UNO dice game. I added an extra die for a game known by many names, like Foo, Farkle, etc,.

 The second game center started out as a cardboard card box shaped like a book. I decorated it to make the outside look like a real book using designer papers and a little gold paint. This box holds a deck of holiday playing cards, Yahtzee score sheets and pencils, the extra die for Foo+, and a velvet bag holding an 8-sided, dreidel-shaped "spinner" with "directions" on each side. I included a baggie of chips to use with this game.

Both game centers are also decorated with bows and a small notecard telling each family how blessed I am to have them for neighbors and friends. And of course, each family has young children to enjoy family game nights. I'll be dropping these off this coming week...

Day if the Dead card

Day of the Dead, or "Dia de los Muertos" is celebrated throughout Mexico. Many other countries around the world celebrate similar (or hybrid) versions of Day of the Dead as well, by having special days for honoring the dead.  It is a festive, joyous time of celebration, falling on November 1 and 2 of each year, coinciding with the Catholic holidays All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

I started with coloring a Rick St. Dennis image called Death on a Saturday Night with my trusty Copics. The image is one of my favorites from RSD. I made the background digitally with a paper from Rucola Designs. The moon and paper flags are free clipart from Google. In order to have the "family" appear naturally in my setting, I fussy-cut it after coloring it so it looks like it's truly part of the scene.

This is my DT make for November's challenge at Halloween & Other Occasions All Year 'round.. Besides offering Halloween all year round, as implied, each month offers challenges for each month's celebrated holidays as well. I chose Day of the Dead as my heritage may be German-Irish but my heart is Mexican...

 

IT'S HALLOWEEN!

 

Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!! Hello, crafters, and welcome back to the 31 Days of Halloween! For my final Halloween project in the month of October, I have altered a "My Little Pony" castle front. It was wickedly fun to spray paint the whole thing black. I tricked out my castle with gold acrylic paint that I smudged before it dried.

For my home away from home, I pulled ot all the stops. I had a pile of pumpkins, skulls, skeletons, mushrooms, spiders, buttons, stickers, leaves, jewelry and hot glue. And then the fun began! I actually started with the drawbridge, which I had left down. There's this giant skull "welcoming" kids to trick-or-treat at the front door, with candy and candy corn just waiting to be picked up (if you dare).

One of my grabs from my supplies was a bag of mushroom floral sticks. When you look at the castle's right end, you'll see a turret bursting with overgrown mushrooms and pinecones, where skeletons like to boogie and black cats keep an eye out for fun. One skeleton has had too much fun and wants to get out, but the openings are too small for him to escape.

On the castle's left side, take a peek at the resident witch's turret, where she leaves her fashionable shoes after a hard day in front of the cauldron. Overgrown weeds climb up the tall side tower, where another skeleton dares to disturb the resident ghosts.

The rest of the castle is covered with whatever spiders, pumpkins and Halloween buttons I could fit onto it. Like I've said previously, I don't like "white space". It's all or nothing, baby! My haunted house stands around 12 inches and is about 8 inches wide. I'm thinking of dunking the whole thing into a vat of sealant so it will last years! LOL

This was a fun event for me, and I hope you were inspired to create your own Halloween decor. Stick around, because I've become a new member of the DT for the challenge blog Halloween & Other Occasions All Year. Tomorrow is my first DT make so I hope to see you soon!

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

Crafty Girls Corner - Make It Spooky

Try It on Tuesday - Make It Magical My haunted castle includes magical figures with gosts and skeletons nd larger-than-life spiders

Unicorn - Autumn and/or Halloween -

Inspiration Station - Inspiration photo

 

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 30

 

Today I'm upcycling one of my own pieces of art! Last year I tried Acrylic pour canvas painting. This is one of my pieces, a 6x6' stretched canvas for Halloween. Nice, but boring...

I reached into my bag of Halloween tricks and pulled out a plastic skeleton (I bought so many of these throughout the year that I haven't had to purchase any in forever). Using his lower legs and a larger one from another bag, I formed the latter "B"., brushing it with white paint before adhering it with hot glue. 

A couple black silk leaves and white felt flowers formed the letter "O" twice, and now my artwork has a title, "BOO". I added a few die-cut leaves and a small wooden gravestone to finish off my project. I hope I didn't overload the canvas, but I am NOT a fan of "white space". It's difficult for me to stop when it comes to embellishments. I hope you've enjoyed the 31 Days of Halloween here at 'Patacake's Pages. I have one more day to entertain you with my imagination and creativity this spooky season. See you tomorrow.

Challenges I am Entering:

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 29

 

Halfway to Halloween, crafters! Are you ready? I know that I've saved a ton of $$ by making much of my decorations this year. I also have previous years worth of Halloween makes to use as well. I had mentioned that I was participating in a craft fair where I was hoping to sell out my Halloween and Christmas decor, but when I returned from vacation, my daughter was sick with COVID. The day before the Fair, I caught it as well--lucky me!! 😢I had to cancel, but then again, I have loads of decor for this year...

Back to today's project. During the summer I had to replace my privacy fence. I got to use my nephew's table saw while he was "fencing" and cut some wood slices nice and thin.  I painted three of them as Day of the Dead sugar skulls, hand drawing them after getting inspiration from Marisol's images from Pixel Scrappers. They are so darn cute.

I found a frame and attached jewelry items on each wood slice from which to hang them. I attached a chain to the frame and then added each slice to the chain using thin wire. It looked a little bare so I added some mica/shell slices I had in my jewelry craft supplies and I like the finished product.

There's a beautiful movie showcasing the special meaning of Day of the Dead. It's called Coco and is a Pixar film released by Disney. It's one of those movies that are made for kids with adults in mind, so the whole family can enjoy it (and the music is good, too).

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 28

 Definitely was in a dark place when I thought this one up. I think I might just do a creepy cute 31 days of Halloween next year. I hope it doesn't give me nightmares!

The wreath is made from branches of a weeping willow (I had to look it up). Around this I wove wired ribbon with a Halloween print. Next I used up ALL my plastic skulls. I had three different kinds! After I adhered them with hot glue and E6000, I left a small space for my Skull King. Actually it's a diffuser that was broken that I had bought from Bath & Body. Looking sad and plain, so I added a small bow made from orange and black netting (tulle). 

I finished off my newest Halloween decoration by attaching a spooky black floral deco that I had bought after last year's Halloween. I think you have to zoom in to see it. A single spider on a skull nearest the king finishes my project for today. And it is on my front door now (do you think I'll get any  solicitors?)...  

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 27

 

I've added to my Halloween garden. Grampa cam over to have a beer and I guess he stayed too long ---way too long. LOL  While cleaning out my garage this summer, I found a small child's plastic lounge chair. I almost threw it away, then remembered I had a few skeletons in my Halloween bins. I'm lucky that when I pulled that skeleton out of its bin, I remembered the plastic lounge chair!

He didn't sit well in the chair until I placed a full plastic bag of like bags for his cushion. That worked well enough to get him hot-glued onto the chair. He still didn't look comfortable until I put a towel between the chair and his body. He had to have his beer sitting next to him, so I made the sacrifice and drank a Radler beer (German). To really get the feel of a man relaxing with his beer, I attached sunglasses to his skull and added his pet lizard on his other chair arm.

I placed him in my almost-finished front garden with my other Halloween crafts. I have just enough space for a couple more before the BIG DAY. Are you ready? Do you get many trick-or-treaters? I have both candy and packs of trading cards to give out this year. 

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 26

 

Last year I created Skull sunflowers. This year I've made eyeball sunflower! After rummaging thru mt flower supplies, I grabbed the sunflower bunch I had purchase last year. They're smaller than the ones I glued skulls onto,  so I gathered a couple of plastic balls from my stash (I feel like Felix the Cat and his Magic Bag of Tricks-anyone old enough to remember that vintage Saturday morning cartoon?). I cut them in half and spray-painted them white.

I used Posca markers to draw on the irises of the eyes, decorating the "whites of the eyes" with dark red lines to look like veins. They didn't look much like real eyeballs until I used Gloss Varnish on each and then they really popped. I had to trim them to fit into the center of each flower, adhering them with a combination of E6000 and hot glue.

I stuck my flowering eyeballs in a black plastic cauldron and filled it with foliage, autumn leaves, fake pumpkins and spiders, as well as adding a couple of bricks to keep my cauldron from falling down or blowing away. I placed my decor in the middle of my small garden surrounding my front light post. I also added a few other bits of decor from this year and last year and am almost finished with my Halloween garden...

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 25

 

Today I created another Halloween wall art, although right now it's sitting on my bedroom shelf. The walls are getting pretty full by now. Maybe I'll keep it as shelf decor...

Anyway,  had the perfect three pieces of wood in my garage to make my sign today. I painted each a different Halloween color and then used Posca markers to  fill in the words and symbols. I still need to seal them with gloss varnish. If I do so, I might be able to hang it off my front deck railing. I've started placing some of last year's Halloween makes in the yard and on the deck and ramp.

My house may be decorated to the nines, but my neighbors have me beat with their 12 foot high skeletons and air-filled, store-bought decorations.  

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 24

 There's a thrift store near me (well, an hour away) where everything in the store is 50% off on Mondays!! So I had purchased some Halloween goodies (as in crafting supplies) before the hordes came and polished it all off. This is one of my finds from 2 months ago.

I had to do a little repair painting, as well as drew a few Halloween symbols and lettering to get it up to snuff. I also upcycled my "new" wall art by adding the bow at top, a sticker here and there and making a small broom out of a chopstick and pipe cleaners (now known as chenille sticks). There used to be little numbers to hang on this but since they were MIA, I put the broom on the hooks and changed "days 'til" to "almost". I also added the words broom parking.

welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 23

 

Rummaging through my drawer of metals, I found 2 charms (?) that screamed Halloween, so I pulled out my jewelry bin and attached each to chains. I now have two new necklaces to wear or sell for Halloween. The dragon's eye was "framed" enough so I used it by itself. The skull, however, needed a little something to jazz it up, and I love feathers, so my skull is styling that pink feather for a little fun spooking.

In pulling out my jewelry stash, I realized I had an overabundance (would that be an oxymoron?) of supplies. So I think I'll be creating some new jewelry; maybe not for Halloween, but Christmas is coming up and I have ideas (and supplies) aplenty. 

Writing about selling my jewelry, I had posted earlier in the month how excited I was to participate in a Fall craft Fair. When I returned home from a week's vacation, I had 6 days before the Fair, which was okay because I had prepped, priced and packed everything I needed.

But when I walked in the door with my suitcase, my daughter was sicker than sick, and the next day she tested positive for COVID. Two days later I tested + as well, and my dreams of selling my Halloween and Christmas crafts were dashed against the rocks. So here I am with plenty of inventory. I am now seeking a local craft fair and hoping to sell my Christmas crafts soon.

Meanwhile, I can decorate my home  to its full potential with all the stuff I've created this year, as well as the decor I created last year which you can check out on my blog starting HERE.

welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 22

 

Ok, this one is totally digital, but what fun I had!! I used so many elements and added so many layers, but I really like it. It screams, "This is not your usual sing-around the-Girl Scout campfire". And believe me, I am a lifelong girl scout since Juniors (grade 4). I have been a leader, assistant, day camp crafts guru, day camp first aider, as well as grade 4 through 9 girl scout and cookie mom. I'm not counting my years with Cub Scouts...

The paper is from the Dead or Alive set from from RUCOLA DESIGNS by Ildi Geist. as well as the digital element dancing around the fire (skeletons 2,3 &4). the campfire is actually from a photo taken by my sister-in-law in Arizona. The bats and hands reaching up from the ground are free clipart found on Google. I'm going to frame this so it will keep in perpetuity...(forever). Mwahahahaha...

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 21

 

Last summer, my daughter came home from Hobby Lobby with some craft projects for us to do together. One if them was painting clay owl banks. She painted hers a beautiful rainbow of colors and shades. I wasn't feeling well, so put it aside for another day. Well, today is that other day.

I wanted to create a Halloween Owl that was also beautiful, one that I could display all year 'round, so I decided to paint my owl black and added gold features and details. 

I used acrylic paints on the owl, then used a black Posca marker to sharpen the edges. After sealing the owl with gloss varnish, I adhered a strip of ribbon decorated with gold beads to my owl's back. I dug into my jewelry stash and added a cool skull necklace. I can remove the necklace after Halloween and add something more festive for Christmas...

I love my owl but will probably use it for depositing random acts of kindness I do throughout the year, and even those I receive. We should all be reminded that one small act of kindness can change the world. If I started now, I can end my year on a happy note, or rather, notes.

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 19

 

Next up today is an embroidery canvas. I had to paint the material black first and let it dry. I am typing with blackened fingers because I am an impatient person... Anyway, I drew a spider web across the material with a white pencil. Then I grabbed a skein of white yarn and stitched my lines. The white against black shows up really well, don't you think?

When I reached the end of my yarn I left a length hanging from the bottom-most web part. Then I riffled through my pompom and pipe cleaner drawers and found the makings for my spider. I had to use hot glue to get her to stay on the hanging thread.

That's it! A fun and simple (and not time-consuming) Halloween craft that doesn't take a master sewing expert to make. The canvas is 6x6 so kids and adults alike can try their hands at this project! 

My house and deck are filling up with my handmade decor and I can't wait for the big day. As I watch neighbors putting up huge skeletons and blow-up decorations, I have two thoughts: One, that I saved a bunch of money this year, and two, that I need to go bigger next year. My decor is on the small side, and my house only has so many windows and deck space. A little more yard planning and larger patterns is on tap for 2025...

Welcome to 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 18

 

Another upcycle project from my many previous trips to thrift stores. Here's my nod to witches around the world. Who says they have to be bent and ugly. Mine is most fashionable. She did need a big makeover, as her skirt was hanging by a thread (literally), her hat was gone, her broom needed re-strawing (?), and her shoes had lost whatever color they originally had. She must have had a hard life, or her credit card was maxed out for a long time.

I started with her clothes, giving her a netting skirt and a shiny belt. I re-strawed her broom and tied an orange ribbon around it. I used a leftover piece of burlap for her hat, glued her hat so it wasn't in her eyes, and lastly, added a black cat near her right foot.

I may not ever be a contestant on Project Runway, but I think I nailed my witch's outfit.

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 17

How's the weather where you live? October started in like a lamb, with unusual temps in the mid 70s, cooling off at night to around mid fifties. But as we near October 31, I know it's going to get nasty. Most years the weather is beautiful right up until the Monday before trick-or-treating. Bummer for the kids who want to show off their costumes. 

Today I upcycled a wooden cat figurine. It was originally pink and cute, but 'tis the season so I first out on its black coat. By the time I finished using my white Posca marker, the cat became a hybrid sugar skull skeleton. I couldn't decide on cute or creepy, and I got what you see here! 

While photographing my project, I decided to make the background black & white. Now the cat looks like he's camouflaged into the background. LOL I've put him in my window. I almost put him in between the glass and screen facing in, but my dog was not very happy with that! So Mr. Bones is facing out and behind the blinds most of the day.

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween - DAY 16

 

One of my newest craft loves is to refresh my deck each season, which means year-round creating, upcycling and DIY-ing. Ever since I got my deck/front porch sealed and painted, I've had fun changing out different items for show. Today I took out the summer decor (from July 4th, whoops) and refreshed my door vases (which were also upcycled from a thrift store find).

I did run out of a little colorful something for one of the vases, but with luck I will have found whatever tickles my fancy, add it and retake the photo before this post publishes (yes, during October, I schedule some of my posts). Meanwhile, I now have a little Fall decorating my home: these vases with Autumn foliage, 2 stuffed scarecrows (store-bought), and a creepy Halloween wreath created last year. Not a bad start for the second, huh?!