31 Days of All Hallows Eve - Day 16 - Gaze into my Crystal Ball

 

My bins of craft supplies are like Mary Poppins' carpet bag. Today I pulled out a crystal ball I had bought from Dollar Store last October. It was decorated...okay, but not what I really wanted. So I removed the ball from its base and covered it with Black chalk paint.

After it dried, I added my accessories: part of a necklace chain that had broken (I swear I don't know how to throw anything out), a couple of leftover skulls from the Dollar Store skeletons, some moon and star buttons, and these weirdly-shaped glass beads that looked like leaves (part of a necklace I bought at Savers for $1.50) and a string of sees beads I had got on clearance who knows when (I don't).

There was a little color clashing going on, so I brushed some gold acrylic paint onto those accessories. Then I had to edge both the top and bottom of the base with gold. Before putting the globe back onto its base, I put batteries in a set of twinkle lights (I inherited a shoe box full of these) and placed the lights into a ball of batting. Once the globe was on with the lights glowing eerily through the batting, I was very happy with the effect! and since my bf had ordered the polyester batting from Amazon, she had tons of leftover, which found its way to my house (the bag of batting was as big as Santa's bag on Christmas Eve).

And now comes the best part...come closer while I look into my crystal ball. Do I see love entering your life? Should you not travel our of the country until next year? What will my magical crystal ball tell you about your own future???  

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

A Place to Start - Anything Goes  

Corrosive Challenges - Anything Goes

We Love 2 Create - Anything Goes

31 Days of All Hallows Eve - Day 15 - "Pumpkin Head's Morning After"

 

“Oof,” groaned Bonesy. He had just woken from a bad dream to an even worse nightmare. His skull ached. He was disoriented to find himself on the floor of some kind of attic. I must have walked out of the bar, he thought. But where was he? Well, he didn’t know where, but here he was, the morning after his Bachelor party, with a headache that was pounding his skull into pulp.

He managed to sit on a nearby pumpkin and shook his head. That was a mistake! He reached a bony hand up to his head and screeched in surprise. Something wasn’t right. His skull was huge and felt different. Fear ignited in him as he used both hands to feel where his skull should have been. It very definitely was different. He needed a mirror.

Finding the attic’s trap door, he gingerly took the stairs. Yes, definitely a barn as he suspected. Near the doors leading outside was a metal tub. He approached it with trepidation. What would his reflection show him?

“No. No! Not possible!” he moaned.

Instead of his exquisitely-shaped skull and chiseled jaw bone, he saw what his hands had warned him of. He had a pumpkin head!

“Impossible,” he shrieked.

Though it was hard to deny the reflection in the pan of water, he stumbled out of the barn into bright sunlight. The daylight burned his sockets. No, make that his triangular-shaped eye holes. It also warned him that night was over and he should be in bed until the moon rose.

With a start, he remembered where he was supposed to be--getting ready for his wedding. He was supposed to be in his comfortable nest of rotting leaves and rich soil, soon to be married to the love of his life, Ima Goner. He smiled at the thought, then had another thought (he wasn’t used to thinking so much).

“My head’s a pumpkin,” he whispered. What skeleton in her right mind (and skull) would marry someone with a pumpkin head, he thought.  Well he’d have to find out where he was to get to where he wanted to be. He began walking without direction, keeping his hand on his heavy head to hold it up.  

                                                      ...to be continued

Earlier this month I created this Pumpkin Head skeleton from leftover Halloween supplies. Today I adhered him to a pumpkin, used patterned paper (#16 from Rucola Designs from her Dead or Alive paper set) and placed several bottles of BOOze next to him. The story of his momentous morning after will be continued before the end of our Halloween celebration.

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

 

31 Days of All Hallows Eve - Day 14 - Easy Shadow Box

 

I am having some spooky fun with the Dollar Store wooden signs I picked up from a thrift store earlier this year. Today, I created a very easy shadow box by taking off the front panel and using just the frame. I adhered a digital scene that I created in Adobe Photoshop with the following digital elements:                 Decosse's Dynamite Digitals, Eerie Scene paper

   Brooke Gazarek's White Skeleton elements

I also used a few small Halloween buttons from the Dollar Store (bats, cat & Tomb stone). To finish off this make, I hot glued some green floral stuff. Altogether this took me a little over an hour, including "setting the scene" in Photoshop. I think it was time well spent...

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 12 - Halloween Wind Chimes

 

During COVID, I tried several new techniques and media new to me. One of these was making window hangings from branches and sea glass, shells and stones. Today, I dug out my supplies and created Halloween wind chimes decor. This was NOT an easy project for me.

I am the original "fumble-fingers" and today was no exception. I think I spent four hours (!) putting this one together. The beads kept slipping from my grasp, and the balance in it is not quite right. But I finished it, and it's hanging up for all to see, so "live and learn" is my motto. I like it (somewhat) but I don't know if I'll keep it for next year.

Do you know where wind chimes originated? It's believed that they were used as early as 1100 BC in China, although older wind chimes have been discovered. The sound of bells were used to ward off evil spirits aid the flow of chi and increase positive energy. They signify wisdom, charity and compassion. Today, many people give wind chimes to someone who has lost a loved one. It is believed that the sound of the bells means that their loved one is near. 

When my husband died, I didn't know this belief. But I would buy up wind chimes during summer clearance sales. I love the sound of the bells chiming in the breeze. Maybe my subconscious already knew it would comfort me? Either way, I hope my wind chimes scare away any ghosts, goblins or ghouls... 

Challenges I am Entering:

Craft Rocket challenges - Halloween/Autumn 

Get Creative - #126 Purple, Black, Orange, Green

Crafting Happiness - Halloweens

  

31 Days of Halloween - Day 11 - Hallow's Eve - Boho Design

 

I love me some boho decor, so naturally I had to create something with a Halloween twist. I have to admit that I haven't done macrame since college (a long time ago in a galaxy far far away). So when I saw this tiny macrame hanger in the clearance bin at Michael's last month, I had to buy it, and its three mates (that's four altogether).

I reached my arm deep into my Halloween tub o' crafting supplies to find a pumpkin small enough to fit into the "hammock" part of my hanger! I also dug around my flower supplies and found a handful of sunflowers whose size matched my pumpkin. I painted the yarn a coppery color using acrylic paint and hot glued my pumpkin into the cradle, so to speak.

Then I "planted" my sunflowers and added a little greenery between the blooms and the pumpkin. As you can see, my project is very small, hanging from a table lamp in the living room. Therefore, I will be making several of these for this celebratory month.

Nothing spooky, just Fall fun! 

Speaking of Fall, or Autumn, I live in the US in a state that sets their clocks back one hour in the Fall. Do you live where the time changes twice a year? Falling behind one hour in the Fall, and speeding ahead one hour in the Spring? 

How do you feel about this habit that Benjamin Franklin founded? I, personally, could do without it. It's hard enough to keep track of time without going back and forth! And pets like my Morkie, Honeycomb, don't do well with it, especially with meal time and getting up in the morning! Some states have repealed the law and don't change at all, which makes it even more confusing. Inquiring minds want to know...

CHALLENGES i AM eNTERING:

   Tyr It on Tuesdays - Autumn

Unicorn challenges - Autumn/Halloween

 Farmquest Challenges - Anything Goes/optional Autumn colors

 (p.s. this year it falls on Nov. 5)

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 10 - Pumpkin Fever

 

Been busy today, mostly waiting for paint to dry! LOL Today's project is another piece of deck decor, thanks to the Dollar Store. Last year I had bought a handful of Styrofoam pumpkins and packed them away. 

So I pulled them out and painted four of them. At first I was going to adhere each to the posts on my front porch, but decided to create one large decoration for Halloween. 

After painting on a coat of white gesso, I gave each pumpkin its own spooky character. I gave the first pumpkin lowlights by painting the cracks in the pumpkin a darker color, then wiping the excess paint off. The I drew on eyes and a mouth.

The pumpkin sitting on top of him I kept white and drew on a ghost face. On top of her is my black cat and sitting on the cat is the witch. She had to be on the top because she wouldn't give u wearing her hat. I made her hair out of some cording I had bought on clearance and stuffed into my craft bin. 

In fact, I bought nothing this year for my Halloween crafting! I've been on a decluttering binge for months now, only replenishing my adhesives and paints. Anyway, I hot glued my pumpkins on top of each other and placed them in a wooden planter that has seen better days. I put a few bricks in the bottom of the planter to keep it from falling over. I finished my Halloween totem pole by stuffing some greenery around the top.

Even with all that glue, my pumpkins look like they're about to tumble. No worries, though, they're professionals...

Challenges I am Entering:

Mirtillamente Challenges - Anything Halloween

Morgans Art World - Anything Goes

Four Seasons Challenges - Anything FALL Goes

31 Days of All Hallows Eve - Day 9 Spooky Spiders

 

I altered another book box today. This one is all about the spiders. Before covering my box with tissue paper and homemade mod podge, I drew a large spider web with hot glue. Once the paper was dry, I painted the cover black, then highlighted the web with gold paint using a tiny paint brush. This book took me hours of detailed brush work, getting the web strands thin enough to look realistic. I pulled the spiders from my Halloween craft stash, as well as the thin webbing you can get at the Dollar Store.

Besides lining the box with designer paper. I like to give the sides of the box some gold paint to resemble gilt-edged pages. I have a few more boxes to alter. Do you have any ideas for their theme? I was thinking maybe a witch's cookbook, and possibly a monster book with fangs.

Speaking of cookbooks, I tried to make devilled eggs but with avocado mixed in to make the filling spooky. I also like to make lots of tiny cracks in my egg shells after boiling. Then I put them in cups colored with Kool Ade. They come out almost like dinosaur eggs, with lines all over the whites. Pretty gruesome. They looked great but I'm not especially fond of avocado. It was a hit, though, and I took home my empty container. Here's the recipe:

Halloween Dragon Eggs

Hard boil eggs. I boil them for 7 minutes, take the off the burner, cover them and let them cool off for another 7 minutes.

Crack each egg lightly so that the egg has many cracks but won't fall apart. 

Fill a pot with some water and all the contents of a Kool Ade packet (no sugar added) of any color you prefer (I used grape for purple) Use enough water to cover the eggs completely.

Place eggs in this pot for about 15 minutes.

Dry with paper towel and crack open the eggs. You should have a cool design on the hard egg whites. 

Cut them in half, placing egg yolk in small bowl and egg whites on a platter.

Chop up the egg yolks and add some Miracle Whip and mustard (if you want them to turn green, add half a very ripe avocado. Stir until creamy. Fill egg whites and refrigerate. 

I like to sprinkle on some paprika just for looks. Garnish as you like...

If you try these, let me know how they turned out! 

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 8 - Pumpkin Sign Decoration

 

Remember the signs I picked up from the Dollar Store for summer? Here's the other one that I altered for Halloween. I again painted the back side of the sign so I get double use from my purchase. After it dried, I adhered designer paper, bordering it top and bottom with lace I colored orange.

I then used my white Posca marker to give it a witty greeting. Like it? I hope it made you smile...

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 7 - My very first Meme

A couple days ago, I created two Halloween characters our of skeleton bodies and pumpkins for heads. Today I created my very first meme! And, it being the season, I made it a Halloween meme. 

Using my newly-created Halloween characters, I used the magic of Photoshop to feature in this meme. The background is compliments of Rucola Designs, whose papers I adore and purchased on Mischief Circus. I wanted a speech bubble, but I couldn't find one, so the "punchline"  is just a blurb at the top in quotes. 

What do you think? Should I switch my job from crafter to meme maker? Maybe I should just stick to what I love doing...

31 Days of Halloween - Day 6 - From Easter to Halloween decor

 

I love October! The scent of the air has a warm and comforting smell. The leaves are falling, making the sidewalks look like colorful carpets. And my favorite holiday for crafting is closer than ever! So, in anticipation of Halloween, I altered another wooden sign from the Dollar Store. 

I altered several of these boxes, which were purchased months ago at a thrift store, a bag of thirteen pieces for $10. Half of them went into summer decor, which you can fins=d on my blog HERE. Today I was a wicked crafter and above is the result of my maniacal imagination.

After removing the Easter decoration, I painted the front white with acrylic paint. I then adhered a Halloween napkin with homemade Mod Podge, after pulling off the extra layer of napkin so that it wouldn't form bubbles.

After it dried, I dabbed at the border of my wooden canvas to highlight the actual scene. Adding a plastic spider as well as some lace seemed fitting for this project. Now I have a cool Halloween canvas to celebrate the season! And all it took me was time to let the paint and the Mod Podged-scene to dry.

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 5 - Pumpkin Heads

 As I continue to create Halloween makes like a mad scientist, I often take items apart, saving the leftovers for another project. Today I created these fun creatures from skeletons whose heads I had used for another project. I have an excess of small pumpkins and I remembered the story of the Headless Horseman. He rode at night, a phantom being scaring the townspeople, no head, except for the Jack o' Lantern he carried in his arm. Poor Ichabod Crane was one of his victims... 

So I attached my pumpkins to these two skeletons since they seemed to be missing theirs. I drew on their faces with my black Posca paint marker. Then I got this crazy idea to pose them by hot gluing their hands to their new heads. They look like they just woke up to find their new looks. I'm thinking about using them in Photoshop to make a Halloween meme. If I create one, it will show up on my blog during the 31 days of Halloween.

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 4- Spooky Signage

 

Among my leftover Halloween craft supplies, I found 2 signs I had bought (and hug in windows) for the summer season. Well, summer is over! And instead of painting over them, I decided to paint and decorate the other side for Halloween. Below you'll see what my signs show for summer:

So I started by painting each backside black for the base coat. After drying, I adhered some leftover designer paper to each. On the sign I'm featuring today, I added a border of orange paint. I also attached some leftover lace to the bottom of the paper. I used a stencil to paint on the greeting BOO and finished it off with a Dollar Store ribbon.

This was a very fast, very easy craft, which I certainly appreciated. I also appreciate the fact that it is flat, and will store easily in my Halloween decorations bins.

Do you believe in ghosts? My sister bought a house near me that is said to be haunted. She hasn't seen a ghost in the years in which she's lived there, but every time she comes home and it's dark, she calls me and keeps the conversation up while she checks out a noise that came from her basement. No sense in pushing her luck, right?

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 3 - Spooky Door Decor

 Hello, witches! My project today is a welcome wreath, Halloween-style. I unearthed a wire wreath form I had bought from Dollar Store last year and tried to weave black tulle around it. That lasted 20 minutes! So then I pulled out some leftover orange canvas and wound it around most of the form. 

Continuing to pull from my Halloween craft supplies gather over the years, I found a bare wooden haunted house sign that I just painted black...

and a wood and wire fence I painted grey...

and some foam flowers...

and foam ghosts that used to be part of a banner...

and a few miscellaneous pumpkins/jack o' lanterns.

My hot glue gun saw some serious action. I want to be able to show this off for the next several years.

Do you decorate for Halloween? Is it just outside, or do you do the inside of your house, too? My neighborhood goes crazy at Halloween. There are some neighbors' houses that my kids (when they were younger) would not go up to their doors for candy! Coffins and gigantic spiders and zombies, etc. I just like to put my artwork in the windows and on the doors, and a large vase or two of altered flowers/plants.  

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes, no cards

Crafting Happiness - Halloween

Get Creative - #126 Purple, Black, Green and Orange!!!

 Mirtillamente Challenge #25 - All about Halloween

 Two Old Bats - Halloween Mood Board

The Four Seasons - Anything Fall Goes Mood Board

31 Days of All Hallows Eve - Day 2 - Book of Bones (and where to dig them up)

 

Last summer I picked up a baker's dozen of book boxes to alter for Christmas. You can see them on my blog HERE. Since I didn't use all of them yet, I decided to make a few Halloween book boxes as decor. Here is the box before alteration.

Today's make is a Book of Bones and where to dig them up. I pulled out my Rubbermaid tub of Halloween craft supplies and pulled apart a few Dollar Store skeletons. Using their legs and arms as well as a skull and backbone, I hot glued these parts to the cover to spell out the book's title. Leftovers decorate the cover as well. Next came crumpled tissue paper and homemade mod podge. 

After drying, I used various paint brushes to highlight the letters and body parts. I always use designer papers for the inside of my book boxes and then fill them with goodies. Last Christmas, I made five holiday book boxes, filled them with homemade goodies and gave them to my neighbors and my postal worker. This year, a few more neighbors will get Halloween candies inside their boxes. 

I'm trying to use up my stash of holiday craft supplies, but the Dollar Stores are sooo tempting, especially around Halloween. We'll have to see how long I resist all the goodies, especially after watching dozens of Halloween DIY videos on YouTube! LOL

Do you get kids trick or treating at your house? I used to have so many I had hubby go to the store after running out of treats. But over the last few years, I get maybe a dozen kids and I'm stuck with a bunch of candy. I hope it picks up this year... 

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 1 - Autumn canvas

Hello, my peeps! Starting today, I will feature crafts, decor, haunted tales, cartoons, etc. all with a Halloween vibe. Be prepared to be inspired and a little spooked by my offerings. Today, I created wall decor for my home, altering a wooden box/sign from the Dollar store that was an Easter decoration, now bringing in the Fall season. 

I used some of my leftover stash of papers and adhered it to the front, after peeling, scraping and sanding the original clean. Searching through my Halloween craft supplies, I found the sticker letters spelling FALL and added them after placing a line of pumpkins from my ribbon/trim stash.

I finished off my project with tiny leaf die-cuts and a button (the tree). This was a very simple project that took me more time looking for the supplies than to put it together. Don't you love that kind of project? LOL

I will be showcasing a new make every day in October, some cute like this one, others bringing out the creepy, spooky vibes. At the end of the month, I will randomly pick someone who has left a comment on any of my blog posts and send them a digital copy of my new coloring book. This book features a lot of my Zen doodles as well as others I have not published. Being digital, you can print and reprint on any kind of paper repeatedly!

Do you know why leaves change colors in the Fall? While chlorophyl keeps them green in Spring in Summer, the chemical decreases its production as cooler temps appear in the shorter days. According to Science Notes, leaves also contain flavonoids and carotene (orange and yellow) as well as lycopene and anthocyanin (red and purple). As chlorophyl decreases, these chemicals show their true colors. When the temps lower, leaves lose their bright colors, turn brown and brittle and then die. 

The Four Seasons - Anything Fall Mood Board

Challenge Up Your Life - Autumn Leaves

Creatalicious Challenges - Anything Goes w/option Autumn colors

31 Days of Halloween - Macabre Mussie-Tussie Ornament

Time got away from me today, so I'm posting a project I did a couple years ago, but never posted. The project is called a mussie tussie. These come in all shapes, themes and sizes, but mine starts with a toilet paper roll. First, I adhered Haloween-themed scrapbook paper to the roll, then stapled one end flat, covering it with lace to hide the staples (and make it look pretty).

Next, I added a Dollar Tree skeleton and a faux flower also from the store. I used some shiny packing strips to keep my skellie and flower from falling out. I decided another piece of lace around the top would balance out the look. I added a couple Halloween tombstones (wooden) to the front, and made a hanger from some black trim.

I've made mussie tussies for Christmas, St. Patrick's Day and Valentine's Day. I even facilitated a craft workshop that featured them. They make unique stocking stuffers and you can even put a gift card in one. And I made them all from Dollar Store items while recycling the cardboard roll.

I hope you're looking forward to the end of my post, where I always add a gruesome giggles cartoon to leave you smiling or laughing. Enjoy...

31 Days of Halloween - Pumpkin Delivery

 

Today I didn't have a lot of time to craft, so I took a ceramic planter shaped like a pick-up truck and removed the summer flowers from the truck's bed. I popped in a few pumpkins and greenery and added this cute cat rub-on in the window. That's it, Less than 5 minutes and my project is complete for today. I think it's cute. I like buying/having things that I can change out for the seasons.

Ready for your daily dose of gruesome giggles?

31 Days of Halloween - Too Cute to Spook Halloween Decor

I created more Halloween decor using the wooden blocks I painted black. Today's project  sports a cute ghost sticker. In fact, he's so cute it inspired me to use the phrase :Too Cute to Spook". I had a small piece of lace leftover from a previous project, which I adhered onto the top front of my wood block. After using white glitter stickers for the greeting, I added a star button, but it looked lacking somehow. Did I mention I have a problem with white space? LOL

I dipped into the bag of buttons and came up with a few Jack-o-Lanterns that I glued onto the lace. After riffling through my ribbons and trim, I found this stretchy,  glittery string (?) and tied it around the lace, and now I feel my project is ready to show off. My living room shelf is getting quite crowded with all the Halloween projects I've made so far, and the month isn't even half over! That won't stop me from featuring a Halloween craft for each day of October, though.

I hope you get a chance to craft today! Here's a gruesome giggle to brighten your day...

31 Days of Halloween - "Dude, I Got Your Back" Halloween Decor

 

Into the bin of Halloween goodies my hand reached, and out came more skeletons. That's a good thing, because when I worked on my first skeleton montage, I had painted several of the thin black wood pieces from my first skeleton project, so I was ready to glue the skellies onto the base. Again, I ripped the limbs from these little dudes so that I could pose them better.

This time I got my inspiration from a Halloween shirt I bought years ago. It showed 2 skeletons on the front with the words, "I got your back" and 1 skeleton holding the other's spine. I think it looks good in 3D as well as on my shirt. I threw some straw on the base and left room to personalize it if it sells. I started using Facebook Marketplace to sell my art and have had some success.

This piece is sitting next to the first skeleton scene I created, which you can read about in an earlier post. I love making projects for Halloween. Do you? It's too bad there are only 31 days in October...

Challenges I am Entering:

Ike's World -Anything Goes or Trick-or-treat
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

We Love to Create - Anything mixed media Goes

Use Your Stuff - Autumn/Fall

31 Days of Halloween - Eternal Love Halloween Decor

I was watching a few YouTube DIY videos using Dollar Tree items, and I instantly wanted to crate the dog and run to the store. However, my brain kicked in and said, "Pat, you have at least two Rubbermaid bins full of Halloween crafts. My God, woman, stay home and use it  all up!" 

 So I grabbed a bin, paint and hot glue gun and created the first of several Halloween decor items. I was inspired by my BFFs text, updating me with news of her son, who just proposed to his girlfriend. I decided to create a scene in which a skeleton is on his knees proposing to his beloved. 

I discovered several thin wood pieces, approx. 6"x3" and painted these black. Next, I pulled a few skeletons apart so that I could pose them. The skeletons were from Dollar Tree and  came in a set of 4 or 5. The straw stuff also came from Dollar Tree, to, a big bag I don't think I'll ever finish. I  used leftover  yarn from my stash (who know where that came from!?) for the girl's hair.

The ring was tricky. I finally used a jump ring from my jewelry stash, and glued on a small (tiny) stone bead. I think the guy's head is a little askew.  I wanted him looking up at her face, but I didn't notice how weird an angle it took until the glue was dry. I may just rip it off and reposition it (or not).

It's sitting in my living room shadow box with another one I made the next day.

I didn't spend a dime (today).I used my stash, and continue to whittle it down for the sake of my sanity...so, what are you creating for Halloween this year?

Challenges I am Entering:

Two Old Bats Halloween Challenges - October Halloween Anything Goes

Avenue 613 Create - Anything Goes

We Love to Create - Anything Mixed media Goes