31 Days of Halloween - Spooky Crow Wreath Halloween Decor

 

'I finally got my hands on the wreath I was looking for, and had a spooky good time using all my Dollar Tree Halloween leftovers to create another project. I don't understand it; I keep pulling materials out of my stash bin, but I don't seem to be making much headway. Luckily, I have a few week's worth of projects to create...

This one started with the straw stuff people use when making flowers arrangements. I used Mod Podge to keep a handful of it together to look like a next. I thought that would be less dangerous than using my glue gun, but it took forever for it to dry. But dry it did, and after wrapping my wreath with wired ribbon and black netting, I did use my glue gun to keep the nest from going anywhere.

Once I placed my crow in the nest, inspiration kept me busy, adding the skull and glittery orange buttons in the nest, adding greenery and a bit of floral stuff (looks like colored, dried spaghetti noodles to me). The spider was added for balance, and then I found a mini Halloween dream catcher I added at the last minute. I pulled a tiny black spider out of the webbing material and my wreath was complete, except for the ribbon with which to hang it.

Challenges I am Entering:

Through the Purple Haze - Anything October Goes

Arty Divas - Anything Goes

Hello Autumn Clever Dexter October challenge - Hello Autumn

Crafty Animals - Anything w/an Animal Goes

Mixed Media Academy - Mood Board

That's all, folks, until tomorrow. Don't forget to get your gruesome giggles from the cartoon below...

31 Days of Halloween - Day of the Dead Owl Halloween Decor

 

Okay, so the ceramic owl came from Goodwill, but that trip was months ago, so this still counts as a zero $$ project, using up my stash. In this case, it was acrylic paint  and the bird. I will say this project was a test of my steadiness of hand (not apparent in the photo) but it is what it is, and I won't let slip that I used a black Sharpie to sharpen the lines (oops, just did).

Anyway, not all craft projects are perfect (as you can see) but it still sits on my shelf of Halloween decor for the 31 Days of Halloween...

Challenges I am Entering:

Double D Challenges - Owls or Pumpkins

Crafting Happiness - Use any or all: purple, orange, green, black

Critter Crazy - Anything w/a Critter Goes

And now a gruesome giggle to amuse you...

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

31 Days of Halloween - Shadow Boxing Halloween Decor

 

I created this shadow box for a craft workshop I was facilitating, and can't remember if I posted it before now. When I go to thrift stores (and I do so often), I'm always on the lookout for shadow boxes, or things like wood silverware organizers and other pieces I can upcycle into shadowboxes. My favorite theme is Halloween (Christmas comes in 2nd, with Beach theme #3).

I lucked out and found a house-shaped box to use for this project and painted it black. Using supplies and material from the Dollar Tree, I first printed out a spooky Halloween scene and cut it out in the shape of the house. There are many sites that offer free vintage digis and scenery, like Graphics Fairy. One company, Luna Girl offers many scenes and items in its store. I'm always ready to pop in i=on each of them for inspiration and materials. This image was one I bought from Ricola Designs, which can be found at Mischief Circus.

As you can see, I tried to make my shadow box haunted house as welcoming as possible, with a skeleton sitting outside the door to permit visitors to enter. Beware, though, he's sitting on a skull, so that should clue anyone into the nefarious goings-on inside. Would you dare to enter?

Let's turn that frown into a smile with a gruesome giggle...

31 Days of Halloween - "'Sup, Witches?" Halloween Decor

 

Evidently, I had a stash of wood cut into 1"x4". I painted a few black and this is my first finished decoration. The bat and words are stickers, the witch's hat and shoes are buttons, and the pumpkin is from my Dollar Tree stash that keeps giving and giving and...well, you get the idea.

I used white acrylic paint to frame my wooden block, as well as draw a few stars to finish up my project. Very simple and very quick, and no $$ spent again (today). I am itching to go to the Dollar Tree, but I have way too many supplies  and want to see if I can last the month without spending any new money. 

Enjoy today's gruesome giggle...

31 Days of Halloween - Boo Stew

 

You'll never guess what I rediscovered in my Halloween bin of leftovers...that's right, a few of those little plastic cauldrons from Dollar Tree! Usually I would use them in a scene while creating a shadow box, but today I decided to let the cauldron stand as its own decor.

After stuffing the bottom of the cauldron with paper from my shredder, I added a piece of spider webbing, also from Dollar Tree (as well as a skull from a small skeleton, a leg from same and a glittery spider. Years (maybe a decade) ago, my closest Michael's closed. The clearance prices were too good to pass up, and I bought a bagful of tiny buttons (think grocery bag) - hence, the added curly-cue in the back and the word BOO on the cauldron's front. 

I colored small sticker letters orange to match the BOO button and now I have a small Halloween decoration that fits perfectly with the others. I adhered everything with my glue gun. This was a super quick project, and if an adult handles the glue gun, the kids can join in. They can put some candy in the bottom of each cauldron before putting the spider webbing and use it for gift-giving. A suggestion for a tag is "You've Been Boo'd from the ______ Family if you want to treat the neighbors...

Challenges I am Entering:

Crafters' Castle - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar - Halloween

Just Us Girls - Word Week "Halloween"

Art*Journal*Journey - My favorite color is October

Mixed Media Lovers - Anything Goes

Two Old Bats Halloween - Anything Halloween Goes

Now for your daily gruesome giggle...

31 Days of Halloween - Ye Olde Recipe Book

 

Today I'm featuring one of my hand-crafted journals. I got to color up a digi image from Moonflower Digis called Gina Le Cat Witch, for a DT project for Your Scrapbook Place challenge blog. I used a combo of Copics and colored pencils on my image. Before popping her onto my hard-bound blank journal, I rummaged through my stack of papers and found the perfect background for her. Everything except for the digi image came out of my Halloween "bag of tricks", otherwise known as my Halloween tub of leftovers. I decided to keep the spine uncovered, as the reflective silver pattern gave it a little texture.

I used the last (sigh) of my skull trim at the top of the cover, and candy corn stickers became freaky fingers looking like something is holding the book. I found a set of spooky silverware to frame my title, using glittery sticker letters to spell it out. A lonely Potion sticker has a ghost escaping from the bottle.

As far as "Family Recipes" is concerned, I decided to put this year's Halloween inspiration on its pages. This comes from magazines, YouYube, Pinterest and of course the creepy cubby hole in my brain. 

Do you like Halloween crafting? I love it, and wish there were more than 31 days in October! The challenge over at Your Scrapbook Place is ANYTHING GOES, so if you enter a project at the main blog, you could win a prize this month. And of course, thank you to Moonflower Digistamps for this wickedly lovely digi image available at her store...

Challenges I am Entering:

Art*Journal*Journey Anything Goes Journal projeccts

Through the Purple Haze - Challenge #185 October

Moving along with the Times - BINGO (middle horizontal row: image, patterned paper, glitter)

In order to keep up your "spirits", every post this month (and there will be one every day) will end with an appropriately haunting cartoon. So, craft your heart out and enjoy this gruesome giggle...