Terrorific Tuesday Week 4

It's time for the final Terrorific Tuesday, hope you guys have enjoyed it!



Trick or Treat!
Frame and post it note holder dressed for Halloween

Costumed Kokeshi Dolls
Try out a Halloween idea for a traditional Japanese doll with Crafterella

Halloween Mask
Phyllis Dobbs created a fun and easy Halloween mask - great for adults and kids!

Fun Halloween Lanterns
Stephenie Hamen accessorizes plain paper lanterns with her paper punches.

Black Widow & Bloody Necklaces
Pattie Wack uses 3-D paint to create chokers that will creep out your party guests!

Tutu Cute Halloween Wreath
Vanessa creates an inspired wreath made of tulle!

Mad Scientist Party
Amy of Living Locurto shares a slew of fun ideas to host your own Mad Scientist Party.

Halloween Zombie Dolls
Crafty Chica shows how to add some zombie love to your decor!

Halloweenies!
Boopsie Daisy shares some of the wonderful Halloween dollies that she dreams up!

Crafty Chica's Ghost Story!
Kathy Cano-Murillo shares a haunted crafty tale!

Halloween Cone Witches
Make these cute little paper cone witches for Halloween!

Halloween Leftovers
Mel takes the leftovers from last week's project and makes a cool Goth choker!

Brenda Pinnick Halloween Owls
Seasonal Owls for Scaring or Delighting Trick or Treaters

The Impatient Crafter
Margot creates another spooktacular mixed media necklace with a bite.

Halloween Batty Windchime
Heidi Borchers creates a super cute windchime with personality!

Kitschy Kitschy BOO
Add some Halloween flair to your day with this cute kitschy bracelet and earring combo!

Simple Halloween Gift Tags
Studio Mama makes a strong impact with these quick and easy tags!

Strands of Beads
Melissa once again gives some pretty flower beads a Gothic makeover with this simple earring design

Costume Fun
Sharron Westerfield shares her passion for costume-making and the joy it brings her grandchildren.

Return of the Birthday Zombie
Candace is cracking herself up with this ghoulish gift box idea

Doodle Pumpkin
Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield shows you how to make a fun pumpkin on the fly!

Costumed Kokeshi Dolls

I have been seeing cute Kokeshi dolls all over etsy and I had an idea, costumed Kokeshi dolls!!! This is super easy and quick.

You’ll need:

Wooden doll blanks, I found mine at Hobby Lobby Man sized(7/8” x 2 5/16”) and Boy sized (5/8” x 1 11/16”)

Acrylic craft paint, I used red, black, and white

Polymer clay for added embellishment (paper clay would work too)

Brushes

Glue

Acrylic Sealer (optional)

Start by painting your doll blanks the main color, for my dolls I made four solid black and two red. Skeleton Doll - Using white I just free handed a basic/simple skeleton shape. I did paint the skull solid white and when that was dry I went back and repainted the eyes, nose, and mouth black.Day of the Dead Doll – I painted the face solid white and the went back and add the eyes, nose, and mouth with black. Once the black dried I went back with red paint and added the face paint. I added a red triangular shawl with fringe to the upper portion of the body.Devil – I painted the face white and then added eyes and a mouth in black. I also painted the outline of a tail on the back side of the devil and a pitch fork on the front. Using polymer clay I made a set of horns (baked according to package directions) and glued them in place.

After the paint has thoroughly dried you can seal you Kokeshi dolls with acrylic sealer. You could also drill a hole in the top and insert an eye screw to make these into ornaments. These would also make great party favors or little gifts.

I think I’m going to make a whole set of these illustrating my families Halloween costumes this year, now I just need to figure out how to paint a Star Wars clone trooper Kokeshi!

Terrorific Tuesday - Week 3

It's time for another spooky installment of Terrorific Tuesday, so make sure you check out all these great projects!


Spooky Spider House
Silvia creates a miniature haunted house that is spooky and oh-so fun!

Witchy Embroidered Postcard
Sharron Westerfield brews up a whimsical witch postcard

The Impatient Crafter
Vintage plastic owls become the focal point of a charming necklace you can wear for Halloween and all year round!

Pumpkin and cat felt treat bag
Felt bag that can also be made as a wall hanging or door hanger

Cheryl Ball's Halloween Door Hangers
Create these door hangers from inexpensive gloves for Trick of Treaters

My Big Mouth
Make a creepy wire tree just in time for Halloween!

Mel's Day of the Dead Necklace
Linked chain, skulls and spiderwebs for Dia de los Muertos

Crafty Chica's Matchbook Shrines
Adorable little folding shrines that fit in your pocket!

Paper Pumpkin
Make a plump paper pumpkin from some strips of paper plus a little Halloween craftiness!

Polymer Clay Zombie
Candace's diabolical plan to populate the world with zombies continues!

The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate
Make a retro style styrofoam ornament into a fab Halloween Party centerpiece! Madge shows you how using iLoveToCreate products!

How to Make a Spooky Spice Rack
Come make a spooky spice rack with Crafterella, she's sharing her unique labels with everyone!

Halloween Treat Tote
Conjure up a quick Halloween cupcake basket using new ScoreBoard dies!

Brenda Pinnick's Halloween Banner
A little scary, a little fun, this delightful banner celebrates all things Halloween. Made using Brenda Pinnick Sizzix dies, glitter and ribbon.

Creepy Candlesticks
Pattie Wack turns mini pumpkins into a boo-tiful Halloween lighting idea!

Strands of Beads
Melissa explores the holiday possibilities in a black and white checkered bead

Glow in the Dork Wall Hanging
Turn off the lights and have a laugh with this goofy wall hanging from Alexa Westerfield!

Picture Perfect Pumpkin
Vanessa Coppola turns a traditional pumpkin into a decopauged masterpiece!

Kitty Bed from an Old Sweater

As some of you know I have an elderly cat who has been a little sick lately. My cat Pookie had a severe ear infection and seems to be permanently dizzy, the vet thinks she may have even had a small stroke. She is also slowly loosing her vision. I have had to put up a baby gate to keep her from going upstairs because she has fallen down them and she is no longer able to get up on the furniture and so she has been sleeping on the bare wood floor.

I decided she needed a cat bed, she has had one before and was not impressed, so I didn’t want to invest a ton of money in something that many not be used. I found this tutorial that used an old sweater and decided it was perfect. My sweater is 100% cotton(I got this on in the last Bargain Hunter Swap on Craftster) and I think it turned out great, wool sweaters are getting hard to find in thrift stores because all of the crafting uses.It was easy to shape the sweater into a bed. I did have to hand sew the sleeves in position, but I was able to sew the rest on the sewing machine. Mine ended up a little different because my sweater had a “V” neck, but it still worked.

The real test was getting Pookie to use it. When I first showed it to her she was unimpressed, but my other cat Kiki figured out what it was right away.

Once Pookie saw Kiki using and figured out what it was for she went right into it. She really likes it and only gets out of it to eat and use the litter box.

I’m glad she likes it and I have a few more old sweaters, so I may make a couple more. I highly recommend this tutorial, it really makes a cute bed and it was easy and quick.

And the Winner is…

First of all I would like to thank everyone who entered, yay! 

And now, the winner of the Instant Cemetery is…Refibered!!!  I’ll be in touch with you soon, Refibered, and Happy Halloween everyone!

How to Make a Spooky Halloween Spice Rack

Here’s another Halloween decoration to add to your dusty cobweb covered display.

Here’s what you’ll need:

A vintage wooden spice rack with jars, I keep and eye out for these year round, ones from the 1970’s are everywhere here, there are also some available on ebay, but the shipping gets pricey.

Black craft paint and brush

Matte Mod Podge

Hot glue gun

Coffee filters

Twine

If you want to make your own labels you’ll also need:

water colors, paper, coarse salt and brushes

Ink and Ink pen/quill

Halloween stamps and ink pad

Or print my labels (for personal use only) This is my first try for making a PDF to share with everyone, the sizing may be a bit off, leave a comment or email me if you have any problems with these files:




To start, dust/clean off spice rack. I bought three different ones this season and they were all covered in dust. Remove labels from jars if there are any. Some of my jars were stained from various spices, I left them dirty because it went with the look. I also chose to mix and match my spice bottles for a more eclectic look. Hobby Lobby is a good source for interesting glass jars if you would like to add in something different.

Paint the spice rack black and allow to dry.

Now lets talk about jar labels. I wanted something old and moldy looking, I also wanted the labels to be hand written. I used water colors to make the backgrounds. I brushed water over the entire page I was working on and then added black in random spots. The damp paper makes the colors leach. I also used coarse salt to get the molded effect. I also randomly splattered paint all over the finished piece. Crumpling the damp paper also gives an aged effect.

I allowed the paper to dry and then I lasered copied the originals, adjusting the contrast to get a darker finish. I cut the copies into label sized pieces and started stamping different images on to them. When I was finished stamping, using my ink and quill I hand wrote all the label names.Once the labels were dry I used Matte Mod Podge to glue them to the surface, try to only cover the glass where the label fits. The Mod Podge makes the jars appear cloudy, which is actually an interesting look.

I used the hot glue gun to affix coffee filters over the plastic lids, tearing them to size. I used new one, but you could also use tea, ink pads, or watercolors to distress the filter first. Then I applied twine around the edges to finish the look. Don’t forget to add spooky ingredients to your jars!

This spice rack is for my swap partner, so I didn’t finish decorating it. I would cover it with cobwebs and use spanish moss to fill the drawers and some of the shelves. I would also add some spiders and bugs and display this with the drawers open an full of other ghoulish stuff.

I’d love to see pictures of what you guys come up with and Happy Halloween!!!

Nightmare Before Christmas Fan Art

I have recently made two separate Nightmare Before Christmas projects.  First was the set of polymer clay ornament, featuring the many looks of Jack Skellington.  Here they are before baking.

I printed out my inspiration, divided my clay into 12 equally sized balls and started shaping.  I decided to add wire loops before baking, so I wouldn’t have to drill and glue them in later.  I used chain nosed pliers to make loops and then left about an inch long tail that I wrapped around a paint brush, it looked like a corkscrew with a loop on the end.  And then I just screwed them into the soft clay, believe me, these loops aren’t coming out!

I baked them according to the package directions, base coated them with white spray paint, and then painted them with acrylic craft paint.  I finished them by dipping them into triple thick glaze and letting them hang dry.  I had to wipe the drips on them for a few minutes, but it was worth it for the super shiny finish.

I also made a bottle cap charm bracelet using images from the movie.  I did a google image search and then picked out several images to use.  The key to getting the image the perfect size is using a 1” hole punch.  I then glued the images inside the bottle caps and coated the tops with diamond glaze.  The diamond glaze gives a resin like finish without the chemicals and toxic smell, but it is not as durable as resin.

I was even lucky enough to find some Tim Burton styled focal beads.  It is definitely a chunky bracelet, but that what I love about charm bracelets.

I need some more Diamond Glaze now, looks like I’ll have to head to Ben Franklins, the only store in town that carries it!  Halloween is fast approaching, get to crafting!

I’m Having a Giveaway!!!!!!!

I was so excited when Jo MacKenzie (The Craft Hunter) wanted to interview me for a post on CraftNouveau.com. She is a big fan of my Instant Cemeteries and since I’m having a great Halloween season I decided to give an Instant Cemetery away to celebrate!If you would like a chance to win all you need to do is follow my blog and leave a comment on this post, super easy. The contest runs from today (the 13th.) until Friday (the 16th.) at midnight central time. The winner will be selected and posted on Saturday (the 17th.) Anyone is eligible to enter, only one entry per person, and make sure I can get in touch with you incase you’re the lucky winner.

Good luck everyone and don’t forget to check out the interview on CraftNouveau!

Terrorific Tuesday - Week 2

It's time for another installment of Terrorific Tuesday, check out all these great Halloween ideas! And check back here later today, I'll be announcing a new giveaway, Happy Halloween!!!



Another week! Another helping of Halloween goodness. Check out what the fabulous crafters from all walks of life are up to this Terrorific Tuesday for the second week of October!

This little light
Light up the night with this cute pumpkin votive holder from Kat the Fearless Crafter.

Sugar Skull Bracelet & Bats in the Belfry Choker
Candace is having way too much fun with shrink plastc! Check out these fun and charming crafts on the Spirit Clay blog.

Dollar Tree Decorated Lights Tutorial
Come and decorate some Dollar Tree Skulls with Crafterella, don't forget your sharpie markers!

The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate
Whip up a Halloween Invitation that's a real 'hoot' with Madge in this project for iLoveToCreate!

Spooky Halloween Coasters
Cheryl Ball of Still Crafty After 50 shares some fun, funky, and spirited coasters!

Halloween Treat Bowl
Create a fun and festive treat dish with Inspired at Home!

Strands of Beads
Melissa creates a whimsical seasonal necklace based on the theme "pushing up daisies".

Basic Black Box Meets Pumpkin Patch
Whip up Halloween favor boxes in minutes with brand new Sizzix ScoreBoard dies.

Mummy Mannequin
Create a mummy that will be a memorable accent at your Halloween party with Pattiewack!

Munchkin Mama's Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Munchkin Mama has a great recipe for no bake peanut butter balls that the whole family will want to make!

Witch Parking!!
Make a "Witch Parking" sign on the Mucky Finger's blog!

Vintage-Inspired Halloween Tree Topper
Shannon shows off her new Halloween tree topper, inspired by vintage crepe paper crafts!

The Impatient Crafter
Make a whimsical and elegant Halloween necklace with Madge!

Jack-O-Lantern Waterfalls
Studio Mama shows you how to make some fun and festive earrings for the Halloween season.

Glow in the Dark Jewelry
Use glow in the dark polymer clay and rubber stamps to produce eerie Halloween jewerly.

Crafty Chica's Paint Drip Pumpkin!
A loca idea on the fly turned out muy fantastico!

Free Printable Halloween Cup Sleeves
You’ll be a hit with these labels for hot beverages at your Halloween party.

Scarecow Sweatshirt
Sharron Westerfield shares a cute scarecrow sweatshirt she made from a fun downloadable pattern from Janome!

Halloween Ribbon Brooches and Fascinators
Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner whips some quick and cute Halloween accessories!

R.I.P. Skeleton in Coffin
Guarantee a spooktacular Halloween Party with a skeleton in a coffin treat filled centerpiece!

Happy October Kewpies
Find inspiration in this colorful and cute candy corn Kewpie photo from Boopsie Daisy!

If you would like to join in the fun next week, e-mail Alexa at swelldesigner@yahoo.com and put in your subject line "Terrorific Tuesday". She'll get you added to the group!

Dollar Tree Decorated Skull Lights Tutorial

I made these super fun decorated skull lights using supplies from the Dollar Tree, so for about $8.00 I have a set of one of a kind skull lights.

I was excited to find these skull lights at the Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, a dollar!

They are battery powered and have flashing red and yellow LED lights inside them, I should have bought a dozen!!!  They also had purple and orange, I’m sure those would work too.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Skull lights from the Dollar Tree

white spray paint

black acrylic craft paint and fine brush

sharpie markers, fine tip and regular

acrylic sealer (optional)

Start by spraying your skulls white, these were kind of transparent and they looked cheap, adding the with paint made them look nicer and allowed the lights to still be seen flashing.

I then re-colored the eye sockets, nasal cavity, and mouth using the black acrylic paint and fine brush.  It took about three coats to get a nice flat black finish.

Next I used the fine tipped sharpie marker to draw designs onto the skulls.  It was a little tricky, these skulls are very angular and there is not a lot of flat surface for elaborate designs, so keep it simple and use geometric shapes.  After I had the outline drawn I went back with the regular tipped sharpie and filled in some of the areas.  The good news is if you mess up or don’t like the design you can always repaint it white!

Once you have finished your designs you can seal the skulls with a light spray of acrylic sealant, I did not, but I don’t expect these to get a lot of wear or to be handled a lot.  As you can see, you can get a variety of different looks, my favorite is the one on the far right.

This project was inspired by this project from the Crafty Chica.  Sadly I have not been able to find them in the last couple of years.  This year target did have some similar ones, but they were to cartoonish and silly for my tastes.

It's Terrorific Tuesday: Week 1

This year I'll be participating in Terrorific Tuesday, hosted by Alexa (Swell Designer)! It's a great way to find some new Halloween crafty projects to try. I can't wait to get started crafting!






Studio Mama Blog
Creep out your friends with this Leatherface-esque collection of eyeballs strung on hardware!

The Impatient Crafter
Halloween is right around the corner and Madge kicks off the season with a stunningly spooky mixed media necklace and a bonus short story sure to send shivers up your spine!

Living Locurto
Kids will love dressing up this cute doggie in different costumes with this Halloween Doggie Dress-Up Free Printable!

Sharron Westerfield
Create an adorable jack-o-lantern baby bib for your favorite little one!

Crafterella
Join Crafterella in making you own spooky Mantipi specimen jar (with tutorial) using polymer clay.

The Fearless Crafter
Welcome your guests with this cute and creepy Spooky Spider Wreath wreath!

My Big Mouth
Craft a mini Halloween candy dish that looks like Frankenstein

Strands of Beads
Melissa creates a simple skully necklace to celebrate the season.

Kate Pullen, the Rubber Stamping Guide at About.com
Create a Halloween pyramid box perfect for use as a Halloween favor box or as an unusual decoration.

Allee Marderosian for iLoveToCreate
Take your look to the Darkside with these Twilight Romance tees, perfect for Halloween festivities or everyday adventures!

Candace Jedrowicz - Spirit Clay
These sparkly Candy Corn Riot earrings are made using real candy corn! No kidding!

Brenda Pinnick
Brenda uses her Sizzix Die to create a batty neck piece you'll want to sink your teeth into!

The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate
Madge shows you how to make a super cute Halloween tote in this week's I Love to Create post!

Crafty Chica
The Chica, ILoveToCreate & Craft Zine have teamed up for a skullerific Dia de los Muertos Shrine Contest!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Inspired by her love for True Blood, Swelldesigner takes a stab at bloody white pumpkins!

Mantipi Specimen with Tutorial

I have always thought that specimen jars are cool, creepy, but still cool and after seeing Drew Olbrich’s Thing in a jar I knew I had to make my own.

You will need:

Sculpty clay

aluminum foil

acrylic paint

rubber cement

food coloring or cola

a jar

I used aluminum foil to make a basic shape, this helps to cut down on the amount of clay you’ll need and the cooking time to cure your “thing”.

I used original Sculpty clay, I was planning on painting the final piece, so why pay more for colored clay?  It is also easier to work with because it is softer.  I covered the foil form with a 1/4” thick layer.

  I decided to add another tentacle and bulk up the middle section with a fin.  You can make your “thing” as simple or as complicated as you want.  An organ shaped blob would be just as interesting as an alien fetus.  I worked on my sculpture for a couple of hours.  The suction cups on the tentacles took a fair amount of time.

Once I had everything like I wanted it I went back and smoothed out all of the finger prints and then baked it according to the package directions (for me that was at 275 for 45 minutes)  The back fin got a little well done, but it was easily covered with paint.

I painted a base coat of pear green on everything.  Once it was all dry I went over the entire sculpture with a dingy green, wiping it off with a paper towel to give the skin a molted look.

Now it’s time to add the extra creepy part.  Coat the entire sculpture with 3 to 5 layers of rubber cement, rubbing it away on different sections to make it look like peeling skin.  This is a messy, sticky task, I just slathered the rubber cement on and it naturally starting peeling where I touched.

Now it’s time to put it in the jar, I made mine too large for any jar I had on hand and I had to take the mantipi with me to Hobby Lobby to find its new home. 

Use cola or food coloring to tint the water to accentuate the creep factor.  I think I need some sort of aged specimen tag for the jar, I’ll have to get to work on that!  I would love to see pictures of any “things” you guys make, send me some links :) and Happy Halloween!!!