Showing posts sorted by relevance for query halloween. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query halloween. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, September 27, 2010

FUN Halloween decorating


I had so much fun putting this display together, I just had to share it with you all. All of my kids and grandkids will be here this weekend, so this is ready for the gathering. It is the Halloween display at the end counter in my kitchen. It is also known as "pile it up central" most days of the week. Do you have such a place in your house? I see this counter every time I come in from the deck and I wanted something there that would make me smile.

So I used a bit of black velvet as a drape over a short shelf and started shopping the house. Here's the ingredient list....


My silver, blingy, button decor ball, my Halloween decor orbs, a Halloween tree of painted branches in a Dollar Store planter, mini pumpkins, one of my fat fabric pumpkins in a milk glass compote, a crepe paper rosette wreath, a Dollar store gargoyle and more....

Halloween tissue paper decoupaged over Christmas balls, black painted foliage in a milk glass vase, Dollar store vine balls, another fat fabric pumpkin, and.....

a galvanized tin lantern set inside a twig wreath, with black painted ivy and more of my Halloween decor balls. Peeking out back is an embellished tequila bottle full of bright red orange glass and trimmed with a black tassel. As for those decor orbs.... just take Mod Podge and colorful Halloween tissue and Dollar Store foam balls and voila! Cheerful Halloween decor on the CHEAP! But there's more....

Quivery spooky bats of crepe paper and the tiniest jewelry wire I had in my stash. Curl the wire up, hot glue the paper bats to the tips and watch them shake and "fly" with every passing breeze. PLUS, my crackle painted Halloween decor balls, gorgeous orange crackle over silvery balls. Love the look!



Here's a shot of two of my Dollar Store gargoyles and an apothecary jar made from a glass candlestick and a lidded jar, stuffed with more of my Halloween decor balls and vine orbs. In the back there's a peek at my black and white damask decoupaged box, I love the way it came out. The black foliage in a tall white vase is so striking that I'll be painting more fake greenery black, that's for sure.

I added my little witch from my Etsy shoppe and then piled a string of my Halloween garlands in a cut glass display stand made from a thrift store candle stick and bowl. You know, I could go on and on....this counter is over four foot long and three foot wide. But I'm going to stop right there.....and if something sells from my Etsy shop I can replace it. Besides, I've got other places I want to have some fun with....like the top of the TV cabinet....the bookshelf by the hearth....the shelves by the corner windows.

And if, by some slim chance I run out of stuff, I can always make/find/shop for more. That's the plan and I'm sticking to it!



What fun have you had with your Halloween house? I'll be sharing mine at the parties in my sidebar, come join the fun!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Halloween Fun in my Etsy shop!

This red haired witch design is one of my most popular paintings. Besides the black roses and the October tree, the sponged edges are full of skulls, bats, pumpkins and spiders. So much fun to paint!

By special request, The Welding Man made me some rusty cutouts for Halloween years ago and we've been selling those designs ever since. Love the heavily rusted finish which is sealed for vintage texture. There is also a rusty Halloween cat in my store.

Ah, I love this necklace design. Last year Martha Stewart picked it for her Best of Halloween Gallery. That happened the same week I was diagnosed with breast cancer, so this necklace represents all the positive things that came after that. Counting my blessings, oh yes!


I've been painting my vintage style Halloween banners since 2007. This is a popular design with LOTS of fun details. I LOVE the color combination of bright orange and black.


Every kitchen needs a bit of Halloween style, and this spooky skeleton towel set is just a little bit scary and a lot of fun. I have two different spooky styles this year!

I make these ornaments every year for our house and I always list them on Etsy. They look good hanging or grouped in a cloche or basket or as accents for that special Halloween tablescape.

One of my favorite banner designs. This one just SOLD out of my shop.

A group of my banners hanging on our porch. What a traffic stopper! These originals have all sold but I repaint new ones from these designs every year. Love the colors!

I have lots more listed so please take a moment to stop by my shop. The button is on my sidebar. You never know just what you will find! Thanks!



Saturday, September 21, 2013

So Cheap Halloween Fun Decor with Poster Board

This Halloween project is so easy and so CHEAP that you can do it every year with your kids. Read on and have some fun decorating for Trick or Treat.

On a trip to the Dollar Store, Insanely Creative Christy and I got to brainstorming about cheap Halloween decor for my front windows. We thought of the silhouettes Martha Stewart shows on her website so we grabbed 6 sheets of black poster board at 2/$1 and came up with these decorations.

We did this in one afternoon and we got the giggles doing it. It was alot of fun.



Christy came up with the idea of the monster eyes and claws coming out of the louvers. They look awesome.


She added crow cut outs and then  cut out the window shapes from my drawings on the poster boards. We used double stick tape and waited impatiently for twilight to see how it all looked.


Hey, that looks pretty good with just the flash on my camera. But wait, there's more...

Here's how they look after dark. Pretty cool, huh? And we still had poster board left. So Christy cut these out and stuck them up in my kitchen windows. Forgive the fuzzy pics, I was laughing at the time....


So cool and so cheap. They will look great on Halloween night if we don't scare the neighborhood kids away!

Now we are thinking how we can use poster board for Christmas decor and other holidays. Hmmmm, when we come up with something I'll be sure to post it here.

I'll be posting this to the fun linky parties listed on my sidebar, come check them out for some great, creative projects.


Friday, November 4, 2011

Recyled Halloween Wreath

Even as Halloween ended and the decorations came down, I knew I wanted a bit of color for the Thanksgiving season. I dove into my stash of autumn colored silks and took another look at the wreath I spray painted black for Halloween. I came up with this.....


I love how it looks on my blue door! The colors against the black really pop.

Here's how it looked for Halloween, properly dark and spooky and fun. Perfect for the season.

I took some real miniature pumpkins and put them on skewers, then hot glued them in place amongst the black roses. A few silk flowers and fall leaves later and voila, the finished wreath! I love the off center design with the "breathing room" on the rest of the unadorned wreath.


Not only do I love how it looks, it cost me nothing but a $1 for the 3 pumpkins and a few minutes' time. After Thanksgiving I'll switch it over to Christmas, still using the black wreath as a base. I've got some colorful ideas for THAT design and I'll post the finished wreath here.

And now I'm thinking....what could I do for Valentine's Day with that black wreath as a starting point? Easter? Mother's Day? Just what I love, a creative challenge. Check back to see this black wreath in all of it's disguises.

I'll be linking up to the parties on my sidebar. Come visit and be amazed at the creativity out there in blogland.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

What's new this week.


I know some bloggers just hate it when any mention is made of Etsy, or Ebay, or selling of any kind, but hey, it's part of what I do and I'm sharing it with you all! Lots of pics, maybe you'll see something that will make you smile. Take a look and enjoy some window shopping! There's a link to my shop in the sidebar. ;0)


Yes, I'm still putting rosettes one anything that sits still! Tote bags are just so useful and so fun to "fancy up." I can't help myself. Maybe I have a problem? ;0) This one also has a pocket trimmed with ruffles and more rosettes.



I've listed some fun Halloween stuff so far! I LOVE orange and black and this time of year. The wonderful ideas in blogland are sparking my own creativity.

Here's a crocheted garland with Halloween flair in a single ten foot length. I've doubled it up in the pic. It has colorful discs every two inches, over 60 in total of a dozen different prints. Fun and cool for your holiday house.



More rosettes! But they're pretty ones, I promise! I made one of these to wear with a black turtleneck and got so many compliments I knew I had to make some for my shop. Come on, wouldn't this make you smile? I know it makes kids smile. Wouldn't a grade school teacher wearing this be the toast of the playground? The glittery pumpkin button inspired this one.

My first paper mache witch of 2010, with a sweet smile and very cool little details. For the collectors out there, I hope the vintage style charm of this little doll is just right for their collection. And I carved that tiny 1" pumpkin's Jack o' lantern smile with an X-acto knife, I have to get points for that!

This is the last peg rack I'll be painting this year, it turned out pretty cute and looks like a vintage piece. Love it's burgundy, burnt orange, rusty tones. With some fake cobwebs and bats and maybe a spider or two, this would look cool in that empty spot that never gets any Halloween decor lovin'.


And my LAST painted sign for this year's Halloween listings. Not too creepy, not too cute, with a vintage style mustard color and major distressing. Hand painted, not a vinyl decal and no, not stencilled. I always hand letter and hand paint each sign.

Yes, more rosettes! Sigh. But I love the way these necklaces come out, and the silver nest and pewter colored eggs just really set off the orange and black satin. BUT, wouldn't this look gorgeous with a black camisole under a short denim jacket with some skinny jeans and some sexy sexy boots? Come on ladies, this necklace would ROCK that outfit!

Man, maybe I'll keep it, lol!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Spirits of Halloween Past



Halloween birdhouses? In July? Yup, that and much more. Yes, I'm thinking of Halloween in July! Pop on over to my primitive folk art dolls blog and see my new post about Halloween projects I remember fondly and a peek into what's cooking for this spooky holiday.

Click here to go over to Ruffles and Crows blogspot.


Monday, November 1, 2010

Martha Stewart.com picked my necklace!!!


I just got an email from Michelle Toglia, an assistant editor at Martha Stewart.com. I had submitted some of my Halloween creations to their contest and tho I didn't win, they liked my necklace so much they featured it in their picks for 13 Best of Halloween Creations for 2010. I'm so psyched I can't sit still!

Here's a link to the gallery....

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/your-best-halloween-creations-2010

and a link to my necklace in the gallery....

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/your-best-halloween-creations-2010#slide_8


So this is totally cool and a real boost for me, creatively. Considering I start chemo this week and have a long tough road ahead of me, this really cheers me up.

Ladies, this has really made my day/week/month! Go check it out!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Halloween Decor From Video Tape and Trash Bags


Here is my Halloween porch, chock full of fun and CHEAP decor ideas.
 I have a few pieces I keep from year to year, like the pumpkin lights 
and the painted signs, but most of my 
Halloween look is made out of old VCR tapes and trash bags.

Dollar Store, here I come!


The big fat orange pumpkins are Halloween trash bags filled with crumpled newspaper. So easy to do  and so easy to store. But they aren't the real surprise here.



These spooky flyaway torn "curtains" are the most fun part of this decor,
 and I made them from black trash bags cut to open all the seams
 then cut in strips for creepy flyaway curtains.

The Welding Man set up a simple archway with scrap lumber 
and I stapled lots of black plastic strips all over. 
My grandkids made the sign out of twigs and an old board.

I LOVE how they look when the wind blows!


Then we took a couple of old VCR tapes and stripped them loose from their cases so we could do THIS!

You'll need at least one more person to make this giant web 
and the results are so worth it!

We did the horizontal stringers first then wrapped 
the vertical stringers last. 
We wrapped each joint with black electrical tape and
 stood back for the finishing touch.

Every giant spider web needs a giant spider.



We filled two black trash bags with more crumpled newspaper then wired them
 in place on our garden arch. We attached long pieces of strong wire
 and bent them into leg shapes then wrapped them with strips
 of black plastic and electrical tape.

The eyes and fangs are red felt.

So cool!



On the left side of the photo you can see the start of another huge spider web.
We had fun doing this and it was so easy and 
CHEAP!

On another post I'll show how I made the easy and cheap but 
still creepy and floaty black bats. 
I'll link it up right here.....





Saturday, October 22, 2011

Black Halloween Wreath

Gloss black spray paint is my new best friend this Halloween season. It brings different elements together with a spooky kind of glamorous vibe. For this wreath I started with a sparkly (yes, it was glittered) twig wreath and some fake roses that had seen better days.

Then I pulled some eucalyptus out of an old arrangement and hit them with the spray paint, too.

Not too many, I'm trying to go with the "less is more" trend. For me, that is hard!!

I added a bit of Dollar Store spiderweb and a cutout of a haunted house. It is also gloss black but the camera picks it up as dull. Trust me, it's black and shiny!


Here it is on our Navajo Blue door. I like the stark contrast of the black against that nice blue. I added some ruffled plastic streamers that blow in the wind.  Spooky!  It's not simple, visually, but it is simpler than my usual style.

Can you see the three tiny bats flying around the haunted house? They gave me a nice surprise...

..because from inside they look like this! Serendipity, baby! Maybe I CAN embrace the less is more design ethic, but after Halloween because you haven't seen the fully decorated front porch yet.

Is there such a thing as too much detail? We'll find out and I'll post it right here.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Super Simple Shivery Paper Halloween Bats


Each year when I decorate by black tree branches for Halloween, I always make sure to add these tiny paper bats to the display.


They are perfect for an indoor display at Halloween time. They are so light that they swing and sway with the slightest passage of air as you walk by. Such fun!

And they couldn't be simpler to make.

What you will need is black crepe paper and very thin florist wire.



Cut your paper bats from folded over crepe paper so both sides are identical. Curl a 6"-8" length of florist wire around a pencil and with a small dab of hot glue attach one end to the back side of your paper bat.  Stretch the wire out slightly to wrap it around the tree branch, wreath or arrangement then stretch it out a bit more to position your bat. The more you stretch out the wire the more shivery the bat will be! Blow on your tiny bat and see it dance and wiggle!

I grouped mine 3 at a time for this display. I LOVE the way they came out. This would be a fun kids' craft and your could go all out, making LOTS of these bats for your house. Crepe paper is recommended since it is so light. Copy paper or cardstock is too heavy.

Try it out and see how easy but neat these bats look in your holiday house!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Halloween Windows from Poster Board


On our last trip to the Dollar Store, Insanely Creative Christy and I got to brainstorming about cheap Halloween decor for my front windows. We thought of the silhouettes Martha Stewart showed on her website so we grabbed 6 sheets of black poster board at 2/$1 and came up with these decorations.

We did this in one afternoon and we got the giggles doing it. It was alot of fun.



Christy came up with the idea of the monster eyes and claws coming out of the louvres. They look awesome.


She added some crow cut outs and then she cut out the window shapes from my drawings on the poster boards. We used double stick tape and we impatiently waited for twilight to see how it all looked.


Hey, that looks pretty good with just the flash on my camera. But wait, there's more...

Here's how they look after dark. Pretty cool, huh? And we still had poster board left. So Christy cut these out and stuck them up in my kitchen windows. Forgive the fuzzy pics, I was laughing at the time....


So cool and so cheap. They will look great on Halloween night if we don't scare the neighborhood kids away!

Now we are thinking how we can use poster board for Christmas decor and other holidays. Hmmmm, when we come up with something I'll be sure to post it here.

I'll be posting this to the fun linky parties listed on my sidebar, come check them out for some great, creative projects.



Book Page Christmas DIY

Most of you have figured out I am a color freak with an obsession  for turquoise, red and cobalt blue.  However, I also obsess about ...