Happy Halloween!

Hello there! I'll be busy handing out candy and checking out fun costumes so we'll skip the crafting today. But here's something TADA! I have to share with you:

I spotted this at Whole Foods. It's a haunted house made out of recycled cardboard boxes!

I just love the shingle style exterior.

The details of the roof, walls and windows are exquisite.

I envy the ghost who lives here.

Have a spook-tacular Halloween, everyone!

Secret Identity

Do you dress up for Halloween? Do you think Halloween is blah or is it TADA!? Here's a low-commitment costume that doesn't cost much and hopefully, as you make it, will get you in the spirit of this special day. 

Today's blah: a white cardboard box. 

With a pair of scissors, it's instantly transformed into TADA!

Here's another version in a shape befitting a superhero. Or bandit. Depending on the look you're going for.

I'm embellishing it with some squiggles of tacky glue.

Then, on a surface covered with scrap paper, I'll cover the mask with flocking powder. Glitter or confetti are other alternatives.

The flocking powder should attach to the glue. When the excess powder is tapped out, we'll have these fun designs on the mask...TADA! 

The scrap paper keeps our craft table neat and it also catches all the excess powder. Form the paper into a cone and return the extra flocking powder into the jar {because wasting is blah}.

Add ribbons to secure the mask around the head...

 ...or rubber bands inserted into holes made with a craft punch.

Pair the mask with an all-black outfit and TADA!, Halloween party here we come!

Bats on a Bag

This week, we're playing around with flocking powder:

It's a crafting material that, when applied to an adhesive, produces a velvety surface. 

Let's see how we can dress up this blah paper bag to make it Halloween ready.

I've chosen a bat design. It can easily be drawn freehand, but since I have this cookie cutter, I'll use it as a stencil.

We'll outline the bat with flocking powder, beginning with all purpose glue placed over the pencil drawing.

Followed by a shower of flocking powder {don't be stingy since the excess can be returned to the container}. 

By the way, make sure your table is lined with scrap paper to catch any loose powder.

Tap out the excess powder and use a paintbrush to get rid of any stubborn flecks.

It's easy to use a marker, crayon or pen to draw these bats, but the flocking powder adds a felt-like finish. 

TADA! This bag is all suited up for Halloween candy!

Ideas for Halloween

Good to see you today! This week, let's experiment with a different kind of craft material.

Have you ever heard of flocking powder? I can best describe it as microscopic glitter but instead of a sparkly look, it gives a surface a velvety finish.

Since Halloween is coming up, let's see how we can use flocking powder to dress up some crafts.

Let's turn these blah book pages into TADA! 

Fold the book pages into pouches and secure the edges with glue.

Using all purpose glue, draw creepy-crawlies on the pouch.

Make sure to cover your work space with newspaper/scrap paper.  Working quickly, shower the drawing with a generous amount of flocking powder. 

Tap out the excess. If there are "bald spots", add more flocking powder.  The excess powder can be poured back into the container.

I'm not sure if you can see it here, but the spider looks and feels like velvet. The flocking powder adds not only texture, but dimension as well. The spider looks embossed!

Fill the pouches with tricks and treats {fold the top and secure with a sticker or tape} and they're ready to be given away on Halloween. TADA!

Paper Cuts on Cards

Handmade greeting cards are as satisfying to make as to give away. I've experimented with basic paper cutting but would love to make intricate ones that breathtakingly turn a blank sheet of paper from blah to TADA!:

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Lovely, aren't they?

I wish you all an exciting weekend!

The Pink Ribbon

Howdy! Today, another handmade greeting card.

Here's how I turned a blank piece of card stock from blah to TADA!

I filled it with all sorts of pink ribbons using watercolor.

I chose these bows in shades of pink because they remind me of sweet baby girls, little girls' pigtails and dresses, and dreamy weddings. 

And because it's Breast Cancer awareness month, these are also a symbol of courage for

each and everyone touched by it.

Paper Quilled Cards

I've been making my own handmade cards and I've been wondering how many people make theirs, too. So I trolled around Etsy and found many, many crafters committed to card making.

I was especially attracted to these cards with paper quilled designs. Paper quilling, also known as paper filigree, is a method of rolling thin strips of paper into shapes and gluing them onto a surface to form designs like flowers.

Here, have a look:   

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Pretty, right? I like how they add color, dimension and texture to a handmade card. I would love to make my own using recycled paper, of course -- blah to TADA!

If you'd like to dip your hand into paper quilling, you may read more about it here.

Balloons and Bicycles

Card making is a low involvement craft that you can do in a few minutes. It's handmade and heartfelt.

With this as my inspiration... 

And these for my materials...

A plain canvas changes from blah to TADA!

This card is on it's way to cheer up a friend. {I hope she likes it!}

A Collection of Cards

Hello there! I hope your week is off to a productive start. I've told you before that I like making handmade cards. They're therapeutic to put together and are guaranteed to be one of a kind. 

Simple materials like watercolor, craft punches, double-sided tape and markers can transform blah card stock to TADA! 

This week, I'll show you some of the cards I've made recently.

This one is for my little niece who is turning one month old this October.

And this one is for the parents, my brother and his wife, who will mark their first month as "dad" and "mom". 

They say, "You'll always remember your first" -- whether a first birthday, first anniversary, first car, first home, first job...these are milestones worth celebrating.