DIY Holiday: Pumpkin Carving w/ Cookie Cutters

Happy Halloween! Listen, I've been a terrible mother this week and we put off carving until the last possible minute. Both of my girls had Halloween plans with friends, which means that we had roughly 1 1/2 hours to feed and costume the kiddos, apply makeup, pack overnight bags, and carve the doggone pumpkins. 

I've seen a few Pinterest pumpkins that used cookie cutters.  Sounds much less hazardous than giving sharp knives to my girls! 

See what I mean? Doesn't that just scare you more than any ghost or ghoul? 

So I talked at least one of the dynamic duo into using the cookie cutters...though I don't recommend her chosen methodology - a mallet would've worked much better, but my daughter is her own kind of special! (Love you, Kiera!)

Bottom line, metal cookie cutters work great! I tried to warn my daughter that plastic cookie cutters just won't hold up. She had to try any way, and it did kind of work, but will be relieved from further duty due to some devastating injuries. 

And while I'm tired and ready to say goodbye to Halloween, I'm glad I did this for ya'll tonight. It reminded me that I left both pumpkins and a candle lantern lit - holy fire hazard! Thanks for saving me from that particular call to my insurance agent!!!! Not the kind of fright I was hoping for tonight!

Stay sassy, 

- Anna

DIY Holiday: Paper Ornaments

So much for my plan to get to bed at a decent time tonight! Unfortunately, the urge to create hit just before I could dose off. I think it was worth it, though.... I' m rather pleased with the result!

If you've spent any time at all on Pinterest, I'm sure you've seen tons of different crafts utilizing book pages. I've been meaning to put my own twist to this concept for some time now, because I have more books than many libraries. In fact, I brought in one more box from the garage just before my surgery that has not yet been unpacked. Perfect place to find some nonessential books not likely to get a second visit. 

MATERIALS:

- 3 book pages, removed

- 1 book page cut in shape of circle (I used a CD to trace)

- Twine

- Glitter glue

Step 1: Create the Pom

I used three pages of a paperback roughly 5"x7", and treated it just the same as the Pom tutorial previously posted. (In case you're too lazy to look, fold your three torn pages in half, then fold the remaining rectangle in accordion folds. Use a piece of twine to tie off the middle, and to create a loop for hanging. Now fluff out each layer. Don't worry if the pages rip a bit - it makes no diffetence.) Lastly, add a bit of glitter glue to the edges of the Pom. 

Step 2: Create the Rosette

Take your circle shaped page and cut into a spiral, starting at the outside of the circle, moving toward the center. Don't get too nitpicky - the spiral doesn't need to be very accurate. Leave enough paper in the center-most portion to serve as a cradle or base for the completed rosette. 

Starting from the outside of the spiral, begin rolling tightly toward the center. Wrap the "base" piece you left in the center around the completed spiral.  If you like, you can loosen the layers a bit by allowing the rosette to unfurl slightly. Use a little dab of glue to secure the end of the wound spiral to the "base" piece.  Embellish with glitter glue to center and edges. 

Step 3: Combine the Pieces

Add a dollop of glue to the center of the Pom near the twine hanging loop. Gently press the rosette into the glue, and allow to dry thoroughly before hanging. 

Now I just need to make about 50 more of these - but I'll have to save that for tomorrow. Hope you are inspired to make your own book pages decor!

Stay sassy, 

-Anna 

More DIY Ornaments: Salt dough & cornstarch dough

 Having trouble finding ornaments that fit your theme or color scheme? That's not a problem if you make your own!!! But when you do DIY, you need a bit more time to make time for all your projects and still enjoy the holidays. Once Halloween is over, it all seems to fly by so quickly.....there never seems to be enough time, enough money, enough sleep. Let's get a jump on it this year !

Here's a sample of some ornaments that my girls and I made last year. I used two different DIY recipes to create these lovelies: salt dough and corn starch dough. The recipes from Pinterest are as follows:

As you can see, these are both very simple recipes with only a few inexpensive ingredients. Which dough you choose depends on the final effects you're hoping to achieve. Do both if you'd like! This is really fun and easy enough to do with little ones. Medium ones like this, too. ; )

Materials: 

Ingredients for dough

Rolling pin

Parchment paper

Cookie sheet(s)

Cookie cutters and stamps

Paints and/or glitters

Sealant (clear coat or clear varnish)

Ribbon, string or ornament hooks

STEP # 1: MAKE YOUR DOUGH

Salt dough is a thicker, courser dough. On the plus side, the salt gives the dough a sparkly look, but that same salt content makes working this dough really uncomfortable if you've got sensitive skin. And God forbid you have a paper cut!! Ouch!!!! Still, If you want unfinished ornaments (that you won't be painting),  this is probably your better choice. These ornaments are slightly less fragile than the cornstarch version, making them a bit more child friendly. In the photo below, the darker colored ornaments are salt dough. 

Cornstarch dough is very smooth and porcelain-like. It's much easier on the skin, but it's a bit more fragile as a dough and as a finished product. 

Both doughs have a less than pleasant smell. I tried to counteract that by adding cinnamon essential oil to both doughs...and they smelled great! Until they were baked. Then no more smell. (Thought I'd save you the essential oil in case you had the same thought.) Besides, if you choose to seal the ornaments, it's a wasted step. More on that in a bit....

STEP # 2: CUT & EMBOSS YOUR DOUGH

Once you have your dough, roll it out just as you would for making cut-out cookies. We used both cookie cutters and free form cutting with crafting stamps - both rubber and foam - to create these ornaments. The stamps added some terrific textural detail. Be sure to coat your stamps with either flour or cornstarch, depending on which dough you choose, to ensure stamping success. It's no fun when the dough gets all sticky and tangled up in your stamp. Some folks do fingerprints, footprints, key prints, etc in these doughs, and make some lovely keepsakes.  Whatever you create, be sure to poke a hole in each for hanging purposes before you bake! While you're creating, preheat your oven to 200 degrees. (I know it says 175 above. Trust me, they all got the baking part dead wrong. I made hundreds of these last year. I did a lot of experimenting.) 

You can paint your doughs prior to baking if you want more subtle coloration, or after if you're going for more vibrant. 

Lay your completed ornaments on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper, and pop them in the oven. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Cuz' you know how the instructions say bake for one hour? The instructions are full of @?!"    

Depending on the size and thickness of your ornaments, it's much closer to 5-6 hours, sometimes more. Even very small, thin ornaments took at least 2-3 hours. Otherwise, you end up with ornaments that are still doughy on the inside, and very unsound structurally. You're better off waiting...believe me. This impatient one tried and reaped the consequences in broken and ruined ornents. 

Occasionally flip your ornaments over with a spatula to ensure that both sides receive adequate baking time. And let them cool completely before you try to decorate or handle them. 

STEP # 3: DECORATE YOUR ORNAMENTS 

If you didn't already paint and/or embellish your ornaments, now's the time!  Here's some inspirational samples. Can you guess which ones the kids did? 

STEP 4: SEAL & HANG

If you want to preserve these ornaments from the elements (or pets - I've heard horror stories of dogs eating these and getting sick all over...), you need to seal them. I used a spray paint based clear coat that you can purchase at any hardware store or crafting store. I suggest 2 coats with adequate dry time between coats. Let dry according to your clear coat instructions, then string with ribbon or use an ornament hook. And happy tree decorating to you! 

(Side note: Sealing cancels out any lingering scent that may have remained from additives like the cinnamon essential oil I tried. But honestly, the scent didn't hold up in the baking process any way. Save your sweet smelling stuff for a more suitable project.)

Here's a final pic of last year's trees featuring these ornaments: 

Thanks for following the continuing saga! Hope you're feeling inspired to get sassy and create something fabulous! 

Halloween Costume Inspirations

I absolutely love dressing up for Halloween, and I love to use the holiday to express some creativity. This girl never, EVER buys pre-packaged costumes. The thrill is in the hunt - for inspiration, for the most clever and unexpected choice, for the perfect elements at some random thrift store or craft store to pull it all together. 

 

For example, last year I was reading the collaborative sci-fi series "Wild Card" that George RR Martin (as in Game of Thrones) contributed to. That inspired the costume pictured above. 

This is the first year in as long as I can remember that I don't have a Halloween party to attend. My husband's DJ company hosted an annual party for as long as I can remember....but not this year. But you're in luck, because that annual party caused me to meticulously stockpile the best inspirational ideas on Pinterest, and I'm happy to share the top 5 with all of you! 

These are only for those of you who have the urge to do something a little different and ever so slightly outrageous. 

And don't worry about me - I'll still dress up, even if I just stay home and hand out candy. 

Happy Halloween!

Holiday DIY: Orange Poms (Various types and sizes)

So, I was on a total orange craft kick last night.  Lucky for me, this particular project will work in my family room from Halloween through New Years Eve.  (Yes!!! Multipurposing and multitasking are my things!) Here's my other completed DIY project for your viewing pleasure:

Like all the projects I admit to (the others get no mention because they tend to be flops), these adorable flower-like poms are incredibly easy, require no extreme precision (the bane of my existence), and costs very, very little.  Three simple steps. And the end result makes me smile.  Follow along if you want to -make some smiles of your own..... 

 MATERIALS:
 You don't need much at all to do this....
the poms you see in the picture above began life as two cheap orange tablecloths.  I like orange, and now is the time of year to find orange things.  But you can choose any color you like.

I purchased these at Five Below for $1 each.  They're the thin, plastic-y kinds that don't hold up as tablecloths, but make lovely poms! I used a spool of coordinating ribbon that I already had on hand - purchased last year at Micheal's the day after Halloween for practically nothing. You'll need some scissors, too.  That's it.  Maybe a coctail and your favorite tv show? This project doesn't take much concentration.  It can be a zen-like experience if you prefer - poofing the tissue layers is very relaxing.  It is a bit messy, though, so you may want to keep a garbage bag at hand for when you make the cuts....unless you like confetti.  That's what I have on my floor right now.  It's rather cheerful, I think.  Hubbie disagrees, however......   but enough chatting, let's get going!

STEP #1

Here's the tablecloth, only partially unfolded.  I did not unfold it more than this - about 25%.  As you'll notice in the very first picture, I made different sizes of poms.  For the two large poms, I used one entire table cloth, divided in half.  For the smallest six, I used one "panel" (as denoted by the lengthwise fold marks) for each pom.  I used the remaining two "panels" for a moderate size pom. 

STEP 2

After cutting the size you've determined (this pic shows one of the smaller "panels" as described above), you simply fold your piece into accordion folds - over and under, roughly equal portions, scored by pressing with your fingers.  You have two choices as to how to do this, and they both work well - I know, because I just had to experiment on your behalf.  You can either accordion fold along the short edge or along the longer edge of the rectangle. (In other words you can make lots of little folds for the length of the "panel," or you can make a few longer folds along the width.  Once your folds are done, you pinch it in the middle. What you do next depends on which strategy you choose - long or short folds.  (At least if you want a nice, full, fluffy pom....if you want it a bit straggly, proceed directly to Option A. If you wanna' get funky with it and do some cuts to the folds to create different effects, scroll down past Option A and Option B and return after you do your cuts.  (If you look carefully at the poms in the very first picture, you'll notice that there are notable differences...)

OPTION A: Many short folds   (fold along the width)                             

     Make your accordion folds along the width of the "panel."  Use a 10-12" length of coordinating ribbon to tie off the the center of your gathered folds, as pictured right. I tie it once in each direction to ensure that it's secure, and I leave extra to create a loop for hanging.  

Just so you know, while I used a coordinating ribbon,  you can use whatever you want - twine, zip ties, burlap strips, wire, pipe cleaners.....go wild.   

Now you can either explore and experiment with cuts, or you can proceed to the separating and fluffing stage.                                             

OPTION B: Few long folds (fold along the length)

Accordion folding's not your thing? Don't feel boxed in.  You can make fewer folds with this option, but it adds a few very simple steps to the process.  And the result is the same.  You're welcome.

 Take your long gathered folded stack and fold it in half, as shown on the right. Tie it off in the center with your ribbon, but not too tight yet because you have some cuts to make and you don't want it fanning out yet.

The portions of the "panel" that are no longer open because of this new fold must be freed.  Cut those portions right along the fold as shown to the left.  Proceed to Step 3, unless you want to do some more cutting to change the effect.  If so, keep reading.

STEP 3: SEPARATE & FLUFF

See all these layers just clinging to each other? All you gotta' do now is gently tease each one apart.  It's almost soothing, provided you don't have a dog pawing at you and demanding to be pet.  I had two big ole' fluffy sheepdogs that clearly need their nails cut, but the kids let me be after giving it a go on one portion of one pom. I digress..... but now you have a pom! Just tie off your ribbon into a loop for hanging and your smile is ready!

Feeling Sassy? Cutting Experiments! 

You probably noticed that the poms have different looks - especially since I already pointed it out to you.  (This is a quick "did I pay attention" alert....)

Some look a bit rounded like a rose, some look ruffly like a peony, and some have slightly tubular"petals"like a dahlia. The look you end up with depends on whether or not you make cuts to each end of your accordion folds before you start separating and fluffing.  You can see a few examples of my cutting attempts in these pics...............

Here you can see in more detail how different cuts look all fluffed out......

                                                Hope your poms make you smile, too!
                           And feel free to share your own creative interpretations of this project.

Holiday DIY: Fleur de Lis Burlap Stocking with Feather Trim

On my continued quest to decorate my family room each Christmas with the highly atypical (for Christmas) orange accents, please meet my most favorite project in quite some time! I absolutely love how these burlap stockings turned out - and this really only took about 45 minutes for both stockings. (Not too bad for winging it....I could probably turn them out more quickly now that I have at least some idea of what I'm doing!) This is a very easy, NO-SEW project that you can replicate with your own color scheme and materials should you choose to accept the challenge! ;)

Here's what you'll need:
-Burlap Fabric
- Cheap feather boa
- Heat & Bond (thin roll)
- Heat & Bond (large roll- though you can improvise with fabric glue if you're more patient than me)
- Chalk or a Pen
- Scissors
- Iron (like for de-wrinkling clothing)

So as you know if you read my previous entry, I bought an orange feather boa from Five Below yesterday for $3.  I used just a bit of it for the feather ornaments previously described, but I still have oodles more left.



Last fall, I purchased this burlap fabric, pre-printed with Fleur de Lis, at Wal Mart for less than $5 per yard.  I had grand plans for making tree skirts and a few gifts, but alas, the fabric has remained untouched for the last year.  Unacceptable, and just dying to be remedied.

I did not prewash the fabric for this project....seemed unnecessary given the use.  But feel free to do so.  From what I've seen on Pinterest, it can make the fabric a bit more friendly to work with.

This is not a precision project.  Burlap is tough -  and pretty easy to work with.  The amount of fabric you need depends on the size you want your stockings to be.  I wanted to do minimal cutting for this project, so I just left my fabric folded in half lengthwise and eyeballed how much I'd needed to make two stockings - which was about as much as you see here in this photo. (My guess is about half a yard or less.)  I cut that folded square off the remaining fabric, turned the fabric inside out, and again folded it in half lengthwise (so the original fold remains uncut).  Next, I used a regular old ball point pen to hand draw a stocking shape.  No real need for a template, I promise you! The weave of this fabric guides your lines - it's pretty much impossible to be crooked with burlap.  (And I tend to be crooked with just about anything else, so this is 100% trustworthy!) On the other hand, burlap is not terribly curve-friendly. Consequently, my stocking has pointed toes rather than curved.  It's all good, though.  I like it like that!My stockings are probably about 24" long and somewhat narrow, but you can make yours however you wish.

Once you've cut it, you'll have two seperate stocking pieces that looks like this once unfolded.Next step is to turn the fabric backward, and press the edges of the burlap into something close to 1/4 inch seams.  Again, this is not precision - you can even use your fingers rather than an iron. This fabric will keep you straight. It's very thoughtful and kind!  Next, take the heat and bond tape and place it all the way around those pressed edges.  After you iron it on, give a a few minutes to cool before you peel the tape.

Once you've peeled the tape off, you've now got adhesive on both sides of the seam ready to do for you what would otherwise require a sewing machine. (Mad props to the inventor of Heat & Bond!!!)   Now you're ready to fold that stocking back in half (pattern side of fabric facing front) and lining up those Heat & Bonded edges to be ironed together. (However, see note below about hanging loop.  It really will make your life easier to add this before you seal the sides together, and you'll learn from my mistakes!!!)  Make sure you use a towel if you're not using an ironing board!!!

Okay, so now the form of your stocking is sealed and ready to be made pretty.  Here's where I used the big ole' role of heat and bond to create an adhesive all over the edge of my stocking in order to add the feather trim.  (Fabric glue would work, too, but it takes time to dry and I like instant crafting gratification. )

Once you've ironed the adhesive on and removed the tape, you're ready to clip off a small strip of feather boa and add the feathers to trim the stocking,  Because feathers are a bit delicate and ethereal, and likely to leave some sticky adhesive exposed to your unprotected iron, I strongly suggest you use a barrier fabric to protect both the feathers and your iron. ( I used a scrap of burlap, because it was handy. And ultimately unharmed.) You may need to do a bit of situating of feathers to fill any blank spots while the adhesive is still warm.

Now, I do want to warn you that this wider adhesive may seal your stocking shut, as it did mine.  Do not panic!!! All you have to do is get that adhesive hot again with the iron and it will soften enough to let you peel it back open.  Shoo!! That was close!!! Disaster averted! If you read this through BEFORE  you started your project and avoided my mistake, this is your last step!!! 

  But since I lacked forethought, the final piece of the project for me was to take a strip of scrap burlap  - about 10 inches long - to create a loop for hanging, like so.  I added small bits of Heat & Bond to each end, which allow you to seal this piece into a hanging loop. Lastly, I used another two strips of Heat & Bond to adhere the strip into the inside rim of the stocking.   You'll still want to do this part; just earlier in the process - before you seal the edges of the stocking together. It's a bit of a burn hazzard trying to iron inside the sealed stocking....not impossible, but clearly not the best strategy.  I'm sure you'll be pleased to heed my warning and avoid the potential blister.  

So that's it....pretty easy! Hope it seems simple to you, too, and that you end up with your very own custom creation that meets your own sassy color scheme! Now here's hoping Santa fills it up with all sorts of sassy jewelry and cosmetics and hair products and cozy socks and..... you get the picture!