Spooky Window Silhouettes

One inexpensive Halloween decoration with high impact is homemade window silhouettes. I made mine a couple of years ago using silhouettes I found online and then I used Visio to enlarge the silhouettes and print them out to fit my windows. The silhouettes were printed out using several pieces of paper that I cut out and then I pieced them together like a puzzle to make each silhouette. I then backed each image with pieces of tissue paper. Once I attach the silhouettes to the insides of the windows using painter's tape (this type of tape holds strong but comes off cleanly), all I need to do is wait for night to come and then I turn on the lights -- the silhouettes show through wonderfully!

To make the images stronger, this year I "laminated" the silhouettes using packing tape. After Halloween celebrations were complete, I stacked the images from a room and rolled them up together for storage in my attic.

I love the effect so much that I will make some more for next year's pumpkin carving to cover a window in my house that has an unsightly view. During the day, the sunlight will "turn on" my silhouettes and add some Halloween spirit to the room!

Photo Journal (10/22/11 - 10/28/11)

10.22.11 - Procrastinator's pumpkin patch.

Hello Kitty Costume

My daughter's world is all about Hello Kitty right now. When she told me she wanted to be Hello Kitty for Halloween, I honestly had no idea how I was going to make that happen. Then somehow I ran across a Hello Kitty hat on Amazon.com and I thought maybe I had a fighting chance!

Clothing Journal (Days 50-56)

Mini Pumpkin Jack-o'-lantern

Every year, I like to carve a mini pumpkin to decorate the center of my dining table. Mini jack-o'-lanterns are always so darn cute, and many people don't realize that mini pumpkins can be carved just like normal-sized pumpkins.

Pumpkin Party Favors

When planning our pumpkin carving party, I thought we needed some crafts to keep the kids busy during non-carving time. I ran into a Martha Stewart project and altered it so that kids could make their own pumpkins.

Halloween Fireplace Mantel

The last two weeks of October are generally dedicated to Halloween preparations in my home. I have had a great deal of fun celebrating the season by letting my creative juices flow, and unfortunately, I've fallen behind on my posts because of it. So many fun posts planned, so little time! So I decided to kick off my attempt at catching up on posts by showing the makeover I gave my fireplace mantel in preparation of my family's celebrations.

I wrapped the painting over the fireplace with craft paper and used painter's tape to attach an old pumpkin face my Mom bought a long time ago to the center. I wrapped the potted plant's base with tissue paper and used a purple ribbon to cinch the paper together around the pot. Using small removable hooks, I swagged a strand of pumpkin lights across the edge of the mantel. Then I added a paper honeycomb black cat, a glass pumpkin elevated on a wooden box, and black branches dusted with purple glitter. Small changes, but I think the mantel reflects our celebrations well!

More Halloween fun coming later this week!

Photo Journal (10/15/11 - 10/21/11)

10.15.11 - Visiting the head table.

Clothing Journal (Days 43-49)

Marshmallow Fondant Pumpkins

Ever since I used marshmallow fondant to make green pigs for my son's Angry Birds birthday party, I've been drawn to making special cupcake toppers out of fondant ever since. The latest fondant creations I made were these little pumpkins. So far, the pumpkins are the simplest cupcake toppers to make yet.

Paper Circle Garland

I've been seeing these circle garlands everywhere lately, and since we're having a huge pumpkin carving party this week, I thought it would be the perfect time to give this project a whirl. I've been a little scared of this project because I literally have never used a sewing machine. Seriously. Never. So I'm here to let you know that yes, even a beginner at sewing can make this circle garland. The beginning of my garland looks pretty gnarly, but after a couple of feet, I finally got the hang of it. I'll just hang the gnarly bit somewhere less noticeable...

Photo Journal (10/08/11 - 10/14/11)

10.08.11 - Aleece's night out.

Tied The Knot Gift Tag

One of my favorite card ideas for a wedding is to glue a small knotted piece of ribbon to the front of a card and simply write "tying the knot" below it. Today's wedding gift tag is just a slight variation of my normal card, and I thought it turned out beautifully.

Clothing Journal (Days 36-42)

Photo Journal (10/01/11 - 10/07/11)

10.01.11 - Helping mom.

Hello Kitty Party

Because we held my daughter's birthday party in an entertainment venue where most of the party details were covered, I did not have to do much planning for her party. However, she did ask to go with the theme of Hello Kitty, so I did my best to tie her theme in to anything I could. Below, I've posted links to what I created for this party.

Hello Kitty party invitations

Hello Kitty lantern

Hello Kitty and friends bubble bottles

Kerropi, My Melody, and Tuxedo Sam goodie bags

Hello Kitty edible cupcake toppers

Have fun creating your Hello Kitty party!

Clothing Journal (Days 29-35)

Green Pig Cupcake Toppers

I made evil green pigs to top the cupcakes for my son's Angry Birds party but since I never took any photos of the process, I couldn't post directions for making the pigs. Fortunately, I had some marshmallow fondant left over from making Hello Kitty heads for my daughter's cupcakes this week, and now I am able to include the directions for making the green pigs. Enjoy!

Fondant Hello Kitty Cupcake Toppers

Because I made green pigs for my son's birthday cupcakes, I decided it was only fair for me to make some edible Hello Kitty cupcake toppers for my daughter's birthday celebration. 

Photo Journal (09/24/11 - 09/30/11)

09.24.11 - Soccer circle.