Halloween "WELCOME" Banner

My boys like when I decorate for Halloween. I almost thought of not doing it all this Halloween and changed my mind. My one son came home from school and said. THANKS MOM, it looks great. So that made it all worth while.

This is what he walked in the door to...

I made this Halloween Welcome banner at a crop with a group of friends. We decided to make these as a group project for that month. It was interesting to see how different each persons turned out. I made 3 different size tags and used the paper tearing techneque across the bottom of each tag and layered the three tags. Then embellished each tag. The WELCOME letters were chipboard letters and painted with acrylic paint. The ghost are Sizzix die cut ghost. I used an assortment of ribbons and yarn, silk fall leaves, buttons, stickers, and Jolee embellishments. Some items came from the swaps that our one group did together.

Close ups of the tags...

There you go! To think it will only be up one more week and back into storage til next year.

Learning Rivoli Beading

At the Bead Cave, SuZ taught us how to bead a Rivoli. While some finished theirs at the cave, I only made it this far before having to go. I will have to post a photo of the finished piece once I have completed it. I have made it all the way around with the beads and petals and now need to add the crystals. Not sure just yet about adding those. Suz, I need your help on the next step. LOL! I would have gotten to this step had i not had to be different and place my petals behind the gold beads and left them in the front like we were shown. But I liked how it looked when seeing the petals from the back, so I created more work for myself while learning a new thing. What can I say?

Learning Kumihimo Braiding

Here are photos of the Kumihimo braiding I did at the Bead Cave weekend. I had so much fun learning this techneque that I continued to make several others that weekend and even tried a 12 strands Kumihimo braid later in the week.

Here is the first one I made at the Bead Cave Weekend...

Thanks Carolyn for the refresher class. It was very helpful!

Here is my first attempt I made adding beads at the bead cave weekend. I added beads to the 8 strands. I made a few without beads first to make sure I felt comfortable enough and not missed any steps that would leave a gap in the braid. I enjoyed the bead adding techneque.

Here is a close up to see the bead pattern...

Since I had so much fun with the 8 strand braid, I decided to give the 12 strand a try. Here is a photo of my first attempt at the 12 strand...

For those of you that would like to see how to make a kumihimo braid, you can watch this great how to video on YouTube. This womens video shows you every step and takes her time with each and every one of them...

Kumihimo Kumiloom Braiding Instructions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RNbFjvZycs

Halloween Cards

I had lots of fun creating Halloween cards. Here is one of them...

and another...

Halloween Recipe Scrapbook Page ~ Creepy Eggs

Here is another layout I made for the Halloween recipe album.

Here is the actual recipe...

Creepy Deviled Eggs

Make normal deviled eggs make nasty faces on the yolk part with sliced green olives for eyes and green or red pepper for mouth and eyebrows. Use green olives to make medusa hair, black olives to make witches hats, pimentos to make devils...all sorts of possibilities.

Beading Away this Past Weekend

This past weekend I learned Kumihimo while spending time with the beading group at a Bead Cave Weekend. I started with just the fiber and then after practicing to make sure I didn't miss any turns, I then tried it with adding beads. I was very happy with the finished piece and ready to make the next one. For those that don't know what Kumihimo is... Kumihimo is Japanese braiding, and is often combined with beads to make beautiful jewelry. I will try to take a photo and share the pieces I made this weekend.

I also learned how to bead a Rivoli. I am not finished with that piece yet as time ran out at the cave. So hopefully I get time to get back to it and finish it real soon.

The gals in the bead group are so talented and very helpful at teaching others in the group the how to's on things they make. I am just amazed at the talent that these gals have. While I have been beading for years, these gals create awesome pieces with seed beads. An area I didn't get into until seeing what they create. Now I want to learn all the techneques using seed beads!

Halloween Recipe Scrapbook Page ~ Ghoul Ade

Another Halloween page...

Ghoul Ade recipe layout

This was a fun layout to create. I made this using 3 different background papers, stickers, and Boo ribbon. Very simple!

The recipe:

Ghoul-Ade

1 envelope Kool-Aid grape flavor unsweetened mix
1 envelope Kool-Aid orange flavor unsweetened mix
2 cups granulated sugar
3 quarts cold water
1 (1-quart) bottle ginger ale, chilled

Mix Kool-Aid together with sugar in large pitcher.

Add water and mix.

Just before serving, add ginger ale.

Halloween Recipe Scrapbook Page ~ Ghost in the Graveyard Boo Cups

Here is one of my recipe pages I created for my Halloween Recipe Album. Making these type of pages are lots of fun.

Ghost in the Graveyard/Boo Cups

Here is the actual recipe:

Ghosts in the Graveyard or Boo Cups

3 1/2 cups cold milk
2 small boxes Jell-O Chocolate Flavor
    Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed
1 (16 ounce) package chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

Pour cold milk into large bowl; add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the whipped topping and 1/2 of the cookies.

Ghosts in the Graveyard
Spoon into 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cookies. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Store dessert in refrigerator.

Makes 15 servings.

Decorate with Milano cookies placed perpendicular (like tombstones), candy and remaining whipped topping dropped by spoonfuls (to make ghosts).

Boo Cups
Spoon mixture and remaining crushed cookies into 12 to 16 individual cups, and decorate as suggested above.

Oh Yes, the Recipe Collection Too!

Over the many years I have collected many recipes. My collection comes in all types from magazines, books to online and from family and friends. I am one that loves to alter recipes to create my own version. Some are hits and some, well, let’s forget about those.

I have several scrapbooks with recipe pages. My favorite scrapbook recipe pages currently that I have made are the Halloween recipes I collected. This reminds me to go and make more pages to add and use up at least some of those Halloween supplies. Since it is October now, I will make sure to share at least one of my Halloween scrapbook pages here.

To Many Projects So Little Time

Ever come across projects that you so wanted to do? If your like me, then you may have a huge collection of projects just waiting to be completed.

I wish there was more time in a day when it comes to doing crafts. I have an entire room dedicated to many different types of crafts. Let’s see how many that I can think of that are just waiting for me to give time to them...

Scrapbooking, Beading/Jewelry Making, Card Making, Rubber Stamping, Quilting, Oil painting, Water Coloring, Knitting, Crocheting. Oh let’s not forget that clay bought to make those little itty bitty ideas I had and still think up more ideas on top of the others. And what about the shrinky dink stuff, or all the acylic paint which was used to make painted flower pot as gifts a long time ago. And then there is all those silk flowers I like using with many projects, and all that ribbon. Oh yes, ribbon, lets not go there. Yes, I am one that loves trying my hand at all the different crafts out there. I love creating! Just wish I could create as fast as my mind thinks up of the many ideas that come to mind and giving me the time to complete each and every one of them.

Like many others out there, I would just love to be a person whose full time job or even part time for that matter had a studio where I would get to do any and all crafts just like the ones that host all those craft shows. How cool would that be to have a job like that to go to each and every day being creative and being around other creative people. My husband would love me even more if I could turn my love of crafts into a “real” money making career rather than making and giving away what I make or teaching it for free. I just have a hard time putting a price to the things I make or teach. I have tried and learned and been told I under priced. I need an agent to do all that for me. I myself am a bargain shopper and so if i wouldn't pay that much, I find it hard to see that others would.  LOL! My husband has been a good sport about it all. He mentions from time to time how he wishes I could turn my skills into a money making profit for him so he can retire. LOL! Gee, I just might enjoy that if he would take over all the home duties.  Now he does help with the dinner dishes lately. ;)

I can picture having a studio/store where people would come in and say I would like to learn this or that today and I could create away with them all day. Lord knows I probably have enough supplies to start a place like that. I just need a big enough space to actually spread out all the collection. Hmmm, that would be a big help in general to complete many projects. Then when an idea hits me, I would just go to that space and create. I wouldn't have to worry that I have an over flowing work space with another project going on. That's when I have this vision of my childrens bedrooms becoming another room to take over when they go off to college. But my husband would draw the line there.

So for now, I am hoping to find more time to complete the many project ideas and maybe share some of those here. It just might be my motivating tool. Maybe if I use this blog as my place to share what I make, I will complete more projects instead of just coming up with all the ideas. Here's to completing one this week!