Halloween Decoration using my craft supply stash to make Jack O' Lanterns

Got some:
clear containers
orange craft supplies like, buttons, beads, thread and pom poms
some black tape
and
a pair of scissors?

Then you have a bunch of cute jack o' lanterns! Check out more at Recycled Crafts at Craft Gossip and the link to the tutorial I used.

Fun Fall Crafty Blogger Links and a fun old style cemetery Halloween decoration from the hood

This is another of the cool Halloween decorations in my hood. I like that they went for the old broken look for their cemetery.

Cathie Filian
Make a warm mug of Chai Tea at home with this traditional recipe from Cathie.

About Family Crafts
Sherri offers several free pumpkin carving patterns for you to download and use!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there is a free cross stitch pattern, a downloadable label and idea for a spooky Halloween decoration and some wild pumpkins, a sneak peek into the new book What is Illustration?, how to sew gathers and ruffles and finally a fun question to be answered to be entered to win a free craft book.

Aileen's Musings
This week Aileen offers a free pumpkin label for you to download and print. Also, a very cool photo manipulation site, so gather your favorite pictures and have some fun!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Diggity Doggity, the crocheted dog blanket is done!

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Linda revisits a quilt she made a while back.

Mixed Media Artist
Do you have a signature style? Cyndi wants to know what it is and wants to help you show it off!

The Artful Crafter
Make a pretty fall triple wreath wall hanging for your own wall or as a housewarming gift. With a little imagination, you can adapt the design for Christmas or just about any other occasion/season.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge scares up another fiendishly fabulous mixed media design for Halloween!

Polymer Clay Candy Corn Beads Hot out of the Oven made using a "recipe" from the book The Polymer Clay Cookbook

Could this book be any cuter? Do you like to make tiny things out of polymer clay? Then you will love this book.

The Polymer Clay Cookbook: Tiny Food Jewelry to Whip Up and Wear
By
Jessica and Susan Partain

This being October and Halloween fast approaching this candy corn tutorial looked like the perfect project to try first! So off to the Plaidbunny test kitchen and away I went!
I followed the absolutely wonderful photos and directions. As you can see there are lots of pictures!
My plan was to use these on a bracelet so I poked a hole vertically through each candy corn before baking. (The book includes great directions for making post earrings.)

So after baking them I gathered up a bunch of my Blue Moon Beads Noir black beads and findings and some from my recycled stash, I happen to have some funky polka dot beads that I thought would tie in nicely with the graphic nature of the candy corn beads.

I played around a bit and here is my final chunky candy corn bracelet with little skull links.

I can't wait to try making some of the other projects from the book, there are ones perfect for all the holidays or just for a good giggle.

A bit about the book from the publisher:

The Polymer Clay Cookbook celebrates favorite foods with 20 tiny, deliciously realistic food charms to make from polymer clay and fashion into unique jewelry. Styled as a cookbook for the beginning miniaturist "chef," the introductory chapters discuss the "basic ingredients" and techniques used for polymer clay and jewelry-making. The remainder of the book offers 20 "recipes" grouped by category: fruits, breakfast, lunch and dinner, sweets and snacks, and holiday foods. Each recipe has a list of "ingredients," step-by-step directions with photographs, and suggested variations. Each piece is presented as a particular finished jewelry item, such as a necklace, but readers are encouraged to adapt the piece into any type of jewelry they choose. Each chapter also includes one of the authors' own cherished recipes for real food, including Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls, Grandma's Pasta Sauce, Decadent Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes, and Mom's Holiday Sugar Cookies. Throughout, the authors--who are sisters--share their enthusiasm for family, sisterhood, and the tradition and feelings surrounding our favorite foods.


Jessica and Susan Partain are sisters and are both crafters. In spring 2006 they founded Inedible Jewelry, which they sell at local markets and craft shows and in a variety of boutiques across the US, Canada and the UK.

Wanna see how to make it your way burger check out this video:

Crafty Blogger Links brought to you by Elvis

Isn't this funny? A skeleton dressed as Elvis? I wonder if Elvis was crafty......hmmm? Anyone know? Well for those of you who are here's a whole bunch of ideas for you:

The Artful Crafter

Eileen shows you how to create a simple but festive Halloween cupcake stand from terracotta pots.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside went a little artsy this week with inside peeks into the books; Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints, The Daily Book of Art, Really Good Packaging Design Explained and 1001 Ideas for Stonework, but there are also tons of great Sizzix die cut applique designs made by the designers at Halloween Swap-o-Rama-Rama.

The Impatient Crafter
Madge is one degree from Martha! Check out her upcoming appearance at the Grand Opening of Michaels in Manhattan!

Vickie Howell-Craft.Rock.Love
This week Vickie launched her new PBS Parents column, Craft Apparent. Check out her first article, a how-to on making utterly adorable baby costumes, starting with just a plain onsie!

About Family Crafts
Follow these directions and disscover how easy it is to sew a felt tote bag that is perfect for trick-or-treating!

Aileen's Musings
Come meet Aileen's friends Herm & Ethel (they're baccck!). Download a couple of freebie e-postcards and send Halloween greetings to your friends!

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's quick video on how to spook up china ball lanterns.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy has a package ready to go out the door for her new jewelry making book.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has another inspirational pattern, this time with an abstract flair. The chart is easy - whole cross stitch and a wee bit of back stitch.

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
Linda visited a few quilt shops in Toronto and shares her finds.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi is starting a new quilt...this time featuring pears!

Vintage Hankie Scarf made using the tutorial from the Indygo Junction book Hankie Style

Scarf season is here in Southern California and I am cookin' away on quite a few. Today I made one out of something you might not expect-vintage hankies. I have a small collection and I have not done a thing with them other than savor them. Well in this new book Hankie Style
there are lots of great ideas for using vintage hankies and this scarf project looked perfect!
And as usual, the first step is make a mess! But what a pretty mess it is. I spread out all my hankies. I first thought I would go with a blue theme since I had quite a few that had blue in it but then that left out a couple that I really loved so I went with an all different color theme (if that is one???) The directions were great and had some really good tips that made the process go smoothly.

Hankie Style: Fashions featuring vintage & Reproduction Hankies
By
Amy Barickman

From the publisher:
"22 stylish projects including tops, skirts, aprons, scarves, tunics, purse, belt and eyeglass case. Book includes two full size patterns - a cardigan & tunic - as well as 47 pages of instructions and techniques to use new or vintage handkerchiefs to create and embellish clothing and accessories."

I am really looking forward to wearing this scarf since I love these hankies and I now have transformed them into something useful in my day-to-day life.

How to make a super crafty mess and Crafty Blogger links

First you throw in a couple of crafters who love to cut stuff up, yours truly and my partner in crime KB Vanhorn at a super cool event- Swap-o-rama-rama.

Then you throw in tons of creative people and their old cloths....
and this is what you get!

You know how people take pictures of their beautiful plated food? Well I take pictures of crafting detritus!

To see more of the super designs that people made pop on over to this post at Craftside.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Win a fun prize pack in honor of Swelldesigner's 24 Halloween Crafts in 24 Hours on October 8th

Cathie Filian
Kids will flip for this Halloween Punch and Witches Brew Punch Bowl.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Charity begins at homes, at least that's what Tammy's dogs reminded her about when they caught her making another crochet square.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Stitch up some cute little traffic signs, including this warning sign design for your child's play set or to decorate a jacket.

Mixed Media Artist
Think you know polymer clay? Look what Layl McDill can do with this material!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside has a bunch of tutorials and ideas for an eco friendly rib bone Halloween decoration, a quarter circle mini journal/Christmas ornament, painting spotted eggs, and how to make mail art while out for a walk.

The Artful Crafter
If you don't live in the southwest, you may not even know about this huge football homecoming tradition. Even so, you can still enjoy Eileen's tongue-in-cheek directions for making the most outrageous Homecoming Mum Corsage ever.

The Crochet Dude
Drew has a great free crochet pattern for a creepy-cute Halloween treat bag called "I Want My Mummy!"

About Family Crafts
It is never too early or too late to begin planning a Halloween party, and you are sure to find something creative here to help with your planning.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen has not 1 but 2 giveaways for you. Enter her Fall giveaway and download a freebie background while your at it.

All Washed Up by the Crochet Dude (Drew Emborsky) Hooked up Halloween Style

We here at the Plaidbunny Test Kitchen
took
All Washed Up
by
Drew Emborsky
B. K. A. "The Crochet Dude

for a test drive and let me say I loved making this cute dish cloth (The one on the top right side of the cover in green with white ruffles)

I whipped it up in black with orange ruffles so it would fit in with all the Halloween stuff lurking around the kitchen at the moment.

It was a great pattern that went super smoothly with the great directions Drew wrote!

There are 3 more in this series of booklets just as cute!

I give them the Scissor Seal of approval here in the land of Green Crafting.

(Designer's note bright orange on a black background does pose a photography challenge but I assure you it is very festive in person!)

More about All Washed Up from Leisure Arts:

"We're proud to present this collection of all-original dishcloths in cotton yarn, designed by Drew Emborsky, The Crochet Dude. Make them as gifts. Make them for yourself. But whatever you do, be sure to make them fun! The 9 projects in this book are Tackle It With a Twist!, Extra Elbow Grease!, Grime Buster!, Lots of Suds!, Put Your Heart Into It!, Real Men Do Dishes!, Finished With a Flourish!, Nine Rounds and You're Done!, and One Red-Hot Scrubber."

Come cut stuff up with me at Swap-o-rama-rama Saturday and Crafty Blogger links!

Come cut stuff up with me Saturday at Swap-o-rama-rama, check out pictures from last year here.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi shares the profiles of some spectacular mixed media artists, including our own Aileen Roberts!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
At Craftside there are posts on how to have fun with word play and spice up your art, draw a pattern for a full size witch hat and make a tiny one, make a silverware spider and make a gather from a serged edge without a differential feed.

The Artful Crafter
CD Ghosts, what an economical and easy project for Halloween. Let the kids make several to hang from a porch or trees to delight of your Trick or Treaters.

The Crochet Dude
Drew has designed a super cute crocheted pink purse for breast cancer awareness month. AND he's giving away some cool pink ribbon appliques too!

The Impatient Crafter
Halloween is right around the corner and Madge kicks off the season with a stunningly spooky mixed media necklace and a bonus short story sure to send shivers up your spine!

About Family Crafts
Find a way to creatively celebrate everyday during the month of October by consulting this list of special days.

Aileen's Musings
Need a little Halloween inspiration? Check out Aileen's past Halloween posts and get yourself revved up for Halloween!

Cathie Filian
Cathie shows you how to alter kids clothing into fun Halloween costumes.

Crafty Princess Diaries
No Brainer Crochet Squares - Tammy shows off some of the crochet squares she makes for comfort-ghans.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Connie has a free quick-to-stitch pattern that reminds you to "Let Your Light Shine".

Farm Girl Roots, City Girl Style
A back pack resurfaces and reminds Linda that she hasn't shared this project on her blog yet!

A Buzzing Beaded Bead Bail using a wonderful tutorial from the book- Seed Bead Fusion by Rachel Nelson-Smith

This is what I made today:
Close up and wide shot.
Ironic since I just had to wipe out a wasp nest under the awning of my front porch. Isn't it buzzzz-arre how things work out like that? I know baaaad.
If you haven't been to your local Michaels, JoAnns or craft store and checked out Blue Moon Beads newest lines of baubles, run, don't walk!
One of my biggest beefs with the big box store's products was they looked nothing like what was being sold in the stores that carried off the rack jewelry.

Well, problem solved. These findings are hot! Armed with some cool beads and things I went to my latest jewelry making book for some inspiration:

Seed Bead Fusion: 18 Projects to Stitch, Wire & String
by
Rachel Nelson-Smith

This book is packed full of amazing projects with great directions, mostly they are intricate bead weaving designs like ones on the cover but there are some great wire-working projects like the beaded bead I made using the great photographed instructions from Seed Bead Fusion.

(I did add my own touch by swirling the remaining wire on the front of the pearl)

All that was left to do was to link up all the fun elements from Blue Moon Beads.

Another two details I want to point out:

I used two hooks instead of a hook and ring for my clasp, I did this on another necklace I made and I kinda like it.

And to further dress up the back of the necklace I linked some scraps of chain off of the big hooks and added a small pearl that was the same color as my focal pearl.

Bee happy and make yourself something new!


More about Seed Bead Fusion:

"Featuring 18 exciting projects presented with detailed step-by-step photography, color variations, and practical illustrations, this fresh approach to seed bead jewelry teaches crafters how to combine materials, techniques, colors, inspiration, and design ideas for jewelry with a contemporary edge. Inspired by a wide range of sources—from Indian Punjabi folk costumes to Native American beading—the designs in this inventive resource fuse materials such as silver, copper wire, seed beads, Czech glass, and crystals into these traditional arts in order to achieve a unique outcome. All of the basic beadweaving stitches, wirework, and stringing techniques are explained and illustrated.

Rachel Nelson-Smith is a teacher and a jewelry designer whose work has been displayed at the Milpitas Museum, Santa Cruz Metro Center, and other locations in the California Bay Area. A number of her original projects have appeared in Bead & Button and Bead Style. She lives in Santa Cruz, California."