Halloween Tutorial Roundup

It's October already!

So...I thought I'd post a roundup of all of my Halloween themed crafts!

(P.S.  the photo above is not one of my crafts (the kit is from Target), but reminds me of the polymer clay decorated pumpkin tutorial I did last year!)

Beading Patterns:

witch hat earrings

Polymer Clay Tutorials:

polymer clay decorated pumpkin

spiderweb and skull

Costumes:

Dia de los Muertos, Sugar Skull, Dead Bride Costume

Lalaloopsy Costume Tutorial

Happy Crafting!

Halloween is Coming....

Can you believe Halloween is almost here already???

We have been tossing around costume ideas. Ramona's ideas include: a vampire and and a Native American. Charles has said he likes the idea of being a monkey or a lego guy. Sienna has said Pocahontas and various other princess type costumes. I'm sure they will change their minds by the day. We also have to think of costumes for them to wear for Nevada Day. Wild horses have been at the top of the list. We definitely have fun deciding on and making our costumes!

I plan to make a tutorial for one of my Halloween themed polymer clay beads. Any requests?

Also, for all of you beaders out there, don't forget about my witch hat earring pattern!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

I {heart} Pinterest!

I can get stuck looking at Pinterest for way too long...

So many ideas, great tutorials, and pretty things to look at!

I love this pinboard I found today called "Thrift Store Re-Fashion Tutorials":

A Sneak Peek

At our Halloween costumes:

My son painting stripes on his costume...

Can you guess what he is going to be?

hint: It's a character from a movie.

My oldest daughter's costume accessories.

I bet you can guess what she is going to be:)

She wrote it on her bib necklace!

My youngest is going to be a disney princess, of course!

I was going to make her costume

(because I didn't want to spend $20 on it),

but we lucked out

and found one for $5 at a second hand shop!

Btw...

Have you heard of Kandee Johnson?

She is a make-up artist that makes the most wonderful

youtube video tutorials.

My 4 year old and I are obsessed

with her Halloween make-up tutorials!

Here is her tutorial for Snow White.

hint..hint...

now you can guess what my youngest is going to be:)

Hope that everyone is having fun getting

ready for Halloween!

Fun Bracelets

Here are a couple of tutorials for some cute bracelets.

The first one is Textured String Bracelets from MarthaStewart.com.

(photo from MarthaStewart.com)

The next tutorial is for Sailor's Knot Bracelets from Etsy.com.

(photo from Etsy.com)

I love both styles!

Have fun making them!

I know that I will:^)

Polymer Clay Covered Eggs

Polymer clay covered eggs have become a hot topic in a polymer clay group, CForiginals, that I belong to. I know that I am going to have to make a few of these things! So, I googled up some more information on the subject. There was lots of info to be found. Here is a good tutorial that I found, it also explains how to blow out the egg from the shell, and you can find another tutorial here. Oh...and you just have to check out It's Jest'er Clay to see the eggheads! For more inspiration, I typed "polymer clay covered eggs" into flickr....so many beautiful eggs!!! These eggs would make a great Easter project, but I think they would also make a beautiful decoration all year long! Hey, I think this might be the perfect opportunity to try out scenting some clay....Mmmm... I can smell the chocolate eggs already:)
Isn't this filigree egg beautiful?

It is by Sarajane Helm .

P.S. I should have the pug dog bead tutorial up on my blog tomorrow.

Polymer Clay Covered Light Switch Plate Tutorial

This is a tutorial that I made a while back. I just wanted to share it here on my blog too:)

Polymer Clay Covered Light Switch Plate Tutorial~

supplies:
light switch plate
polymer clay
liquid polymer clay
pasta machine
various tools

find inspiration

start with a blank light switch plate (plastic or wood are easiest...metal and ceramic would need extra prep work) ***please test bake your plastic switch plate before using. Some will melt, warp or bubble***

rough up surface
it will help the clay adhere better

cover surface with a thin layer of liquid polymer clay

roll out clay with the pasta machine (I used setting 3)
you want it thin, but not so thin that it is hard to work with
*if you don't have a pasta machine, you can just cover the plate with small hand flattened pieces of clay...you can use different color pieces to get a mosaic effect

place flattened clay on plate
you may have to use more than one piece, just smooth seam
trim off excess clay on back




next...decorate!
this is the fun part!
use inspiration from the room the switch is for to get ideas

if you feel that your background is not smooth or imperfect in spots...you can use various tools to make impressions or designs to cover them

be aware of where you will have to cut the holes for the switches and screws

don't forget to use a tiny bit of liquid polymer clay to attach the clay pieces that you add

cut holes for the switches and poke holes for the screws


clean up all edges
trim excess clay and smooth

bake according to directions on clay package...

cool...

and hang!

If you would like me to make a custom light switch plate for you...I have them in my Etsy shop.Here are some others that I have made:

Fun Finds...

I've decided to share some fun things that I have found online recently.

• First, I wanted to share this wonderful blog that is full of great crafts to do with your kids. It is called the Craft Crow and would be a great resource for teachers too.
  
• Here are some really cute, free printable gift tags from Inside a Black Apple. You can take maya*made's tips and print them on brown paper bags...for some "green wrapping and brown tagging". You also must check out her snowflake cutting tutorial.
  
• Grosgrain shared a wonderful doll making tutorial from Martha Stewart.
  
• I finally signed up for Project Wonderful and have free ad space on my blog! For some reason, I was really intimidated by it, but it turned out to be really easy to set up...
  
• Creature Comforts has some free printable cards. They also have lots of other free printable items on their blog...like gift tags.
  
• Xerox is giving us the opportunity to send free thank you post cards in support of our troops.
  
• Tina T. has a great polymer clay tutorial on dried flowers.
  
• A Foothill Home Companion shares how to make origami stars.
  
• I have used this recipe many times, and found it a while back. It is a recipe for microwave caramel corn. It is really easy and would make a wonderful gift!