Is anyone even still checking in? I'm not sure. But if you do, thanks. I am sorry I have been such a slacker lately. I'm o.k., but I just can't seem to find the blog motivation. That said I have been crafty lately...gearing up for the holidays.
I love Halloween. See the Halloween posts in the archives to find other things I have thrown together in the past. This year a few different items. I hope to have a You Tube "how to" up soon. In the mean time here are a few of the items I have been working on:
Chair Scarves. I used a window scarf I bought 3 years ago, cut into 4 parts, hemmed it and then threw it over the chairs and tied it off with a ribbon. Free and easy recycle!
I went to the fabric store and found $2 and $3 per yard fabrics on clearance and essentially just cut the one twice, hemmed all raw edges and threw it on the table to make a base cloth that would go all the way -and then some- to the floor. I had the gal at the store cut the top fabric to a square; however wide it was, that would determine the scale of the square, so be it. Hemmed and thrown on the table. Not Free, but almost, and totally easy. Plus both clothes can be used for other occasions, dressed and accessorized with other colours or item and that will decide the mood later!
An old recycled wreath, this one black, topped with 99c Store (really bad) black roses, tipped with a bit of green glitter and red roses spray painted with flat black. (In the photo the original red really shows through, in real life the red is more of a suggestion than a visible colour.) I just snipped the roses from the bunches (4 black, three red) and used the wire in the wreath to secure them in place. I added left over ribbon in a bow and there you have it. Recycle + $7.00
This is the one I am most excited about. I was sharing a snack at a friend's home when she served her goodies on the most gorgeous plates. White background with black printed toile "solid" plates and also as an edge. I adored them! Too expensive after the inquiry of where and how much? What to do? Head down to Dollar Tree and find some flat edged plates! At $1 a piece this would be a great alternative. I used a permanent on any surface ink and some scroll designed rubber stamps, and badabing badaboom I have my black and white plates. Not toile, no solids, but with the same feel! I think they'll look really awesome on the Halloween table, but also later and not so spooky! $8.00 for a whole new set of dishes!
Well that's it. See you soon, I hope!
Click on the photos to get a closer look!
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Hi Blogger, it me, S'mee....
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
cake. cake. and more cake!
Oy! This month has been so unbelievably busy. Case in point: today.
Those would be my lovely digits covered in cake goo ala cake pops! Granted, our first try out was less than stellar, but the 70+ pops we made for a leadership meeting this week turned out cute enough!
After the pops were wrapped and readied to go, I headed home to bake a few cakes for the Trunk or Treat cake walk tonight. They are only a single layer, but I made a dozen of them! Yummy home made cakes with yummy add ins (like always!) and homemade buttercream frosting to make them look like mummies, Jack Skelington, and spider webs. Again, not as ornate as if I were charging for them, but tasty and fast and they'll make do for little monsters who will just be goblin' them down tomorrow anyway!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Lighted Faery Wings Tutorial
A tutorial on making faery wings that have battery operated lights. We made this set to fit Lil Bit, who is 6 months old. The battery pack is a bit heavy for a 6 month old, but we figured she would be held by her daddy all night any way, so it wouldn't be a concern. The wings are made to wear "back pack" style.
We also made a no sew tutu with a matching headband and onesie. Essentially the headband and onesie were just a matter of gluing flowers and glitter. The no sew tutu info can be found
here, among many other places. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
This is Halloween...CupCakes!
More Halloween goodies from the past. Nothing says fun like cool treats that aren't from the store. You can whip up a bunch of these for the kids you personally know and they will love gobblin' them up! This tutorial is a repeat from 2005, however they are pretty fun so here we go!
O.k. So this is the first run of cupcakes! I wasn't prepared for the decorations with special candies or frostings, but went ahead and came up with these little beauties with what we had on hand:
Dunked in Jelly Bellies, You're Bugging Me!, Spike, & Don't Forget to Floss.
Jack Skelington, Oogie Boogie, Sally, & Stock
High Anxiety, Buck, I only have eyes for you, & Miss Spider.
All cupcakes were chocolate with vanilla or chocolate frostings. I used Mega M&Ms, tiny M&Ms, Jelly Bellies, Life Savers, Sour Patch Strips, Green Apple Gum, Eclipse Gum, Jolly Rancher Rocks, and black Jimmies.
Frosting was applied via a zip lock bag snipped at one corner or with a butter knife. I also used a bamboo skewer to aid in the placement of many Jimmies! I am sure when I actually get out the cake gear and use the pro stuff they will come out even better. In the mean time, we're eatin' cupcakes for dessert tonight!
To view cupcake details more closely, click on the photo above. This will take you to my photo page at Flicker! Find the photo stream st the top right of the page and click the "next" photo, it should be titled: "I'm ready for my close up!" double click. It will come up full screen and with much better detail.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Help!
O.k. Crafters, I need your help! This is a work in progress and I am stumped and second guessing myself. I need someone to tell me either "STOP!" or "KEEP GOING!"
Imagine "Evil Queen". This is her crown. The top photo shows the addition of beads and I thought to plan even more beading. The bottom photo is just stopping where it's at and letting the lace do the story telling.
So please advise! Is it a matter of "less is more" or "more is more"?
Comment!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Make up!
Halloween is the time for make up!
This site has a mom friendly ideas for creating that special costume look, with very easy steps.
Ghoul Skool is a few levels higher and has many other things to look at concerning costuming and make up. Be warned however, some links are dead.
Costume World has slide show type tutorials to explain the steps in their make up tips.
National Geographic has a video on the new trend of Halloween in Japan, a Green Guide to Halloween Make Up. and a story on Fair Trade Candy. Other articles include DYI for kids Pumpkin Carving with patterns! A DYI for kids, explaining how to make their own flying Witch, an article exploring the ritualistic killing of Black Cats, and lastly a fill in the blank Halloween Game for Kids Check out NatGeo., Some cool stuff in there.
Panacea 81 has video tutorials on Fabulous Eyes! This woman is adorable, very unpretentious and she demos her eye make up versions via her love of MAC cosmetics. Very dramatic! If you're looking for a dramatic eye effect for Halloween, she can set you up with something. Her videos take you step by step through over 176(!) different looks!
A great place to get Theatrical Make Up tips via video is Expert Village. Several videos to view there.
Multimakers's You Tube Channel has many video tutorials on Great Theatre Make up, seriously good "normal" physical ugliness (broken teeth, noses, bruising, bites, etc. and clear instruction.
Merely a flesh wound! Watch this video for (silent, but)clear instruction on making prosthetic wounds that actually flex like the real thing! eeek! Thanks Makinthisnthat!
Theassassinnox demos "Cats"style Theatre Make Up, silently with a nice music background, easy enough to figure out what she is doing by watching.
Ayabaya offers a silent you tube video of an actual Maiko or Geisha applying her make up...remarkable.
Askmemakeup demos a you tube Marie Antoinette, hair and make up!
BenjaminChu demos a true DYI "burn and scars" using rubber cement, magic markers and the imagination of a bored teenager. This kid has a career ahead of him!
Ford Model's hair artist Johnny Lavoy demos anAmy Winehouse do. Simple. Really! Also a great Gwen Stefani pony tail. Hot 40's look!
Marie Antoinette
This guy shows a very quick video tutorial substituting theatre make up plastics with bubble gum! to make those same scars!
Professional Artist, Kevin Haney applies Frankenstein make up done from start to finish for a show that was supposed to tribute the original make up artist for Frankenstein, Jack Pierce. Unfortunately the show was canceled last minute and he never got to see his "work".
How It's Made shows us how professionals make face prosthetics turning a beautiful 28 year old woman into an 80 year old version of herself. Start to finish it would cost up to $10,000. Cool video.
And these two videos from "The View" showing us how the Ladies get their Halloween looks from their hair and make up teams.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Getting Ready for Halloween Tutorial
O.k. I admit I pull this post out every other year, but hey, it's a good tutorial, quick, fun, EASY, and cheap! The main instructions are on the Flickr! page accessed via either clicking on the photo, or by clicking on the little Flickr! dookhickey on the right side near the bottom of the page. So without further ado... the DIY tombstone:
Flickr! page tute - click: Tombstones. Scroll down to the tombstone photos and follow the instruction beginning with "a" and finishing up with "g".
In the "spirit" of Halloween, I spent the afternoon in quiet solitude and carved up some fun! The undertaking? Tombstones!
This is the first of the new tombstones for this year. (2005) This one is 24" wide by 16" high and is made from 1" thick (I originally wrote 1 inch thick...but it's really 2 inches, oops.) foam board insulation that comes in a variety of sizes. (Lowes/Home Depot) I chose the 4'x8' sheets. About $12.00 out the door and into the minivan.
If you are like S'mee, you will need to have the guys on the floor cut it into 2 pieces for you (so it can fit in your vehicle). As you can see in the photo, there are indeed "lines" that one could follow -if they wished to do so- the guys I was working with at the time were less than cooperative and decided to "freehand" it on the totally white side without marks and guidelines. UGH! and GRRR!
Make sure you stress the first cut along the lines, otherwise, like S'mee, you will lose one inch, or more, when they cut it diagonally. again UGH!
O.k. so click on that Flickr! link and get started, seriously, if you work in assembly line fashion, this only takes a few hours and you can whip out an entire graveyard!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Little Orphan Annie
When I was about 4 years old our single mother and her four charges made a move to help the struggling brood survive the harsh reality that was our life. We moved in with another single mom and her six children. As you can imagine, ten children, two moms and eventually a young college student to help out, this house full of 13 became frenetic with energy!
A schedule was instituted, chores assigned and rules posted! My mother was nothing if not efficient and she found her ways to motivate. One of which was the following poem. This poem scared the beejeebees out of me. I remembered it by heart for many years, and for anyone interested, no, I never recited this poem to my own children.
Now, for a good scare, during this spooky time, I offer the following: (enjoy!)
Little Orphan Annie
Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun,
A-listenin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you Don't Watch Out!
Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers, -
An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!
An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press,
An seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout: -
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you Don't Watch Out!
An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;
An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'for she knowed what she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you Don't Watch Out!
An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'bugs in dew is all squenched away, -
You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' cherish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you Don't Watch Out!
-James Whitcomb Riley, born Oct. 7, 1849
Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Nightmare...
This first photo is a pumpkin stem, but I thought it looked just like those Tim Burton drawings! I can almost see Jack and Sally! I just love these "vintage" faces I found while out and about. Only a few more hours to get your Halloween fix for this year...
Tuesday Tutorials: Tombstones and Cupcakes
We are down to the wire on those Halloween preparations! So today's tutorials are easy, fast, and best of all CHEAP! We have tombstones that you can personalize and cupcakes that are just fun. For the complete instructions head on over to Tuesday Tutorials!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Mickey Mouse Monday!- Dia De Los Muertos!
¡Disneyland está celebrando a diá de los muertos! Hopefully Babelfish translated that correctly for me! In the patio by the shooting galleries in Frontierland, Disneyland has put up a very vivid, colourful floral display celebrating the Day of the Dead. A Latin American holiday honouring ancestral dead. Want more info and photos on the celebration and nearby Zocalo Restaurant?
click here!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Let's Make Up ---part duex!
Holy Hannah! The tech-y gods are after me! I totally biffed the whole link-up this morning. So if you went there and it didn't work (meaning there wasn't anything there...duh!) well they links are up now! Whoot!
Trust me - they are fantastic for ideas and techniques... go!
Halloween is the time for make up; and do I have some links for you!
Links for the beginner mummy or daddy to videos of professionals doing their best work. Terrific stuff. Scars, bruises, monsters, vampire eyes, you name it!
Panacea 81 has video tutorials on Fabulous Eyes! This woman is adorable, very unpretentious, and she demos her eye make up versions via her love of MAC cosmetics. Very dramatic! (After reading more about her I found out she is an "eye model"...and I believe it!)
If you'd like to "link up" click here!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tutorial Tuesdays! A Holiday Chair Scarf for beginners
I love to dress my table every day and especially for the holidays. I found this fabric and it called to me! So I put my sewing machine to work to make a matching clothe and chair scarves! I think it will really make the coming holiday very nice.
The tutorial for today is a quick easy way to dress up a chair, and the instructions are basic, no fuss, none perfect beginner level. It uses sewing, but if you need to glue it that should work, just not as nicely, nor not as soft and flexible when tying on the chair. You can find the tutorial
here, along with a video presentation!
Friday, October 12, 2007
I think we're ready....
You know you've been away a day too long when you come home after being gone two days to find that your porch has been invaded and completely overgrown with the Morning Glories. Holy Hannah! These puppies are growing INTO the house! Between the rain, the wind, and whatever is going on in those plants my porch is definitely ready for Halloween!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Sweet S'mee Linkage- Flickr Pools
Hehe! "Links" get it? So here we are in our first official capacity as linkage! Here what we have today:
Autumn/Fall/Halloween Flickr! Group has some amazing photos, Some scenery, some spooky and this one takes my breathe away, from Mailman who just got a place in my personal favorites! Whoo!
You all know I got into hearts and finding them out and about a few weeks ago... hey they have a Flickr! pool for that also! This is fabulous in so many ways I can't tell you via I see Hearts Flickr! pool.
Flickr! has so many different themed pools I could spend all day just searching! I really like this one! via Faces in Places Flickr! pool. (Oh, and btw, Chronicler has recently joined this group. Be the first to write back in the comments and describe her "face" to S'mee and receive another chance at those fabulous gifts and prizes! No, sis, you are exempt form this particular contest!)
So that's all for today folks. It may not seem like much, until you get started, then watch out. You may be looking at these wonderful photos all day long!
Monday, September 26, 2005
"Fred's Dead, Baby"
In the "spirit" of Halloween, I spent the afternoon in quiet solitude and carved up some fun! The undertaking? Tombstones!
This is the first of the new tombstones for this year. This one is 24" wide by 16" high and is made from 1" thick foam board insulation that comes in a variety of sizes. I chose the 4'x8' sheets. About $12.00 out the door and into the minivan.
If you are like S'mee, you will need to have the guys on the floor cut it into 2 pieces for you (so it can fit in your vehicle). As you can see in the photo, there are indeed "lines" that one could follow -if they wished to do so- the guys I was working with at the time were less than cooperative and decided to "freehand" it on the totally white side without marks and guidelines. UGH! and GRRR!
Make sure you stress the first cut along the lines, otherwise, like S'mee, you will lose one inch, or more, when they cut it diagonally. again UGH!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Psyching myself up...
O.k. So this is the first run of cupcakes! I wasn't prepared for the decorations with special candies or frostings, but went ahead and came up with these little beauties with what we had on hand:
Dunked in Jelly Bellies, You're Bugging Me!, Spike, & Don't Forget to Floss.
Jack Skelington, Oogie Boogie, Sally, & Stock
High Anxiety, Buck, I only have eyes for you, & Miss Spider.
All cupcakes were chocolate with vanilla or chocolate frostings. I used Mega M&Ms, tiny M&Ms, Jelly Bellies, Life Savers, Sour Patch Strips, Green Apple Gum, Eclipse Gum, Jolly Rancher Rocks, and black Jimmies.
Frosting was applied via a zip lock bag snipped at one corner or with a butter knife. I also used a bamboo skewer to aid in the placement of many Jimmies! I am sure when I actually get out the cake gear and use the pro stuff they will come out even better. In the mean time, we're eatin' cupcakes for dessert tonight!
To view cupcake details more closely, click on the photo above. This will take you to my photo page at Flicker! Find the photo stream st the top right of the page and click the "next" photo, it should be titled: "I'm ready for my close up!" double click. It will come up full screen and with much better detail.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
This is Halloween!
Ahhh, the crispness of the mornings are lasting well into the afternoon and has announced that autumn is once again here! WaHoo! It's my favorite time of the year. I know that we'll have two weeks of cool weather, then another three weeks of really hot "Indian Summer", then two or three days before Halloween it will get cold and stay cold for at least four months.
The whole of autumn gets me excited. I enjoy the anticipation of the holidays. I try to get into Disneyland for one last hurrah and to sneak a peek at the "Nightmare Before Christmas" (N.B.C.) display at the Haunted Mansion and steal as many idea as possible within my budget. I am a holiday freak and I admit it.
This morning I went into nutso mode and the wheels are turning. After a quick trip out to the shed, inventory will be taken and plans will be made. This year there will definitely be more tombstones made, and hopefully more decor that lends itself to the theme. All of this is crazy because we rarely treat children in our neighborhood. The times they are a changin' and good folk stay away from the door to door festivities and only the crack head 32 year old moms with a soundly sleeping 3 month old come asking for milky way bars. (Oh, and the 24 year old gang bangers who scare the bujeebies outta me) But still I hope.
Two years ago I made up the front porch with floor to ceiling "New Orleans" lattice closing it off on all sides except the entry. Once inside there was a friendly "graveyard". (I prefer Halloween lite to blood and guts gory) I have tons of silk grass (from the wedding business years ago), so the grass was laid over bundles of crumpled newspaper to resemble grave "humps". Each site had it's own tombstone and some actual dead roses. There was a floating glow in the dark ghostie balloon and when guests arrived at the porch they would inadvertently step on the fog machine dispenser and fog would cover the floor of the "yard". The soundtrack from Nightmare before Christmas was playing in the background and with the other decorations, it was pretty cool.
Not too many people showed up, but those who did, albeit on some form of "medication", were happy they came by for their lousy candy. I always want to throw a fun party, but competing with the "Trunk and Treat" at church and school carnivals always means not enough guests to bother with. sigh.
This year Halloween is on Monday, so I will again attempt to bring something new to the slab. Goals are as follows:
New additions to the tombstones.
A wreath with eyes and teeth similar to the one in the Haunted Mansion/ N.B.C. Theme.
Gates similar the scenes in N.B.C.
Characters from N.B.C. that will greet the trick or treaters on the porch.
New luminaries that follow the theme and create a path to the door.
We'll see how it goes. I will be posting on the projects so all can see where it succeeds and if they fail. Costs and difficulties.
I will also be posting projects I have done in the past that probably everyone has done to death, but maybe someone new will pop by and get an old idea and turn it into something better. Please share!
First project just to get me in the mood... scary cupcakes!
I am hoping to get started soon, so stay tuned!
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