DIY Creepy Toy Box

     Thinking about dressing up as a creepy doll for Halloween?  Why not make yourself a spooky toy box prop to go along with your look?  Or if you have some haunted dolls to add to your Halloween decor, perhaps they could use a spooky toy box of their own.

Creepy doll Amber emerging from her spooky toy box.

Materials:

*Large cardboard box
*Black acrylic paint
*White acrylic paint
*Red acrylic paint
*Brown acrylic paint
*Orange acrylic paint
*Wide paintbrush
*Thin paintbrush
*Removable vinyl
*Scissors or die cutting machine
*Metal brads
*Black duct tape
*Box cutter
*Water
*Paint palette (I use plastic container lids for my palettes)

Directions:

*Take your cardboard box and cut off the two shorter flaps.  Set them aside, as you will need them soon.

*Next, cut off one of the longer flaps and then attach it to the remaining flap using the duct tape to create the lid of your toy box.

*To stabilize the newly formed lid, cut one of the short flaps you've cut off in half "hot dog style" (as in, instead of folding it the hot dog way, we're cutting along what would be the fold line if we were instead to fold it).

*Use duct tape to attach these segments to the inside of the lid to provide the lid with added stability.  Make sure that your added cardboard segments are going across the seam in the middle of the lid, as this is likely the weak point in the lid.  Depending on how stable or flimsy your lid seems after this step, you may want to cut apart the other short flap and tape it on as well.

*Using scissors or a die cutting machine, cut out the lettering for your toy box from removable vinyl.

*Affix the letters to the front face of your toy box.

*Take some black paint and add just a little bit of water, then brush it across the front face of the box.  Let dry.

*Once dry, take some white paint, add a little water, and brush it over the front face of the box.  Let dry.

*Take some slightly watered down black paint and brush over any places where the white is too bright.

*Paint the remaining sides and top in the same fashion, starting with some black paint, then adding white, and finally adding some black in any needed places.

*Gently peel the removable vinyl off the front face of the box.  It's okay if some paint has seeped underneath the letters, as long as you can still see where you need to paint.

*Paint the letters red.  You could either use plain red paint, or add a little bit of black and brown to your red paint to create a more bloody red.  Let dry.

*Using a thin paintbrush, paint thin black lines to create the appearance of boards.  You'll want to do this to the sides and top of the toy box.

*Tape around all the edges of the toy box with black duct tape.

*Combine orange and brown paints to create a rusty color.  Paint the tops of four metal brads with this mixture.  Let dry.

*Poke the brads through the corners of the front of the box to give the appearance of nails.  You could do this with the other sides of the box too, although I didn't because I didn't have enough brads.

*If you're going to be opening the toy box a lot or leaving it open, you may want to paint the inside black to conceal any awkwardness in the duct tape.  I didn't this time around, but if I make another one of these in the future, I will probably do that.

Foam Tombstone Carving Plus Halloween Cemetery Tour

     I'm super excited to share with you my newest foam tombstone.  If you've been following my blog for a while, you may recall that I have posted several foam tombstone tutorials in the past.  For the first time, though, I now have  a video tutorial as well as a written tutorial.
     The video is part foam tombstone carving tutorial, part Halloween cemetery tour.  In the first part of the video, I go through the tombstone construction process, from the design stage up to the finished product.  In the second part, I'll show you my Halloween cemetery and tell you a little bit about each of the tombstones.  My Halloween cemetery is one of my favorite Halloween decorations each year, and I'm jazzed to be sharing it with you all for the first time in video format.

     If you're looking for a written tutorial on how to construct a foam tombstone, keep reading.

DIY Foam Tombstone

Materials:

*Pink insulation/crafting foam (can be found at home improvement stores)
*X-acto knife or box cutter (preferably with a fresh blade)
*Pencil or pen
*Painter's tape
*Fine grit sandpaper
*Sanding mask
*Goggles
*Hand saw or other implement to cut foam to size
*Metal tombstone stakes
*Drill (optional)
*Paper
*Scissors
*Paintbrushes in various sizes
*Gray acrylic paint
*White acrylic paint

Directions:

*Decide what size tombstone you would like and cut your foam to size.  I was working with scrap foam that was already the appropriate size this time, but in the past I've used a hand saw or a box cutter to cut the foam.

*Sand down the edges using fine grit sandpaper.  If the edges are really rough, you could start with medium grit paper and then work your way down, but I've found fine grit works well.  Make sure to wear a mask and goggles to keep from inhaling the foam particles or getting them in your eyes.

*Before you start adding design elements to your stone, you'll want to insert your tombstone stakes.  If you insert the stakes at an angle accidentally, the stakes may poke through the front of the foam, ruining your stone, so it's best to do this early in the stone making process.  Insulation foam tends to be soft enough that you can poke the stakes through the bottom of the foam, which is what I do, but if you are experienced at drilling, you can minimize the chances of damage by drilling.

*Now it's time to focus on your design.  I've included the rosebud design I made for this stone if you'd like to use it, but there are all kinds of designs you could use.  If you're new to foam carving, though, I would recommend keeping things fairly simple, as it can be a bit tedious and challenging cutting out a lot of fine detailing.  The design is also completely optional.  I've done a lot of stones with just an inscription, and they have turned out pretty well in my opinion.

*You'll also want some sort of inscription.  Again, if you're new to this, I'd recommend keeping it fairly simple and using a larger font to make it easier to cut out your letters.

*Cut out your design and inscription, leaving some extra white space around the edges, and tape to your foam with painter's tape.  When you're taping your design pieces down, try not to tape over the image or text, as doing so will make in more difficult to imprint your design on the foam.

*Trace along the design and outline your letters using a pencil or pen.  This will leave a faint imprint on the foam that will guide you with cutting.

*To darken the imprint, you can trace along it using a pencil or pen.  If the imprint is clear enough for you to see without doing so, then you can omit this step.

*To carve your stone, begin by tracing the imprinted lines using an X-acto knife or box cutter.  Make sure your blade is reasonably sharp, as duller blades may not cut through the foam as well.

*To remove the excess foam, I use a scraping technique, where I slide the blade into the foam that I'm trying to remove and lift up, pulling out a small chunk of foam.  See the video for a demonstration of this technique.  This is what gives the foam around my design and inside the letters a speckled appearance.  Be careful especially when working in small areas of the design, as you can nick the design or scrape out foam you weren't intending on removing.

*Once your stone is carved, it's time to paint.  I usually begin by painting the whole stone a solid gray color.  Make sure to paint all of the crevices really well, using a second coat if needed to make sure no pink foam shows through.  Let dry.

*To make the lettering and design pop a little more, the next thing I do is I paint the raised surfaces of the stone with a slightly lighter shade of gray.  You'll probably want about one part white paint for three parts of gray paint roughly.  Let dry.

*Once your stone is dry, pop in the stakes and stake it in the ground.

Introducing the Halloween 2020 Zine!

     I know I haven't said much on my blog recently about current events, and you may be wondering why I'm posting my typical Halloween content as if there's nothing unusual going on.  Part of this is because I don't want to bog you down in dreary thoughts when you're here.  Halloween is a place of joy for me, and I want this blog to be a reprieve from all the COVID news that we are constantly bombarded with.  It's important for us to be aware of what's going on, of course, but we also need spaces where we can breathe and forget about our troubles, if only temporarily.
     But the fact of the matter is that Halloween is going to be different this year.  A lot of the festivities that we hold dear this season, from parties to trick or treating to corn mazes are going to look different, if they exist at all.  I still want my blog to be a refuge for you, but I also want to make sure that it is relevant and meeting your needs.  For this reason, I have put together a 'zine filled with Halloween activities, crafts, costume ideas, and so much more, all of which are relevant for our current situation.
     Here's the link to the zine.  If you have trouble accessing the link, email me at hathaway.amber@gmail.com and I'll send you a PDF copy.  For optimal viewing (so it feels most like a printed magazine), choose a two page layout with cover in your PDF reader's settings.  Feel free to print it if you'd like for your own personal use.  Let me know if you like the 'zine, if you'd like to see more issues in the future, or if you have any suggestions for future improvement.
     I'm also hoping to dedicate some posts on here to things like how to put together a Halloween costume from your closet, so if you can't get out to the stores, you can still celebrate in style.  If there is anything in particular you'd like to see, let me know and I'll do the best I can to incorporate it into my Halloween schedule.
     As some of you may know, I have a recipe blog in which I document some of the meals Brian and I come up with.  I have plans for some spooky/fall recipes, and a lot of the recipes that are already up are good for when the weather turns cooler, like savory corn chowder or the Hathaway family classic, taco soup.  All of the recipes are vegetarian, and each recipe has an IC rating to let those of you with IC (interstitial cystitis) know how safe the ingredients in the recipe are.  I also offer ingredient substitutions when possible, and most of the two star recipes can be made completely bladder friendly with the suggested substitutions.  I don't currently have any other dietary tags, but if there are others you think would be useful, let me know, and I'll see if I can incorporate them.
     I hope this Halloween season is one of fun, joy, and good health for you and your family.

Amber

Red Riding Hood Cape Made from Sheets

     I've been wanting to do a Little Red Riding Hood costume for a while now.  Most of the store capes I've seen are pretty meh, so I figured I'd sew my own.  Last year I went ahead and bought a cape pattern.  I usually order my fabric at the same time as my patterns, so I pay attention to how much fabric the pattern takes, but for some reason, I decided I would buy the pattern and wait on the fabric.  I didn't check the amount of fabric because I think I assumed it couldn't be too much - I've made a cape before from about two yards of fabric.  However, when I took a look at the pattern, it turned out that it took six and a half yards of fabric.
     Fabric is not cheap.  That is, if you buy it as fabric.  I spent countless hours scouring Joann's website, looking for red fabric that I could afford to buy 8 or 10 yards of because apparently you can't just buy 6 1/2 yards online, and I came up empty handed.  However, satin bed sheets cost way less than raw fabric.  I would have loved to try thrifting some and saving even more money, but given our current circumstances, I went ahead and ordered a king sized red satin sheet set online.
     The sheets worked out fantastically.  If you are thinking of making your own cape, I would definitely recommend considering something like sheets or tablecloths for your source material, as it will probably save you a good chunk of change.  Since in person thrifting isn't really viable for most of us right now, if you don't want to order online and you don't have some sheets at home needing a new life, you could potentially try asking around and seeing if anyone you know has a sheet set they would be willing to part with.
     Now the pattern I used also calls for the same amount of lining material.  The nice thing about satin sheets is that they're finished on both sides, so if you're using this for a costume, you really won't need a lining.  I opted not to use a lining, and the process I describe will take that into account, but if you do want to line your cape, you'll essentially need a second sheet set.  Because I used a pattern to make this cape, I'm going to tell you what I've done differently from the pattern.  The rest of the instructions you'll find with the pattern itself.  Also, it's worth noting that I used the XS pattern size.  By inspection, it looks like you could get away with cutting even the large from a king sized sheet set, but that may not be the case, so be aware of that if you are planning on making a larger size.

Materials:

*Simplicity Cape Pattern
*King sized satin bed sheets
*Red thread
*Sewing machine
*Iron
*Scissors
*Metallic marker or fabric pen
*Red ribbon (optional)

Directions:

*Cut the elastic off of the fitted sheet, and cut open the corners (the sewn bit that fits over the corners of the mattress).  You need to be able to lay both sheets flat for cutting.

*Iron both sheets.  Seriously.  Especially if your sheets have been lying in their packaging for a while and have some well set in creases.  I did not do this, and I ended up with some pattern pieces that were longer than others.  Save yourself suffering down the line by ironing everything before cutting.

*Choose your cape style.  The body of the cape is the same for all three styles, but each one (A, B, and C) has a different hood.  I opted for the simplest one, pattern C.

*Trace and cut your pattern pieces.  If you're using sheets instead of fabric, you won't be able to line up the pieces in the exact diagram that they show on the packaging, so you'll have to Tetris your pieces around.  Pay attention to grain line, if that's important to you.  I forgot about it, and while I don't think it made a big difference, it may matter to you.

*I didn't bother with Step 1 of the sewing directions because I don't understand stay stitching, but you may want to do that.

*I then followed Steps 2 and 3.

*Since I was using pattern C, I then jumped ahead to Step 18.

*I didn't have a lining, so I skipped ahead to Step 21.  For that one, I just pinned the hood to the neck of the cape, right sides together, and sewed them.  I didn't do the basting stitches, and I also didn't do Steps 23 or 24 because I didn't have a lining.

*Since I didn't do a lining, I next hemmed the edges.  Satin frays a lot, so to further protect the edges and hide the fraying, I hemmed the edges twice.  I folded over the edge of the fabric all the way around and sewed it down, and then folded it over a second time, making sure to hide all the fraying, and sewed it down again.

*I ended up deciding to use red ribbon for the ties, so the last thing I did was sew a piece of red ribbon to either side of the cape along the neckline.  If you'd rather do the fabric ties that are part of the pattern, you'll have to go back to Step 12 to make them.

Amber's Craft a Week Blog Turns 9! A Celebration Featuring the Teeny Tiny Seashell

     It's hard to believe I've been blogging here for nearly a decade.  I started this blog because I wanted to start a blog of some sort, and when I racked my brain for topic ideas, crafting came to mind.  While it has not been a roaring success in terms of traffic, and I've not made a single cent off of it, it has pushed me to be a better crafter, and I like to think some of you are getting enjoyment and/or inspiration from it.

     I've been doing crafty things since I was a kid, but it wasn't like I was crafting regularly before I started this blog.  I would make something here or there, but when I was looking for ideas for my inaugural blog post, I had a hard time finding a craft to use.  I ultimately settled on my Seashell Centerpiece.
     Having to post a craft every week pushed me to craft more, and the more crafts I made, the stronger a crafter I became.  When I first started my blog, I probably wouldn't have considered DIYing my wedding dress or painting intricate nail art designs or making plushies of horror movie characters (e.g., Freddy and Nancy from A Nightmare on Elm Street), but these are all projects I have attempted with reasonable success for this blog.  I am so glad that I started blogging, because I would not have the crafting chops I do today otherwise.
     For the ninth anniversary post, I want to return to my blog's roots, in a way.  When I made that seashell centerpiece which I featured in the first post, I also made a second craft.  It's that second craft I bring to you today, not so much for its craftiness as for a fun story about a teeny tiny seashell.

The Story of the Teeny Tiny Seashell

The teeny tiny seashell in its now secure display case.

     When I go to the beach, I look for seashells.  I love tiny things and I have a decent eye for picking out seashells that are not much bigger than a grain of sand.  As a kid, I would find these seashells and try to bring them home, hoping to collect them, only to lose them somewhere along the way.
     In 2011, not long before I started this blog, I worked at Upward Bound as a physics instructor.  As part of my job, I went on a camping trip to Lamoine State Park.  While on this trip, I collected some seashells, including one very tiny one.  Somehow I managed to get it home without losing it.
     I had this seashell in a little sandwich bag and I left it on the kitchen table.  Brian saw what looked like an empty sandwich bag and threw it in the trash.  By the time I noticed that my seashell was missing, Brian had already brought the trash to the dumpster.  I was pretty bummed that I had managed to bring my seashell home, only to lose it to the dumpster.
     Brian dug through the dumpster and eventually found the sandwich bag with my teeny tiny seashell.  It was clear I needed to put it in a different container, so I took a little clear plastic container and lined it with some scrap fabric, then placed my shell inside.  I believe I made this container at the same time I made my seashell centerpiece.  I can't recall now for sure one way or the other, but it's possible that the need to rehome my teeny seashell is what pushed me to make the seashell centerpiece that I wrote about in my first blog post.
     The saga of the teeny tiny seashell does not end there, though.  The container I was using for the tiny seashell has a lid that comes off easily.  Brian made the mistake of picking it up by the lid, and out fell the seashell.  He spent an hour scanning the floor for it before he finally found it.  That's why the container is now taped shut.

     Anyway, I thought this was a cute story related at least a little to both crafting and the start of my blog.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Here's to many more years of crafts and fun crafting stories.

DIY Harley Quinn Jacket

     This project was a sewing first for me on several fronts: my first time sewing sleeves onto a garment, my first time sewing on knit trim, and my first time installing a zipper with a sewing machine.  The finished jacket is far from perfect, but honestly, given how inexperienced I am and how reckless I was with the whole process, I'm amazed that it turned out as well as it did.  I included materials links below, as well as a bit of a video tutorial of the construction process.  I didn't include a written tutorial this time because I was (kind of) following a pattern, so all of those instructions are available to you already.  But in the video I do mention where I diverged from the pattern, so if you're curious about the changes I made, you may want to give it a watch.

Materials:

*1 yard+ red jersey sequin fabric.  I made the size 0-2 and 1 yard was more than enough for me, but if you're making a larger size, you may need more fabric.
*1 yard+ blue jersey sequin fabric.  You may need more than 1 yard of fabric if you're making some of the larger sizes.
*Print out of the Avelia Bomber Jacket Pattern
*Rib knit trim, 2 strips in jet black
*Black 17" zipper
*Black thread
*Sewing machine

Directions:

    I only have a video tutorial for this one, but if you have questions about my process, don't hesitate to ask.

Easy DIY Magikarp Look: Pokemonbounding Episode 4

     I wasn't planning on making a Magikarp look for my fourth Pokemonbounding video (I have a few others, including Vaporeon, in the works), but when Niantic announced that August's Community Day Pokemon was Magikarp, I couldn't resist throwing together a look.  This one was much simpler than some of my previous Pokemon themed outfits, which is great if you're looking for a relatively easy and inexpensive costume or bounding idea.  You'll need some orange clothes and a yellow crown.  I've included a video tutorial of the construction process below, and keep scrolling for some more pictures and a brief discussion of Magikarp Community Day.

Magikarp Community Day

     I love Magikarp, but it was a little awkward trying to take photos with a fish Pokemon that constantly looks like it's on death's doorstep.  We even put Magikarp in a pond, but to no avail.  So for my next set of photos, I decided to go with a concept I'd been thinking about for a while: saving Magikarp.

     One of my favorite things about Community Day is the AR photo bombs.  You only get five chances, though, which makes securing a good photo a little stressful.  Luckily, I got the picture at the top of this post on my third try.  The "saving Magikarp" photo bombs came out okay, but I wish I'd had a few more chances to get the perfect picture.

     Here's a picture where you can pretty clearly see me throwing water onto Magikarp.  It was a little tricky timing my water throwing to Brian's picture capturing, but luckily there was no limit to how many general AR pictures we could take.
     All in all, Magikarp Community Day went pretty well for me.  I already had three shiny Magikarp going into the event, so it was a fairly low stress Community Day, shiny-wise.  I did manage to nab another dozen shinies, though, including one with really good IVs.  I accidentally evolved a really bad IV Magikarp, so I spent a good chunk of the day catching as many Magikarp as I could find to try to refill my candy resources.  But I still got to evolve two Gyarados, including my high IV shiny, so that was cool.
     I'm still rooting for a Meowth Community Day.  I really want shiny Meowth, and I would have so much fun with the photo bombs.  What Pokemon would you most like to see a Community Day for?