Finals Week Polly Pocket Ornament

     Finals week.  For the past seven years it has been just as much a part of my holiday season as decorating the tree.  In fact, I took my grad physics exam this afternoon, so it's just now finally over.  When I was a kid, I always wanted a Polly Pocket ornament and this ornament gave me the chance to combine that desire with my background in mathematics and physics (notice that Polly's textbooks are on nuclear physics and differential geometry).

Polly's "House"

Materials:

*Wide jewelry box

*Scrapbooking paper

*Felt

*Pencil

*Marker

*Scissors

*Needle

*Thread

*All purpose adhesive

Directions:

*Trace the back, two short sides, and one of the long sides of the jewelry box onto the piece of patterned paper.  Trim as necessary to get them to fit inside the box and then glue into place.

*Trace the lid of the box onto the sheet of felt and cut out.

*Glue one of the long sides of the box inside the lid as pictured.  Set aside to dry.

*Once dry, cut the felt to fit inside the lid to make "carpeting" for the "house."

Blanket

Materials:

*Fabric square

*Needle and thread

Directions:

*Cut out a fabric square the size you would like Polly's blanket to be.

*Sew a blanket stitch around the edges of the fabric square to complete the blanket.

Owl Pillow

Materials:

*Felt in color of choice for owl body

*Orange felt

*White felt

*Black felt

*Needle and thread

*Stuffing

*Miniaturized owl template (can be found here)

*Scissors

*Permanent marker

Directions:

*Print out a miniature version of the owl template given in my Felt Owl Pal post.

*Trace two large circles onto the white felt for eyes, two small circles onto black felt for pupils, a triangle onto orange felt for a beak, and two of the body template onto the desired colored felt for the owls body.  Ignoring the wings and belly pieces, which I did not include because the details were too fine for the scale I was working on, follow the directions for sewing a felt owl pal.

Books

Materials:

*Images to use for book covers

*Plain paper

*Scissors

*All purpose adhesive

Directions:

*Using Paint or a similar program, design textbook covers and print out.  Print one copy of the front cover and two copies of the back cover.

*Cut out 20 or so sheets of plain paper to the same size as the covers.  Add front cover and one back cover to the book.

*Cut the remaining back cover so that it is slightly wider than the thickness of the stack of papers making up the book.  Add adhesive to the back of the strip and then place to form the spine of the book.  The strip of paper should overlap the front and back covers slightly.

Notes/papers

Materials:

*Computer and printer

*Plain paper

Directions:

*Take screenshots of papers you have written (I used pages from my Master's Thesis), shrink to small sizes, and print.

Super Easy Christmas Tinsel Earrings and Glitter Ball Earrings

     Need some pretty earrings for the holiday season?  Try making some ornament earrings.  The tinsel ones take only a minute to make.  The glitter earrings are slightly more time intensive, but the finished product is simply stunning.

Tinsel Ball Earrings

Materials:

*2 tinsel ball mini ornaments

*2 ear wires

*Round nosed pliers

*Flat nosed pliers

Directions:

*Open the loop of the ear wires using the round nosed pliers.

*Slide on the ornament.

*Close the loop using the flat nosed pliers and you're done!

Glitter Ball Earrings

Materials:

*2 tinsel ball mini ornaments

*2 ear wires

*Round nosed pliers

*Flat nosed pliers

*Glitter-It adhesive

*Ultra fine glitter

Directions:

*Remove the ornament tops.

*Pull the tinsel out using pliers.

*Rinse out any residue from the tinsel and then set aside the ornaments to dry.

*Make glitter ornaments using the directions here.  Note that the Glitter-It does not drain out of these little ornaments as well as it does out of the big ones, so try not to add too much.

*Open the loop of the ear wires using the round nosed pliers.
*Slide on the ornament.
*Close the loop using the flat nosed pliers.

If you haven't tried making full size glitter ornaments yet, give them a try.  They're super easy and ridiculously pretty.  I brought this craft to a meeting yesterday and these are the ornaments that we all came up with:

Recycled Wrapping Paper Christmas/Winter Garland

     Have some leftover wrapping paper scraps from last year kicking around?  Make yourself a fun, seasonal garland.  If you don't have some already, you can wait until after you've opened your presents and either get a head start on next year's holiday crafting or use winter themed paper instead of Christmas specific paper.

Materials:
*Patterned or character wrapping paper
*Large and small circle templates (I traced around a large and small drinking glass)
*Cereal box or similar cardboard
*Holographic self-adhesive laminate (or holographic wrapping paper)
*Scissors
*Ribbon
*Glue
*Pen
*Circular hole punch

Directions:
*Trace the small circle onto the patterned or character wrapping paper such that you end up with 12 circles and then cut out the circles.
*Trace the medium circle template onto the cereal boxes, making 12 circles in total, and cut out the circles.
*Trace the medium circle template onto the holographic laminate or paper to make 12 circles and cut them out.
*Adhere holographic paper to one side of each of the cardboard circles.
*Glue a piece of patterned wrapping paper to the center of each of the cardboard circles over the holographic paper.
*Punch a hole in the top of each circle.
*Align the circles, spacing them out as far apart as you would like them to be for the garland.
*Cut a length of ribbon several inches longer than the span of the aligned circles.
*Slide one end of the ribbon an inch or so through the hole in the last circle in the line and tie it in place.
*Slide on the second to last circle, spacing it the desired distance from the last one, and tie in place.  Repeat with the remaining circles.

Felt Heart Name Ornaments

Material:
*Felt
*Chalk or marker
*Fabric paint
*Heart template
*Needle and thread
*Stuffing
*Scissors
*Ribbon
*Fabric scraps and other embellishments (optional)

Directions:
*Using the chalk or marker, trace the heart template onto the felt twice and cut out the two hearts.
*Write the name in the center of one of the hearts using fabric paint and then decorate the ornament however you would like using fabric paint, scrap fabric, or other embellishments.  Set aside to dry.
*Cut off about 2 1/2" of ribbon and fold in half to create a loop.  Sew to the undecorated heart.
*Using a blanket stitch, sew together the hearts, leaving an opening large enough for you to add the stuffing.  Insert stuffing into your heart until it reaches the desired fullness, then sew closed.

P.s. wondering why I have Christmas ornaments with bats on them?  I was trying to come up with a way to symbolically represent myself in the ornament and Brian suggested I make a "crest" with different animals to represent different facets of myself.  He suggested an owl (because I'm smart), a bat (because I love writing, reading, and watching horror), and a cat (because I'm curious, but mostly because I adore cats).  He drew up an on ornament with these animals (see the bottom right ornament).  I then decided to try to replicate his idea, but with fabric scraps.  The only cat fabric I had featured Halloween cats, but I love Halloween, so it just added to the significance of the ornament.  If you're trying to make an ornament that's meaningful, perhaps you could ask the intended recipient (whether it's you or someone else) to brainstorm a crest.  This could be especially nice if you're making ornaments for a child, since they would probably love to see their artistic insights turned into an ornament.

Clay Owl Earrings

Materials:
*Oven bake clay in white, orange, black, and a color of your choice (I used green)
*2 ear wires
*2 head pins
*Wire cutters
*Round nosed pliers

Directions:
*Shape the clay in the color of your choice into two owl shapes.
*Make 4 small circles of white clay for the eyes and add smaller black circles for the pupils.
*Make two small orange triangles for a beak.
*Poke a head pin through each clay owl.
*Bake in the oven according to the directions on the clay packaging.
*Snip off part of each head pin with wire cutters, leaving enough excess to create a small loop.
*Use round nosed pliers to create a loop at the top of each head pin.
*Attach the ear wire to the loop.

Thanksgiving/Fall Perler Fuse Bead Magnets

     Last week's craft centered around what is most important to me about Thanksgiving: family.  This week's craft focuses largely on the second most important thing: pie.  Apple pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate pudding pie topped with whipped cream . . . so many delicious choices.

Basically I am Pusheen.  I also like seeing the leaves change color this season, so I made a fall leaf magnet for good measure.

Materials:
*Fuse bead kit (e.g. Perler beads kit)
*Iron
*Magnetic backing
*Glue (if your magnetic backing is not self-adhesive)
*Scissors

Directions:
*Design your fuse bead creations by arranging beads in the desired pattern on a large square peg board.
*Cover your beaded project with a sheet of waxed paper and iron the first side, then remove from the peg board, flip over, put waxed paper on top and iron the second side.  You can find more detailed directions here.
*Cut off a small section of magnetic backing about 1" in length and about 1/4" to 1/2" inches in width
*Adhere magnetic strip to the fuse bead craft.  If using glue, let dry before placing on the refrigerator.

Family is Love Fall Leaves Journal

     To me, Thanksgiving is all about family.  When I was brainstorming ideas for Thanksgiving crafts, I wanted to find some way to incorporate this notion.  I had seen someone make glitter edged book print leaves and had some issues of the Bangor Daily News kicking around.  I had helped my sister and the student group she's a member of, Maine Business School Corps, put on a march against domestic violence and I had needed a couple copies of the paper to scrapbook the story they did on the event.  The red edged leaf actually has text from the story, which I thought would go along well with the family theme.  Anyway, this is what I came up with.

Materials:
*Glitter in 3 different fall colors
*Spiral bound notebook
*Glue
*Newspaper
*Small black and white family photos
*Silver gel pen
*3 different leaf templates
*Pencil or ballpoint pen
*Scissors

Directions:
*Cover your workstation in newspaper.
*Trace the leaf templates onto the newspaper and cut out.
*Add glue around the edge of one of the newspaper leaves and then cover it with glitter.  Set aside to dry.
*Repeat with the other two leaves.  Once the leaves are dry, shake off excess glitter and pour it back into the container.
*Print out small, completely desaturated photos of your family, however you choose to define family.
*Arrange the photos and the leaves on the notebook cover and glue down.
*Brainstorm a list of what family means to you.  Using the silver gel pen, write out that list, starting with "Family is . . ." followed by the various items.  Mine says, "Family is . . . hugs . . . hope . . . togetherness . . . memories . . . past . . . future . . . joy . . . sharing . . . acceptance . . . transcendence . . . respect . . . chaos . . . friendship . . . trust . . . compassion . . . guidance . . . silliness . . . support . . . messy . .  . wisdom . . . strength . . . a helping hand . . . good times . . . hardships . . . remembrance . . . a choice . . . celebration . . . holidays . . . traditions . . . always changing . . . home . . . stories."
*Toward the center of the journal, write "Family is love."

Hair Chalking

     Rather than buy a wig for to be Daphne Blake for Halloween (see this blog post for Mystery Inc. costume ideas), I decided to try hair chalking,  All you need to do this are chalk pastels and a hair straightener.  It's a great way to change up your hair color for a day and should wash out completely after a couple of shampoos.  Check out my video below for step by step instructions.

Last Minute Costume: Mystery Inc.

     Halloween is right around the corner.  Still looking for a costume?  Why not go as a member of Mystery Inc.?  Also, check out these other easy and inexpensive last minute Halloween costume ideas.
     Brian and I happened upon this costume idea by accident.  Brian wore brown pants and a green shirt to our Halloween party.  When he mentioned that he was not dressed up, someone pointed out that he looked like Shaggy.  We had not yet settled on a Halloween costume idea, so this gave us the inspiration we had been needing.
     Basically all you need for Shaggy is brown pants, a green shirt, and a scruffy appearance.  For Daphne, you'll want to wear all purple.  I went with a purple sweater and purple pants and I also have a pair of purple heeled boots (not pictured).  I bought a green chiffon scarf from Amazon.  You can't really tell from the picture, but I have a headband on.  I went over to my parents' house and dug around, looking for the old plastic headbands my sister and I used to thing were the most fashionable accessories.  I couldn't find a purple one, so I had to alter one a little.

Daphne Headband

Materials:

*Headband

*Mod Podge

*Paintbrush

*Purple glitter

Directions:

*Cover your workstation in newspaper.

*Coat the outer part of the headband in a layer of Mod Podge.

*Pour glitter over the Mod Podge and then set aside to dry.

*Once dry, add another coat of Mod Podge and another layer of glitter.  Set aside to dry.

Here's a slightly better picture, although the headband still is not completely visible:

     The last thing to consider for Daphne is her hair.  In these photos, my hair looks a bit redder than it is in reality, so for Halloween I'm going to have to do something to get Daphne's color.  There are of course always wigs and temporary dyes, but I'm planning on chalking my hair instead.  I didn't have enough orange chalk pastels to try this out beforehand, but on Halloween morning I'll try to give an update on how it went in case you're interested in trying it (Update: here's my hair chalking tutorial).  Chalking your hair Daphne's color will probably work best if you have light hair.

     You should be able to devise costumes for the other members of Mystery Inc. using similar ideas.  For Velma you'll need red pants or skirt, an orange top, some plastic black glasses frames, red shoes, and orange socks.  If you don't already have hair like hers, you will also need some way to replicate it.  For Fred you'll need blue jeans, a blue collared shirt, a white sweater, a red ascot, and tan loafers.  If you don't already have blonde hair, you will probably need a wig unless you want to bleach your hair. 

     Also, here's one more costume idea I stumbled across when I was on YouTube yesterday: Disney Princess Belle.  I'm not a huge fan of the Disney princesses, but I have to admit that I love this Belle costume.

Cheap and Easy Halloween Sign

     Looking for easy, inexpensive ways to decorate your home for Halloween?  This sign may be the perfect craft for you.

Materials:
*Inexpensive frame (such as from a thrift shop, dollar store, etc.)
*White cardstock
*Printer or writing utensil
*Crimson paint
*Paintbrush
*Spider webbing
*Plastic spider

Directions:
*Type out the words for the sign using a word program and print on white cardstock.  Alternately, you could hand letter the sign.
*Cover your workstation with newspaper and then splatter crimson paint onto the sign.  Set aside to dry.
*Once the paint has dried, frame the sign.  Add some spider webs and a plastic spider to it.

Mod Podge Halloween Plate and Halloween Party Ideas

     This past weekend my partner Brian and I invited some family members over for a Halloween party.  I've wanted to have a Halloween party for some time now, but never have been able to, so I was glad to finally host one.  This post includes instructions on how to make one of the crafts I made for my party, the Halloween egg platter, but also some ideas for party snacks, food related crafts, indoor and outdoor decor, and activities for your party.

Halloween Plate

Materials:

*Plate

*Halloween paper napkin

*Mod Podge

*Paintbrush

*Scissors

Directions:

*Trim napkin to fit the bottom of the plate.

*Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the backside of the plate and then stick on the napkin.  Let dry.

*Once dry, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge over the napkin to seal it.  Let dry.  The plate should be hand washable, but I wouldn't recommend submerging it in water if possible and I also doubt it would fare well in a dishwasher.

Halloween Party Snacks and Food Related Crafts

     Serve your guests these deviled eggs that will keep an eye on them.  Just make deviled eggs as you usually would (or use Brian's recipe, given below) and then cut up a few olives into thin slices and use those for the pupils of the eyes.  Also, if you're interested in making your own witch costume, here's how I made the one I'm wearing in the photo.

Brian's Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

*1 dozen eggs

*5 tbsp mayonnaise

*1 tsp mustard

*Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

*Place eggs in a pot of water and bring to a roaring boil.

*Once boiling, turn the heat down some and cook for 20 minutes.

*Take eggs off the stove and drain the water.  Set aside to cool.

*Once cool, cut the eggs in half and scoop the yolks out into a blender.  Add the mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth.

*Scrape the yolk mixture into a sealable plastic bag and cut off one of the corners.  Squeeze the mix into the egg whites through the hole in the corner.

     These cemetery cupcakes/cake are easy to make and delicious.  Brian used a devil's food cake mix and his vanilla icing recipe (can be found in this blog post) with some added green food coloring to make it look like grass.  Mys sister Katie and I used ground up Newman's O's (which Brian ground in the blender) for the dirt and chocolate orange Milano cookies for the tombstones.  Like the cupcake stand?  Here are the directions for how to make it.

     Here's the snack table setup we had at the party.  Brian's mom made the witch's brooms by poking pretzels into peanut butter cups.  The gray thing in the very back, which is mostly hidden behind the food, is holding food picks, which we used to skewer cheese cubes.  The directions are here.  Also, if you like the tablecloth, here's how I made it.

     This is what I did for the table setup.  Here's how to make the goblets.  I plan to write about the coasters (which you can't see very well here) in a forthcoming post.

Indoor Decor

     Here are some simple DIY decorations.  Directions for the Halloween curtain are here.  Here's how to make the creepy dolls.  I made the tablecloth using basic tie dyeing techniques described here.  The morphing holographic photos came from Dollar Tree and Rite Aid, but I wrote about how you can make them look nicer here (even though it isn't mentioned in the post title).

     Some more decorations.  The little figurines and light up haunted grove my mom gave me years ago.  The Halloween tree with the ornaments I made and I also made the potion bottles.  Although I didn't include photos here, for the party I also put up my felt sleepy bat, my Halloween fuse bead magnets, and my Halloween banner.

Outdoor Decor

     Now for some outdoor decorating ideas.  I got the eyeball path markers from Kmart.  They light up and play spooky sounds when someone walks near them.  Two of the foam tombstones I made, and you can find directions for them here, while two came from Dollar Tree and I forget where the two little ones came from.

     And a few more outdoor decorations.  This spooky eyeball wreath I made also glows in the dark (directions here).  I printed the door hanger from Family Fun's website years ago, but I can't seem to find the link for it anymore.

Activities

     Looking for some ideas for activities for your party?  We had a Yankee swap at ours.  I used the mini paper witch hats I made a few weeks ago and either hid a little gift under them or adhered a piece of painter's tape to the bottom with a number on it.  Each number corresponded to a particular gift that was too large to fit under one of the hats.  Brian's mom got a bookmark that I made from the swap, as did Brian's sister Alissa.  It wasn't one of these monster ones, but these are pretty popular and they're Halloween related, so I figured I would link to it to give an idea of a possible bookmark you could make.

     My brother Adam got a photo of a giant pink dinosaur skeleton (the one by Perry's Nut House in Belfast),  It can be fun to have some gag gifts, as long as your participants are good sports.

     My dad got a pom pom pal I made.  I also got one, but I gave it to Katie because she had to miss the party for work.

     Brian (who is wearing the vampire cape I made for Halloween last year) ended up with some plastic Halloween rings.  Alissa's boyfriend Kyle ended up with some Halloween earrings and mom got some fall leaf ones that I made by punching leaf shapes out of patterned cardstock and adding ear wires to them.  We had two additional gifts left over at the end, a bookmark that mom got and some googly eyed thumbtacks (just take thumbtacks and glue googly eyes to them) that Alissa received.

     For our other activity, we made caramel apples.  Not exactly picturesque, but they're tasty nonetheless.  Well, that's all for now.  I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and I hope that it has given you plenty of ideas for your own Halloween party!  If you are hosting a party of your own, I'd love to hear what your ideas are/how it goes in the comments below.

Scrap Cardstock Halloween Earrings

     Have some cardstock left over after making mini paper witch hats or other Halloween crafts?  Here's an easy and attractive craft that uses up some of the tiniest of paper scraps.

Materials:
*Scrap Halloween cardstock in 4 different patterns
*2 ear wires
*6 jump rings
*Scissors
*Needle
*2 pairs of pliers

Directions:
*Cut out 2 small pieces of cardstock from each of the 4 different patterns of paper.  My paper was already diamond shaped, so I used that, but you could also try other shapes like circles or stars or even Halloween shapes.
*Arrange the pieces of cardstock in the order in which you would like them to hang from the ear wire.  Using the needle, poke holes in the top and bottom of all of them except for the one that will hang the lowest.  With that one you need only poke a hole in the top.
*Link the pieces of cardstock together in two sets of 4 using jump rings.
*Attach the chains of cardstock to ear wires.

Halloween Mini Paper Witch Hats

     I decided to try a video tutorial for this craft project.  I have a poll on the right hand side of the page in which you can tell me what type of craft tutorial you like best, be it video, written, or pictorial.  I'd like to be able to make this blog as helpful to you as possible, so let me know what you think, either in the poll or in the comments.
     For written directions and the required template, visit Joann.com.  Note that I made these hats for decorative purposes, but if you'd like to make it wearable, just glue the hat to a headband and you're all set.

Halloween Tablecloth

Materials:

*Enough fabric to cover your table (I used a 43" x 43" square of fabric for my little table)

*Sewing machine or needle and thread

*Scissors

*Pins

Directions:
*Cut fabric to the appropriate dimensions.

*Fold over an edge of the fabric about 1/4" and pin in place, then sew down.

*Repeat with the remaining edges to prevent the tablecloth from fraying.

Make sure to check out my other Halloween crafts for some decoration and costume ideas.

Glitter Drip Wine Glasses

Materials:
*Wine glass
*Glitter
*Mod Podge
*Squirt bottle of some form (I used an empty shampoo bottle)
*Funnel (optional, but makes getting the Mod Podge into the squirt bottle much easier)
*Acrylic sealer
*Painter's tape
*Cling wrap

Directions:
*Cover the rim of the glass with painter's tape.
*Pour some Mod Podge into the squirt bottle.
*Squeeze Mod Podge along the bottom of the tape line.  The more you squeeze out in one spot, the longer the drip will be.  You should end up with something like this:

*Let the Mod Podge dry for five minutes and then pour glitter over the Mod Podge.  Set aside to dry for 24 hours.
*After it has finished drying, cover the top of the glass with cling wrap and tape so that the acrylic sealer cannot get inside the glass.
*Spray with acrylic sealer and let dry for the required amount of time given on the bottle.
*Once dry, carefully peel off the painter's tape and cling wrap.

Clay Halloween Cocktail Picks and Spidery "Stone" Holder

     These cute little food picks and holder serve a dual purpose: they are both a decoration and something you can use to skewer cheese cubes.

Cocktail picks
Materials:
*Metal cocktail picks (could also use bamboo probably)
*Clay in various colors
*Red permanent marker (to draw blood veins on the eyeball)

Directions:
*Mold clay into Halloween shapes around the tops of the cocktail picks.
*Bake in the oven following the directions on the clay packets.  Let cool.
*Once the clay is cool enough to touch, add any needed details (such as blood veins on the eyeball) using a permanent marker.

Holder
Materials:
*Styrofoam
*Gray paint
*Paintbrush
*Spider rings
*Webbing
*Scissors

Directions:
*Paint the Styrofoam gray.  Set it aside to dry.
*Once the paint has dried, pull spider webbing across it.
*Snip the ring base off a couple of spider rings and place the spiders on the webbing.
*Poke the cocktail picks into the top of the Styrofoam.

An Introduction to Refinishing Furniture

     Last summer I came across this gorgeous wooden table at Goodwill.  The paint had worn off in places and it was missing some hardware (see below), but it only cost $3, so I figured there was no reason not to buy it and try fixing it up.  My original plan was to give it a coat of glittery spray paint, but Brian pointed out that this table was actually really nice and perhaps we should fix it up properly.  So I looked up how to refinish furniture online and decided to give it a try.  After all, how difficult could it be?  Cue foreboding horror movie music.
     It might not have been so bad had I selected a nice, flat, rectangular table, but this table was full of curves and indentations that required lots of hand sanding.  If your intended DIY project sounds anything like mine, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are you a seasoned refinisher with years of experience refinishing tricky furniture items?
2. Are you a masochist?
3. Do you enjoy monotony and do you have endless wells of patience?

If you answered yes to 1, you should probably be writing this post instead of me because I know nothing about refinishing furniture aside from this one experience with my (evil) table.  If you answered yes to 2 or 3, congratulations!  Try refinishing your furniture item at your own risk.  If you answered no to all 3, put down the sandpaper, take three steps back from the furniture item (slowly, and with your eyes fixed on the object so that it cannot sneak up on you), and get out while you still can.
     If you have a more manageable furniture item or choose to proceed in spite of my warnings, here are some tips to help you along with your project.  For more detailed instructions on refinishing furniture, see e.g. HowStuffWorks.

Materials:
*100 grit medium sandpaper
*220 grit very fine sandpaper
*Stain and polyurethane coating (can be a 2 in 1 combo, like I used, or separate)
*Paintbrush
*Sander (optional, but highly recommended)
*Protective goggles
*Ventilation mask
*Ear muffs (if you're using a sander)

Tips:
*Do not use any sandpaper of lower quality than 100 grit.  Brian and I got some 80 grit paper in hopes that it would speed up the sanding process and it did, but it left scratches in the wood.
*If you have access to a sander (and if it is an appropriate tool for your project), I recommend using it.  Hand sanding is no fun.
*If you're not looking for perfection (which, if you are, you should probably find an article written by someone with more experience refinishing furniture), you don't have to scrape the paint off all the way.  You just need to rough it up enough that the new coat of paint will adhere.  Choose a paint color a few shades darker than the furniture item's original color and no one will be able to see the old paint underneath.

The table in the state in which we bought it.

Me sanding down the table

Halloween Spider Cupcake Stand

Materials:
*Two clear plastic plates (I used the clear plates with textured-line pattern from Dollar Tree)
*Tea light candle holder
*Plastic spider ring
*Spider webbing
*White fabric paint
*Sparkly black spray paint
*All purpose adhesive
*Scissors

Directions:
*Turn the plates upside down so that the backside of the plate is facing upward.  If you're using ones with a textured line pattern like I did, follow the lines with the white fabric paint.  Otherwise, design your own webby pattern.  Once you've finished adding lines, set aside to dry.
*Once the paint has dried, spray the backsides of the plate with glitter paint, following the directions on the bottle.  Let dry.
*Once the plates have dried for the requisite amount of time, glue the bottom of the candle holder to the center of the front side of one of the plates.
*Place some spider webbing inside the candle holder.
*Cut the ring base off the spider ring and then place the spider inside, pulling the webbing around it a little.
*Glue the top of the candle holder to the center of the backside of the remaining plate and then set aside to dry.

Top view of the plate design

Close up of the spider

Halloween Perler Fuse Bead Spider Web Coasters

     Hi everyone!  So as you may have noticed, I recently took a hiatus from crafting for several weeks.  I was recovering from oral surgery and in the midst of a writing project that I wanted to finish before school started up again in September, so I decided to let my crafting take a backseat for a few weeks.  However, I'm back now with some fun Halloween crafts.
     Last year I wanted to host a Halloween party (and by host a Halloween party I mean invite my siblings over to my creepily decorated house to eat cupcakes), but between coursework, teaching, and writing my master's thesis I did not have the time I needed to plan one.  However, this semester my schedule is looking a little lighter, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to and have been planning my crafts accordingly.  First up are these fun Halloween spider web coasters.  Hope you enjoy!  Also, if you're looking for more Halloween craft or costume ideas, be sure to check out my Halloween section of my blog.

Materials:
*Fuse bead kit (e.g. Perler beads kit)
*Iron

Directions:
*Arrange beads on a hexagonal pegboard, using the pattern shown above for guidance (for more detailed instructions with pictures, see here).
*Cover your pattern with a sheet of waxed paper and iron the first side, then remove from the peg board, flip over, put waxed paper on top and iron the second side.  You can find more detailed directions here.
*Perhaps it's because I tend to use a hotter setting on my iron, but I've noticed that my fuse bead creations have a tendency to curl slightly.  To prevent this, while the coaster is still hot, press it underneath a heavy book for several minutes.

Colorful Rose Afghan

     This week we have another guest post by my mom.  Enjoy!

      Today I want to share with you my absolute favorite of all the pieces I have knit or crocheted to date.  I call it serendipity because, in my mind, it exemplifies that word.  When I conceived of it in my mind and converted my idea into a tangible object it was the first time I had crocheted out of the lines so to speak.  It was the first time I looked into my imagination rather than searching for a pattern.
      We all start out with patterns when we become knitters or crocheters in much the same way novice cooks follow recipes.  My first knitting piece when I was 14 was a pair of slippers for my mother's birthday.  Sometimes in both crafts and cooking results may be less than we hope for.  I'd rather not tell you how many times I had to start over the first time I attempted a baby garment with those tiny
little knitting needles.  If we don't give up, we often get proficient.  Then some of us get bored.  We get comfortable enough with the materials and tools that we play and experiment.  It's like how some cooks work from what they have on hand--a handful of this, a pinch of that--rather than planning a shopping list around a recipe.
      When I was in college one of the administrative assistants gave me a piece she had started.  She had crocheted 9 intricate squares with raised roses and realized that pigs would fly before she made enough to make an afghan.  She put them together in a 3 by 3 arrangement and tried building the piece up with off white yarn, basically making it into one humongous granny square.  When she gave up on that she handed it over to me with instructions to please do something with it.
      Life kept getting in the way of keeping that promise.  There was college to finish, my first (unsuccessful) attempt to get my Ph.D., starting a family...  There was also the fact that the idea of working for a lot of hours in one shade of off white did not inspire me.  My breakthrough came when someone gave me garbage bags full of extra yarn in all weights and colors.  A lot of it was tangled.  As I sat on the floor unsnarling and rolling I realized I had a rainbow of colors.  Then I hauled out my poor, neglected piece and decided to create a partial rainbow around it, going from shades of purple through blue and green with just a touch of yellow at the edge.  I did not spend a lot of time working out the perfect array.  When I finished one color
I would look for the next.  I would pair up two contrasting strands with my thinner yarns to achieve a uniform thickness.  I loved the way it came together.  I hope you will agree that it is something special.  Now I am spoiled. I have bins of yarn.  So when I feel creative I look at it and see what comes to mind.
      I am including three pictures:  an overall view, a close up of  the purples to show color gradations, and a close up of green and white to show blended yarns.
      Even if I could put the whole piece in step by step instructions, that would not be my attempt.  What I want you to do is learn to trust yourself.  Whether you create in yarn, metal, beads, paper, wood, or any other medium, get comfortable with your materials and tools.  Take joy in the process as well as the product.  Then when you get the urge to try something new and different, go for it.  You could end up with something totally unique and beautiful.
      I am very glad that Amber has asked me to do some guest posts for her blog.  I'd been getting lazy with crafts lately.  Now I have an incentive to indulge my crafty self. :)

Granny Square Scarf

     Today we have a special guest blogger, my mom, Julia Hathaway.  Here's a little bit about her:

I'm Amber's mom, the one who introduced her to crafts at a very early age.  I'm primarily a wordsmith.  I maintain a book review blog Julia's Journey and  write poetry that I perform at open mics and am working to get  published.  As for handcrafts, I most fancy fabric arts, especially counted cross stitch.  Soon I plan to start stitching some of my favorite quotes and poetry with motifs that compliment the words.  I love photography.  I'm vice chair of my town's school committee.  I volunteer with Orono Public Library and Orono Community Garden.  I prefer being outside in nature to being inside, think must see tv is an oxymoron, and treasure time spent with family and friends.

     This week my mom is going to explain how she makes granny square scarves.  This is a great project if you have lots of scrap yarn you want to use up.

I craft the opposite of a lot of people.  Instead of deciding on a project and buying materials, I see what I have and what I can use it for.  People give me yarn they don't need and don't want to throw out:  scraps from their finished projects, projects they know they won't finish...even an afghan that had a close encounter of the Rottweiler kind.  This project will let you make use of small balls of yarn while creating a really nice gift for a friend or family member.

You'll need:
14 small balls of medium weight yarn
A large ball of white, cream, or a unifying color
Size K crochet hook
Yarn needle

Stitch abbreviations
Chain: ch
Double crochet: dc

Directions:
Start with one of the small balls.  Ch 6, join with 1st stitch, ch 3, 2dc, ch2, 3dc, ch 2, 3dc, ch2, 3dc, ch2, join with 1st stitch;
Ch3, 2dc, ch2, 3dc, ch1, 3dc, ch2, repeat 3 times, join to first stitch,
End off.
Make 13 more small squares.
Take the large ball of yarn.  Join in the corner of one of the small balls.
ch3, 2dc, ch2, 3dc, ch1, 3dc, ch1, 3dc, ch2, repeat 3 times, join to first stitch, end off.
Repeat with other 13 squares.
Arrange the 14 squares in the order in which you want them and sew them together.
Now, using the large ball, you want to make one more row around the whole scarf.  Corner spaces will require 2 3dc cluster separated by ch2.  Noncorner spaces will require 1 3dc cluster separated by 1 dc.
When you have gone all the way around end off.
Fringes at the end are a nice option.
I routinely make small squares out of yarn scraps and put them in a pretty box.  Then when I need to whip up a scarf quickly (like today for Amber's blog) it takes me a minute to pick my 14 small squares and unifying color and go from there.

Another Card Book

     Looking for a way to display your favorite greeting cards that requires minimal effort?  Here is the craft for you.  If you're looking for something a bit snazzier, check out my previous card books.

Materials:
*Greeting cards
*Hole punch
*Binder rings

Directions:
*Punch holes in the cards and clip them together using binder rings.
*If you wanted to be a bit more creative, you could design a cover for your card book, but I've just had my wisdom teeth out so my motivation has been nonexistent.

Rose and Crystal Drop Earrings

Materials:
*Earring posts
*Rose shaped beads
*Jewelry glue
*Crystals
*Headpins
*Jump rings
*Wire cutters
*Round nosed pliers
*Flat nosed pliers

Directions:
*Glue rose beads to earring posts.  Let sit for however long is required for the glue to dry.
*Trim down the headpins so that they are about 1/2" longer than the rose beads.
*Slide headpins through the rose beads and use the round nosed pliers to curl the end of each headpin to form a loop.
*Open up a jump ring and slide through the loop in one of the earrings and also through a crystal.  Close the jump ring.

Decorated Whiteboard

     have an old whiteboard that's a bit beaten up or just generally kind of plain?  Jazz it up with a few basic craft supplies.

Materials:
*Old whiteboard
*Stickers, craft tape, and any other embellishments you would like.

Directions:
*Cover the border of the whiteboard with craft tape in a color or pattern of your choice.
*If your whiteboard has rounded corners, as mine does, you may want to cover the corners with stickers rather than taping around them.
*Cover up any sizable dents in your whiteboard's surface using stickers.

Treasure Map and Clues

Brian's treasure map

One of Brian's clues

     For my birthday party, Brian surprised me with a treasure hunt.  Rather than just making a treasure map, he included a set of clues for an additional challenge.  Since I'm almost always home when Brian is over the summer, he had to be sneaky to hide his plan from me.  I saw him aging the paper and he told me that he was using it to make ant traps, that he had seen online that you could soak paper in coffee and then put sugar on top of it and the ants would come eat the sugar, overdose on caffeine, and fall asleep.  I wondered why he never ended up setting out the traps, but I was also somewhat relieved because I was afraid that he might accidentally kill the ants from the caffeine overdose.

Materials:
*Coffee
*Printer paper
*Baking pan
*Black ink pen

Directions:
*To give your treasure map an antique look, follow the directions for aging paper that I give in my Halloween Potion Pendants post.
*Rather than drawing your house or yard, transform the landscape into an island in the sea.  For example, cars could be drawn as ships, roads become waterways, pine trees turn into palm trees, etc.
*For an added challenge, leave off the X marks the spot aspect of the treasure map and instead write a list of clues that work in conjunction with the map.  Lead people to various landmarks on the map before cluing them in to where the treasure is located.
*Roll up the treasure map and tie it with ribbon to make it look like a scroll

Receiving the treasure map and the first clue

Searching for treasure

My octopus (you'll notice her likeness on the pirate paper cups) Mary Anne Bonny Read (she's named for pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny) guarding the treasure