Custom Halloween Soap

I got together with a few friends, and we had a craft hour.  We made these soap bottles for Halloween.

We found the idea here, using the printout from Eighteen25.  But I cut them out of vinyl instead of printing on a transparency.  Instead of gluing the spider to the outside, we ended up putting them inside the bottle so they kinda floated - giving that extra 3D creepiness.

Mayflower place setting - or toy boat

I saw this idea last year, and it's been patiently waiting on my to do list for a while.  It's a cute idea to fill up with candy and use as a place setting for the kids.  I did it a little different. though.

I wanted something else to make the sail "pop" and thought I remembered a red insignia on the pilgrims' boats.  But when I looked up pics of the Mayflower, the sails were plain white.  Then I looked up The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria, and found what I was looking for.  So I guess my boat isn't a "Mayflower" technically, but my son loves it.

I just want to try and figure out a way to make the mast stay up without candy in it as a place setting so that he can use it as a toy.

Autumn blocks

I made a "summer" version last year like this and decided to try an "autumn" one.  Me and a friend had a craft/play date (hi Megan!!) where we crafted and the kids played.  We only got the blocks painted and paper cut out before we had to stop for nap times, so we both finished them up at home.  Here are mine:

I cut the wood blocks to random sizes (the tallest is 5.25") and the whole thing ends up being about 22" long.  And then I just sized the letters in Sure Cuts-A-Lot to fit the blocks. 

Font used:  Pharmacy (found on dafont.com)

Bat Swarm

The bats swarmed my living room again. 

What I love about this decoration is that my 3 year old makes it a priority to show the bats to EVERYONE who comes over to our house.  I put them up while he was taking a nap, and he woke up and found them and was SOOOO excited.

Last year we didn't have the giant clock on the wall, so the look is a little different. 

**I traced an image of a bat I found online and cut them out with my cricut - really easy to make.  And just stick up with some painter's tape and you're all done!

Halloween Pillow Cover

My new holiday obsessions seem to be wreaths and pillow covers. 

Here's my pillow cover for Halloween.

I love, love, love this fabric.  I was in Portland this week visiting my sis-in-law (hi, Kari!!) and we went to Fabric Depot - being there is like a sewer"s version of a kid in a candy store.  I think it said it's 1.5 acres of fabric...or something like that.  Anyway, we were on our way out the door, and I spotted this fabric and HAD to turn around and go back to get some.  The selvege says it's called "ghastly forest" by Alexander Henry (I think - the words got cut off where my yardage ended)

I like having pillow covers for different holidays.  They fold down so small and are easier to store than separate pillows for each holiday - just make the envelope closure so it's removable.

Tulle Wreath

There are tulle wreaths out all over blogland, and they are all a bit different - from where they position the knot (on the edge, or in the front), to what the wreath is out of (wire or styrofoam) and how long they cut the strips of tulle.

I liked a couple different looks, but none explained what they did.  So I decided to just go for it.  My wreath is a styrofoam wreath form, and I cut my tulle to 16"x4" strips, folded them in half and pulled the loose ends around the wreath and through the loop in the folded end of the tulle.  I centered my knots near the front edge.  I can't remember how many yards of tulle I bought, but I think it was either 3 or 4, and I used all of it - no waste!

I'm still trying to decide if I want to add a pop of color (possibly orange) to it, but I just love the houndstooth ribbon.  I'll probably leave it alone this year and then try a pop of color next year.

**the little spider taped to the door is a glitter spider from Michaels  in case anyone wanted to know.  They look awesome taped up to the wall or fireplace pillars.

Autumn or Thanksgiving Stacker

I made another stacker.  This time, it is an autumn/Thanksgiving themed one.  I love how it turned out.

I cut the blocks at 4", 5.5", and 7"

Fonts:
Harvest:  Impact (can't remember where I found it)
Falling Leaves:  Waterfalls
Pumpkin Pie:  Smiley Monster

2x4 Candy Corn

I saw something like this last year, but I couldn't remember where.  Then I saw this post at Someday Crafts for 2x4 candy corn and it was definitely something I wanted to make right away.  Problem was, I'm still a bit scared to use the miter saw since I almost snapped off my finger earlier this year, so I had to wait until my husband got home to cut them out. 

I ended up making a bunch - some for the ladies I visit teach, my mom, sister, and mother-in-law.  And I had a craft/play date with a friend where we made some projects while the kids played.  I also ended up keeping a couple for myself.

It was easy to paint several during the kiddos nap times as well.  I always think it looks weird to put yellow on the bottom for candy corn- it seems like it should be orange, but I looked up pics of the candy online to double check.  But I think they look cute either way.