Sunday, October 16, 2011

A Halloween Crafting Compulsion: Part 1

We are planning for a little Halloween party here later this month, so you can just brace yourselves now for the posts to come about the search for the right supplies and the mad crafting that ensues.  It's all Martha's fault, really.  I mean, she has so many good ideas for Halloween out there that it is hard to choose just one or two--so why not 5 or 6 or 10?  Damn you, Martha and your wily crafting ways.

Exhibit A--the two projects above.  The first are the creepy-cool skeleton invites, instructions and downloadable templates found here (plus many more  genius invite designs here).  I did not have any brads handy when I made these so I just used some small grommets instead--worked just as well.  The black envelopes came from Paper Source, if you care to know.  The second is the creepy-crawly snake wreath--instructions here.  Not hard to make at all--bought the snakes at Target in the dollar bin, painted them with black craft paint, then had Mr. Beeper do the grapevine wreath up with some matte black spray paint. I just used thread and needle to attach the snakes to the wreath--worked fine aside from the fact that grapevines really like to snag your thread and thwart your sewing efforts.  This is the first wreath I have ever made.  I know.  Wreaths are just not my thing--but they are sort of a crafting staple (sort of like how Meg describes owls), and it seems that if you do enough crafting, you will be compelled to make one at some point.  Resistance is futile.

More Halloween madness to follow...

4 comments:

Tennjenny said...

I love that wreath. I have been wanting to make one, but I'm so dense, I kept thinking I would need to find black snakes. sigh.

Tori said...

I think I just might make one too. I like it thanks!
tori
bestfamilycircus.blogspot.com

meg said...

why didn't you just glue them? and who has mini-grommets at the ready? you are just as crazy as martha (or getting there:) I've never made a wreath either, but damn people go nuts for them. martha included.
I can't wait to see all the halloween making--living vicariously through you as I am all tuckered out. Also, next kcwc I want to see your name on the list.

Holly said...

Meg--Trust me, I considered gluing them but I was afraid that they would fall off if I just glued them and then pull the paint away from the wreath and it would end up just one ugly black snakey mess that would wind up unused, in the trash. Martha's instructions actually said to attach the snakes with floral wire--which, of course, I didn't have any just laying around my house--so sewing seemed the next closest thing.

As for the mini-grommets--please. Do not tell me you do not have weird and virtually useless crafting supplies laying around your house that were used once for some odd project...I think we should make a blogging challenge that requires crafters to find a use for some of those odd supplies lurking in the recesses of crafting rooms around the world. Sort of like Lynn Rossetto on the Splendid Tables challenge to make a dish from the 5 weird things some caller has in their fridge.

KCWC? Yeah, yeah. I know. Still intimidated by sewing clothes. I need to get over that.