Vintage Halloween sign.

As promised here is the tutorial for the vintage Halloween sign.

This is also a quick and easy project.

Supplies:
Halloween vintage sign from Graphics Fairy
www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com
(under search pick halloween and browse till you find and image you like or the one I have choose)

1 ½” strips of your favorite scrap booking/cardstock
Hot glue gun
Scallop edged scissors, or any other edger you like
Black cardstock 12x12
Piece of ribbon or tulle 12”x1-2”

BOO garland

Halloween is fast approaching and I’m still busy making things!  Our neighbors are doing the “boo” thing this year. It’s so much fun. You put together a “treat” bag, bucket or whatever and place goodies in it. You include a sign telling them they have been boo’ed and then give them a sign to hang in their window indicating they have been boo’ed.

They are then supposed to make 2 copies of the letter you gave them and the sign and pass along their own treats to 2 neighbors. It’s a fun tradition. This year we bought buckets and candy and I decided to include a handmade item for each bucket. I hope you like the items and enjoy the tutorial! I will be posting this one today and …

This one tomorrow!

This cute boo garland is easy peasy! You will need:
6-4” squares of black cardstock
3-letters to spell out B O O
1 piece of cardstock or a copy of cardstock in a pattern you like
Glue gun
Martha Stewart scoring board (not necessary but much nicer)
Paper cutter or ruller and scissors

Here’s a close-up of the individual component we’ll be making:

FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE: A PASSION FOR INTERIORS GIVEAWAY

FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE: A PASSION FOR INTERIORS GIVEAWAY: I don't know about you... but I start my Holiday shopping early. We pick up little things here and there as we find them and set them asid...

Tutorial: "BOO" pleated paper discs.

As promised I am posting a tutorial on the "BOO" signs I have on my windows for my front porch as seen below. Aren't they cute?

Here's a close-up of the "B"

First you'll need the following:

6- 12"x 12" orange cardstock

1-12"x12"  black cardstock

hot glue gun (I use a multitemp on low setting)

glue sticks

platinum/silver glitter

Zots  marker or permanent black marker such as a Sharpie

3- 16" piece black netting or ribbon

black curling ribbon

Martha Stewart scoring board (very helpful, but not needed)

Okay, let's start

Halloween Porch- On A Budget!

Today I woke in a bit of a funk. I’ve been painting in the house and landscaping which has given me much joy, but I felt restless. Let me explain. I get this restless feeling inside whenever it’s been a little while since I’ve done something creative. Now I know picking paint colors, doing my walls, landscaping and all the projects around the home are “creative” in a way but I mean crafty creative. I had started a paper cone wreath to take to my mom’s porch sale ( see her blog at: http://www.missflibbertigibbet.blogspot.com/ wonderful redone Shabby Chic furniture and French inspired creations!) when she told me on the phone she had made some! Oh well. We had both been crazy over them it was no leap to think we might actually create similar things! Great minds do think alike! When I came home from the porch sale I decided to finish my paper cone wreath for my daughter Kelsey. I took an old praise and worship book of music from the local thrift store. 200 pages of double sided music for 99 cents! I also used an old paper back book for my other wreath (I’ll post pictures next week). Most thrift stores have them under a dollar and I always make sure it’s a book I’m pretty sure will land in a Landfill so I am doing my part at recycling! I would never cut up Little Women for example! My favorite book! I’ll be posting pictures of the wreath for my daughter this weekend. My mom’s blog has a tutorial on it and it’s such an easy project. I made mine slightly different than hers and will also post a “How To” on my weekend post. So making the wreath DID help with my restlessness a bit, but then as I was pulling into the neighborhood I thought: “I know what is bothering me!” My front porch is “nice looking”, 2 chairs, pumpkins, wreath and a faux leaf garland flanking the door. Nice right? It needed more. I fell in love with a Mary Englebreit Home Companion spread on front porches years ago. I drooled over it, but alas I had no front porch or even a stoop! I vowed to one day do a fun porch like that. Now, you will remember that my husband and I purchased a home this summer, and have a daughter in college plus 3 others! Money isn’t exactly something I like to spend right now. My dear husband, David, would give me the moon and the starts if only I asked, but I hate to ask. I think if I have any hidden decorating items I can do the porch up with and sadly come to the realization that living in apartments and townhouses has left me lacking front porch deco! So I kiss him, hand him his coffee and ask what a proposed budget for our front porch decorating would look like? He smiles and says “I’m not used to that.” I said AT&T gives you a budget for projects right? He says “yeah for work, but I’m used to being told ‘I spent this much’” I tell him I don’t do that. You tell me what we can afford and I will stay under that. So we discussed things and he gave me a budget. I came in at just over half of what he told me. Now I could have spent it all and then it would have been spectacular, but restraint and coming in under budget allows him to realize I can be content with less and he can trust me to stick to the budget. Later I may need another budget and I want his trust. So my point is that this project can be done super cheap! Here we go!

To everything there is a season.

August was the last time I blogged!? Really? I have sat so many times about to post and thought, is anyone going to read this? Today I am thinking.... who cares? I mean blogging is going to be my outlet. My chance to reclaim my creative side and explore all the avenues I've never ventured onto. Today I worked in the garage...no...workshop, yeah workshop! My husband and I are building bookcases for our new living room. An adventure. Neither of us are furniture builders, but we are handy with tools and Lowes had many good books on the subject. Of course being my mother's daughter I didn't want run of the mill bookcases. I want crown molding and adjustable shelves and lighting.I don't want one bookcase, I want a wall of them! David is one of the most patient and kind souls I think I've had the pleasure to meet and delight to marry. He said whatever you want sweetie! So we spent a couple of hours today working on the bases for the cases (yes I meant for that to rhyme). I'll be posting some pictures of our progress as it progresses! So far we have one side of the living room's bases made. I guess my point is. Sometimes in life we think; "I wish I could do that!" or "I'd like to try that!". My suggestion? Go for it. Nothing ventured - nothing gained. Challenge yourself to think of something you have thought about trying and then dismissed as "silly" or "not feasible". Take a creative writing class, learn to swim, visit a workshop at Lowes on brick laying! The only thing that holds us back on most ventures is fear or lack of motivation. Many things cost nothing but a little time, and I know how limited it can be trust me! Until recently I worked full time, raised 4 teenage girls and did it on my own-yes single! I still pushed myself to make a "Bucket List" of things that I could try to do even in my state of affairs. I ran a 8k, I pushed myself to swim a mile a day (man I wish I was still doing that...hmm dust the goggles off and go to the gym I'm thinking), I sat and made at least 10 minutes of quiet time to listen to classical music and read. Little things can make a big difference in our daily lives. The feeling that you thought about doing something and then actually tried it, or even better accomplished it- well that's a great feeling let me tell you. So if anyone is reading this, I challenge you to do something, anything. Do something for yourself, for another person, for a group, just get motivated and make a goal. Mine is to stop being afraid of blogging and do it with commitment. So I will be posting each week, after all I'm not Chatty Cathy because I have nothing to say right? I have plenty to say and here's my outlet :)

Have a great week and go change the world...or at least your little part of it!

-Chatty Cathy