Cutest Halloween Decor Project!

 While going through my stash I found a package of sturdy Halloween straws that I don't remember purchasing.  Luckily, I quickly recalled a cute little decor idea for "Halloween Lollies" that  I had seen somewhere on the internet.  Determined not to buy anymore supplies until I use most of what I already have, the project was perfect.  And this project is a good one for beginners because all that you have to do is cut, fold and glue.

Supplies needed are:

hot glue

glue gun

Printed paper

Paper straws

Craft Mat

I printed my paper from files I purchased from Simple Stories.  The Halloween prints were in black and orange and went well with the stripes on the straws.  I used Epson matte presentation paper that has a hefty weight and makes the print vivid.  I'm not sure that they still make it

Start by grabbing your supplies.

Make a simple rosette.  If you've never made a rosette before, you can find basic instructions here:

Simple Rosette.  I cut my paper 1.5 inches wide so that it would make a 3" rosette.  I thought that size looked well  balanced with the thin straws.

After attaching both ends together, I simple push down on the rosette to form a circle.  I pile a little glue on my craft mat and than scrunch the circle up around the glue, making sure that it is centered and adhered to all of the center.

Lift the rosette carefully off of the mat.

Once I have the rosette nice and secured and the glue has cooled, I flatten one end of the straw.

I glue that end to the back of the rosette.  I than cover the front and back with a paper circle that complements the colors.

I selected black because for Halloween it's a color that you can't go wrong with.

I printed out some vintage graphics I found on line and cut them in a circle. I  glued them in the middle of the medallion to add more interest.

I tied some orange ribbon on that I had in my stash for a little more pizazz.

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And wha-lah, cute little lollies you can arrange into a display,  or add to a gift wrapping for a special

little Halloween treat.

Halloween Good Witch Wands

I'm already behind schedule.  I vowed that I would begin my Halloween crafting starting in July - kind of like "Halloween in July".  But a million things like work and family obligations got in the way.

I thought I would start with a simple and fast  project idea, but in the world of crafting, nothing is simple or speedy.  

Halloween Wands gave me a chance to use a lot of what I already had in my stash: paper, cut files, cardstock and tidbits of ribbon.  I have to admit that I didn't have the dowels so I did have to spend money I didn't want to.  When you live in a tiny house like I do, and your craft room already has shelves of leaning stacks, you shouldn't even buy one more sheet of paper.

Like I said, I thought my simple project was going to be speedy too.  Well, you think I would have known better by now.   By the time I gathered all my tools, painted the dowels, waited for them to dry, cut the paper, pleated the rosettes, waited for the paper glue to dry, hours had gone by!

But it was worth all the effort when my 6 year old grand-daughter stopped in and spotted the wands laying on my table. She  immediately picked one up and asked if she could have it.

I plan to make a few more and hope that the experience of making them will lend for a reduction in time spent making them.  I'll see.