Not Just Halloween

 Though Halloween and Christmas are pretty much the reasons for my crafting, the environmentalist in me recognizes that I should maximize the use or purpose of my items.  I love all the little canvases that are for sale now.  But, I'm no artist so I had to find a way to make something with a canvas I had picked up months ago on a whim.

I saw a project where the maker used a paper wreath glued to a pre-printed canvas to make an accent piece.  I challenged myself to take the same concept and apply it to Halloween, taking the project one step further by making it displayable beyond the holiday.

I used this simple wreath shape from Miss Kate Cuttables, but changed the colors to reflect a little bit 'o Halloween and a little bit 'o fall.  I emulated the pre-printed background of the original project
by mod podging a muted Halloween paper to the canvas as a background.  Some black paint along the edges helped to bring out the wreath colors even  more.   In just a few hours, I had a completed project.

Its Snowing in Chicago

 It's snowing in Chicago and the temps have dipped down into the teens.  Today is especially blistery with the winds clocking at 45 miles per hour.  

The holiday season is over and it's winter has set in.  As I've mentioned before, I really like crafting for my two favorite holidays - Christmas and Halloween the most.  But winter always makes me want to stay indoors more so I like to make the most of that time.  Making waterless snow globes seems like an appropriate craft project for this time of the year.  

My first attempt uses a dollar store globe that I filled with a tiny paper house and a few bottle brush trees.  I added a little fake snow, trimmed the cap with some twine and viola - a wintery scene captured. After making this little gem I realized I should have bought more globes.  

My next snow globe project involves upcycling a pickle jar.  I hope to post that picture tomorrow,

Early Halloween Diorama

My two favorite holidays to craft for are Halloween and Christmas.  I  use to go crazy for the scrapbook paper and embellishments that came out specifically for those holidays.   I couldn't wait to take pictures of the grand kids participating in those holiday just so that I could make scrapbook pages.

Well,  I've expanded my crafting to include holiday décor and greeting cards too.  Because I'm a busy camper volunteering for many social causes, and I because I want to start selling my finished projects on line, I have to start early.  Halloween comes before Christmas, so I  thought I'd get a jump start on it first.

I've fallen in love with the many dioramas I've seen posted on line lately.  And I've been fascinated with miniature worlds ever since I was a kid.  So this is my first attempt at using paper to create a spooky scene to set on top of a shelf, desk, table or whatever.  Using items from my stash, I kept it simple but thought it came out both cute and spooky.

The paper comes from a Martha Stewart addition from some time ago.  The shapes were cut using my Wishblade.   The box is made from foam core board and a picture frame.  It's not perfect, but handmade items aren't meant to be.  I'm thinking of adding lights. Now if  I could only find that strand I picked up last year...