Halloween Update

Finally, something Halloween-y to share: ghosts and candy corn cookies.


The instructions for the ghosts were in Country Living (slide #7) and they are really simple to make. You'll need those white tissue paper honeycomb wedding bells that you find at party stores and black construction paper or cardstock for their eyes and mouths. (The magazine suggested glue dots to stick them on but I didn't have any so I just used my hot glue gun.) Then drape cheesecloth over the ghosts and there you go.

I saw the recipe for the candy corn cookies on a blog and then later found it on the Land O'Lakes website. The only difference was the blogger used sanding sugar on hers at the end. I just used granulated. These are just sugar cookies made to look like candy corn and are easy to make. You can find step-by-step photos here.

By the way, the recipe yields 15 dozen cookies, (they're supposed to be small), and even though I read that before I even started mixing ingredients together, it didn't hit me until I had one tray of unbaked cookies ready to go into the oven and saw I still had a huge amount of dough left. Tip from me: the bigger you cut the candy corns, the quicker you'll use up all that dough.

A Major Screw Up

Last night I finished the cross stitching on my 3D pumpkin and trimmed the material so I could sew it together and look what I did while I was cutting the fabric.



I think someone needs new glasses.

I don't see how I can salvage it. I planned to make the pumpkin just as you would a biscornu by running one strand of floss under the seam on one pointy side and under the seam on the other pointy side. I have no idea if that was going to work because there are no instructions on the blog where the chart is but I think that's what you're supposed to do. If you want to see the chart, go here.

Even though I didn't end up with a pumpkin, this is one Halloween project I'm done with for now. (I'll probably attempt another one sometime next year.)

A Night Of Clicking Links

AOL has something called My Favorite Places which is where you can save links. I rarely use mine anymore but I have a bunch stored tonight I clicked on the very last link in the "Crafty Stuff" category and was taken to a tutorial for a vampire bat softie on Silver Bug Studio. That made me want to see what else I had saved. Some of the links are now dead but I found a few things to put on my To-Do list. Because it isn't already long enough.

How cute are these little felt chicks from Comfortstitching? As much as I love garlands, I totally want to make the version with a button and ribbon to hang them up. Filing this one away for next Easter.

Here's a huge list of crochet patterns to make sweaters, etc for your pets, I love this jingle bells dog collar.

You can find a tutorial make a dog pajama bag on Timeless Truths.

Did you hear me squeal when I opened this one up? A member of Craftster shared some vintage stuffed animal patterns that her grandmother had saved. I'm ready to go make a dog and a horse and an elephant and another dog . There are also patterns for a giraffe, lion, hedgehog, calf, ostrich, ape and two for ragdolls. I'll have to put the animals on hold until after I finish my Halloween stuff.

Happy Wednesday!

More Halloween Embroidery

If you're itching to stitch up something for Halloween there's a new embroidery pattern on Badbirds and this one is a Death Head.

And, if you have time to do even more stitching, see also Bat Boy (I love him!) and Pumkin Girl.

A Halloween Tipnut

Tipnut has a DIY Halloween website with lots of free craft projects, tutorials, recipes and costume ideas. Go check it out!

Vintage Embroidery Patterns From TipNut

The nice lady at TipNut is sharing another set of vintage embroidery patterns. This is a days of the week/household chores set. What I like about them is how the designs are surrounded by the letter of each day. I've never seen that before. You can find the Monday pattern here. The pattern for Tuesday will be posted next week.

Edited to add:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Hey, Dog People Of Missouri

Edited To Add: It passed! Yay!

If you live in Missouri, please consider voting Yes on Prop B.

"The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act is a measure that will improve the lives of dogs in commercial breeding operations in Missouri. Specifically, the measure will require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each breeding dog under their care with the basics of humane animal care including:

Sufficient food and clean water
Necessary veterinary care
Sufficient housing, including protection from the elements
Sufficient space to turn and stretch freely, lie down, and fully extend their limbs
Regular exercise
Adequate rest between breeding cycles"

Honestly, I don't see why anyone would oppose it.

By the way, this will not affect hobby breeders with ten or less breeding female dogs or those who raise dogs for purposes other than breeding them and selling puppies.

If you need more information, please go to the YES! on Prop B website.

Thank you!

File Under Hearts

I started blogging so I could keep track of all the projects I wanted to make someday. Here's one for a wire heart tutorial from The Prairie Girl that I love because it involves vintage buttons. And it's a heart. And it's pretty.

And, here's one for making a small felt heart pouch (good for stashing a piece of candy) from Woolnest.

I'm labeling these Valentine's Day so I can find them again.

Stuffed With Love Plushies

Over at Vanessa Fire is a tutorial for making a Plushpuppie stuffed with love. He has a little window in his belly with a heart in it. So cute! [Link via One Pretty Thing.]

And there's also tutorial for making his friend, the rhino.

Tree Cones And A Felt Bear

I love trees made out of pretty paper and here are some from Kind Over Matter. And, the trunks are toilet paper rolls.

And, look at this cute little felt Valentine bear. I love his glasses.

I found the Kind Over Matter blog via the Crafters Medley: 27 Neat-O Projects To Make post over on Tip Nut.

This Is So Wrong

On the left is chocolate candy corn and on the right is caramel candy corn. My sister got me a bag of each because she knows I am a candy corn junkie and I was really disappointed, even though I love chocolate and I love caramel. Plain old candy corn is fine with me. Well, as long as it's Brach's candy corn made with honey.

Speaking of Halloween, the other night I saw this cross stitched pumpkin on Gazette94 and started working on it right away. (There's a translation widget in the right sidebar.) I'm about 3/4 of the way finished with the stitching. It looks to me like you put it together the same way you make a biscornu. I like the heart with the squirrels design in the same post. She has some really nice free charts there.

I have few other Halloween projects started and who knows if I'll ever finish them. My problem is I keep seeing more things I want to make. There is way too much good stuff out there! Like the ghost walkers from The Small Object Steno Pad and Jenny's pumpkin treat bags. And these vintage looking paper decorations from Martha. I was actually going to make the pumpkin tonight but didn't have enough orange paper.

If you 're looking for Halloween ideas, check out One Pretty Thing. Click the Categories tab at the top and then scroll down until you see the Halloween links.

Have a good weekend!

Super Cute Printables From Orange You Lucky

Look what I found in my draft posts pile. Since I made this list, Helen has posted three cute "Property Of" labels. I just want to stick her printables all over my walls!

Illustrator Helen Dardik shared another super cute book plate at Orange You Lucky back in May. That got me thinking about her other printables so I'm linking to all of them to make it easier to find them.

May 2010 book plate [link via How About Orange]

Xmas 2009 holiday labels

Back to school labels

June 2009 book plates

March 2009 book plates

Michael What?

I was wondering why this didn't post on Sunday morning. I just noticed I had set it for Monday morning. At least I got the year right.

The other day Jenn posted a link on my Facebook to this Michaelmas dragon and I've decided I need to make one, especially when I read this line: "If you like, you could use embroidery floss and sew the seams using blanket stitch." Well, hello! So I'm adding the dragon to my to-do list, which right now is loaded with Halloween projects. By the way, in case you were wondering, Michaelmas is a festival that marks the turning of the seasons. You can read more about it on Rhythm of the Home.

After you read up on Michaelmas and make your dragon, head on over to inspire co. and check out the new Inspired Ideas magazine. I swear the cover alone made me drool. A few nights ago, I started making the kitty cat treat bag and I'm still working on the face. Maybe it's just me but blanket stitching felt pieces on to a small bag is a major pain in the butt. If I ever make another one, I'll add the eyes and nose before I put the bag together.

I went back to the orthopedic surgeon on Friday. I love when doctors show me x-rays and I can't see whatever it is they're pointing out but I nod and act like I know exactly what they are talking about. Anyway, he told me I could stop wearing the brace. My knee isn't completely healed but it's close to it. I think he was a little disappointed he didn't get to operate on me for this fracture, but hey, there's always next time, right? Har har.

Edited to add: Miri is sharing directions to make a bonnet girl quilt on Milk and Honey Quilts. Check out this post to see close-ups of some of the bonnet girls. When I grow up, I want to make quilts just like Miri. I love her work!