Halloween garland

I love fall. I love Halloween! It is such a fun, creative, imaginative holiday!
This year we made a Halloween garland to hang over our dining table. We die-cut several Halloween shapes (I used QuicKutz Revolution shapes) from scraps of fall-colored paper. Alli and Ruby decorated several of the shapes with markers and crayons. We strung thread from the wall to the light fixture and then used small pieces of clear tape to hang the die-cut papers on the threads.
Alli and Ruby are so proud of their contributions. The garland is whimsical and festive, and just the right project for an afternoon of spooky fun.

Mom, don't look at this yet...

Mom, if you are reading this, stop now... until my card arrives in the mail.

Here is a card I made for my mom. I went with a bird nest theme. There are many, many kids in my family, and 90% are out of the nest. My mom is an amazing mother, who has had a busy, full nest for 39+ years. Anyhow, I thought Mom would appreciate the sentiment... and she always appreciates any home-made card from her peeps... er, kids.

This is the front of the card. The mama bird and the nest. (Click on the pictures for a more detailed view.)

This is the inside. There are ten little birds inside (there are ten kids in my family) who have hatched from their eggs and are flying around like chickens with their heads... oh wait, lets stick to nice bird-isms...they are flying around like a bird out of ... oh well. Crazy, busy, colorful flying birds. Here is a little detail on the back of the card... under the heart-felt message to my mom.

The card is made from paper collage and drawing. The paper shapes were made by cutting freehand (with my favorite Tonic spring-cut scissors... essential for detailed cutting), and there are some QuicKutz die-cut shapes as well.

The birds are simple to make: cut out two tear-drop shapes, one larger than the other (I used QuicKutz rain die-cuts). Use the large one as the body, the small one as the wing. Add a beak, eye (googly eyes are great for this), and twiggy feet.

The darling patterned papers are manufactured by Colorbok, Chatterbox, Paper Source, Bazzill, SEI, and others.

My mom will like it. Happy Mothers' Day!

My current project...

I am working on a small quilt. It is not done, so here is a preview. I have added a few beads to this piece. This is my first time adding beads to a quilt, and I love how it is turning out. This is a small quilt, so I should be done soon... and I will post a complete picture.

I am already plotting out my next quilt project. Here is a small collage version.

I am not quite sure how to do it... but that is how I like to start most projects. I will start working on the fish quilt as soon as the little one is done.

Fish Pinata

My daughter wanted to have a fish-princess-unicorn-themed party for her fourth birthday. (She is all about mixing and matching. Her hairstyle for the party was one French braid and one pigtail.)

Here is the pinata for the party.

It is a fish princess.

I made the body from a basic pinata (paper mache over balloon).

The pinata is covered in die-cut circles (I used the QuicKutz bagel die) to make the scales. The scales are glued on, row by row, overlapping from front to back. The fins, eyes, lips and crown are hand-cut originals. I used a bone folder to score lines on the fins for a little texture and shaping. I embellished with plastic jewels.

This was a great project to use up lots of miscellaneous paper scraps. I used patterned and solid cardstock. I even used some drawings that Alli had done.

The funny thing is, the kids at the party had never smashed a pinata before, so they were quite reluctant to hit it... until they saw the candy come out. Then it was bashed to pieces in seconds. And candy is probably still scattered throughout my living room... which is fine with my kids.