Happy Halloween from my Barber Shop Boys!!!

These are my little guys, Jack & Sam.  For those that know me, costumes for my kiddos are a huge part of Halloween.  I am always planning them out months in advance.  Since the mustache craze is so big right now, I knew I wanted to incorporate them into the boys' costumes.  Back in July, I saw these straw hats and totally started thinking barber shop quartet.  Since I only have 2 boys (not 4 thank goodness!)  I decided that they could be a barber shop duet.  Yeah, that would work.  After researching the internet long and hard for the accessories, I came accross these adorable red/white striped vests on etsy.  Jennifer of  The Little Dressing Room has impeccable sewing skills.  I absolutely adore the way the vests look and fit my boys.  The polka dot ties are from The Belle & The Beau.  If you have boys, they make the coolest ties for boys in the trendiest fabrics out there.  The costumes were coming together nicely.  Black shoes check.  Black pants check.  White oxfords check.  Red/black arm garters check.  I still needed the much coveted mustaches for the boys.  I kept thinking, what could I use that the boys could deal with and not tug and play with all night?  Paint no.  Furry sticker staches no way.  Black sharpie tried it....smears & toxic.  Then it hit me...temporary tattoos!  Okay, so then I was on the quest to find them.  Shockingly enough they are practically nowhere to be found.  Everything I came accross were the fingerstaches only.  They are tiny tattoos that you place on your index finger and hold up to your lip.  Cute, but not what I needed.  Eventually I came accross Brittany's etsy shop, Love Stitched.  She was so kind to create some larger 2" ones for my kids and they turned out perfectly.  So if you are ever in the market for life size temporary tattoo staches, now you know where to go!

I hope everyone has had a safe Halloween.  My boys have finally drifted off to sleep after their sugar high!
Thanks dearly for stopping by!

Halloween Crows or Bird Clowns?

I have been working on several of these birds over the past few weeks. My little Sam has been watching me create and keeps referring to them as "clown birds" which gives me a chuckle. I guess it is the hat and the ruffles around the neck that might have given him that idea?

The 2 birds on the pedestals (pictured below) I created for my sister & brother. They both have October birthdays so the numbers on the hats represent their ages. I created the bigger bird for myself with the "31" representing Halloween. (Yeah, I wish I was 31 again!)

Basically all the birds started out as a brown resin and I painted them all black to make them look more like crows. I sanded them to give them a distressed look and then added some fun black and polka dot feathers to the tails for added interest. I made the hats from an old art instruction manual and black pom poms. Mine actually has an orange bell at the top that I recently received in a Halloween box swap. For the ruffle I called on my wonderful seemstress mother to create. Basically she layered orange and black crepe paper, straght stitched and then gathered. I really need to start sewing...she made it look so easy! The polka dot ruffles I created out of polka dot cupcake liners! I added some silver Stickles for some extra sparkle. Lastly, I typed on some little kraft banners and attached to the legs.

Other than the Halloween Curiosities Box Swap and these birds I have not done too much crafting this month. Usually this time of year, I am frantically getting ready for the insanely fun Girlie Show but I thought I might take off this year and just enjoy the fall with my kiddos...the mummy & son masquerade ball...the pumpkin patch...the zoo...carving pumpkins...making goodies for school parties...warming up by the fire outside while eating hot stew & s'mores...this has definitely been a fun October for me and my little guys. Time goes by way too fast...sometimes we just have to stop and enjoy the everyday. We have made some fantastic memories over the past few weeks and it makes me so very happy.

I will stop back by tomorrow to share with you the boys' costumes this year. They are always fun to put together. :) Until then, be sure to link your Halloween projects over at Paper Issues through tomorrow. We would love to see what spooky goodies you have to share!

Hello Friend! BINGO Card

So I have this fabulous blogger friend that lives halfway across the United States from me. How I wish I could "hang out" and create with such friends but I know that is a very difficult feat. To show my appreciation for such a dear friend I have never met in person, I wanted to create her a special card. Isn't it interesting how we meet so many people on the web and feel like we know so much about them and haven't even met in person? My how technology has changed our world!

For my "friend" card, I wanted to incorporate both mine and her sense of style and flair. I always like to incorporate vintage into my work...she always has edgy designs and uses lots of fun techniques...together we both incorporate lots of vivid color. With this combination of style, I present to you this BINGO Card. I have never attempted to do misting/masking on any of my work because it honestly scares me. I feel like I have no control of the spray, and once it is there it is there. Do some of you know what I mean? It is sort of like water colors...I have never had much luck with them as a child or even now. I guess I am too much of a planner in my creations and it tends to limit & slow me down. My friend, Michelle truly takes chances and I love that about her. She inspires me to do so in some of my work, so that is why I took a chance on this card. Crazy enough, I am satisfied with the way it turned out. :)

Here is my ecclectic mix of materials I used...
Chipboard Alphas: KI Hip Hop, Cosmo Cricket Vintage Mix, Pink Paislee Weathered Wood
Rub-ons: Kaiser Craft & Hambly
Damask Sticker: Heidi Swapp
Bird Mask: Tattered Angels
Mist: Smooch Spritz (love this lipstick red)
Vintage: bingo card (with funky orange windows), black & cream bingo markers, wooden lotto marker, red button & black polka-dot butterfly brooch

I hope sharing my card will inspire you to "take chances" as well. You might just enjoy the result!
Amy

It's Halloween over @ Paper Issues & "Curiosities" Halloween Box Swap

Paper Issues is celebrating "31 Days of Halloween" this month. All month they will be featuring lots of spooky, cutesy Halloween projects created by YOU! To make it even more enticing, if you link up one of your Halloween projects...you will be entered into the Halloween Mini Kit Giveaway! They will be giving away SIX kits!!! They will announce the winners on October 7, so you still have time to play!

For my initial Halloween creation this year, I decided to participate in Heather's annual Speckled-Egg Petite Inspiration Swap Box, "Curiosities Edition." I am a huge nut for Halloween so I thought it would be fun to do...it totally gets me into the spirit and I get to share some of my vintage lovelies with others. :) I had 2 swap partners, so I created 2 boxes. Both very similar but a little different; taylored to individual tastes.

I covered the boxes in some super creepy "witch" wrap I picked up at the Paper Source. Those eyes on the witches are just downright scary. Don't you think? To give the paper some dimension, I added silver Stickles to the hat buckle. I then made accordian medallions from a super old dictionary. I topped them off with a vintage black bingo marker. Then I tied bakers twine with a cute crepe paper accent from The Girls' Paperie, Toil & Trouble Collection.

As you can see from the photos, I cram packed the boxes with all kinds of vintage goods in the Halloween color palette. From buttons & trims to a little black bird and a vintage owl card, the collection of findings is sure to jump start a fabulous Halloween project or card for my partners. As for the fantastic boxes I received in return, I was floored with all the fun goodies! From a circus font "Happy Halloween" stamp to a black crow, skeletons & felt pumpkins, I got some sweet little gems myself that I am very excited to work with. Thank you dearly Jeanne & Kathy!

If you have never participated in a swap before, I recommend you give it a try at least once. The great part is you make new friends and you get lots of cool treats in return! To see lots of the boxes in the swap, you can check them out over at Flickr.

Don't forget to link up your projects over at Paper Issues and have a festive month. The holiday season is upon us!