Crafts

Halloween Decorations with American Crafts & Target

2 · Sep 26, 2013 · 16 Comments

This Halloween Decorations post brought to you by American Crafts // ' Tis the season to start dressing up our homes with all kinds of creepy, crawly decor. I have to admit in the past I have not been much of a Halloween decor person. I've never really gotten into the macabre & grotesque side of Halloween. However, In recent years the Halloween trends have become way more fun in my eyes and I've fallen in love with decorating for this playful holiday. Companies like American Crafts have also made it so dang EASY to dress-up our home decor and spook things out for our parties!

A few weeks ago the crew at American Crafts sent over some goodies that they have created for Target for this year's Halloween season and they are soooo stylish and fun to work with!

The products range from full kits like the paper wreath, witches hats & banner all the way down to stylish washi tape and everything in between. You can buy little individual elements to create with, or buy a full kit that comes with everything you need. I put together this stunning paper wreath that was a SNAP to make.

The kits come with everything you need, you don't even have to bust out the glue or tape. The instructions are easy to follow and the project comes together really quick. For this one I did find that a stapler did come in a little handy at times, but for the most part everything worked like a charm. I used the wreath to dress-up my entryway and I love how everything turned out.

I added stickers to some glass containers that I had laying around. It's simply amazing how even just that, transforms the whole scene into something a little spooky.

Next, I made the banner from the Happy Halloween banner kit. The EASIEST BANNER EVER!! Seriously… Everything is self-adhesive so it's just stick-it and go.

The cool thing is you can make whatever element just how it is pictured in the kit, or you can (if you feel comfortable) bring out your creative side and use the elements to invent your own masterpiece. I used the elements from the witches hat kit to dress-up some straws for the display.

I love how they turned out!

You can find all of these fun products, plus several more at your local Target store. Go grab'em before they are gone. As cute as they are, they are sure to sell out FAST!!

Disclaimer // This is an American Crafts sponsored post. I received free product and payment for this post. However, all thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own. I want you to know that I will NEVER post on a product that I don't love or would use in my normal everyday life.

Needle Felted Spiders for Halloween

3 · Sep 10, 2013 · 4 Comments

// Needle Felted Spiders for Halloween //

Hi there! Shannon from eat.sleep.make. here. One of my absolute favorite crafting mediums for fall and winter projects is needle felting. I made these cute little spiders for Halloween this year (and fortunately, only suffered a few puncture wounds in the process.)

What you will need:
Wool Rooving
Needle Felting Tool
E600 Glue
Colored Paper Clips

Pull a piece of your wool roving apart from the rest and wrap it in a tight little ball. Start stabbing away! Be careful not to poke yourself because these needles are sharp! Keep stabbing until the ball feels more dense and the lines from wrapping it have disappeared. Add some color by putting spots on it!

Next use your colored paperclips for legs! Cut them or just bend them into the size and shape you want. Use some glue to make sure they stay attached.

I'm not much of a Halloween fan, but I definitely appreciate adorable decorations. When else can you display a cute needle felted spider and it be acceptable?

Thanks for hanging out with me today here at Whipperberry! I'll see you all next month!

xoxo – Shannon

Stop over at eat.sleep.make. and see some of our Halloween projects from last year.

Monster Teeth Treat Bag Skeleton Bones Treat Bag iPhone Costume

New Project Life Just Add Color Kit Perfect for Instagram

6 · Sep 9, 2013 · 7 Comments

// This post brought to you by American Crafts & Project Life //

I adore Becky Higgins and her Project Life brilliance! Raise your hand if you have also fallen in love with the Project Life system. It takes chore out of documenting life and turns it into something fun and enjoyable. Here is a post that I wrote a while back talking about Project Life, how to use it and why I love it. I've even used left over cards to create some fun projects for my little guy, like these Flash Cards. Needless to say, I'm a fan!

This month the Project Life crew is introducing a new kit with a whole new twist on HSN (the Home Shopping Network.) It's the Just Add Color kit on HSN. You are going to love this kit and especially love the price!

Soooo… other than the fun new colors and graphics, do you notice something different? If you've been working with Project Life before, you'll notice the new square format perfect for Instagram photos. Here's a quick run down of what's new in this new release…

I decided to take my very first Instagram photos and work on a few pages…

Gager's was so small back then, just a baby! I LOVE how the fun 2×2 squares and the stickers add so much to the page. Check out some of the stickers, they are great…

Not in the mood for color? Don't worry! This kit has a stunning collection of black and white cards as well…

These black and white cards were perfect for when Gage broke his leg… I'm still not feeling to colorful about that. 😉

Isn't this kit so fun? Don't forget… A Limited amount of Just Add Color kits will be available at an amazing price at HSN on September 17th. Shop early because they will sell out for sure!!

Disclaimer // This is an American Crafts sponsored post. I received product and payment for this post however, all thoughts, idea and opinions are my very own. I will only post about stuff that I adore!

Black & White Halloween Pumpkins for The Great Pumpkin Challenge

28 · Sep 4, 2013 · 15 Comments

The Great Pumpkin Challenge brought to you by Michaels Craft Stores // I CAN"T WAIT FOR FALL!! I've thoroughly enjoyed summer, ate it up really but, I'm over the heat and the bugs and I'm ready for those cool crisp fall days. More than anything I'm ready to start decorating for fall and all the fun holidays that come with the cool temperatures. Not too long ago, Michaels sent me some of their famous pumpkins and invited me to participate in The Great Pumpkin Challenge and this is what I came up with…

A classic black & white Halloween display. As much as I love color, there is just something stunning about black & white when it comes to Halloween. Here's a breakdown of each pumpkin…

This one is just a simple decorative ribbon that I found at Michaels and wrapped it using small t-pins to secure the ribbon at the top and bottom of the pumpkin. Super easy!!

Love, love, love this one that I stenciled using Black DecoArt Patio Paint and their Mixed Media Stencils. This one was a little more challenging. I pinned the stencil to the pumpkin and then carefully laid each section of the stencil down onto the pumpkin using my finger to press each section down. Going section by section, I used a makeup sponge as a pouncer and carefully went around the clock, making sure not to overload the pouncer and it turned out great. Slow & steady wins the race on this one.

I also painted an orange pumpkin black with the Patio Paint. This stuff is amazing!! This was ONE coat…

I'm going to be using that paint a whole lot more now that I know how amazing it is.

For my polka dot pumpkin I used the DecoArt Patio Paint again, on the inside of the pumpkin and then a Hot Knife from Micheals to cut out the polka dots. That tool is a must when it comes to working with this type of pumpkin. It cuts like butter!!

These two are just wrapped in ribbon with a couple of cute bows. For these I used t-pins and a couple of glue dots to secure the ribbon in place. Again, super easy.

What's your favorite way to dress up your pumpkins for Fall or for Halloween? Michaels is hosting a fun Great Pumpkin event on October 5th from 1:00-3:00. For $6 your kiddos can design their very own pumpkin and there will be a face painter on hand for even more festive fun.

A little intimidated to carve you own pumpkin? Not to worry, Michaels is also offering professional carving services at their store. You can choose from 25 designs and then personalize them as well. Prices start at $19.99 and if you want it by Halloween, you need to place your order by October 13th.

So… What are you going to create for The Great Pumpkin challenge this year? Take some photos and tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see what you create!

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