Coffeecake

Happy Halloween!

Wishing everyone a Halloween full of treats!

How to Make: Halloween Paper Bunting

I finished this Halloween bunting in the nick of time for the holiday.   To make this, I  used pre-cut flat A4 cardstock in Poppy and Black from Paper Source, ribbon in Poppy and Black from Paper Source, K&Company patterned paper purchased from Michaels, and Marcella by K glitter chipboard letters from Target.  I used a paper bunch by Martha Stewart Crafts for Michaels that is specially designed to punch holes to thread ribbon through.

To make a similar banner, cut rectangles out of the patterned paper and glue to A4 cardstock.  Glue chipboard letters onto patterned paper. Punch holes along top and thread ribbon.  You can also punch ribbon holes in the bottom and add a tied ribbon at the bottom for decoration. You can add additional embellishments as desired, sequins, decorative gems, brads, etc. I opted to keep mine simple due to my limited time.  You can also spell out a shorter phrase if you are short of time.

Note: depending on what phrase you are spelling, you may need additional packages of the chipboard letters. The package has 2 of some letters and 1 of others. I needed a second package because one of the "p"s was damaged.

Quick Halloween Card

I have been wanting to send out Halloween cards with my son's picture inside for weeks, and finally got a chance to sit down and make some. Because I had limited time and wanted to make about 10 cards, I decided to keep the design simple.  I'm not much into card-making or stamping (I prefer scrapbooking), so that's another reason to keep it simple.  For this card, I used A4 cardstock (with matching envelopes) in Poppy from Paper Source one of my favorite sources for paper supplies.  You can buy the cards and envelopes separately and get exactly what you need (they come in a nice variety of sizes and colors). 

The spider stamp is by Impress Rubber Stamps, and I used a black stamp pad and black glitter by Martha Stewart Crafts for Michaels.   The pumpkin design edge punch used to create the edge is also by Martha Stewart for Michaels. I also used Martha's fine tip glitter glue to apply the glitter.  For the inside of the card, I attached a photo of my son in his vampire costume, mounted on Martha Stewart halloween cardstock (pictured in my previous blog entry on Michael's halloween supplies).

I'm happy with how the card came out, and it didn't take too long to make a bunch of them. 

If you don't know etsy...

If you don't know Etsy, you should. 

Etsy.com is a wonderful website--sort of ebay meets your local craft fair meets the most unique shop in town.  What is it?  It is a website that enables artisans of all types to sell their wares online.  The site itself is beautiful to look out. Every day there is a completely unique home page featuring the editor's hand picked items for the day. I'm not sure how the items are selected, but the photo thumbnails make for a unique monochromatic palette.  The front page also profiles a featured seller, and links to additional articles on the site. 

Etsy sellers sell through their own storefronts.  You can search for items in a variety of ways, including by color. You can also browse through Etsy's gift guides. Currently, the home page features links to the Autumn showcase and Halloween shopping guide.

You can find a wide variety of items for sale, everything from  jewelry, artwork, photography, needlecrafts, stationery and beyond.  The common denominator is that all items are handmade by the seller.  Prices range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars.  As with eBay, you can look up seller profiles and read feedback from buyers and sellers who have transacted with a given seller.  In order to purchase on Etsy, you have to create an account on the site. 

Etsy is great for gifts shopping, holiday and party items, and has wonderful baby and kids items.  You will find unique items, at prices that are very reasonable, often well below store prices for mass-produced goods. 

Vintage items and craft supplies are also for sale on Etsy.

From time to time I will be posting about some of my favorite Etsy "stores".