DIY Halloween Banner

 

Are you ready for All Hallow's Eve?

Why not make a banner

to welcome in your little ghouls this year?

 

I used supplies I had around the house,

but even if you have to buy the supplies

it will cost very little.

Close-up

You will need:

an old book

colored paper (I used yellow envelopes)

white glue

glue stick

craft paint

straight edge scissors

deco-edge scissor (optional)

twine

Decide what you want your banner to say

and print out different fonts you think you may want.

Now count each letter and space - including one space before and after.

So I count:  17

Carefully tear out the correct pages from your old book.

(in my case 17)

Cut each into a triangle as shown.

(notice the top is left at 90 degree angle -

this is for folding and gluing)

Lay out your triangles on a work surface.

Mix paint of your choice of color

(I chose a burnt orange)

with a lot of water

1 part paint to 7 parts water.

Paint the edges of each triangle.

Let dry completely.

The paper will curl up a bit.

Iron each triangle on the lowest setting of your iron.

(make sure it is NOT on the steam setting)

Now you need to glue each triangle flag onto a sturdier surface.

You can use decorative paper if you like,

I chose to upcycle some large yellow envelopes I had in the office.

I used a paintbrush with white school glue to cover

the back side of each flag (all the way to the edges)

leaving the top free of glue

 - this is where it will fold over the twine for hanging.

I left enough space between each flag

to use decorative scissors to make one cut.

After all of the flags are cut out

you can start drawing your letters,

or you can use stencils or stamps.

I just used a sharpee and tried to copy the font.

Next I cut small triangles (with the added top tab)

out of coordinating paper.

These purple triangles will hang between each flag.

Now simply cut a "very long" length of twine...

(more than what you think you'll need)

and start gluing the flags to the twine

by folding the tab over the twine and using the glue stick or school glue

(sandwiching the twine in the folded tab)

Place a coordinating small flag in between each large flag.

Let dry completely.

Hang up in an entryway,

on a window,

or on the wall.

After Halloween is over

simply gather it up

and store it in a large zip-lock bag for next year!

Happy Hallow's Eve

Keep Calm and Kerri On!

Upcycle a Trinket, Knick-Knack or What-Not with Paint

Do you have some old knick-knacks, what-nots and trinkets

that just aren't doing anything for you?

Yet, maybe they are sentimental

and you just can't stomach getting rid of them?

Yep.  Me too.

So, why not perform a little magic with paint,

and "wah-lah"

you have a new eye-catching, awesome trinket!

BEFORE

AFTER

Spray a little Primer in a well ventilated area.

(make sure it is for the correct material being painted)

Brush or spray several light coats

of the color of your choice.

And top with a clear acrylic, gloss, satin or matte.

I chose gloss.

Looks great!

Hmmmm....what can I paint next?

Hope you "upcycle" one of your worn-out treasures!

Keep Calm and Kerri On!



DIY Vintage Book Page Wreath

I have seen these beautiful wreaths on Etsy and Pinterest.

It looked too difficult to do myself, but I wanted to try

and found it was pretty easy,

 just time consuming.

It took me a total of about 3 hours...

but I watched "Downton Abbey" as I worked,

so it wasn't bad at all!

I have broken down the steps below:

Find an old book, one that you don't mind cutting up.

This was from the 1920's, yellowed pages and several with writing in them.

Slice down the binding

and remove sections of the pages as carefully as you can.

You will need about 100 pages.

Then carefully trim off the edges to make them straight and clean.

Since my book is very old, the papers are crisp and tear easily,

be careful!

Starting at the top right corner,

grab between your fingers and roll into a cone shape.

This will take some practice!

Tape the end to the cone.

Staple each cone about 1-1/2" from the end,

with the cone point and opening on the top.

This is the section you will glue down to the wreath.

(I marked my stapler with a piece of tape to the point I wanted each cone stapled.

This made it easy to make them all even.)

Do this to ALL the 100 pages.

Select a sturdy base.

I chose a cardboard cut to 14" square.

Draw two circles -

I used two kitchen plates.

The smaller circle should be at least 4" shorter in diameter.

Mark the circles at: 12; 3; 6 and 9.  Like a clock.

Now start hot gluing the cones to the base,

lining up the staples to the outer circle.

Gluing down the first four at the marks you made earlier,

then filling in.

Now for the second row.

Again, glue down the first four at 12; 3; 6 and 9.

Lining up the staples with the second circle

(which happens to be where the ends of the previous cones are).

Fill in between.

Now I did a third ring,

following the same guidelines.

You can stop at this point and "fill in" the center

with buttons, Christmas balls, etc....

or continue with one more round as I did,

using 1/2 sheet cones.

Simply cut your pages in half,

and roll up, tape and staple as before.

Hot glue your final row in.

This is what the back looks like.

Glue in a center using

buttons, beads, baubles, whatever you like.

Attach a bow securely to the back

and hang.

Remember this is a VERY fragile decoration.

Display in a dry place

away from water as well as flame,

and store it in a box with moth balls or cedar.

Enjoy!

DIY Halloween Party Table

Halloween is my husband's birthday.

We call him "Scary Gary"!

He turned 50 so we had a Halloween Birthday Party.

But you can use these DIY ideas for any Halloween Party

you give - for the little gouls, or the big ones!

Throw on a colorful tablecloth,

we chose purple instead of the usual orange and black.

Buy matching bowls, plates, etc.  I found most of mine at The Dollar Tree.

Serve up some Giant Spider Legs (black licorice wands)

and Ear Wax Q-Tips (mini marshmallows on sticks dipped in melted butterscotch chips).

Plastic fangs and giant spiders can be found at most dollar stores.

Make some giant eyeballs by dipping your favorite mini sandwich cookies

into white chocolate topped with gummy Lifesavers and chocolate chips.

Be sure to LABEL everything with interesting names...

I used corner tiles and wipeable markers.

Use containers you have around the house too. 

I used some glass jars with chalkboard labels..

Simply tape off a square and paint three coats.

Take labels off of individual sodas and use sharpies to make jack-o-lanterns.

Don't forget the evil witch's contribution to the party,

Poisoned Apples.

Fried Bat Wings and Salsa anyone?

How about some Crow Droppings (candy corn)

and a friendly little rat?

Just had to show our Jack-o-lantern outside...

Pretty spooky when it gets dark!

Hope this gives you some ideas in throwing your own

Halloween Bash.

Keep Calm (if you can!) and Kerri On (If you don't get carried off!)

MwaHahahaha!

Saving Flower Seeds for the First Time

Don't you just love flowers

especially if they're growing in your own back yard?

Me too!

Yet I have not been too successful in the past.

My trouble was that I just didn't pay attention when my parents tried to teach me.

So last year I joined a local Garden Club.

These little garden ladies are so helpful and packed full of knowledge

and are nice enough to share this info with me -

I can actually see my thumbs turning a little green!

So here, with their help, is my first attempt at saving some of my flower seeds.

I had great luck with marigolds this year.

I actually planted them from starter plants

but am told they are easy to grow from seeds.

The first step to saving the seeds is to pick the spent blooms.

I've shown you the fresh picked bloom above,

with a spent bloom below and to the left, and the seeds on the right.

Here's the close up of a "spent flower" one that has bloomed and dried up.

Make sure it is completely dry, then simply pull off the petals.

Each petal is attached to a seed!

If they are completely dry, as these are,

you can store them in a paper sack or individual envelope as I did.

Be sure to label accordingly.

Zinnias were my favorite flower this year.

I actually grew these from seeds!

I know, I can't believe it!

The same principle apply to the Zinnias.

Pick off the spent blooms and let them dry completely...

 store the dried seeds in envelopes or small paper sacks

 in a dry, cool space for next spring.

Here's a picture of the zinnias in their state of decompose.

Fresh picked Zinnias on top,

spent blooms - starting to wilt

and completely dry on the bottom.

Just one bloom will produce many seeds - I didn't count,

but probably around 30 is my guess!

Last year I spent $1.99 each for two packets Zinnia Seeds.

 

This year I plan to harvest 50 times that

from the blooms and expand my planting area.

It is the middle of August

 and my Zinnias are still blooming.

(I have a 3' x5' area on the NW corner of the house)

I cut fresh flowers every week for bouquets.

All I did was keep the soil moist until I saw the little sprouts forming,

then watered once a week.

Be sure to check back with me next spring

when I plant my harvested flower seeds.

(and we'll see if this worked!)

 

Keep Calm and Kerri On!