OhSewCrafty Blog

So, first I made this wreath for the front door, it was my first time working with Deco mesh.  I saw this tutorial  at Michaels’ and the price was right- everything was on sale for 50% off.  I like how the wreath came out, I think it is pretty and festive and almost delicate.  However, Deco mesh isn’t really my thing, I prefer a more organic base.  

My mantle decor is pretty eclectic, but I think it’s nice anyway.  There are elegantly creepy elements , with other more festive spooky bits.  It kind of reflects my mental state, I suppose, torn between the adult sophistication of my past and the current situation, where I spend my time snuggling my sweet baby, singing songs, and playing on the floor.  Next year I’ll try for a more cohesive theme.    

These six halloween ornaments (jack-o-lantern, candy corn, ghost, frankenstein, dracula, bat), hanging on my black glitter tree, were created from a kit by Bucilla.  Details to come. The black tree, as well as the black candleabra, are from Michaels’.  The pumpkins are craft store finds, as well.  

I painted the spooky letters- two coats of Folkart Pure Orange, and three coats of Martha Stewart Orange Sherbert glitter paint.  Although the color and sparkle are the same on each letter, they look completely different depending on the light and perspective- very neat effect.

The cross stitch, I framed recently, and thought it looked fine on the mantle though eventually I’d like to hang it on the wall, somewhere.

The mirror needed something, at first I was thinking some thematic word(s) in glitter foam, but I already had the spooky letters, so I decided to incorporate another spooky element, the raven.  I found this great tutorial for a Nevermore wreath by CreateCraftLove, and took my project in a similar direction.  I had another wreath concept in mind, but I couldn’t find the necessary materials at Michaels.  Am I the only person who finds it ridiculous that a few weeks before Halloween, the pickings are slim because the aisles are full of Christmas stuff?

I made this Trick or Trick Bunting for the usual spot, the area between living and dining.  I followed this tutorial by Living Well Spending Less, though I made mine sewn and double sided- I interfaced one triangle for opacity, seamed the triangles WS together in a narrow 1/4″ seam and pinked the edges.  For the letters, I printed them onto a fusible fabric cotton sheets, which I would have liked to fuse directly to the triangles, but it was a bit too transparent.  So I fused the letters to white felt, which I appliqued on.  The applique creates quite a dimensional effect- kind of cool, I suppose, but it was a pain to sew.  If I did it again, I’d try just interfacing the letters before appliqueing.  For the connecting piece, I turned a fat quarter into double fold bias tape.

Oh, and I sewed a fairly elaborate costume, more on that, later!