Today I wore my favorite Fall boots and my hand is cramped from gripping the needle-nose pliers. You know what that combo means! You got it! It's that wonderful time of year when I make my Halloween jewelry! LOVE IT!
So here are some of the Halloween bracelets I've made this year. I make all the beads myself from Polymer clay. I prefer Sculpey brand and then I coat the beads to give them that "glassy" look. If you like the look of these eyeballs, try making some! They're totally doable.
Behold the Monster Bracelet (featuring monster eyeballs and a bat):
And here's the always-classy Eyeball Bracelet:
Are they not cute? These eyeballs are so versatile and you can use them in endless projects. They are truly "eye-catching" (ha, ha. Pun intended, although due to its cheesiness, it probably shouldn't have been).
Since I'm in Halloween mode, I thought I'd include one of the easiest and cutest Halloween goodies that I love to put together every year. They're test tube treats! There are all sorts of versions of these out there, but the ones that I make are all about ease. They're quick to throw together and the recipients always seem to enjoy them. So here you go!
Step One: Buy this kit of Martha Stewart test tubes (the kit will run you about eight bucks for the set of eight test tubes):
You don't have to go with Martha Stewart test tubes, but I like them for two reasons: they come with cork lids and specimen labels and they're big enough to hold a good amount of candy. Step Two: Use alphabet stamps or hand-write the tube contents on the labels. (Note: if you don't like Martha's labels, you can also create your own. You can go as fancy or as plain as you'd like).
Step Three: Fill the tubes with candy and wrap a piece of scotch tape around the top where the cork connects to the tube (the corks pop out easily, so tape is a good idea for reinforcement). Step Four: Get some yarn or ribbon and tie it around the top of the tube (this hides the aforementioned scotch tape). Wah-lah! You're done!
The tube on the left is awaiting its "Lizard Larva" label. The tube in the middle shows the Martha Stewart labels that the kit comes with (you can stamp/write whatever you want on them) and the tube on the right has a simple label I made myself.
The hardest part of this craft is trying to decide what to put in the test tubes. So here's a list of candies and their creepy counterpart names that I've used in the past:
Gummy worms: Medusa Hair Good and Plenty's (white): Troll Teeth Mike and Ike's: Dragon Toes Jelly beans: Lizard Larva Certs (left in the cylinder packaging) or other mints: Vampire Repellent Coconut M&M's (white): Spider Eggs Cinnamon Red Hot's: Slug Hearts Candy pebbles: Swamp Rocks Licorice (black): Rat Tails If you want to make your test tube treats even fancier, the sky's the limit. They work great as gifts for teachers, bosses, friends or neighbors or you can tie a name onto the yarn portion and use them as place markers/party favors for a dinner party. Stand them up in a clear vase or put them in a ceramic cauldron and they make an eye-catching centerpiece. However you decide to use them, these quick cute vials of sugary goodness are always a crowd pleaser!
I'm a fan of classic-cool objects (retro, simple, nostalgic and able to be purchased at a thrift store). What better fits this category than the iconic salt shaker? Love the knobby bulb-like shaker top and the simple lines of the square glass jar. I thought this salt shaker (already nifty on its own) deserved a little oomph, a little something more. And so I bring you my snazzed-up salt shaker:
I embellished this shaker using fabric that I inked, a bit of ribbon, some lace and a flower. I adore the color combo of green, teal and pink with a little pop of red at the top.
As you can see from this angle, I created the fabric collage first, then simply wrapped it around the jar. Easy, cheap, fast and a great way to take the look of your storage jars up a notch. Grab some scraps and give it a try if you have bottles that need labeling (with the contents or an inspiring message)! And just remember that salt shaker from the thrift store will thank you.
