Fall OWL tutorial

Owls have taken over my house!

They are easy, fun and addictive to make!

You will need:

1/3 yard for body, and scraps for the rest

Batting

Wood, including 2x4, base, and candle stick

Cut everything to the size you want. I have not included a pattern. Every owl I make is different, and I just make my own pattern, using scrap paper. Just make sure you make your body long enough to wrap around a piece of wood at the base.

 

1 -Sew stomach to body.

2 - Sew eyes to eye backing.

3 - Sew eye backing to body.

4 - Sew nose to body.

 It should look something like this. You can add the embellishments for the eyes with hot glue later.

 

Stuff it as full of batting as you can.

To attach the base, fold like you are wrapping a gift, and use your staple gun, or hot glue to secure.

 Attach to base either with glue or screws. If using screws or wood glue, do it in advance. If you choose to use hot glue, you can do it after. Embellish with ribbon, or whatever you choose. ENJOY! These make perfect gifts, and can last through the entire fall season.

I will be sharing a live demo of this on Studio 5 today at 11. I hope you'll tune in!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Halloween Home Lunch {made easy!}

 I decided to make my kids sack lunch extra fun this month. I took about 20 minutes, and wrote their names on all the bags they would need for the next few weeks.

Here are a few of Conrad's:

 Here are a few of Sophie's:

 

 The are just stacked in my pantry waiting for each day.

 Each one has a joke inside. You can find links to my favorite joke sited on my pinterest board. The kids love the jokes so much that they read them to their friends every day, and bring them home and show me (like I didn't read it already ;)

 Each one is also stuffed in advance with a Halloween napkin.

 I have a super fantastic group of girlfriends, and we get together on Monday mornings in October, to make treats for the kids. It spreads out the cost, and makes it go really fast, and not seem overwhelming! My friend Candy has taken charge this year, and she ROCKS! You can visit her blog HERE.

These are a few. I send one each day, and the kids think they are SO LUCKY!

 Store bought goes the fastest. And... no, I usually don't feed my kids processed junk food, but I make an exception in October.

This was so easy, and I duplicated it already! The kids think they are getting something extra special, but it is really just a sandwich!

My son, who normally begs for school lunch... hasn't even asked once! He is loving the home lunch.

I hope you'll try a few of these. It will make your October fun and memorable!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Embriodery Hoop Spider Web and Studio 5

This is one of the items I shared on Studio 5 a few weeks ago. It is super easy to make. All you need is an embroidery hoop, black fabric, thick thread and needle, and a spider. I think it's pretty self explanatory.

 If you didn't catch the clip, here it is:

I got to work with Amy again, and I hadn't done a segment with her in almost ten months. She is great, as is everyone there!

My bff from GA was in town, and she came with me, along with her many sisters. It was so fun!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Jeweled Spiders

 After making my simple wire spiders (tutorial HERE), I decided it would be fun to make them a little more fancy, so I got out some old jewelry, buttons and broaches. Ring toppers work well also.

 The technique is the same for the jeweled spiders as it is of the wire spiders. The only difference is you add a little piece of wire for the head jewel or button to rest on.

After placing the legs in the glue, you can also add a button or a jewel. for the body and head. You will probably need a little more glue. 

You can also wait until the glue cools, and add the jewel on the other side by adding more glue, if you want the lower body to be rounded instead of flat.

I wanted to use this broach, but also wanted to be able to use it in the future, so I glued the head piece on, but pinned the body over the glue.

  Look how cute it sits on a plate for Halloween dinner!

I drew some inspiration from HERE.

I hope you'll have as much fun with these as I did!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Wire Spiders

 These whimsical spiders are not only fun to make, and a little bit addictive, they are also SUPER inexpensive!

All you need is:

20 gauge black wire (Benion Crafts)

Hot Glue

Needle Nose Pliers / Snippers

Black spray paint, if you can't find black glue sticks, which I couldn't.

 Cut 4 strips of wire into 5" pieces.

Place a dime sized daub of hot glue on some parchment paper.

Lay the wires in the glue before it cools.

 After they cool, bend the legs into the desired shape, and take them outside, and spray paint them!

 

You are finished! Wasn't that cheap and easy?

{By the way, I didn't think this up - I wish I had...Inspiration for this post can be found HERE.}

If you want a place card holder, all you have to do is wrap a small piece of wire around the pliers, and stand it in the glue before it cools.

How cute would these be on a cupcake, or sitting on someone's porch holding up an invitation to a Halloween party, or a "Thank You," card? The possibilities are endless!

I will be sharing these little cuties, and more Spider-themed Halloween ideas on Studio 5 tomorrow. I hope you'll tune in!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Back-to-School BOOT CAMP!

 

 With school starting tomorrow, I thought I would share the back-to-school BOOT CAMP parties I had for my kids last week. They turned out so cute, and the best part was I had all the prep work done far in advance, so all I had to do, was get everything out and set it up the day of the party.

The invitation was SUPER CUTE! I designed it in picasa, using clip art I got on etsy for $3. You can see her shop HERE. She has all sorts of darling things, and I asked if she could design the army boys (after purchasing the girls), and she did! 

I punched a hole in the top of the invitation, and slid a dog tag (Hobby Lobby) through, with the child's name and grade listed on the back. If the child was not home, and just hung the necklace around the door knob. It was super cute!

 

Here is the girl version.

 

Here is the boy version.

 I decided to do the same theme for both kids this year, and it made things SO MUCH EASIER!!!

I borrowed the backpacks from one of my brothers. The table cloth is from Saver's $2. The camouflage fabric is just fat quarters from Walmart for $99 each. I bought 3 pieces.

 

 When I was setting up last minute, I decided I needed something with a little height, and thought a pallet would be perfect! I called my friend Laura from Corner House. She does fabulous things with pallets. You can see them HERE and HERE. I went to the pallet yard, and got one. They were SO NICE there! It's called A. Ruttco Pallet, in Kaysville. I brought it home, and put it up, and it was perfect!

 

 Army parachute guys (Hobby Lobby)

 Tattoos (Walmart)

 Crawling Army Guys (Dollar Tree)

 Army Gummies (Zurchers) & Little Debbies

 Berets & Canteens (Smith and Edwards $.99)

Remember my post about marshmallow guns? When we made them as a family, I decided they would be fun for a party for my kids. You can find the instructions HERE. The boys put their guns together, shredded the labels, and started blowing them all over the basement. Who would have thought?

 They looked so cute in their berets! They put their guns together in all sorts of weird ways, and a few of them lost pieces, so I was lucky to have a few spares on hand.

 They had a riot, and stayed outside for almost 1 1/2 h ours. This was the easiest party ever!

Girly BOOT CAMP

I let my daughter set this one up. Didn't she do a great job?!?

 Pink spray painted army guys.

Masks made from 2-liter bottles and duct tape.

Army dolls (Dollar Tree) I got some camouflage fabric from Hobby Lobby, and remade the dresses, using the original dress pattern. 

See the bags full of beads? I got a large ugly necklace from Saver's for $2, took it apart, and the girls made bracelets out of the beads. They turned out super cut!

 Army Gummies (Zurchers) Little Debbies. 

 I am a believer in not making nice food for kids parties. I don't think they appreciate it, and I like saving myself the work.

 The girls were much more calm when they put their guns together. No one lost any pieces.

 See the pouches around their waists? I made them using cheap camo fabric from Walmart, and stitching yarn on to go over one shoulder.

 The girls liked the guns almost as much as the boys did.

The parties were both so much fun. The boys told me it was, "The most fun party ever!!!" 

If anyone wants tutorials on the marshmallow pouches, or the 2-liter eye wear, or anything else, let me know, and I will post them for you. I just don't want to be redundant in my posts :)

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa