Spooky Spell Books with Download

Last year, I pinned some cute spell books, which were just books covered in colored scrapbook paper with fun Spell-ish phrases and words to embellish it- the perfect DIY Halloween project.  I knew I wanted to do something like it, but didn’t have the resources at the time.

This year, I was able to make my own spell books!  I had a vision of what I wanted, and it took a while to get something that quite nearly fulfilled that vision!  But now I am so excited about it, it even sits on my coffee table where my husband has strict instructions NOT to touch or move it.  He loves to “clean up” my decorations. BUT NOT THIS ONE!!

So, I wanted to give a brief outline of what I did to make my books, and hopefully some of you will use and adapt it to your liking as well.

The first thing I had to do was measure my book, and then create a Photoshop document about the size of the front cover.  I would have loved to make something that wrapped around the entire book, but I don’t know if my printer could possibly do that ;).  I started adding layers and brushes that I downloaded from deviantart, a great resource for free images.  I used these for flourishes (by sarahbee) and these for frames (by Lileya).

 

When I was done creating cover art, I made a new document for both bindings.  Basically, I just wanted to save paper ;).  Speaking of paper, I imagined old, worn books, and try as I might to find the perfect aged digital paper, it wouldn’t have mattered because I don’t have a color printer.  The solution was to use Kraft paper, which I found by the packing supplies at Walmart, and just cut it down to 8 1/2” x 11” and print right onto that.

Once everything was printed, I lined the images up with the center of the book covers, and taped some excess to the inside of the book cover and then cut the excess off on the top and bottom.  For the binding, I just cut it to fit, and glued it on.  I didn’t even cover the backs because those won’t be seen anyway. I’m lazy like that. A little distressing with an ink pad (also from Walmart) perfected the entire thing…

…that is, until I pulled out the apple I found at Goodwill.  Poison Apple?  You betcha.

I am just delighted over how they turned out!  Well, that puts it pretty mildly, but I was so happy with them I want to share my files with you.  They are specific to my books, which were 8.5” x 5.5” x 1” and 9.5” x 6.25” x 1.5”, but I am sure if you need, you can find a way to resize them.

(I really must credit the people who made the Photoshop brushes, though… seriously. Couldn’t have done it without them. To be courteous to them, and myself, DO NOT use these files commercially or for profit.)

To Download the files, Go HERE.  Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Crafting!

*****

I used a vintage striped fabric for my coffee table centerpiece in the photos, but this black and white Chevron Stripe from my sponsor, Five Eighth Seams would be a great addition to your Halloween vignette!

I am so excited to have Five Eighth Seams on board as a sponsor of The Crafty Cupboard, they have such an impressive selection of fabrics, patterns, books, and elastics!  You ought to take a look around!

Spider Skirt Tutorial

I love this time of year!  If you can’t tell already… but seriously, I love how there are so many holidays crammed in a row, like non-stop celebrating.  Of course, the first is Halloween, so let me show you how my girls are being festive already and in a classy way- the Spider Skirt!

To make a Spider Skirt, you will need:

Back Stretch Lace, this one had spiders on it, found at JoAnn’s in their costume/holiday section

Black Elastic, 1” or bigger

Lining fabric- any festive color is fine, but I was going for more subtle and classy and chose black

You need to measure your child (or self!).  You will need the waist measurement, and the desired length measurement.

Let’s begin!

First, cut your elastic waist size + 1 inch.

Next, cut two skirt panels from both the lace overlay and the lining that are the width of the elastic, and the desired length.

Sew the lace overlay together along the sides using a 1/2” seam allowance, and then sew your lining pieces right sides together with 1/2” seam allowance.  Finish your seams (zig-zag, serge, pinking shears).

Next you will hem your skirt lining.  I used a rolled hem foot for quick hemming.  A rolled hem has a little piece on the front that twists your fabric under for you as you sew.

It is really easy, and I had three skirts hemmed in no time.  It needed a little encouragement when it got to my side seams, but succeeded. You can always go the traditional route, though!  Just iron and sew.

Next, prepare your elastic by sewing the ends together, and then tacking down your seam allowance.  I used a zig-zag stitch to tack it down.

At this point, finish the top of your lining somehow, either serge, zig-zag along the edge, or even hem the top.  The fabric will be exposed behind the elastic and you don’t want it to unravel all over around the waist.

Next, find the center back of the skirt, and pin that spot to the seam in your elastic, with the fabric only about 1/2 way up the elastic (You don’t want the fabric popping out the top, or coming out of the bottom, so the middle is a safe place to be). Then, match the center front of the skirt with the center front of the elastic, then the sides, and then every center between pins.  I ended up with 8 pins holding the skirt together.

Zig-zag stitch the elastic to the skirt.  In order to get the gathered effect, stretch your elastic as you sew so that it is the same width as your fabric.  The pins will help guide you as to how much to stretch, and where.  

The result is a very cute elastic-waisted skirt (or, skirts!) perfect for adding a touch of festivity to the wardrobe! 

My oldest daughter was super sad her skirt wasn’t a pretty color… so, mom fail right there.  I just love a sophisticated black on little girls!  Still, it would be cute with purple underneath too, so I might make another for her (which means making more than just one, right?) My middle child really loved it, and wore it all day.  She loved it so much she got a little upset when I said I was done taking pictures of it.

I do what I can.

;)

Happy sewing!

Easy Kitchen Towel Makeover

This is part of a Learn To Sew Series here on The Crafty Cupboard. They are easy projects for beginner sewists, and you will learn a trick or two along the way!

We only have one car right now so I am pretty much stuck inside all the time, unless something is within walking distance. When my friend Karali had her birthday come up (same day as Char’s birthday, actually! Happy birthday!!), I was out of luck getting her a gift, unless it was an order of tater tots from the Sonic next door. Knowing Karali, that probably would have been fine but I wanted to get her something that wouldn’t be gone in 1 minute. I could always make her something! Right?

I had a set of towels in my closet that was set aside for such occasions, so I pulled them out, along with a fat quarter of cute kitchen-inspired fabric, and got to work. Want to know how I made these? Read on!

To make these towels, you will need:

Bar Mop Towels- I got mine at Target

Fabric, one Fat Quarter (a fat quarter is a half yard of fabric, cut in half length-wise)

Ric-Rac, or other trim

And do keep your trim under close watch, in case any 3-year-olds grab a pair of scissors and start hacking away at your project while you are taking care of other children.  Just sayin’.

Okay!  The first thing you want to do is measure the WIDTH of your towel.  Mine was 16” wide.  Next, measure the LENGTH of your towel.  Mine was 18” long.  Divide your length into thirds, or 6” for me, to get how tall you want your fabric to go on the towel.  Thirds are always pleasing to the eye.

Now add 1” to your dimensions, so mine was 17” x 7”.  Cut your fabric to this size.

Next, you will iron your top long edge over 1/2”. 

**Tip: I use a piece of cardstock with a 1/2” seam allowance (or whatever your hem needs to be) drawn on it; this way I can iron a good chunk at a time, and it is all uniform and even.**

Repeat this ironing technique for the two short sides.

When your fabric is all ironed, pull out your trim and cut it to the width of your towel. 

Line it up along the bottom of your fabric piece.  If your trim has a direction (like pom-pom trim or tassel trim) make sure the decorative part is facing up, toward the top of the fabric. 

Stitch your trim down as close to 1/2” as your trim allows.  My ric-rac was about 3/8”, no big deal.  Then, iron the hem again along your stitch line, letting your trim stick out along the bottom.  Your directional trim will hang perfectly on the bottom now!

Once it is all ironed pretty, pin the fabric to the towel so your edges line up(I left about 3/4” of the towel showing on the bottom) and top-stitch around the entire thing close to the edge.  If your towel isn’t perfectly straight, just tuck and pull slightly where you need to in order to get the edges to all line up.

That’s the end of that!  Well, er, after you trim those pesky threads… All it took was a few ironing steps, and two trips to the sewing machine.  Add upon this with more trim, applique’s, or embroidery.  There is no limit to creativity!

I felt silly handing Karali kitchen towels (we kind of giggled about it) for her birthday when really she deserved much more, but I had a lot of fun making them, especially with that adorable spoon/spatula fabric.  Right!!??

Now, go sew!

Flood The Love for Victims of the Santa Clara, UT Flood

I was looking through my Instragram feed the other night and saw a home with all its contents strewn on the front lawn; some in boxes, some in piles, some ready for the trash.  What the what?? 

I clicked on the hashtag #santaclaraflood to see more and holy smokes, I had no idea.  I think I spent the next hour looking up news articles, videos, and images on the internet to find out more.  Businesses were wiped out, homes damaged- in some cases, condemned- and lives changed.

Today I read an blog excerpt from Jeni, the daughter of one of the affected families, and she described the situation as twofold:

Example A: my parents still have room in their home for comfortable living, but the children of a neighboring family down the street are staying in a camper parked in their front yard because their small basement - now totally destroyed - is where they slept. Those children will most likely be in that camper through the pending fall and winter...they may easily be there until reconstruction of their home can occur, and their parents don't know when that can happen.

Example B: some families' homes have been entirely condemned. Complete demolition of their old homes is required and building an entirely new home is necessary. Can you imagine being required to build a home without having any financial reserve or preparation to do so? The thought alone is so overwhelming...

In an effort to raise money for these families, (who, while I am sure had money put away for a rainy day, were not prepared for a deluge and consequently a flood when the dike broke), my friends Julie and Brock Rasmussen are hosting a fundraising event along with Crossfit gyms in the St George area.  The event will include a Crossfit workout- and we all know how great those are!

If you are like me, and don’t live near St George but would like to help these families, the fundraising website has a direct PayPal donation link.  There are only 9 days left for them to reach their goal of $10,000, so any donation is appreciated!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for these families!

GO HERE TO DONATE AND LEARN MORE.

(images from Brock Rasmussen, Event flyer by Julie Rasmussen)

Halloween Paper Fans Tutorial

Lately I have been focused on paper Halloween crafts, mostly because I had a stack of Halloween paper sitting around from last year waiting to be used.  I decided to go for big and bold, and made a fun paper fan BOO sign!  It was very easy to do, inexpensive to make (especially when you find paper on sale!), and we love it hanging on our wall.  Want to make one too? 

To make ONE paper fan that is about 8” in diameter, you will need 1 piece of 12x12 paper, glue, and embellishments.

Start with your paper: cut the paper into three (3) 4” strips.  Start accordion (fan) folding the strips every 1/2”.  You can do more or less than 1/2” if you want the density of your folds to be different; bigger folds = wider fan sections, and vice versa.  A combination of different densities in your fans would be awesome too.

Put on a movie or something, because if you are making multiple fans, it will take some time! 

Don’t fret if you get off of your 1/2”, as long as it isn’t a huge and noticeable difference in your fold widths (peaks and valleys), no one will ever know.  ;)

When you are through, you’ll have 3 small folded paper sections.

Next, you will want to connect the pieces together to make one long strip.  I used a glue stick, but you can also use tape if you like- glue stick is just more invisible.  When you glue them together, try to make sure not to interrupt the pattern of peaks and valleys.

Because my paper had a direction, I made sure that I glued the pieces together so the houndstooth was all facing the same way.  Paying attention to these details might not seem like a big deal, but it does make a difference in the final product!

When you glue the final ends together, your paper won’t want to lay down on its own.  It looks like a little lamp shade!  Cute!!

To get it to lay flat, just push gently down on the top, pulling the edges in together at the same time.  It won’t take much pressure to get it to stay like that, but you will want to hold it down with something while you work on your embellishments.

The first thing I did was cut out black scallop circles with my Silhouette machine, and hot-glued them to the back of the fans.  This really kept it nice and flat while I worked on the front.

For the front, cut out a 4” circle for each fan(mine was scalloped, but you can trace a bowl, can, cup, whatever to get a simple circle) of black, another 3” circle from white for each fan, and your letters for BOO.  If you don’t have a paper cutting machine, you can easily trace and cut, or even use stickers instead. I also cut out some spider webs and bats with my Silhouette machine.  Once I assembled the circles, I glued the entire thing to the center of the paper fan, and was set to go!

Once all the fans are individually assembled, lay them out to figure out a good placement, and then carefully start hot gluing them together. Then, add a string, yarn, or ribbon to the back so you can hang up your new BOO decoration!

To make the little orange fans, I cut two (2) 12x12 pieces of paper into 3” strips, and used three strips per fan, folding the same way as the larger fans.  All together, this turned out so cute (even with the lopsided O!).  My little baby sat and stared at it for a long time clapping her hands, so I think she likes it too!

Go try to make some too!

FREE 8x10 Halloween Printable

One of the easiest ways to add to Halloween decorations without breaking the bank is by using a Printable! Let’s be honest- free printable decorations are pretty much everywhere now, and I wanted to join in on the fun and make something of my own. 

One of my favorite poems I’ve heard regarding Halloween is this:

I saw a black cat last week. It walked with me (rather, crossed in front of me over and over, but I’m not superstitious) from my car, around our building, and almost to my front door.  Then, once I got inside, it sat outside my patio and mewed for 30 minutes!  While I am pretty sure it just had a kitty lady friend nearby, it totally spooked me into creating this for my decorations, and to share with you!

There is the choice of Orange, Gray, Green, Purple, Orange, and an antiqued color (not pictured here).  I printed the Green and Orange at Costco, and just quickly put them in some frames I had.  The nice thing about an 8x10 image is it is large enough to make an appearance, but it doesn’t overpower the whole scene.  Awesome!

Click on the link to go to the Box Download.  If you are pinning this, please pin from my site and not the Box Download page! For personal use only, thanks!

Purple

Orange

Green

Gray

Antiqued

Have fun, and thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Beware Sign and Skeleton Sticks

It is that time of year.  Ever since I made that spiderweb quilt, I’ve been channeling Halloween.  When I saw this sign from Poppy Seed Projects, I knew it had to be part of my decorations.  I pinned it, and the next day was working on it!

Looking around through my crapft supplies, I found a piece of plywood that would be perfect for the project, and I didn’t even have to cut it!  I designed my own image using my Silhouette software and cut it out in black and orange vinyl. After I put it onto the white-painted board, I painted the black stripes over the top.  I’m sure it would have been nicer with the stripes in vinyl too, but I didn’t have enough :)

It has quickly become my favorite Halloween decoration addition this year! The glitter pumpkin is from the Dollar Tree; my girls got to paint them and glitter them up this week, and they had SO much fun. Who cares about perfectly glittered pumpkins when the memory is so great, right?

When I was at Goodwill on the last 50% off day, I scored some tall wooden salt & pepper shakers for $1 for the pair.  They looked a little like elongated vertebrae to me, so I painted them black, then did a quick top coat of white, and sanded down the “joints.”  The crows on top were from the dollar store.

I pulled out the Free Halloween Printable from the eighteen25 gals and plopped it into a frame.  I have another Printable in the works to share with you too!  Can’t wait!!

Now the problem with decorating for the holidays is actually finding a place to put everything!  Who wants to come build me some floating shelves and install them for me??? ;)

Are you decorating for Halloween yet?  Or are you a Fall First type of person?