Halloween Boo! Banner

I am thinking that I need to package my digital files to share with everyone. They’re already made…I might as well. So, I’m going to share some svg and scal2 files with you. (want to know what the difference is between svg and scal2…check back later this week. I'll come back and link it up once I post.) Here’s the first of what I hope to be many.

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Create a stylish Halloween bunting banner with this Boo! Banner Kit. Use your favorite Halloween Cardstock (or print some digital paper) and glue it all together. It’s so easy but will really wow everyone who sees this oh so pretty banner.

Tools Used
• Glue Stick
• Hot Glue Gun
• Paper Trimmer
• Single Hole Punch
• Sure Cuts a Lot 2 Software
• Cricut Expressions Machine

Paper Used
• {Digital Paper} Summer Driggs, Fangs for the Memories, “WebPaper” (Printed on 3 sheets of 8.5”x11” white textured cardstock)
• 2 sheets 12”x12” White Cardstock
• 1 sheet of 12"x12" Black Cardstock

Inks and Embellishments Used
• Black Ink Pad
• Brown Tulle
• White Ribbon
• Orange Ribbon

SVGs Used
• 2 Bracket Flag Banner Pennants
• Boo for Banner
• Ghost for Banner
or you could use the Scut2 file Boo Banner

{DOWNLOAD ALL OF THEM IN ONE ZIP FILE HERE}

Dimensions
There’s no need to re-size anything if you’re using scal2. Each shape will be imported at the proper size. Just import and cut! In case you need the sizes I used, here’s what I did.

SVG File	Dimensions	Paper	Quantity
2 Bracket Flag Banner Pennants	9.53" width	Halloween patterned cardstock	Cut 3 sets (6 total)
Boo	8" height	Black Cardstock	Cut 1
Ghost	3.5" height	Black Cardstock	Cut 1
Other Cuts
Accordian Flowers	2" width	White Cardstock	Cut 10 strips (2 for each flower)

Remember, if you select the "maintain proportions" option in SCAL you won't need both width/height dimensions. Just one will do.

Instructions
Normally, this is where the instructions would go (maybe pictures, maybe a video?). For this one, my camera battery was dead and I was too anxious to get going on it. In the future, I’ll try to be a bit more prepared when crafting. :) For now, if you have any questions on how to do any of this, post a comment or send me an email.

Design Tips
• When printing out digital paper, I set my printer to “borderless”. Check to see if your printer can do that too. If not, you may need to move your svg/scal2 files a bit so they will cut on the printed paper.
• I used Jamie Lane’s tutorial to make my accordion flower.
• Ink the edges of your accordion flower “petals” after they are glued together (in sets of two) to make it look more antiqued.
• I used the glue stick to attach my accordion flower strips together, but I chose to use hot glue in the centers (from the back) to hold it all together.
• I used brown tulle because the store was out of brown. It looks good and I can use some the left overs for fall decorating.
• I attached the banner to the shelves with small thumb tacks. Tape didn't seem to work well for me.

I hope you enjoy using this banner for your Halloween decorating! I'll be sharing some more holiday crafts soon!

(Did I use enough exclamation marks ?!!!? … it would seem that I’m a bit excited about this)

♥ Julliana

"Heavy Metal" Pumpkins {Tutorial}

I've seen some cool metal pumpkins around, but they were huge, heavy and expensive. I was looking for something a bit smaller but still modern looking. Here's what I came up with.

These metal pumpkins are super cheap and easy! Here's how you can make them.

Materials:
- Hanger Strap. This is found in the plumbing department. You can get different lengths and either stainless or copper plated. I think the copper plated helps add to the "pumpkin" look. I bought 2 10 ft lenghts, one in silver and one in copper, and was able to made 3 pumpkins.
- 1/4" diameter Carriage Screws (one for each pumpkin. I used 6", 5 1/2", and 5" lengths)
- 2 nuts for each pumpkin (make sure they will fit the carriage screws)
- Tin Snips
- Needle nose pliers (not shown)

*Note: the hanger strap has two hole sizes in it. The larger size is the 1/4" hole that we'll be using. Be sure to plan on that hole when making measurements/cutting.*
*Another Note: the metal can be sharp when cut so you may want to wear gloves. Either way, be careful!*

Instructions:
Screw a nut onto the bolt to about 1 inch from the top. That top part will be the stem of the pumpkin.

Add the "leaf" next.

To make the leaf, simply make a coil around your needle nose pliers and snip it off. Thread this onto the carriage bolt just below the washer.

To make the pumpkin, you'll need to cut 4-6 equal lengths of hanger strap. For the big pumpkin my lengths were about 18". You decide how big you want them to be...think about your bolt length too. Find the center whole in each piece of strap and thread it through the bolt.

Thread the ends of each strap  though the bolt but only push it up about 1/2".

Repeat this for all your straps.

Add a washer to the bottom to hold it all on.

One hint - you'll want to bend the straps so there is a rim at the bottom. This will help the pumpkin stand up...it will be wobbly because of the washer.

bottom view of pumpkin.

You can mix and match the colors or use all of one color. You could even spray paint or glaze this!

top left: all silver, top right: mix of copper and silver, bottom: copper

♥Julliana

Wood Pumpkin Decor

this was not my idea, but now I can't find the link :(

On one side I added a jack-o-lantern face. This will be perfect for Halloween.

The other side is plain so I can use it for the rest of fall.

What a cute pumpkin face!

The other side is just as cute. I dry brushed some brown paint over the orange to give the pumpkin a bit of a "dirty" look.

I had some extra lumber so I cut out two extra kits. You can find them in my Etsy Shop.
♥ Julliana

Young Women's Values BLOCKS

My sister was looking for a fun craft for her Young Women's group, and this is what we came up with. It's fun to make as a group or just make one as a gift.

I've added the Kit and the Vinyl to my Etsy shop.

♥Julliana

Remaking a Chair

I found her at DI (thrift store) for $15. She was too stinkin' awesome to pass up at that price. I've been keeping my eye out for a chair to reupholster for our new (in progress) Master Bedroom and she fit the bill.

I actually liked the fabric on her, but it was in really bad shape. The seat was scruffed up pretty bad and the wood just wasn't the right color for me.

Check her out!

I started by priming and painting the wood...in spray form. I LOVE SPRAY PAINT!!! I then sanded her into submission and went over all of her with some stain I had from another project. I had to wipe off quite a bit of it but it worked out pretty well. I was going for a shabby chic (but not dirty) look.

Then came the re-upholstery challenge. I looked, and looked, and looked for some really great home dec fabric for her...to no avail. I wasn't willing to spend $20+ per yard so I had to find an alternative. Instead I used painter's canvas drop cloth. I've seen various people use it online, and decided that was the way to go. So I bought 2 and bleached them out a few times.

It was surprisingly easy to work with. I can think of a bunch of things to do with the left overs. The back of the chair had fabric stapled across it and originally had double piping to hide the staples. That wasn't gonna happen so I just bought some trim and hot glued it down. Its a bit of a fancier trim than I originally wanted, but I figure it's just hot glued down so if I want to change it out later it won't be so hard. It works for now.

She's just as pretty from behind.

Oh, how I love her. I keep calling it a her, so I guess I should name her...something old and classic, but pretty, and with a bit of spunk... how about Lucille.

Here's the back of the pillow...not sure if I'll add a button or not, maybe. This was such a score. The pillow form and fabric both came from the NPS store. If you haven't been there yet, go NOW! It is so stinking awesome. The form was $6 (tag says its PB for $12) and the fabric was from their remnant bin so I got 1/2 yd of wide home dec fabric for $.99...that's right, less than a dollar. I will definitely be looking for more fabric there!