Marbled Blacklight Pumpkin DIY

glow-marbled-pumpkin-2

marbled-blacklight-pin
If you’re a pumpkin crafter, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of nail polish pumpkins.  The thing with nail polish pumpkins; however, is that you have very little polish to work with and you generally can only dip smaller-sized pumpkins with them.  Also I personally think using nail polish is a lot more stinkier than spray paint (this may be a personal preference).  Anyway, after seeing this post a few years back Alisa Burke marbleizing paper and ornaments, I knew I wanted to try it with a pumpkin and I’m actually happy with how mine turned out.  Let me show you how easy and fun these are to make!

What you need:

— faux pumpkin
— various colors of spray paint (I used neon so they’d look good under blacklight)
— large bin filled with water
— Gloves (get the gloves, see below)

Before you begin:
Fill a large plastic bin with water. You want enough water so you can submerge your entire pumpkin.

spray-paint-marble-pumpkin-1
Spray the first color on top. It will spread out as you spray into a halo shape in the water.
Keep spraying and adding more colors till the surface of the water is totally filled with colors.
pumpkin-spray-paint-last-layer
Once you’ve sprayed the surface, immediately dip your pumpkin.
dip-spray-paint
It takes a little force to push the pumpkin below the water.  It was hard for me to capture on camera, but once your pumpkin is totally dunked, you need to pull it up lifting off the paint from the surface of the water.
spray-paint-reveal
If there’s an area of the pumpkin that you’ve missed, you can dunk it back in and focus on that area. You may layer over top of a. section you’ve already covered, but because this is abstract and random, it’s hard to mess it up!
hand-with-spray-paint
Remember when I said you needed gloves. This is why.  I got the spray paint on my hand and it took a couple days for it totally to be off my hand. There was a lot of hand washing those two days. LOL.

Here’s what it looked like when I set up my blacklight.  I was wanting the neon to really pop and pop it did!  I am looking forward to putting this in my glowing decorations this Halloween!

marbled-blacklight-pumpkin

glow-marbled-pumpkin

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glow-marbled-pumpkin-2

Terrorific Tuesday 2010: Week 3

terrorific tuesday 2010 week 3

It’s another week and another roundup of Terrorific Tuesday! I can’t believe this month has flown by so fast. There’s still time to get your craft on, though, and here’s some projects to inspire and get you in the Halloween spirit!

Use a 2-liter bottle to make a super cute Halloween cupcake dome with Pattiewack!

Glory shows you how to make Creepy Spider Biscuits with spider Halloween stencils and edible color spray!

Make a funky and functional Plaid Skull&Crossbones Skirt with Excell Crafts!

Vanessa and Erin team up to make Awesome Halloween Cookies in a Jar Crafts complete with free easy to download sticker and label printables!

Cheryl Ball shares her beautiful Embroidery Floss Acorns – the perfect fall accent.

Korinne whips up a spectacular Vintage Style Halloween Wreath on her Crafterella blog.

Make Glow in the Dark Jewelry Using Polymer Clay and Rubber Stamps with Kate at the Rubberstamping About.com page!

Learn how to make festive Pom Pom Pumpkins on the Marvelously Messy blog!

Paint a super easy Pumpkin Pin with Ann Butler to accent your fall wardrobe!

Be a hit at the costume contest with this Corpse Bride Costume by the Crafty Chica!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner shows you how to make a Snooki Painted Pumpkin inspired by the popular Jersey Shore Guidette!

Eileen Hull shares a Cute Halloween Bookmark project that will melt your Halloween heart!

Sebastian is faster than a speeding bullet in his Superman Costume featured on the Sew DoggyStyle blog!

Phyllis Dobbs wows us with this festive Spider Apron perfect for Halloween baking!

Silvia shows you how to make a No-Sew Fuzzy Monster Cuff – the perfect craft project for all ages!

That’s it for this week! If you are interested in playing in my fun Terrorific Tuesday roundup, e-mail me at swelldesigner (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll send you the details!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Fun and Funky Halloween Doodle/Star Earrings

halloween earrings

Looking for something a little bigger and bolder to wear this Halloween season? This super simple project is fun and easy to make and a project you might want to whip up for friends too! Here’s how I did it!

Fun and Funky Halloween Doodle/Star Earrings

What you need:
– school folders in Halloween colors (I got mine for only 19¢ at Walmart)
– permanent marker
– pencil
Liquid Fusion Glue
– Scissors
– Round shapes to trace
– Rhinestone stars or other rhinestone shapes
– jump rings
– Earwires
– Pin or needle
– Round-nosed pliers

What you do:
1. Lay out onto your file folder 2 round shapes (I used a small lid and Woodsie shape to trace for mine). Use pencil to trace the shapes onto file folders in alternating colors. Cut out shapes with scissors. Optional idea: Use custom circle punches or a circle cutter to make your shapes.
2. Go around edges of both cutout shapes with permanent marker. Lay shapes on top of each other and determine what design you want to doodle on them. I chose to do stripes and dashes. Once my design was finished, I glued the shapes together with Liquid Fusion Glue.
3. Adorn with star rhinestone or rhinestone of your choice. Glue on with Liquid Fusion glue.
4. Poke hole at top of circles with pin. Open up jump ring and insert into hole. Hook earwire loop onto jump ring and close.

Since this is so fast and easy to do, you may want to make more for charms or to possibly make a long necklace or short choker design. Would make a super cute accessory for your Halloween outfit…esp. if you’d rather look Halloween-y than dress up in a costume!

In honor of my 24 Halloween crafts in 24 hours, I’m giving away a Swell & Spooktastic Halloween prize pack. Click here to check it out and enter!

Check back next hour for another spooktastic Halloween craft!

Alexa

Glitter Boo Banner

boo banner

This is a fun and festive project that I dreamed up while perusing the dollar bin at Michaels! Always keep on the look out for craft surfaces that you can revamp into something totally different and fun! For example, the starburst chipboard shapes above were actually a chipboard notebook, but I envisioned them being perfect as a pretty and sparkly banner instead! Here’s how I did it:

Glitter Boo Banner

What you need:
– chipboard shapes (mine were made from a Crayola chipboard album)
– orange and white acrylic paint
Tulip® 3-D Fashion Paint in Crystal Glitter
– black permanent marker
– 4 feet of 1/2″ black ribbon
– foam brush

What you do:
1. Using foam brush, paint the chipboard shapes alternating in orange adnd white. Let dry.
2. Use permanent marker to draw two stars, write the word BOO, and to doodle around edges of chipboard.
3. Squeeze 3-D paint onto plate and use foam brush to cover fronts of chipboard shapes. Let dry.
4. String ribbon through chipboard shapes and hang from wall, ceiling, or mantel and enjoy!

In honor of my 24 Halloween crafts in 24 hours, I’m giving away a Swell & Spooktastic Halloween prize pack. Click here to check it out and enter!

Check back next hour for another Spooktastic Halloween craft!

Alexa

The Return of Terrorific Tuesday!

terrorific tuesday banner

Well, it’s about that time of year again and I’m excited to announce that Terrorific Tuesday is back this year!

Yes, you still have about a month til we actually start sharing the linky love, but I’m announcing this now so that you can get your Halloween thinking caps on and so that you plan accordingly. I know how hard it is to do a last minute project on the fly, so hopefully this will be a way for you to have a little more time in creating your craft, art, and inspirational projects!

For those who are new to Terrorific Tuesday…here’s the deal: Each week during the month of October, I ask you to post a Halloween project/craft/food craft/anything creative and centering around Halloween on your blog. I then compile all the posts of various participants and make a mini photo mosaic along with the links to each project. I then send you the code for you to insert into your blog on Tuesday, thus why it is called “Terrorific Tuesdays”. This is a way for you to be inspired each and every Tuesday during the month and share in the joy of Halloween creativity!

Still a little confused? Here’s the posts I compiled for each of the weeks last year…

Terrorific Tuesday Week 1
Terrorific Tuesday Week 2
Terrorific Tuesday Week 3
Terrorific Tuesday Week 4

This year, I’m doing things a bit different. I’m compiling a Yahoo group so that it will be easier for me to compile all the entries. Also, I’m asking that everyone who has a project to feature send me their link by Sunday night. This gives me Monday evening to compile all the projects (last year I was up to 2am working on the compilation and it was kinda stressful – hopefully everyone having their links up on Sunday will make things a little less hairy).

I’m not going to any more of the details right now, but if you are interested in participating, please e-mail me at swelldesigner@yahoo.com and I’ll send you an invite to the group. Once on the Yahoo group page, you will see a section called “Files” and I’ve posted “TT Guidelines” on there that further outline what you need to do to participate!

If you are still confused, please e-mail me directly at swelldesigner@yahoo.com and I’ll try to answer any questions you may have! I really hope you decide to participate, even if it is just for one week during the month of October! I can’t wait to see what you have “brewed” up!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Short and Sweet Sunday

Hello all. Not much new in the world of Swell. I did accomplish some much needed errands today (oil change and car wash, two necessary evils). I also went to Joann’s where I made a few purchases:

today's purchases

I didn’t know Jennifer’s book was sold there and when I saw it, I had to take advantage of my 40% off coupon. I can’t believe I actually had on me (so many times I forget them at home or they expire before I can use them!). Back to the book, I like a lot of the techniques and step by steps and I’m sure I will find a lot of inspiration! I also picked up the BH&G “Do it Yourself” mag. There are so many amazing ideas in there! I love BH&G special publications. They always have the best projects and prettiest photos! While I was there, I tried to see if there were any Halloween pubs out yet, but I’m thinking they will be out in the next few weeks or so. The Halloween stuff is already in stores and it’s making me really excited. I have been wanting to get a head start on my crafting and I’m debating on opening a little Halloween Etsy shop since it is my favorite holiday and I think where I do my best crafting. Anyway, I’ll have to get on it if that happens. I did start on some Halloween button rings. See? Not quite done. I’m going to seek out some buttons on Etsy as well. I had a hard time finding unique Halloween-colored ones for my rings.

halloween rings

I also went today to see Funny People. I love Judd Apatow films. They are funny (and incredibly crude), but also have a realness to them that pull at your heartstrings. For me, it’s a nice balance I totally recommend it.

Well, going to settle in for the night…read a bit in my “Saved by the Bell” People magazine, and focus on the day ahead!

Until next time Swellions!

Terrorific Tuesday: Week 4

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This month has flown by as fast as a witch on her broom! Can you believe we’ve completed 4 Terrorific Tuesdays?? Well, unfortunately this is the last Terrorific Tuesday of the year and I’d like to thank everyone who participated and shared their project or idea! Hopefully everyone had some fun and got some good traffic to their site…oh, and I also hope everyone came away from this with some positive inspiration and ideas up their sleeve for the few final days of the holiday and next year too! I wish that all my ideas could come to be by October 31st. I really do try my darndest, but I can’t do it all! I know you guys probably feel that way too! Doing a project a week is a LOT of work. All the designers and artists who participated know this…so for you non-artist or crafter types, this stuff doesn’t magically brew itself up! It’s the result of a dash of time and patience, a pinch of technical know-how, and a handful of creativity! Mix all that in with a whole lot of passion and you’ve got a wonderful brew!

So without further fanfare (and melted cheese), I present to you the fourth and final Terrorific Thursday!

Spooky Jewels Katie Hacker strings this red and black set using a Fresh resin pendant, polka dots, and metal skulls.

Fangtastic figurines Retta a.k.a. Attercat breaks out the polymer clay and whips up some glow-in-the-dark figurines.

Cool canister Serena the Crafty Mom revamps a bargain bin canister into an awesome Halloween decoration!

Gothic Pink Melissa J. Lee explores the spooky side of one of her favorite pastel colors.

“Eye”gor pin cushion Kiki of Kiki’s Craft World knits up this eye-catching pin cushion bracelet.

Stamped paper coffin Kate Pullen, the Rubber Stamping Guide at about.com folds and stamps up this little coffin box that Dracula would envy!

Fun party food ideas Amy at Living Locurto threw a Halloween party and came up with tons of great ideas for the food table including this adorable witch cake!

Double the goodness from Margot! The Impatient Crafter™’s final Terrorific Tuesday offering is a two part story of friendship, Goth Style. Here are links to see Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea and The Invitation.

Spiderman pendant (but not the Spiderman you’re thinking) Kim Ripley a.k.a. Stoopidgerl pours up a glittery sweet skull and crossbones resin necklace.

Quick & easy polka dot treat cups Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner shows you how to make quick and easy Halloween treat cups sure to wow your guests!

3 brand new Halloween jewelry projects! Tammy Powley, the Jewelry Guide at About.com does an all-nighter (almost) as she pushes for a few more Halloween jewelry projects, including a super cool sterling silver spider, a glass framed mixed-media Halloween-themed pendant, and to top it off, a silver headless skeleton charm.

Fast & Fun Halloween Boa Sarah E. White, About.com’s Knitting Guide knits up this super cute boa perfect for those chilly fall nights!

Dia De Los Muertos Cigar Box Shrine Kathy Cano-Murillo a.k.a. The Crafty Chica honors the Day of the Dead with this beautiful shrine.

Happy Haunting Greeting Card Phyllis Dobbs treats us once again with this cute Halloween card, perfect for all your favorite goblins!

Gypsy Traditions Lorilyn Hurley of the Dream Life shares a touching story of her family’s love for Halloween & their passion for playing dress up at their annual party!

Boo Bucket Michelle McGee crafts up a spooky and scary bucket that will leave goose bumps on all your guests!

Vintage Postcard Banner
Kris Tuey aka: the Collage Contessa
has made it official. Now you know exactly what time it is when you walk into her house. It’s HALLOWEEN time! This vintage project using fun Halloween postcards is so simple you can even entice the kids to help as well!

Fall Wall Hanging
Kim of Sew Sugary Sweet
stitches this wonderful and whimsical wall hanging for her Fall Swap partner.

Honestly, this was a lot of work for me to do. I’m not sure at this point if I will do this again next year. I don’t want to say for sure yes, but it’s a possibility. I may try to do a big post around early December as well packed with great Christmas projects, but I’m afraid a project a week for December is just too much for me to coordinate. I’m sure you guys understand! If anyone has suggestions or would like to do the links and I do the graphic, I might be up for that. I just don’t think I can do it all. I’d be open to your suggestions…so e-mail me at swelldesigner@yahoo.com

And in closing, I say farewell to Terrorific Tuesdays and so does my precious little black cat Pixie!

bw-pixie

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Super easy polka dot treat cups

Favorable

Halloween décor and party favors shouldn’t break the bank! I’m always scoping out ways to create quick easy crafts on the cheap and I did just that with this project. These would be perfect for party favors or handing out candy to kids at school or trick or treaters. Also, this is an idea you can take into other seasons as well! Choose red silo cups for Christmas or yellow ones for little Easter favor baskets! Fun and simple!

Super Easy polka dot treat cups

Supplies:
– Silo cups
– Americana Acrylic paint in color of choice
– hole punch
– pipe cleaners in colors of your choice
– tulle in color of choice
– pouncer brush
– paint palette or paper plate

Instructions:
1. Load pouncer brush with paint and dab off excess onto plate or paper towel. Pounce dots all over cups randomly. Let dry.
2. Pounce two holes on opposite sides with hole punch. Insert pipe cleaner through holes and twist to for a secure handle.
3. Wrap small strip of tulle in a bow or knot at top of pipe cleaner.
4. Fill with candy or treats and delight your ghouls and goblins!

Check back tomorrow for the final Terrorific Tuesday roundup! I hope you’ve enjoyed all these little roundups. It’s been a lot of work, but very fun and everyone who has participated seems to have really enjoyed doing it!

Have a happy Monday!

Alexa

Terrorific Tuesday: Week 3

terrorific-tuesday-week-3

Another week has gone in October and you know what that means! It’s Terrorific Tuesday! This week, we are featuring 20! fabulous projects and inspirations! One thing I really wanted to do with this little roundup was get people of all artistic backgrounds and interests inspired, and by the looks of it, that certainly has been achieved!

This roundup features jewelry, scrapbooking, party ideas, knitting, sewing projects, mixed media art, photography, and so much more! And if you’re like me, you probably like to mix it up! I definitely think there’s something to be said about reaching out of your comfort zone and learning or atleast appreciating something new!

So without further ado, I present to you this week’s Terrorific Tuesday Roundup

Furry Monster Bucket Kiki of Kiki’s Craft World shows how to make a clever project that you’ll have to keep an eye on!

Hooty the Hoot Owl Retro Jewelry Set Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter tried her patience making a paper crafted jewelry set for this week’s Terrorific Tuesday.

Mini Pumpkin Quilt Phyllis Dobbs shares a spectacularly whimsical quilt!

Sugary Sweet Skull Coasters Stoopidgerl makes some awesome resin coasters packed with candy, rainbows, and skulls!

Halloween Party Pics/Picks Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield gets nostalgic with cupcake pics inspired by Halloween’s of yesteryear.

Witch’s Hat Pin Tammy Powley of About.com has a super simple witch’s hat pin project for you that is so quick you’ll want to make up lots of these to give to other Halloween witch’s.

Witchy Woman Angela of Angela’s Art Diary gets in the spirit when she puts herself in her own bewitched portrait!

Fairy Witch Frame Lorilyn Hurley of the Dream Life piles on the glitter and vintage charm in this inspired frame.

Spooky and Kooky photos Chris Garris a.k.a. Universal Stopping Point puts his photography skills to the test and creates a set of haunting images to get you inspired.

Halloween Charm Bracelet Jean Yates charms us with this gothic and glam skull bracelet.

Easy Dia de Los Muertos Story Box Kathy Cano-Murillo a.k.a. Craft Chica uses toys, a mini box, and lots of glitter to tell a beautiful tale.

Double Skully Bracelet Melissa J. Lee creates this red and black dazzler strung with double the skull goodness!

Bootiful Belt Buckles Rebecca Hull at HHH Enterprises makes an awesome Halloween accessory out of ordinary belt buckles!

Knitted Ghost Sarah E. White whips up this little ghost, perfect for haunting your house!

Spooky Photoshop Tutorial Amy Locurto of Living Locurto shows you how to create your own Photoshop still life to use on a custom invite!

Pumpkin Scrapbook Pages Michelle McGee scraps up some adorable memories of her little pumpkin!

Wicked Witch Brenda Pinnick’s witch is a bit scary, a bit fun andoh so colorful. She is made using heavy weight watercolor paper and acrylic paint. The paper sculpture techniques bring this gal to life!

Rubber Stamp a Luminary Kate Pullen
shows you how to use your rubber stamps to create a paper bag luminary
for Halloween on her About.com Rubber
Stamping Blog
.

Fall Owl Pillow Kim of Sew Sugary Sweet gives a hoot with this cute owl pillow perfect for fall!

Silhouetted Paper Lanterns Robin of Urban Debris gets super spooky with vintage paper lantern patterns.

And I want to note my little sidekick in swell, Pixie (the ultimate Swellion in my book), and mascot for Terrorific Tuesday was by my side as I arranged and compiled these crafty offerings. Have to give her a shout out! Say hi!

Pixie's ready, are you?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Halloween Cupcake Pics/Picks

halloween cupcake picks

Well, this is my Monday evening post of for my Terrorific Tuesday. Yikes! I always cut it close.

This week, I wanted to create a craft that also helps you remember Halloween’s of the past. Do you have a favorite photo of you, your child, or your friends that you want to remember? Well, it’s super easy to visit memory lane and have a little fun waxing nostalgia with these cupcake picks! They’re super easy to make and something you can whip up in an hour…so let’s get started…

Halloween Cupcake Pics/Picks

Supplies
– Computer with Adobe Photoshop (or comparable photo imaging software)
– Various digital or scanned in photos
– Printer
– Scrapbook papers in various colors
– Glue stick
– tape
– toothpicks
– scissors or circle cutter

Instructions

1. Make a new 8.5″ x 11″ document, now open up your photos. Using circle selection tool, select desired area, and copy and paste into your 8.5″ x 11″ document.

2. Size your circular photos to be approximately 1.5″ in diameter. Once you have them laid up on your page, print out.

3. Using circle cutter or scissors, cut out around photos and set aside.

4. Make larger circles from your scrapbook paper. Now use glue stick to glue photos onto place.

5. Embellish or doodle on if desired.

6. Using tape, tape toothpick to back of image.

If you notice, I used pics of my friends, but I had to use one of me too…it’s not every day that I wear something like this. Ha ha.

witchy cupcake pick

Until next time Swellions!