Designer Craft Connection October Edition - Fall/Halloween Ideas

Here we are the first Monday of a new month - time for more ideas.  This time around it's a fairly easy decoration to celebrate the lovely Fall season.

I have found that I now like to decorate more for the season than a specific holiday, especially at this time of the year.  There is something about the colors and motifs of Autumn that I really like.  My kids still love to decorate for Halloween and I enjoy helping them with ideas for their own homes.

Sharing a fairly simple swag to hang during this time of the year. I purchased the precut leaves from Michael's.  Each collection of oak and maple leaves came in four colors.  Some of the leaves were glittered and some plain. I used a tool from Makins' Clay to make and impression in the foam leaves as veins.  Punch a small hole into the stems of the set of leaves.  Thread some raffia through the hole and knot; then tie to a base cord.
Then a strip of torn fabric was tied around the stems (just below the knotted raffia). Continue adding the sets of leaves for any desired length needed.  This swag has finished with a set of three leaves on each end.

I have three great spots in the house to display such swags or banners and enjoy creating new ones for each spot and each season.

Please take the time to hop along through the blogs for some ideas. Follow the "button" at top right to follow through.

On Saturday October 13th, there will be a challenge that will include 12 designers with ideas using Makin's Clay.  Just a little information - this is a air dry clay that is fun and easy to work with.  The is a "give away" once again.  See this photo of the prize package worth just over $100.00.  To have the chance to enter and win, go to the Makin's Clay Blog and leave a comment. Link:http://makinsclayblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/makins-clay-blog-hop-contest.html

Hope you will come back to see the ideas from the challenge.

Seasons, Home & Holidays

"The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other."  - Arthur Rubenstein

The summer season is upon us once again.  We had a little tease a few months back which caused so much of nature to be fooled into plants blooming much earlier then usual.  The weather sure can be fickle!

Now we are approaching the first "holiday" of the summer season.  We celebrate Memorial Day on the last week-end of May, instead of it's true date of May 30th, and it will be here in a few days.  Where or where do these days go?  Didn't we just celebrate Easter?

With the beautiful weather this past week-end I decided to do a little annual summer planting.  The plan this season is to keep it easy to take care of.  I do enjoy visiting Garden Centers and Nurseries to see all the wonderful plants and look for the unusual or interesting.  I may ask the family to help me dig up a small area near the garage to plant a hydrangea.  I have come to love the new varieties there are.  Some favorites I planted are a new very vibrant petunia, Superbells (love the colors these come in), Sweet Potato Vine and African Daisies (love the shades of these too).

        "Be like a flower and turn your face to the sun."  -  Kahlil Gibran

With all three summer holidays being very "American"  I put together a quick banner to hang from the porch railing.  Took several flags off sticks and glued them to a cotton cord and then added gold foil stars for a homemade "All-American" easy decoration. 

Had to come up with another idea for a banner to hang above the fireplace.  Again I pulled out my trusty Sizzix Big Shot and dies, some paper punches and a bunch of scraps to create a banner for my 

"Home Sweet Home"!

Materials:
Variety of paper scraps
Sizzix Big Shot
Sizzix Dies: Original Pocket, Rectangles, Round A Bout Alphabet, Over the edge "On the Fence", Mini Paper Rosettes, Tiny Tabs & Tags
McGill Paper Punch, Mini Flowers
EK Success Leaf Punch
EK Heart Punch
Mini Rick-Rack
Beacon Adhesive Zip Dry Glue
Ranger Stickles
Ranger Distress Paint-Picket Fence

Here is a link to the post from last summer with another banner idea:
http://madelinesthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/06/junes-designer-craft-connection-red.html
This will be going back up for the summer to replace the "butterfly & flower" garland in another spot.

Decorating For Spring

The calendar says March, our clocks "sprung ahead" this week-end, the tiny crocus' bulbs that poked through the earth, during a warm spell, weeks ago are now blooming.  (How can anyone not smile when you see these little blooms?)  I guess it's time to THINK SPRING!

Sharing a quick post of a new decoration I made the other day for this new Season.

I purchased a package of Creatology™ white butterflies at Michael's, using one of the coupons in their flyer, plus a forsythia garland that was also on sale.  To cover the butterflies, I used an iron-on material to back scraps of fabrics.  Ironed the fabrics onto the shapes and trimmed them.  Baby rick-rack was glued around the edges of each shape. Half of a gold tinsel stem was pushed through holes punched at the top of the butterfly and shaped into antenna. I made up a pattern for the body and head and cut them from felt scraps, then glued to the center of each butterfly. Using fabric paint, eyes are dotted on the head.  To add a little sparkle, I brushed each with a glitter glue.  The final step was to thread a clear monofilament at the top to hang the butterflies from the garland.  A very simple decoration to make and add some "springtime" to you house.

I will be heading outside for a little walk after this, to take in the sun and warmer weather that has arrived the past few days.  On returning, it's time to bring out the other spring decorations.  I also will be starting a new "banner" project for the mantle that I hope to share with everyone next week.

Hope there are signs of Spring where you live!