Halloween in Olde Towne

Halloween is a pretty big deal in Olde Towne. Here is how my evening went last night.

This is Jack and his mom. Jack is 5 months old. We just met last night. They were making the rounds early. Jack was fascinated with watching Herby playing guitar up on the porch. I couldn't get his attention. His mom is proud of him; can you tell? I can see why. He is awful cute.












The kids started showing up right at 6:00, just as dusk was settling.
These are the houses directly across the street from us.







The neighbors' houses. That's our house on the far right. I love that the neighborhood goes all out for this kind of thing. It's starting to get darker.












Scarry Jack-O-Lantern, huh?












This house is just on the corner. It was used for the exterior shot of an old local TV show called "Dr. Madblood" who showed bad horror movies. It's actually a pretty nice house but there are some creepy elements to it.












Did I tell you we get a lot of Trick-or-Treaters? We do. Hundreds. I always run out of candy no matter how much I buy. But it's okay because these kids get a LOT of candy. The houses are close together and they can rack up a lot of sugar very quickly.












This is the 3rd floor of my house. I got this idea from Martha Stewart. In case you can't tell by this really bad picture there is a witch on the left and a ghost on the right. Silhouettes on some orange gel paper. It's about 40 feet up so this is the best I could do.














Anyway, this was our Halloween this year. Hope you enjoyed your night.

Madison's Halloween Card

I have never claimed to be an artist but I enjoy drawing. This is a card I drew for Madison for Halloween. It is a loose (very loose) depiction of her in her costume. This was the inspiration for the drawing. Can you see the little bit of tulle I added - just to give dimension.
I put it in the mail yesterday so I am hoping she gets it today because today is Halloween.
Happy Halloween, my little princess fairy butterly!

Pale Pink Outfit

I modeled this outfit from a picture in a Japanese sewing magazine. I added just a few sequins for added sparkle. Ribbon ties at the shoulder have little heart beads; and the legs also have ribbon trim.

It is made from soft soft cotton.

Patchwork Set for a Little Girl

I made this outfit for a couple of reasons. I wanted to use up some fabric scraps and I also wanted to experiment with a pattern. I used some pretty floral prints, some stripes and a pretty watercolor-looking solid pink. Ruffles and patchwork waistband added to the shorts.

The Tutu

I made this tutu for Madison.

It was supposed to be part of her Halloween costume along with some purchased fairy wings and a tiara that I made. (I forgot to take a picture of the tiara.)
She did not like the fairy wings. But I was glad she liked the tutu. Getting a picture of her was difficult. She likes to run the loop through my house - through the parlor, the dining room, the kitchen then down the long hallway back through the parlor, the dining, room, the kitchen, down the hall,....you get the idea.
So I got this picture of her on the run. Cute.

Carter's Onesie and Yoyo Dog

You may remember the little yoyo dog I posted about a couple of days ago.

I bought a onesie to go with it and appliqued the letter "C" in matching fabric to go with it. This set is for Carter, my son-in-law's sister's baby boy. I hope he will like it. He'll grow out of the onesie quickly but I hope he keeps the little yoyo dog I made for him for a long time. Cute, eh?

Marie-Therese Gown Giveaway

Check out this gown that Grosgrain is giving away! Madison's too little to wear it this year - but next year...! Beautiful! Wouldn't Grammie be her favorite if she showed up with this beauty for dress up play. See more pictures here. Marie-Therese Gown Giveaway.

Amazing Paper Cut

Elsa Mora, aka Elsita, has a new blog, All About Papercutting, devoted to her amazing paper cuts. This is just one example of the intricate work she does. From what I have read on her other blog, Elsita, also amazing, she doesn't draw a pattern first. She just cuts what she thinks in her head.
She is one of my favorite artists and one of my favorite bloggers.
Enjoy!

You Are Soooooo Nice

To everyone who has left a comment on my blog: You are so nice!
I found this via Hope Tree Studio's blog. Made me laugh!

Yoyo Puppy Dog Softie

I made this little yoyo puppy dog softie for my son-in-law's sister. She has a brand new baby boy and I thought this would be perfect. 8 yoyos sewn together. I embroidered the ears and nose so there would be no loose buttons to swallow. I also triple stitched on the tail and ears. I'm also going to personalize a t shirt or a onesie to go with the puppy so it will be a set. I hope he likes it.

My Daughter on TV

Alison was one of the guests asked to appear on "What Matters", a local public television show.

The show was about undecided voters. This is a bad picture taken with my Treo on the set of the show (she is the one on the left). The show will air October 31 on WHRO and will be available for download later (okay I work at WHRO, so now you know). She did a great job! She was articulate and composed and spoke her mind. (Proud mama!)

Christmas Love

Here is a detail of some clay hearts I made. I didn't use a template or a punch so they are each hand-formed. These could be used on packages or hung on a tree. I like the white-on-white look with just a dash of glitter for added sparkle. I may make more...!
Do you like?

Baby's Felt Big Little Book

This is a little book I made out of felt for Madison.
I got the idea from a Japanese craft book. There are also two other pages but you get the idea. It was fun to make and I hope she will like it.

Just a Spoonful of My Paper Crane

My Paper Crane is a great blog and one I love to visit.
This is the first in her series of fictional heroines...Mary Poppins. She just makes me smile. You know I love dolls anyway and who doesn't love Mary Poppins? In fact, I think she's supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. (...sorry, couldn't resist).

Felt Thanksgiving Turkey Card

Here's another project you can do with your kids. This one is a Thanksgiving card made with punches. This one came from The Creative Closet. There are also some other clever and easy ideas here. I only have 2 punches to my name, but I get the idea...

Paper Halloween Wreath

Scrumdilly-Do put this paper Halloween wreath together with her kids. It's just paper, paint, glue and cardboard and looks super easy. Great for something to do with your kids. For the complete how-to, click here.

Happy Birthday, Alison!

My beautiful daughter turned 23 today. I have tons of pictures of her but this is the first one I came across and I really love it. It was taken on her daughter's (my precious Madison) first birthday and you can just see the joy in her eyes as she shares opening presents with Maddie. I love you my sweet, sweet Alison...Happy Birthday, darling girl! I am so proud of you.

Make Your Own Powder Puff

Here's a great idea from The Natural Beauty. You can use various ingredients and scents, whatever appeals to you. You'll find more information on how to make the powder from Emmy on The Natural Beauty web site. Here's how to make the puff:

To make your own powder puff you'll need the following supplies:

• 1 8" x 8" swatch of plain Cotton, Terrycloth, or Bamboo Fabric
• 1 8" x 8" swatch of Fleece or another fuzzy textured Fabric
• 1 6" - 8" long piece of Ribbon
• Cotton or Synthetic Batting

Creating a powder puff is easy. Simply follow the simple sewing instructions below:

• Trace a 6 inch circle onto both pieces of Fabric, then cut them out.
• Sandwich the Ribbon between the two circles and stitch most of the way around the outer edges, leaving about an inch of the circle open.
• Turn the circle inside out and stuff it with batting.
• Using a slip stitch, close the opening on the puff.

Thanks to Emmy for the great idea.

How to Make a Skeleton Mummy Doll

Another great Halloween idea. The Small Object has instructions on how to make this little guy. Have fun!

Paper Pumpkin Ornaments

I thought these paper pumpkin ornaments were kind of cool and look easy to make.

Found at Hostess with the Mostest blog.