Creepy Halloween Jars - Quick and Easy!

Last week my daughter's copy of Ranger Rick arrived in the mail.  We were both excited to see this project in the magazine.

Instead of putting this project in the to do someday file (I have too many projects that my kids and I did not get to already that my grandchildren will be very busy) we did it over the weekend.

You know that person that has just an assortment of odds and ends that will help you complete any project - that is me!  First, we went to the junk room (not what my husband calls it but I don't want to put those words on my blog) where we picked out eight jars of different sizes and shapes.  Next, we used Goo Gone to get rid of all of the sticker residue.  This was the most time consuming part of the project.  Really - where do the manufacturers think the labels are going?  Then we printed out the jar labels.  We had to resize some of the labels to fit our jars.  The oldest daughter took all the jar lids out in the garage to spray paint them black, while the other two and I worked on adhering the labels to our jars using my Xyron. Lastly, we filled the jars.

The magazine had some great suggestions for filling the jars but we changed a few.  For bullfrog blood we used the juice from a jar of maraschino cherries, for the venom some canola oil, for the fur of werewolf some very fuzzy brown yarn that we cut and pulled apart, for the eyes of fish some white beads with black dots from a Sharpie floating in water colored blue and for the rat intestines some yellow and white yarn that had been finger knit three years ago that was just waiting for a project to be included in.  We are still on the hunt for some walnuts in the shell for the crocodile brains.

We put it right out for decoration when were done just adding a little spider web to complete the look.

This was a quick and fun project that we all enjoyed doing - and the best part is we did it instead of putting in the to do pile.

Technique of the Week: Scraps!

Scraps!  As any crafting knows (no matter type of crafting you do) there is always scraps left over when you complete a project.  Deciding what to do with scraps can be a challenge - especially deciding to save them or not.  If we do not save them it seems like you could use them on your next project and if we do save them they never get used.

This 3"x3" card was made from all scraps with the exception of the card base.  This was quick and easy to put together and you can change it for a variety of occasions but best of all if used scraps!

Technique of the Week: Making your sentiment fit your card

Many times the size of the stamp that I want to use on my card does not fit the size of the card I am making.  One way to get around this problem is to layer the sentiment on a few layers to fill the space that you feel is necessary.  This card design will work well other sentiments. 

Technique of the Week: Photopolymer Stamps

When I saw the Calling All Heroes stamp set, I knew it was something that my family would have loads of fun creating with.  All of us (including my husband) have our favorite superhero.  I designed this one to be what I would look like if I was a superhero. 

One of the best things about this set, is that you can see where you are stamping.  The stamps are clear (you need to use them with clear blocks).  Stamping the faces or the letters is quick and easy when you can see exactly where you are stamping.

40th Birthday Gift

Recently, one of our very good family friends celebrated his 40th birthday and our family surprised him with this gift.  He just happens to be our local orchestra conductor (in addition to many other things).  We filled this jar with "Joel's Top 40 - 40 songs that remind us of you".  This songs encompassed just about every music genre.

Each juke box label had a song, artist and a message.  One example we used was: “William Tell Overture” by Rossini – for making watching the orchestra fun.  The labels can be found on this page.

This gift can be easily modified for any type of birthday and of course the jar is decorated with Stampin' Up products.

 

Technique of the week: Inspiration

Where do you find inspiration?  I find it just about every place that I look (my list of project ideas is long enough for a few lifetimes.  This card was inspired from page 139 of the new Stampin' Up Catlaog.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the samples displayed in the catalog.

Technique of the Week: Little touches add a lot!

Many times when I am working on a project, I forget that little accents can have a big impact.  The group of three small punches with rhinestones adds a touch of color and dimension to this card.