Sep 30, 2011

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like "BOO-time" Everywhere You Go!

A Boo-Doodles Hi!

Once again, it's almost that wonderfully witching time of year - Halloween! Never has Halloween been more popular than it is today. What used to be primarily a night for kids to dress up in elaborate costumes and ring neighborhood doorbells for treats has turned into a big-time party event.

Today, adults are hosting more and more Halloween parties for the kids and having just as much fun as the youngsters. They are going all out to make indoor celebrations big events for little ghosts and goblins, with spooky decorations, fun costumes and yummy treats. So much fun!

To help ease some of your planning ideas I thought I'd share something I came across the other day. Bird's Party Magazine has a Halloween Special of Spooktacular Parties! Stunning seasonal ideas and birthday inspiration from renowned designers, events stylists and party bloggers! 

Glad so many of you left comments about the freebie Christmas images offered in my last blog, I appreciate your thank you's and sentiments and would really love to see what you've created (attach it to that blog entry whenever you've created something so others can see too)!
BUT! Here's THREE MORE images that I'm offering for a limited time only as freebie's!!

 

Over at Crissy's Crafts {fresh and easy crafts on a budget} she shows you her HAUNTED HOUSE cut-out design made out of poster board. Now I'm a "foamboard-addict" and this has given me another idea-way to re-create something similar! Thanks Crissy!


Spider by Kathy Shaw
 Kathy Shaw's gorgeous beaded spider ... scroll down the blog page to her spider collection photo's offered on Etsy (you may need to join her site in order to get access to her studio).

Christmas Spider Legend
On Christmas eve, a long time ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year... Christmas day, the day on which the little Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner on the ceiling. They had fled to the farthest corner of the attic.
The Christmas tree was beautifully decorated. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the little Christ child's visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get a closer look.
When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of their hiding place. When they neared the Christmas tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it. The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things.
The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the little Christ child came to bless the house, he was dismayed! He loved the little spiders for they were God's creatures, but he knew the mother, who had worked so hard to make everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the spiders had done.
With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Christ child reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to sparkle and shine! They had all turned into sparkling, shimmering silver and gold.
According to legend, ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their Christmas trees. It has also become a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the Christmas tree.

        

A TIRED SOAP PUMP HOLIDAY PROJECT IDEA: If you're tired of looking at the same old soap pump and are looking for a replacement soap pump, check out this Mod Podge Soap Pump Tutorial from Victoria Lavertu, which will show you how to create cheerful liquid soap dispenser pumps, perfect for a bathroom pump soap dispenser.


Materials: 
A soap pump that's ugly/outdated/out of season
Mod Podge
Sponge brush
Scrapbooking paper
Scissors or cutter
Pencil/marking utensil
Ribbon or embellishment of your choice
Hot glue gun


Instructions:
1. Measure to see how much of the pump you want covered. Measure up to where the sticker goes, and measure around it. 2. Cut your piece of paper to the measured size. 3. Pull out your Mod Podge and apply it to where you need covered. 4. Carefully place your paper onto the soap pump on the appropriate spot. Smooth the paper as well as you can. 5. Apply the Mod Podge over the paper. 6. Let dry and reapply another coat. 7. Once it's dry, you can embellish as you wish. 8. For the ribbon, line it up along the top and the bottom, and hot glue it on.
ARTIST: Deena Ziegler



Transform your candles into something more stylish. All it takes is a few decorative touches and you! Sizzix Texture Impressions, many of them on sale, make creating for the home a snap!  







I know some of you out there 'crochet' and like me you're always looking for gift-giving patterns that are quick and easily made up. For birthday's, but the Holidays especially, I love to give a 'container' of some sort of papercrafted boxey thing that I've designed, as a gift that includes the 'YUMMY' bath & body products AVON has with a little something I've crocheted included! Here's a BATH BUDDY MITT crochet pattern I always use and you may want to too! I don't add the floppy ears or facial details. It uses Lily Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn, and I've crocheted it using the nylon netting 6" wide strips pre-cuts (with and without the cotton yarn-instructions below) for an all-over-body sluffing.

Lily Sugar'n Cream yarn (or just yarn) and NYLON NETTING Scrubbies: Crafters are making a handy kind of dish or body scrubber, called scrubbies, using yarn and nylon netting, which they then give as gifts, sell to others or use in their own homes. Instead of buying dishcloths and scrubbers, make your own scrubbies. If you crochet, you can easily combine yarn and nylon netting to make a supply of scrubbies.
Difficulty:
Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need

  • 1 yard nylon netting
  • Butterfly clips
  • Scissors
  • 1 ball worsted-weight yarn
  • Crochet hooks, size G and K
  • Fold the netting lengthwise until you have a narrow length of material. Clip the netting, using your butterfly clips. Space the clips about three inches apart, then cut the folded netting so each piece is two and 1/2 inches wide. Roll each piece of netting into a ball. Then, as you are ready to add a new ball, tie the end of the new ball to the end you have crocheted.
  • Put one ball of the netting you cut earlier together with your yarn, matching the ends.
  • Crochet a foundation chain of 15 chain stitches, using your K crochet hook. The 15th chain is your turning chain. Turn your work.
  • Make one chain stitch and begin crocheting one single crochet (SC), starting with the second chain from your hook. Make one SC into each chain stitch to the end of the row for row 1. Crochet one turning chain and turn your work.
  • Repeat row 1, adding new nylon netting strips as you use up a strip. One scrubbie should take four strips of nylon netting.
  • Tuck in the loose end of the final strip using your G crochet hook after fastening off.

Diane :0)
Vist my newly designed Dizzy Designs Store where I'll be offering Avon deals, specials, and many of the things that I create! Although I'm still working on most of it, just click on the tabs, I'm constantly trying to add items as I get them done ... if they don'rt sell to my friends and neighbors before I do!
2011 (c) DZ Doodles Digital Stamps and DZ Doodles Doohikey Designs. All rights reserved. Any third party products, brands or trademarks listed above are the sole property of their respective owner. No affiliation or endorsement is intended or implied.

Sep 20, 2011

Paper Craft Like A Kid Again and Three Christmas FREEBIES!

Hi Doodlers!
Back-to-school is a time when you want to get out your own scissors, paper and glue to paper craft like a kid again, because there's no reason to stop now that you're an adult! What with the season changing and the autumn days on their way, the fall season offers so many opportunities to decorate with papr crafts, including harvest festivals, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and the approaching winter holidays!


The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle's Slice and Bake Candy Corn Cookies includes her recipe and how-to recreate your own batch ... put them into a Dollar Store bought glass jar which makes the perfect Halloween treat-gift!

Crafts 'n Coffee has some unique and "oh so cute" styrofoam Halloween Pumpkins with Personality Plus! that I know you'll enjoy recreating, or be inspired to creat your own images! Step-by-step instructions link is also included.
  

  DARICE CRAFTING PRODUCTS - Styrofoam & Dylite Items

Since we're on the 'baking' subject for Halloween here is a DZ Doodles Digi limited time freebie's offer for those batches of Christmas Cookies you'll be creating! We'd love seeing what you can create with these images!

 

And our Rosalien created these adoreable cards from some of the Christmas Collection images!
  






P.S. Help CRAFTSY keep a kid warm this winter!

Diane :0)
Shop My Avon eBrochure Free Direct Delivery with your $10 order. Enter AUTUMN2011 code by 9/23/11 midnight at checkout! Visit my Avon Blog to see the list of fantastic BUY NOW and SAVE's that I've found!
2011 (c) DZ Doodles Rubber Stamps and DZ Doodles Doohikey Designs. All rights reserved. Any third party products, brands or trademarks listed above are the sole property of their respective owner. No affiliation or endorsement is intended or implied.


Sep 14, 2011

DZ Doodles Goes Rubber Laser Cut Clings!

Hello Doodlers!
Dear me, "WOW"! Ever so often I browse a sites policies and have found sites that proclaim a "zero tolerance policy" in regards to "sharing" copyright materials; some have gone so far as to state that if you are caught sharing files and there's solid proof, you are instantly banned AND FACE THE POSSIBILITY of having your username, email address and IP address on a "blacklist" shared amoungest other digital community owners.

I know sharing and "pirating" is inevitable in the digital world, but, I'm not policing buyer's friends and families (and the list most likely goes on and on) to make sure that they bought it, or shared it. And if I have to have a "nasty" policy statement, a Blacklist threat about the consequences, then I need to move on into a different route of making them available ... which leads me to announce my decision to go rubber laser cut clings with the majority of my image designs. But the real reason for the change is that I am finally able to take the route that I wanted to in the beginning! Plus I miss "stamping"! There will be more details as soon as everything is ready to go.

ORGANIZE IDEA! This is one of those ideas that you say to yourself  "why didn't I think of that". Over at Rock It Like June Cleaver she's got a great monthly CHORE CHART creation which is not only a tangible way for children to remember what they need to do each day (throughout the month) it would be a fantastic hands-on crafter's planner too! Just think, no more excuses because you'll remember those "projects you've gotta do", events you want to attend, special occassion cards you need to create (ahead of time!), and so much more!


I save a variety of this 'n that's for re-purposing purposes. Most of the time I haven't a clue for their use, but it looks-like something I need to hold onto. Family (especially) ask all the time, "Why do you have so much of ______ ... what are you using it for"?! I tell them that I don't know (or try to fake that I do), but as usual I'm thankful that I did when a time comes that I come across a project idea that a re-purpose piece of my collection can be substituted.

I collect "back boards" from my art tablets and found one large enough to make my project version of the Chore Chart shown above; 18-3/8" Long (18.375) x 23-5/8" Wide (23.625). This board is 1/16-inch thick and sturdy enough to take abuse. I began determing my layout by first figuring square sizes for each day of the week verses a calendar's 5-rows of the week for the month. After drawing my 1/4"-border around all of the sides and adding a 1-inch wide  "day's of the week strip" on top, from inside that space, each pocket size came to 3-1/2" Long (3.50) x 3" Wide (3.00). This left me a side panel size of 18-3/8" Long x 2-1/8" Wide strip to use for my 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" month squares that are held in place with velcro, making them easily interchangeable each month. You'll have to wait to see my finished project because I'm still trying to find time to finish it.

Occassionally I'll collect a jar that various products come in if they've got some shape or design that I like. I've found that sauce jars are cleverly shaped once you remove their labels and some are really cute! I especially like the ones that have the glass embedded measurements on the side of the jar. Never knew what I was going to use them for other than gifting with cookie mixture or soup ingredients and a recipe card attached. On the other hand, I've been wanting to do 'something' creative and decorative to have an herb garden in my kitchen. Stacy's blog 'Not Just a Housewife' article, MASON JAR WALL PLANTER design is 'just the idea' I was looking for! Thanks Stacy for sharing and I thought I'd share it with you too!



 I have to invest in this system ... it's just too 'organized'!
The Scrap Rack Organization Product




Halloween's going to be here sooner than you think and here are some 'just too cute' ideas that I stumbled upon and had to share with you ... I just love both of them!

Gotta have these cup cakes to go with the shoes below!

How to make recycled Halloween 'witch shoes' featured over at the blog Craft Test Dummies. Ladies, wouldn't these be great to wear to work on Halloween?! :0) It gives everyone "just a 'hint' about your after hour plans".






C20/Brochure ... Avon's Best Offers Ever! SHOP MY BROCHURE ONLINE HERE!.


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I want to take this time to mention that I've decided to sell Avon and want to thank you ahead of time for your support. Visit my Avon website and shop online 24/7! Within no time your delivery will be at your door! :0) I've listed just some of the great deals that Campaign 20 Brochure has to offer. Last date to order from this brochure is Sept. 26th, 2011!

I just got my order of the watches listed below and they are JUST GORGEOUS! You won't be disappointed ... I love them all!



YOU'LL HATE YOURSELF FOR PASSING UP
THIS GREAT "STOCKING STUFFER" SAVINGS!
BUY ONE and GET ONE FOR $5.00
 
MY ABSOLUTE "FAVORITE" BATHING PRODUCTS!!!!
I dare you ... I double dare you, to try it at this price, BUY ONE and GET ONE FREE
 and not fall in love with it too!

HALLOWEEN'S CUTEST TREAT SEEKER "PETE"
Buy Now and Save $19.99

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE
WARM BRIE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
                                     
     

Thanks for stopping by!

Diane
2011 (c) DZ Doodles Rubber Stamps and DZ Doodles Doohikey Designs. All rights reserved. Any third party products, brands or trademarks listed above are the sole property of their respective owner. No affiliation or endorsement is intended or implied.

Sep 11, 2011

Box Within a Box and Mechanical Skeleton

Hello Doodlers!
With summer coming to a close and the first of fall breezes in the air - it's time to start thinking about making those autumn holiday projects. Halloween and Thanksgiving in particular. But, I also want to take this time to mention that our project challenges will eventually resume and many of the other activities Valerie always has planned, as soon as family medical issues get resolved and she's able to get back-on-track again with her crafting! We hope it will be soon ... so, please give her a shout-out of encouraging wishes and prayer's to help her and hubby get through this challenging time (to your right, just under Google Translate where it says, LETS CHIT-CHAT/Pop up my CBox, click on that to bring a drop down menu to type your message onto). Just so you know, I'm trying to hold down the fort!

Here's a freebie Box-In-a-Box Doohikey Design Template ... I just love the ability to make it itty bitty or as large as my program paper print-out can create it! No matter how you size it, both template pieces fit into one another. We're excited to see what you come up with in your project ideas using this template, so please attach a photo of your finished project to this post ASAP! NOTE: To acquire image, click on line image shown to enlarge. Right click your mouse on enlarged image and in drop down menu "SAVE AS" to your computer's digi folder. If you prefer not to have the "score lines" I print out varying template sizes using posterboard pieces [cut 8-1/2" x 11" to fit into my printer] and draw around each using a pencil, which is easily eraseable.


It's now that time of the year where the holidays begin with a fun and sweet event. Halloween is the start and I love bringing out my Dizzy Doodles Mechanical Skeleton Design to cut out in plenty of time for you to have fun creating projects ... this freebie is available for a limited time only! Simply print-out your desired size, cut out between soild and broken line, attach skeletal pieces usinging itty-bitty brads or eyelets. NOTE: To acquire image, click on line drawing image to enlarge. Right click your mouse on enlarged image and in drop menu 'Save As' to your computers digi folder.

I love one-of-a-kind photo frames  especially as a gift and to give and Heidi Brochers Cool2Craft Network has a Photo Frame video that shows a vintage technique, the look of embossing, using Aleene's Tacky glue! She also shows how a "taped nozzle" helps create fine glue lines! It never dawned on me to do this, but now I know. :0)

Are you thinking of gifts for a crafter's birthday, for the holiday's, the 'Santa' gift for Christmas? This 4 Post easy-to-use Ribbon Carousel  is compact, and uses less than 7-square inches on a crafter's workspace. A great value with minimal assembly! I've gotta get myself at least two! Also available, is a large selection of ribbon and the original "Bow Easy" making template which makes gorgeous bows for your projects in seconds!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
A DELECTIBLE DELIGHT and CONTAINER TOO! I'd like to say that I DON'T purposely buy these plastic container's just for their re-purposing use, but instead, because they are filled with lucious strawberries ... you do have to admit that they make great containers for storing just about anything small enough to collect in them; easily stackable and see-thru too!

Online Editor of Clothe, Paper, Scissors, Studio Magazine's WE CAN RELATE, IN OUR OWN WAY is an inspirational web article about your favorite studio organization or decor tips now that crafters are about to embark on the "heavy-duty" project months of the year. Even I found that although I have a bedroom as my studio it still could use some improvement on its layout and organization!

Find thousands of projects to help inspire your next crafty creation at CRAFTSY! There's amazing deals on crafting tools and supplies, get advice from renowned craft experts and enjoy popular online courses ... show off your favorite projects too!

You've got to see this ~SOUTH PARK WELCOME SIGN~ 

Remember those 'Memory' games as a kid? Not sure what you would define as 'challenging' but there's something charming about its simplicity. So, over at EAT-DRINK-CHIC Amy Moss created a bit of cute fun by re-creating the game with a slight twist. Amy calls them, Popsicle Memory Game by replacing the 'cards' with paper posicles. Sooo cute! Scroll down to the end of the article and pick up the freebie 'in color' pre-designed popsicle PDF file. And don't forget to read beneath that the How to Play Rules refresher (tee-hee). I'm adding this game project to my gift's for the kids list!

August 7th blog post introduced you via video to the Pop/Soda Can Die Cut Flowers. If you haven't the time for collecting cans and cutting them (machine and die cut expense) then let me help ease your want and desire to create projects with them. While quantities last, by that I mean as long as you show an interest in buying them, I've packaged and making available the SU FLOWER, Daisies #2 Pop/Soda Can Cuts. Each package contains 3/3-piece sets (3-small (1-1/2"), 3-medium (2-1/4"), 3-large (3-1/4") at $4.49 which includes shipping for each (no shipping discount on quantity purchases). Visit Dizzy Designs Store TAB!

DIZZY DESIGNS DOOHIKEY MUG-O-MINE CREATIONS ARE 'BUY NOW' AVAILABLE TOO! I will be adding a variety of numerous items throughout the coming months that I've been creating and making available as BUY NOW'S! Hope you will check-it-out under the 'TAB' above called, DZD Doohikey Designs Store

Diane ;0)
2011 (c) DZ Doodles Rubber Stamps and DZ Doodles Doohikey Designs. All rights reserved. Any third party products, brands or trademarks listed above are the sole property of their respective owner. No affiliation or endorsement is intended or implied.