Oodles of Doodles News! Positive Attitude Month, Organizational Video Tip, Hallowe 'en Mixed-Media Canvas, Boot-a-licious Prop, Gingerbread Treat Box, VooDoo Witch Doll, Stitch Play, Mixed-Media Traits, Wiggle Eye Craft

Hello Fellow Doodlers!

Stick these Martha Stewart Paper Mice Halloween Decorations on stair risers, baseboards, or any spot where they might give unsuspecting passersby a little jump, using Martha's FREE critter PDF template download!

Eeww! Is that a creepy, crawlie Tarantula in a Cloche?

 

This purple, glittered tarantula isn’t too scary, and I think the kids will agree that this is one fun, Halloween craft idea. The Tarantula in a Cloche is another one of Kathleen George’s Halloween cloches made from a two-liter plastic soda bottle. Kathleen’s DIY cloches are one of my favorite, crafty ways to repurpose two-liter plastic soda bottles (check out her Halloween Eyeball Cloche). Add in a super-sized spider, and you have a clever, inexpensive Halloween decoration. Get Sharon's, Coffee and Crafts "cloche" how-to details HERE!

 



MINT OREO WITCHES LEG/BOOTS ~ Don't have the time to bake from scratch "like moi" at Sweetology ... well you supergals, who mean well but haven't the time to bake, here's a NO BAKE Halloween Treats project for you to whip up in no time! Fast and Fancy. Or maybe Fast and Spooky! Just purchase a package of MINT OREO's, some plastic bags and attach some fun witches boots - a template from Paper Crafts!!

Or maybe you'd prefer to create some Witch Shoes party favors using these PDF template downloads (shoe and insole are seperate PDF's) from Hoosier Homemade! Get the photo-by-photo how-to assembly as well!

And you can get a bit more creative, even with your decor, using this FREE Primitive PDF Witch Boot Pattern/Template downloadable by Skull Blossom!

~Positive Attitude Month~

 

Being positive is a choice. It means choosing to look for the good in any given situation, no matter how difficult that may be. Having a positive attitude helps us achieve our goals faster, cope easier with daily life, keeps us healthier, and, in general, makes us feel happier and more content with our lives. October is Positive Attitude Month. This is a good time to take stock of our lives and make the choice to live with a more positive outlook. One way we can help achieve that goal is by using positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are short quotes, sayings, or statements that we can say to ourselves to keep a positive mental attitude, especially in trying situations. For many people, positive affirmations will replace the negative self-talk habit that they may have fallen into. Affirmations can be found in many places: Quotes abound on the Internet, personal "I am..." statements that you come up with yourself, song lyrics, or from the Bible, just to name a few.

Cee Cee's Organizational Video Tip: Metal Dies. Have all your dies in a central place ... Staples Store Mini Binders! Made of ridge plastic with D-ring system. Use sheet protectors and photo magnet sheets (Dollar Store, $1.00 each) and follow this method of setting it all up...

TRICK OR TREAT? Smell My Feet and get something sweet to eat. Halloween, it's such a wonderful holiday season with the fall weather, yummy foods, costumes and fabulous decor!! Guest Post, spooktacular, Design Dazzle thought it would be fun to make an unusual Halloween prop for her decor...so she added witch's feet to a plastic cauldron for a Boot-a-licious Halloween prop. She's trying to decide if she wants this to hold candy for their trick or treaters or display it on the front porch with dry ice and hot water for a spooky effect. Hmm.... [ Link to "Caldron" ]   

It's never too early to think about working on those holiday projects. To get you motivated, here's a Gingerbread Treat Box, using Papertrey Ink's Gingerbread Lane Stamp Set and Gingerbread Lane Die Collection, including a FREEBIE PDF Treat Box Template to use! Is this not a "deal" or what?! Betsy Veldman gives you all the details HERE! Being's I'm a Gingerbread-freak, of course, I had to order it!

 

JUNKER JANE, is one of those sites where you can unleash your imagination to get free and wild! These "monster dolls" are amazing and awesome everyday of the year designs, but they come "into their own" during the Halloween season. VOODOO WITCH, for example, deserves to spend the entire month of October ruling someone's Halloween decor. Go to Jane's blog post for clickable views, and to view her Art Dolls/Soft Sculptures and Etsy Shop!

STITCH PLAY: Bullion Stitch with Cast-On Stitches. Circle-and-spoke elements aren’t always “flowers.” This, for example, is not necessarily a flower. While you can recognize the woven picot daisy as representative of a daisy,  the bullion knot spokes above, alternating with pistol stitch in green, isn’t necessarily recognizable as a specific flower. However, in its circle-and-spoke shape, it can pass as a very stylized flower.

 



5 Essential Mixed-Media Traits. 

 

Often, when I try to explain what I do, some people question me as to what constitutes  “mixed-media art.” When I tell them it means a work of art that uses more than one visual medium, I either get a blank stare or a look that implies I think they are dense. As if to say, “Of course it uses more than one medium, but what does it look like?” Well, that's the trouble with trying to categorize mixed-media art, isn't it? It's outside the box, the rules don't apply, it can be anything you want it to be. Vive l'imagination!

So, I've tried giving examples and lists of materials a mixed-media artist might use to explain it. But that usually doesn't work either. A mixed-media fiber artist might never use paint while a mixed-media collage artist might limit themselves to paper, paint, and encaustic. And what about metal, glue, found objects?

Over the years, I've decided it's the characteristics of the artist that often determine what is mixed-media art more than the techniques or the materials used. So here are five essential ingredients for creating mixed-media art: read more...

  



MyMemories Suite V3 Video Tutorial! 2
One of the most frequently asked questions we get on the FB page and via email is "How do I access and use content I have purchased from other sites in my MMS? Well, here's the *Short and Suite* video tutorial that will walk you through the steps!! Enjoy!

 

Some of the My Memories Hallowe'en Digital Designer Packs available NOW!  

Cee Cee's Creations is a big fan of Hallowe 'en, just not the dressing up part, but likes adding some touches of Hallowe 'en throughout the house. So here is her video how-to on the 1st piece of mixed-media canvas decor she made using the Claudine Hellmuth fabulous Halloween Stamp set...



 

  

OCTOBER 12th is World YARN Day!! Crochet Me Workshop: Design Your Own Crocheted Hat with Robyn Chachula (Video Download now available for $14.95). Designer and author Robyn Chachula walks you through the process of designing your own crocheted hat, whether simple or complex in design. You’ll start by choosing the right yarn for your project, pick out a stitch pattern that is easy to shape, and explore hat fashions, from berets to caps, newsboy brims, slouchy hats, and even a floppy sunhat.  

PLUS, included with this video is a worksheet Robyn uses for her crochet classes that makes designing even easier! And, Robyn has also included two of her popular hat patterns, the Crochet Bobble Beret and Street Smart Hat, both attached to this downloadable video. No matter what your style, Robyn’s guide to crocheting one-of-a-kind hats will improve your crochet design skills and leave you with original accessories to cap off your wardrobe.
 

EEK! Make this Halloween Eyebal Bouquet. It's Wiggle Eye Craft Week! The Eyeball Bouquet, a perfect gift-giving or Halloween decoration. To create, use balls of STYROFOAM Brand foam balls, wiggle eyes of any size, shape or type, and chenille stems (found at your local Dollar Tree Store). This is a fun and cheap Halloween project ... Crafts 'n Coffee says to, "go ahead - "harvest" a garden full!"

Paper Wishes SPECIAL Halloween Webisode! Come meet the newest Designer Gail Booth as she and Paulette Jarvey unfold all the goodies for this webisode special. You're in for a Spooktacular treat!



MIXED-MEDIA TAG TUTORIAL - Coloring Your Modeling Paste to use with any stencil type to give any project so that you'll achieve gorgeous color, dimension, and texture!
 

 

 

 Echo Park Paper Co. FREE PROJECT DOWNLOAD ...

"This & That Christmas" Stocking by Tamara Tripodi

Die cut a stocking shape from patterned paper and embellishment with elements from the "This & That Christmas" collection. Create one for each member of the family or create several for friends and family.
Degree of Difficulty: Advanced
Project (in PDF format) includes:
* Photos (including detail shots) of the project
* Step-by-step instructions
* A complete supply list
Project requires paper and embellishment materials purchased from your favorite local or online scrapbooking retailer. This project can only be downloaded twice from the website so be sure to save the pdf file to your desktop to ensure you have it saved on your computer

 

ECHO PARK PAPERS! Chillingsworth Manor Printer's Tray.