Fall Luminaires

Our front steps are not lit very well.  So, on each Halloween night, I like to find ways to keep them safe for the Trick-or-Treaters.  A couple of years ago, not having planned ahead, I just lined up a few flash lights and called it good. That didn't work very well, as some of the little-tyke Trick-or-Treaters grabbed a flashlight for their travels...  Last year, I used large canning jars filled with candy corn and tea lights.   I made them early and kept them inside for a few weeks -smelled yummy!  This year, I wanted to see what would be the more festive!  The inspiration idea came from My Chic Life and her Boooo-minaries. I wish I would have thought of that name!




Here are all 4 that I experimented with~  Each has a submersible LED tea light

1.  Cold water, orange food coloring. (1/2 drop red, if you can, to about 30 yellow drops.)
2.  Cold water, neon green food coloring.
3.  Orange Glow Stick bracelet.

4.  Neon yellow Glow Stick tube, bend to activate, cut open and drizzle into the jar.

I was in the back yard, so they are lined up on the deck steps.  They will actually be placed on the front steps and walkway, where the porch light will be on.  I am looking more for atmosphere here, and a little hint that you are going up a step.  The jars without water were the brightest,  but the least interesting.


Orange colored water

It is more orange than this picture shows.  Just take a look at the first pic, #1.

I like the green best.  It looks murky here -a good effect to know about -but it won't last.  It looks better clear, but I accidentally added warm water when I was topping it up and didn't want to wait for it to cool.  I was figuring all this out while I was cooking dinner!  You know how it is!

No water in this one.  The fabulous LED light took all of the glow away from the stick.  This would not do the trick at all.

No water in this one either.  I cut off the end of a green/yellow glow stick and emptied it into the jar, rolling the jar around to coat the inside.  I had not thought about cutting the stick open, and when I saw it here, it seemed like something fun to try.  [It worked really well for Christina -not so well for me.  Even when I took the LED light out.]

My favorite is the green.  Which one do you like?  I think I will try purple too -like the Booo-minaries!

Update:  Well, sort of.  I actually just saw a really fun Halloween Luminaire project.  Less of the "glitzy-spooky" I was going for, and more of the goofy-fun type.  You really need to go take a look.  After, that is, you spend a bunch of time looking around here.  I know you really can't help yourself.  I can tell.  Go take a look at Condo Blues' Solar Milk Jugs. Tell Lisa that I sent you! :)

Partying at:

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Crafty Scrappy Happy

~Shelly

Magazine Inspired Halloween Tags

You pick up a magazine because it has a fun cover, and teases you with yet another article about freeing yourself of clutter -then what happens?  The cover happens to be your favorite part of the magazine!  I am sure I liked the inside too, but to tell you the truth -I cannot remember much about the articles.  Well, except that to make cake balls, you actually scrap the cake with a fork and mush it all up between your palms to form a ball.  Might have been some icing mixed in there too -not sure.

This is what happens when the cover is more fun:

You cut it out, and use it!  For what?  I thought you would never ask.  To make tags, of course!

Take a bit of Elmer's glue & water, scissors, jar of water w/paintbrush, Polished Pigments "Pure Mica" from Lumin Arte, a good movie, and you are all set.  Mix the glue & water (start with about 1/3 glue to 2/3 water) and add in the powdered pigment to a consistency that you desire.  Desire, you didn't know that this was a sexy project too -did you? 

Here are the tags that I came up with:

Can you tell where my pages came from?  What "type" of book?  (Answer is at the bottom -unless I forget to tell you by the time I get to that bit!)

 

Most of the backs just had my paint mixture on them.  This one has a bit of book page on it.  Later I added Halloween themed ribbons to them, before I used them for Thank You's.

All in a row~

Wish I had kept one for myself -I could use it to keep my place in a very scary book....

Linking up to:
Halloween Haunt: Dream Home DIY
Get Your Craft On
Show Me What Ya Got 
Make it Yours Day
Idea Sharing Wednesday
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Crafty Scrappy Happy

Answer:  An Almanac.

Have a fantastic day, and thanks so much for stopping by!!
~Shelly

10 Minute Owl Decor

Oh say, some of you may possibly have viewed yesterday's posting by the Graphics Fairy.  But just a few -she's not really that well known.  So, you probably do not know about her Brag Monday either.  :)
GF mentioned Suzanne's of WhyCuzICan, BOO to You Project, created with the above owl image.  It is very cool, sheet music and all!  Inspiration found.

I decided to give it a quick try on some scrapbook paper.  Although I do have several pads of paper, I could only find one at the moment, I think the paper suits Mr. Owl very well!  If you look closely at the image, you can see that a couple of the dots landed in his eyes -not a look I was going for.  And, since I could not find my mini punch either - I used the Martha Stewart Lady Bug punch to punch out solid green circles to cover the brown dots.  You do not really notice the cover up as you walk by.  Some will say it is an intended effect, I will go along with that.

I started out with a wooden silver frame and rubbed on some black craft paint, wiping off the excess.  Easy stuff.

Embellish with a few bats, and that's it!

Please excuse the poor lighting.  The lights caused too much glare.  And there is not a single ray of natural lighting to be found in today's sky!

Need some more owl inspiration?  How about popping over to visit Cute Polish and find out how to create an owl that you can take with you everywhere and that matches my paper! 

Remember to stop by the on-going Holiday Sweet Swap.  I will be co-hosting in November!

Linking up to:  Debbiedoos & Graphics Fairy

Thanks for stopping bye~
See you soon!
~Shelly