Halloween Tag Swap Banner

Halloween will be here before we know it. My family looks forward each year to decorating the house for this festive day. My husband hand makes yarn spider webs that hang from our front porch and he and my son hang purple and orange lights to help welcome the little trick or treaters. I have never been one to like scary decorations, but I do love the cute ones. I was thrilled to be asked to participate in a Halloween Tag Swap hosted by the talented Elizabeth of Creative Breathing. There were nine ladies that participated--one for each letter in the word HALLOWEEN. We were to decorate nine tags with our assigned letter and return all the tags to Elizabeth. She put them together into one banner and returned the completed banner to each lady. I knew this Halloween decoration would be more then cute---boy was I right. First I will show you my tag and how I created it. Then I will show you close up photos of all of the amazing others. I was assigned to be one of the "L"s. That was the first step in my tag creating--designing the letter. Because I am having so much fun with my Cricut machine I decided to complete this project with her help :) Using the cartridge "A Child's Year" I cut three solid scalloped ovals--two from a patterned paper and one from a a thick piece of cardstock. The last scalloped oval is cut to include the chosen letter. Adhere the ovals together sandwich style using the plain piece of cardstock as a base. This will give the letter strength to stand without bending. Just a little tip**** When cutting the oval for the back flip the paper over with patterned side down on mat. This will allow the ovals to align properly. The next step was to cut all my little witches using the same cartridge.

Punch a border---add some stitching---

a little ribbon, some bling and there you have it .......

And now for a close up of the completed banner and the individual tags....

Elizabeth--Creative Breathing

Julie--A Vintage Chic

Lisa--Always Home

Sandy--521 Lake Street

Joyce--Scrap for Joy

Betty--She's so Pretty

Paula--Paula's Palace of Altered Art

Vivian--Viv out on a Whim

If you get a chance to stop by the blogs of these amazingly talented ladies I know you will not be disappointed. It is a privilege to have a piece of art created by each one of them.

The Candy Man Can

Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two
The Candy Man, oh the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

The Candy Man makes everything he bakes satisfying and delicious
Now you talk about your childhood wishes, you can even eat the dishes

Oh, who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream
The Candy Man, oh the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

The Candy Man makes everything he bakes satisfying and delicious
Talk about your childhood wishes, you can even eat the dishes

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream

Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good
Yes, the Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

*****A fun project created with my Cricut (mini monsters cartridge) for Drew's mommy. She is a teacher and will be using these candies in a classroom project :)

A Saturday in Autumn

A beautiful Saturday in October---sunshine, blue skies, chilly temperatures, and time spent with those I love. The day started early, no time for morning paper and coffee. I grabbed an X-large cup from the local Sheetz and headed off to cheer for Emma in her soccer game. I have not seen the girls in several weeks and I was sure missing them. Emma's birthday is today--she is 6 years old. Happy Birthday sweet girl!!! I pulled in the parking lot and Kate came running. After lots of hugs and kisses I realized how much she had grown. I am less than a head taller than her now. I have said it before and I will say it again--time sure has a way of flying by. Emma was great in her game. It was such fun to watch all of the kids. Both teams really played hard. After the game we headed for the little town where with girls live. It was Apple Fest Days. To me there is nothing like a small town Autumn festival. The girls are holding cookies that we bought from this most adorable bakery called the Sweet House. This bakery is filled the yummiest sweets and all of that vintage charm that I love. I wanted to take pictures of the inside but it was much to crowded. I will be visiting again real soon so I will have to take pictures then to share with you. How do I know that I will be returning soon you ask?........because I am addicted to the wonderful potato chip cookies that I purchased. My Grandmother used to make these for me when I was a little girl and it brought back so many memories. If you have never tried a potato chip cookie take my word for it they are delicious. There is nothing like festival food---hot dogs, hot sausage, chicken on a stick, steak hoagies and french fries dripping with ketchup.
On the way home from the festival I convinced my son that I needed to stop at Nancy's garage sale. "I will just be one minute. " I said as I hurried up the driveway. Nancy smiled when she saw me and said she had something that she knew I would love. My heart nearly skipped a beat when she opened an old heating pad box. This is not at all what I expected to find inside...
It seems that Nancy's mother used to make and sell jewelry when Nancy was a little girl. That box was filled with supplies and finished pieces. When she opened the lid I actually gasped. She said "I knew you would love it"
There are lots of little pieces just waiting to be completed with these beautiful crystals.

I have never tried my hand at jewelery making before, but I am so excited to give it a try. If any of you have any suggestions on what glue to use or any other tips I would love to hear from you.

After being gone for the majority of the day, the dogs were so excited when I finally arrived home. They were so full of energy they were getting themselves into trouble. The day was still so beautiful I decided to visit the local park and let Sassy and Mabel play in the off lead dog park.

The beauty of the day, surrounded by loved ones---what a perfect way to spend a Saturday in Autumn!!!

Halloween Arrives at Dandelion Wishes

I have to admit that over the past few months I have been very neglectful of my Esty shop. It has been sitting there empty just waiting for me to fill it with fun things created in my studio. I love the fall season and all it has to offer. I thought now would be good time to create and fill my etsy shop once again. Sooo Halloween has officially arrived at Dandelion Wishes. I wanted to share with you all just a few of the items that I have recently listed.

First these fun little soldered charms.

These little treat boxes were such fun to make. The perfect thing to put all of those Halloween surprises and goodies in. This last item I made using my Cricut. The adorable little witch silhouette was cut using the cartridge called "A Child's Year". This cartridge is one of my very favorites. There are so many sweet images and so many creative possibilities.

Well I am on a roll now.....so I am off to create. I hope to list a few more Halloween items within the next few days. Thanks for taking a peek :)