This Halloween mask is so quick and easy to make.  Make one for a Halloween party or just to wear when opening the door for trick-or-treating.  Make masks for the kids and let them help or make their own.

I bought a pack of 3 plain white masks (very cheap – $2) at a craft store this week.  I used green spray paint to cover the mask, then used a black Sharpie to draw the features.  This is where you or the kids can get really creative in painting the mask since Sharpies and spray paint come in lots of colors.  After everything dried, I cut the black hair from stiff felt and glued it to the back.  I cut the lips out of bright pink felt, and cut 2 tabs on the top edges.  I glued the tabs behind the mask so that the lips would dangle down.  After punching holes in the side edges, I tried some of my regular earrings but decided they weren’t chunky enough.  I made some with large beads.  If you don’t want dangling earrings, you can use large O rings to make hoop earrings.

Let your imagination be your guide to making your mask.  Go through your stash (or junk drawer) and find fun things to decorate your mask. You can make it as fun, spooky or scary as you like and you can be sure it will be an original one-of-a-kind.

Happy Haunting,

Phyllis

Spooky Spider House
Silvia creates a miniature haunted house that is spooky and oh-so fun!

Witchy Embroidered Postcard
Sharron Westerfield brews up a whimsical witch postcard

The Impatient Crafter
Vintage plastic owls become the focal point of a charming necklace you can wear for Halloween and all year round!

Pumpkin and cat felt treat bag
Phyllis Dobbs’ felt bag that can also be made as a wall hanging or door hanger

Cheryl Ball’s Halloween Door Hangers
Create these door hangers from inexpensive gloves for Trick of Treaters

My Big Mouth
Make a creepy wire tree just in time for Halloween!

Mel’s Day of the Dead Necklace
Linked chain, skulls and spiderwebs for Dia de los Muertos

Crafty Chica’s Matchbook Shrines
Adorable little folding shrines that fit in your pocket!

Paper Pumpkin
Make a plump paper pumpkin from some strips of paper plus a little Halloween craftiness!

Polymer Clay Zombie
Candace’s diabolical plan to populate the world with zombies continues!

The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate
Make a retro style styrofoam ornament into a fab Halloween Party centerpiece! Madge shows you how using iLoveToCreate products!

How to Make a Spooky Spice Rack
Come make a spooky spice rack with Crafterella, she’s sharing her unique labels with everyone!

Halloween Treat Tote
Conjure up a quick Halloween cupcake basket using new ScoreBoard dies!

Brenda Pinnick’s Halloween Banner
A little scary, a little fun, this delightful banner celebrates all things Halloween. Made using Brenda Pinnick Sizzix dies, glitter and ribbon.

Creepy Candlesticks
Pattie Wack turns mini pumpkins into a boo-tiful Halloween lighting idea!

Strands of Beads
Melissa explores the holiday possibilities in a black and white checkered bead

Glow in the Dork Wall Hanging
Turn off the lights and have a laugh with this goofy wall hanging from Alexa Westerfield!

Picture Perfect Pumpkin
Vanessa Coppola turns a traditional pumpkin into a decopauged masterpiece!

Halloween!! Yes, its almost here and my candy is already bought (if I can just keep from eating it!)  To celebrate Halloween, I designed this pumpkin and cat combo using felt and  a few embellishments.  Its quick and easy to make and can be made as either a  treat bag, wall hanging or a door hanger.

Click for the free pattern and instructions to download.

Happy haunting!

Phyllis

Enchant your kids with a whimsy locker caddy to hold their “stuff” or a whimsy notebook cover with a large pocket on the cover.  You can easily sew both of these using the free patterns on the Today’s Creative Home Arts website.

Think how fun it will be for kids to have this completely useful locker caddy hanging in their locker.  I designed it with various size pockets to hold their school supplies and other treasures.  Plus, think how neat and organized their lockers will be – oh well, one can only hope!

The locker caddy and notebook cover are more projects that I designed  using the “It’s A Dog’s Life” fabric collection I designed for Quilting Treasures.  I love sewing with these fabrics and seeing the projects come to life with personality plus! Of course, you might say I’m a little prejudiced toward the fabrics, but they still make me smile.

Using this free pattern for a notebook cover, you can cover a drab notebook.  The large pocket on the front will hold those little extra items that might be needed for class.  Again, another little step to keep them organized

I hope that you enjoy these patterns.  I would love to see a picture of your project made with them, along with the smile of the lucky recipient!

Happy Sewing!

Phyllis

I just finished the pattern and instructions for this free apron pattern available for you to download.  I am showing 2 aprons in different color combinations with different accent embellishments.  Both aprons are accented with large dog block pockets on the top part of the apron.  One apron has an additional small pocket and the other is appliqued with a bird and dog bones. The aprons are easy to make and can be completed in 2-3 hours tops.

The fabrics that the aprons are made with are the Its a Dog’s Life collection that I designed for Quilting Treasures by Cranston Printworks.

I just love aprons and am delighted that they are so popular.  I remember when my grandmother and aunts wore aprons daily and seeing all the aprons now brings back wonderful fond memories.

For products to coordinate with “It’s A Dog’s Life fabrics, please visit my Zazzle store.

I hope you enjoy the patterns and sew away.  I would love to see a picture of your finished apron.

“Bone” appetit!

Phyllis

I have created a free pattern for you to make this tote bag.  I designed it with my fabric collection “It’s a Dog’s Life” for Quilting Treasures by Cranston Printworks.  As you can see, the fabric collection features very whimsical dogs and will generate plenty of smiles.  The tote is easy to make and can be finished in a couple of hours. The tote has large pockets on each side made with different dog blocks. The bag is lightly quilted with stipple quilting.

Enjoy! And I would love to see a photo of any totes that you make with this pattern.

Phyllis

I can’t believe that May is just about here.  I’ve had my design hat on the past several months and I think being totally focused on work makes time fly by even faster.  I’ve read that when you are in your “right brain” mode, you are unaware of practical things like time.

I just received a copy ot the May/June issue of Today’s Creataive Home Arts magazine which contained some of the fruits of my labor.  A collection of kitchen sewing and quilting items are featured in the magazine using the Meow Meow cat fabrics that I designed for Quilting Treasures.

The projects are an apron, quilted potholder, quilted placemat, quilted chairback and cafe curtains with full instructions for each. Also, a cat carrier is featured as a bonus design that can be downloaded from the Home Arts website – kitty not included.  Ok, I know I have focused on this fabric lately, but I’m going to the dogs shortly with my newest fabric collection. 

I love this site.  On Tipnuts.com you can find tips on everything you need on this one site – recipes, cleaning, instructions, patterns……… This site has links for cooking, DIY and craft, sewing, quilting, household tips, etc.  Its a great site to put in your favorites, or do like I did and sign up to receive their latest tips, projects and creative ideas.

Hummm, I just watched a video on this site that tells how to make dusting easier.  I hate dusting so I’m going to try some of these tips as they will save the time I spend on doing something I dislike.  Now, I just have to pencil in some dusting time on my calendar.

And I want to thank Tipnuts.com for posting a link to my free apron pattern here on my blog.

I know you will love Tipnuts.com as much as I do.

Phyllis

This month has flown by as fast as a witch on her broom! Can you believe that Halloween is almost here?? Well, unfortunately this is the last Terrorific Tuesday of the year, so whip out that glue gun and scissors and get to work on one of these great ideas that will be sure to delight ghosts and goblins of all ages!

Spooky Jewels Katie Hacker strings this red and black set using a Fresh resin pendant, polka dots, and metal skulls.

Fangtastic figurines Retta a.k.a. Attercat breaks out the polymer clay and whips up some glow-in-the-dark figurines.

Cool canister Serena the Crafty Mom revamps a bargain bin canister into an awesome Halloween decoration!

Gothic Pink Melissa J. Lee explores the spooky side of one of her favorite pastel colors.

“Eye”gor pin cushion Kiki of Kiki’s Craft World knits up this eye-catching pin cushion bracelet.

Stamped paper coffin Kate Pullen, the Rubber Stamping Guide at about.com folds and stamps up this little coffin box that Dracula would envy!

Fun party food ideas Amy at Living Locurto threw a Halloween party and came up with tons of great ideas for the food table including this adorable witch cake!

Double the goodness from Margot! The Impatient Crafter™’s final Terrorific Tuesday offering is a two part story of friendship, Goth Style. Here are links to see Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea and The Invitation.

Spiderman pendant (but not the Spiderman you’re thinking) Kim Ripley a.k.a. Stoopidgerl pours up a glittery sweet skull and crossbones resin necklace.

Quick & easy polka dot treat cups Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner shows you how to make quick and easy Halloween treat cups sure to wow your guests!

3 brand new Halloween jewelry projects! Tammy Powley, the Jewelry Guide at About.com does an all-nighter (almost) as she pushes for a few more Halloween jewelry projects, including a super cool sterling silver spider, a glass framed mixed-media Halloween-themed pendant, and to top it off, a silver headless skeleton charm.

Fast & Fun Halloween Boa Sarah E. White, About.com’s Knitting Guide knits up this super cute boa perfect for those chilly fall nights!

Dia De Los Muertos Cigar Box Shrine Kathy Cano-Murillo a.k.a. The Crafty Chica honors the Day of the Dead with this beautiful shrine.

Happy Haunting Greeting Card Phyllis Dobbs treats us once again with this cute Halloween card, perfect for all your favorite goblins!

Gypsy Traditions Lorilyn Hurley of the Dream Life shares a touching story of her family’s love for Halloween & their passion for playing dress up at their annual party!

More spooky pendants Rebecca Hull for HHH Enterprises does it again with these ultra fabulous pendants!

Boo Bucket Michelle McGee crafts up a spooky and scary bucket that will leave goose bumps on all your guests!

Vintage Postcard Banner
Kris Tuey aka: the Collage Contessa has made it official. Now you know exactly what time it is when you walk into her house. It’s HALLOWEEN time! This vintage project using fun Halloween postcards is so simple you can even entice the kids to help as well!

Fall Wall Hanging
Kim of Sew Sugary Sweet stitches this wonderful and whimsical wall hanging for her Fall Swap partner.

Another week has gone in October and you know what that means! It’s Terrorific Tuesday! This week, we are featuring 20! fabulous projects and inspirations! This roundup features jewelry, scrapbooking, party ideas, knitting, sewing projects, mixed media art, photography, and so much more! So sit a spell (or cast one) and enjoy this hearty helping of haunting Halloween projects!

Furry Monster Bucket Kiki of Kiki’s Craft World shows how to make a clever project that you’ll have to keep an eye on!

Hooty the Hoot Owl Retro Jewelry Set Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter tried her patience making a paper crafted jewelry set for this week’s Terrorific Tuesday.

Mini Pumpkin Quilt Phyllis Dobbs shares a spectacularly whimsical quilt!

Sugary Sweet Skull Coasters Stoopidgerl makes some awesome resin coasters packed with candy, rainbows, and skulls!

Halloween Party Pics/Picks Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield gets nostalgic with cupcake pics inspired by Halloween’s of yesteryear.

Witch?s Hat Pin Tammy Powley of About.com has a super simple witch?s hat pin project for you that is so quick you?ll want to make up lots of these to give to other Halloween witch?s.

Witchy Woman Angela of Angela?s Art Diary gets in the spirit when she puts herself in her own bewitched portrait!

Fairy Witch Frame Lorilyn Hurley of the Dream Life piles on the glitter and vintage charm in this inspired frame.

Spooky and Kooky photos Chris Garris a.k.a. Universal Stopping point puts his photography skills to the test and creates a set of haunting images to get you inspired.

Halloween Charm Bracelet Jean Yates charms us with this gothic and glam skull bracelet.

Easy Dia de Los Muertos Story Box Kathy Cano-Murillo a.k.a. Craft Chica uses toys, a mini box, and lots of glitter to tell a beautiful tale.

Double Skully Bracelet Melissa J. Lee creates this red and black dazzler strung with double the skull goodness!

Bootiful Belt Buckles Rebecca Hull at HHH Enterprises makes an awesome Halloween accessory out of ordinary belt buckles!

Knitted Ghost Sarah E. White whips up this little ghost, perfect for haunting your house!

Spooky Photoshop Tutorial Amy Locurto of Living Locurto shows you how to create your own Photoshop still life to use on a custom invite!

Pumpkin Scrapbook Pages Michelle McGee scraps up some adorable memories of her little pumpkin!

Wicked Witch Brenda Pinnick’s witch is a bit scary, a bit fun andoh so colorful. She is made using heavy weight watercolor paper and acrylic paint. The paper sculpture techniques bring this gal to life!

Rubber Stamp a Luminary Kate Pullen
shows you how to use your rubber stamps to create a paper bag luminary
for Halloween on her About.com Rubber
Stamping Blog.

Fall Owl Pillow Kim of Sew Sugary Sweet gives a hoot with this cute owl pillow perfect for fall!

Silhouetted Paper Lanterns Robin of Urban Debris gets super spooky with vintage paper lantern patterns.