Big GIVEAWAY and discount offered in this here blog post...keep reading for your chance to win! Hello, Goblins and Ghouls...I'm super stoked to share with you my Monster Mash Halloween Tree! I was recently given this amazing Candy Corn Tree from Treetopia and tasked with coming up with a theme to not only decorate it...but create the ornaments for the tree as well. For the creation of the decorations, I reached out to my friends at Activa Products for some of my favorite sculpting supplies. I'll be sharing one of my favorite creations here in this blog post, the Spooky Scary Skeletons! But first...my tree!
I received my tree from Treetopia lightening fast. I was surprised when I unpacked it just how big, full and bright it is. I absolutely love this big ole candy corn tree. I will say, I was a little overwhelmed at first: how was I going to decorate this tree? It already looked fabulous enough as it was. Here's a peek at my unboxing of the beast:
Super easy to assemble and such a full tree! I love that I don't have bald spots in my tree.
Back to decorating...I was like, HOW?! But then I got to thinking: I've always loved the classic Universal Studios horror movies like Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frank, The Mummy...you name it. With that in mind, when Monster Mash came on while I was playing Halloween music in my art room, I knew THAT had to be my theme. So, Monster Mash Halloween Tree it was!
Nothing says a dance party like some disco balls, amirite?!
Over the next couple of days, I'll be sharing with you a TON of Halloweenie How-to's as I show you how I created nearly every bit of spooky decoration on this tree. Today, I thought I'd share how I created these Eye-Popping Spooky Scary Skeletons!
Here's your list of supplies: * A plastic skull. I found mine at a local craft store...but right now, you can find a plastic skull just about everywhere. * Aluminum foil. I like the cheap stuff from the Dollar Tree because it comes in precut sheets that are the perfect size. * Rigid Wrap Plaster Strips. I love plaster strips because they dry so fast! I used them in the making of the eyeballs. * Cheesecloth. Check the cooking/baking section of your grocery store. * Liquid Starch. Sta-Flo is my go to. Mostly because I want that to be my rapper name. Sta-Flo Stephens. * Acrylic Paint and Paint Brushes.
Once you learn the magic of liquid starch and cheesecloth, you are gonna be like me and go crazy covering everything in it! You can see that's just what I did here to create ole Frank.
Be sure and stay tuned right here and my YouTube channel as I share all of these Halloween DIYs with y'all!
Like these silly chatter mouth teeth...
And more monsters from the mash like The Mummy...who I find to be the most frightening part of my tree.
Or maybe it's Dracula trying to bite through the caution tape! By the way, you can find out how to create these eye-popping ornaments here:
I have always loved decorating for Halloween but this tree just took it to another spooktackular level. You can find my Top Ten Fall Crafts here for more ideas.
But now that I've shown you around my tree and shared a couple DIY's with you, let's talk about that give away, shall we?
Treetopia is allowing me to giveaway a $150 Gift Card to their online store! That's right, I'm super excited about this one...if you've not explored their site, then you must. They have so many trees to offer with my current favorite being the Candy Corn tree, obviously. However, next on my faves: THEIR RAINBOW TREE, what?! How perfect would that be in an art room, right?!
Here's how you can enter to win: 1. Comment. Leave a comment below and share your favorite horror movie of all time. More importantly: leave your FULL NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS as well. 2. Follow. If you are on Instagram, follow me here and Treetopia here! If you are not on IG but on FB, then you can find me here and Treetopia there. That's it! I'll let all y'all know this Friday, October 13th who the lucky winner is!
If you don't win...or if you just cannot wait to purchase something from Treetopia right now, they are offering a 15% off discount! Just use the coupon code: TTHWDIYQ17C. This offer is only good from today, October 9th through the 27th.
What an exciting giveaway and discount, right?! I am itching to get myself another Halloween tree. That black and white stripe one is calling my name, y'all!
But I'm pretty sure the neighbors have enough to say about one Halloween tree...best not start adding more.
By the way, if you create any of your own skulls and eyeballs, please make sure to share with me be tagging me in your preferred social media outlet. I'd love to see what you create.
Stay tuned for many more Halloween How-to's...my list of spooky DIY's grows daily. October just isn't long enough for me.
Or my eye-poppingly handsome friends.
Too much? Eh, never! Let it all hang out, Gus!
I even have plans to make a variation on these guys...but we'll see if I have time this year to tackle that craft.
Be sure to enter to win that giveaway, y'all, it's a good one! I'll let you know the winner this Friday!
True Confessions: I have decorating-phobia. I know, it seems kinda strange, the art teacher who takes wild and wacky fashion risks has a fear of hanging a single thing on the wall, but it's true. I am fully aware that my taste level is questionable, at best. The beauty of fashion is that you can take off that rainbow wig, those cat eye glasses, fish net tights, faux fox stole and that telephone print dress (you think I'm making that outfit up? Get yourself here) and try again tomorrow. With decorating tho...well, things are a little bit more permanent. I guess that means I have a fear of commitment. Don't tell my hubs.
So when Regency Shop, a modern design retailer out of Los Angeles, contacted me and asked if I'd like to review their Nelson clock, I readily agreed. I flippin' adore anything mid-century mod and, after taking one look at that clock, I fell in love. The problem was: where was I going to put it? Most of my house is decorated to the point where I'mkindahappy (is it just me or is decorating a continuous work-in-progress? WHEN WILL IT EVER END.) However, we do have a spare room that sits over our garage which the real estate lady called a "bonus room". Over the last seven years, I have referred to it as "the bogus room", "that room the cat likes to vomit in", and "that space where I occasionally attempt to exercise". This past summer, it became "the book-writing room" and, having spent months creating in this open space, I realized I really enjoyed being in the bonus room. What I didn't love was the look of the place. But I had no idea what to do about it or where to start.
When I got the Nelson clock in the mail, I was immediately smitten. It put me in the mind of Mary Blair and the Disney ride she designed It's a Small World. The painting I created inspired by Blair was one of the few things I'd actually got around to hanging. I decided to pair the two pieces together and see how that worked.
Just seeing this clock and thinking of Disney makes me smile!
As soon as the clock was hung above the painting, I was inspired! I started pulling out all of my favorite thrift and estate sale picks from over the years and playing around.
One thing I always struggle with when decorating is a color palette. I know you need one...but I love ALL THE COLORS. As strange as it may sound, that clock helped keep me in line. I used the burnt orange, black, gold, shades of sky blue and avocado green as my guide. It really helped me decide what worked (according to my wacky vision) and what didn't.
After putting together this wall, I decided to create a gallery wall along the stairway. I've always wanted to make one and I had stacked of framed works of art ready to go...but, again, decorating phobia stopped me.
I was so inspired by how well my wall had come together, I thought, what the heck!
Again, I used the colors in the clock as my guide. Those amazing molas and the basket were thrift store finds, if you can believe that. The prints are REAL and signed Charley Harper prints which I got a decade ago when a print shop was going out of business. In the stacks of matte board they gave me, I discovered these signed prints. I had no idea what they were until years later. The wall sconces are from Anthropologie's sale room (do they have any other rooms in that place? Because my wallet says they don't) and the LOVE signs are from my friend Bebo.
This is the view from the stairs. I spent a whole lotta hours at that table this summer, working in air dry clay, writing and snapping photos (I'll keep you posted on dates for the book as we get closer, eep!). I purchased an extra large foldable table a year ago as an inexpensive and expansive work space. I love to cover my work surface in oil cloth because it's happy and easy to clean. By the way, did I mention that I like color? And prints. Love me some pattern-y goodness.
This area was given an update as well. When my husband and I first bought our house, our main priority was to pay the house off. (My hubs is very monetarily minded. True Story: the day I met him in the computer lab where I taught, he asked me two questions. One, "do you have a boyfriend?" and two, "do you have any college debt?") That meant very little cash was left for much else. For that reason, almost everything in our house is from the thrift store, a discount joint (we love Big Lots) or homemade. That ottoman on wheels? I made that with some lumber, foam, wheels and IKEA fabric.
Of course, anything we do spend cashola on has to be Asha-colored since it's sure to become covered in cat hair. When we went furniture shopping, the hubs carried around a tuft of Asha hair to make sure that it would match. I can't even make this stuff up.
One decorating phobia I DON'T have: overdecorating for Christmas. I just can't stop!
Storage in a craft room is a big deal, as y'all know. I love using this vintage sewing box for my paint stash. Also, that chest of drawers is filled with art makin' supplies.
Our bonus room has a wet bar which is never used. In fact, we filled the wine area with our books!
Y'all don't even know how happy this room now makes me. I still have a couple more projects I want to do to make this room feel complete but, for now, it's in a really happy place, I think.
Thanks to this guy. By the way, the clock operates with a single AA battery. The white base is metal and rock solid. The entire clock feels heavy and solid, not flimsy or fragile. I'm in love.
And so thrilled with my new space. Just had to share with y'all! Happy Thanksgiving if you are stateside and have a wonderful week!
