Halloween Costume In Progress

Can you guess what he will be? Do you think he is excited?

Ahhhhh ... I love making Halloween costumes.

More Rainbow Loom Creations

Last week I shared some of the bracelets we've made with the Rainbow Loom.  Here are some of the other creations we've made.

An octopus.

A snake.

A little fish and a shark.

A dragonfly.

They are so fun to make ... but your fingers will get sore. Thanks for stopping by!

Crafty with Rainbow Loom

Are you familiar with Rainbow Loom?

Do the interlocking designs amaze you?

Do you have little rubber bands all over your floor like I do?

Several months ago I became aware of rubber band bracelets and the Rainbow Loom.  I keep hearing from different people how HUGE the Rainbow Loom is right now, although I haven't really seen evidence of this first hand. I do know that a couple of first graders are into it (mine included), and I know that there are lots of videos available that show you how to make different things. TONS of videos. And a lot of those are made by kids. I love it!

When we made our first bracelets, even the very simplest design fascinated me. Now we have made even more complex creations and I'm starting to understand how it all works. I was surprised that boys, and even men, are into this stuff. I think it is because of the mechanics of it. It really is fascinating how you can take these individual loops and make them form something solid.

Simple Bracelets

 

 More Advanced Bracelets

Rings

I think part of this Rainbow Loom craze is the challenge to invent a new bracelet that no one else has made. So, we're working on that.  Now, I think I'll go look for rubber bands to pick up off the floor. There are always more that you missed. Thanks for stopping by!

Handmade Bird Nest Necklaces

I recently got several fellow preschool moms together to make some bird nest necklaces to give to the teachers, as a show of appreciation for all the work they do.  I got the idea from a tutorial by Sarah Ortega. Would you like to see the necklaces we made?  They were easy and fun to make.

I was even able to make a couple for myself, and here was my favorite.  I put it on a chain I already had.  After finishing it, I wore it for several days straight.  I just couldn't be parted from it.  And I felt like a million bucks wearing it.  I felt like a one-of-a-kind, just like my necklace.

I think I want to go put it on right now.  I love this necklace. 

This post was inspired by Modern June: Project Love Thyself and represents a chance at winning $50 to her shop.  Woo Hoo! Here's hoping I'll be the lucky one:)

My very own spider skirt, finally

A few days ago I blogged about becoming a Halloween party animal.  This is my first step.  Many years ago, probably before Miller was born (maybe even before I was married!), I saw a great idea for Halloween fashion in the Martha Stewart catalog.  I ripped out the page and put it in my Craft Idea Binder.  Here's the page from my binder.  I refer to the really cool spider skirt.

I think about that skirt every Halloween, and I have finally taken action.  I picked up supplies a few weeks back and have been sewing the last couple of days.  Want to see?

Did you notice the seam across the front - it runs right above the spider?  I made a terrible mistake of assuming my 60-inch tape measure was one yard long (my logic being that everything is measured in yards, so naturally my tape measure must be one yard long).  I grossly underestimated the amount of fabric I would need.  But resourceful as I am, I was able to piece together the fabric to create a panel big enough for the back of the skirt ... which accidentally ended up being the front.  But I thought the seam was so cute anyway, I'm glad it worked out that way.  I will wear a simple black shirt with my skirt, just like in the catalog.  I'll take Miller trick-or-treating in style this year.

As far as the details of the project ... I used an A-line skirt I already had as the "pattern" and just added length to it.  The spider web is thin black rick rack.  The spider body is craft felt.  The eyes are Swarovski crystals.  I don't know if it is washable with all that black trim, but since it will only be worn for a couple of hours each year, I'm not too worried.

This was the first time I have used my sewing machine in five years, but overall the project went smoothly, despite the shortage of fabric.  A needle may or may not have been broken, but I had a great time creating my skirt ... the spider skirt that I have daydreamed about for years.  It may not be an actual Halloween costume, but it's good enough for this party animal.