Happy (belated) Halloween

Ever since I was a child, I've loved Halloween. And I've dressed up for it each year with few exceptions (okay, maybe my teenage years were more concerned with "trying to look cool" than looking like a vampire... but still).

In recent years, I've gotten into creating my own costumes. This has resulted in the Pretty in Pink Molly Ringwald prom dress--to which I originally stapled taffeta, until my bff sighed in disgust and sewed on the filmy stuff herself--and my Thundercat costume (I was Wily Cat... or was it Wily Kit?). Throw in a homemade flapper and a Pat Benatar (this year) and you've got a pretty good sense of what my recent Halloweens have been like.



This year, Mark and I, dressed up respectively as Guns 'N' Roses' Slash and Patty B. (see above), threw our very first Halloween bash. I tried to go all out by creating my own decorations inspired by the altered art and mixed media world.

In the process of doing so, I managed to break my glue gun within the first few hours of creating-- but no, that didn't stop me!



I used fun images from those charity greeting cards, faux flowers, mini craft pumpkins, black tinsel, beads, felt, ribbon and more. I can't even tell you how much fun it was to play with so many materials at once.



It was also really a welcome change to my usual jewelry-making craft. Although I love beads as much as food (and sometimes equate the two as necessities in my crazy mind), I also love working with other mediums.



I'm a craftaholic. I see a new project to try and mentally add it to my list. It may take me weeks, months or even years to get to it-- but I know it's there in the back of my head. Sure, it gets overwhelming at times. Even now, I'm watching my DVR'd DIY Network craft shows and loading my brain up with more ideas. But most it is rewarding because I know my inspirations are there even subconsciously and being used all the time.

And what were some inspirations for my Halloween crafting frenzy?

Check out these Web sites and you'll see for yourself why I'm now slowly getting into mixed media in my head and reality:


Elizabeth Holcombe

Speckled Egg

ArtsyMama