Supplies:

• Grapevine wreath
• Plastic toy snakes
• Black spray paint
• Glue gun/wire (optional)

Take your grapevine wreath and wrap the snakes into the limbs. If they won’t stay, use hot glue or wire to put them in place. And spray paint the entire thing black. Happy haunting!

These bats are very easy to do:

• First download the Country Living template HERE.
• Black Cardstock
• Scissors
• Tape

Print the bat image and cut it out. If your printer is out of ink, like mine is, simply hold a piece of paper up to your computer screen and softly trace it. I made two sizes and decided I like the smaller bat better. I got 3 small bats per sheet and 2 of the larger bats (and I cut out about 100 bats total)

Fold the paper in half and lay the bats on top, lined-up with the fold.

Cut out your bats! Don’t bother with tracing. That takes way too long. Just hold the pattern on there as you cut. Doesn’t need to be exact.

When you’re done you have these cool little guys!

When you’re done cutting, hang them up by applying a small piece of scotch tape or double-stick tape on the back. If you’re hanging them outside, use duct tape.

The inside bats, however, are still going strong and look great.

Arrange them in any fashion you like. Bats usually fly in a stream, following each other.

Stack and fold two sheets of black paper in half. Enlarge template. Position template on fold, trace, and cut out, making two bats. With black craft wire, poke a hole in the center of one bat; hold the end of the wire. Glue second bat on top, sandwiching wire in between. Wrap opposite end of the wire around a thin headband (ours was 1/4-inch wide) to secure. Repeat, adding more bats.

Products:

Jillibean Soup:
Patterned Paper: soup staples/black sugar
Journaling Sprouts: yellow circles
Cardstock Sticker: Monster stew
Corrugated shapes: Star
Bean Stalks: Blue/green, polka dot

Other: pen, ink- American Crafts; Bat template- Little Yellow Bicycle; button- Fancy Pants

Materials:
Paper Mache Box
Foam Balls (the same size as the box)
Hot glue & gun
Fabric & Accessories (beads, ribbon, flowers, etc)
Fancy cupcake liners or crimped paper

Cut the foam balls in half and hot glue one to the top of the box.

Decorate the top portion with fabric or ribbon. Attach the ribbon or fabric piece to the center of the foam ball and twist it around, adhering to the foam ball as you go. You can probably use little decorative pins that would look like sprinkles also. You can also cut little scraps of felt and glue them to the foam ball in scrunched up pieces.

Put the bottom of the box in a cupcake liner and attach, or run decorative paper through a crimping machine and attach it to the outside.
For more detailed pictures of the process, see the tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets.

Materials:
Gardening gloves stamp & flower trio stamp from Garden Variety
Grass stamp & small heart stamp from Love Lives Here
Sweet peas image from Year of Flowers Collection
Terracotta Tile Ink
Summer Sunrise Ink
Dark Chocolate Ink
Haystack Palette ink
Rustic Jute Button Twine
Rustic Jute Button Twine
This project utilizes the unique gardening gloves image from Garden Variety.

Stamp the gloves first in Terracotta Tile, then add little sprouts of grass with the grass image from Love Lives Here.  The flower trio stamp used is included in Garden Variety and those were stamped in Summer Sunrise.  The sentiment was added with Dark Chocolate and the small heart (from Love Lives Here) was added in Summer Sunrise.  I also stamped the sweet peas image from Year of Flowers Collection around the edge of the card front a bit with Haystack Palette ink.

Created a border with a bit of Rustic Jute Button Twine to finish the project.

Materials:
Pink Tissue Paper (I’ve used a bright pink and light pink)
Dead branches
Hot glue and hot glue gun
Scissors

First, fold the tissue into squares about 3″ big.

Next cut a five petaled flower shape out of the folded tissue.  They don’t have to be perfect…in fact I think they look more realistic if they’re a little ‘off.’

Layer two of the flower shapes on top of one another (one in each color), so that you can see the petals of each showing. Add a tiny dot of hot glue to the center of the flower, and gently scrunch it together.

Next glue the blossoms onto the dead branch, in places where it looks like something might naturally sprout!

Materials:
Branch
Paint (Gray, white, pink, light blue, etc,)
Paint Brush
White Spray Paint
Fine White Glitter
Craft Nest (or use Spanish Moss to fashion one as she did, tho Spray Adhesive may be needed to hold it together)
Wire? (not sure how the artist attached the nest to the branch)
River Rocks
Alphabet Stamps
Black Stamp Pad
Fabric Scraps (for leaves)
Scissors
Glue

Instructions:
Dry paint the branch with a gray paint, being sure not to paint to much to keep it rustic looking. Let dry.

Paint the rocks in pastel colors and let dry. Then use your black ink pad and stamps to put the names on them.

Take your craft nest or fashion one out of Spanish Moss (using spray adhesive to stick it together), and spray paint it white. Before paint dries, throw a little fine white glitter in to make it sparkle.

Cut some fabric leaves out of any matching scrap fabric. Pinch together the edges and use some basic glue to hold them around a few of the branches.

Attach the nest to the branch (probably with a little wire), and add your painted river rocks.
See the artists tutorial and pictures HERE.

This eye pillow has a knitted cable on the front fashioned into the “om” symbol, and contains a removable inner fabric pillow filled with flax seeds and dried lavender.  The flax seeds provide a gentle, soothing pressure on the eyes, blocking out light, while the subtle hint of lavender helps quiet anxious minds.  It uses less than one ball of eco-friendly soya/cotton yarn which feels like silk but is made from soy.  This fun project makes a great gift for anyone in need of the ultimate in pampering.

Size: Approx 8” x 3.75” , blocked and unfilled.

Yarn:
Sublime Soya Cotton DK (50% soya, 50% cotton; 120 yards [110 meters] / 50 grams): Color 081 Nettle, 1 ball

Needles:
US#3 (3.25 mm): 32” or 40” circular for magic loop method OR 2 circular needles OR set of double pointed needles

Gauge:
23 sts and 32 rows = 4” in St st after wet blocking.

Notions & Additional Materials:
Stitch marker; cable needle; tapestry needle; 2 small snaps; matching thread; sewing needle.
Piece of 9” x 8” light cotton fabric in a color to match the yarn; flax seeds or rice; 2-3 Tbsp. dried lavender (or amount desired).

Pattern Notes: This pattern is worked in the round and written for the magic loop method.  You may also use 2 circular needles if you are not familiar with the magic loop method.

Pattern:

CO 44 sts.  Using magic loop method, divide sts in half, 22 sts on front needle, 22 sts on cable.  Place marker and join, being careful not to twist.

Work reverse St st (purl every st) until piece measures approx 2”  from cast on edge.  At the beginning of the next rnd, work Rnd 1 of the cable chart over 22 sts.  Purl the rem 22 sts to end of rnd.  Cont in est cable chart (working chart rnds on the front and purling the rem 22 sts on the back) until all 32 rnds of the chart have been worked.

Please note: the number of sts in the cable chart changes from row to row, but ultimately returns to 22 sts by the final row.  When you come to a “no stitch” symbol, simply ignore that space and work the following st in that row.  Once the cable chart is completed, purl around on these 44 sts for approx 2” more.

Finishing:
Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to work Kitchener st to close bottom of pillow.  You may find it easier to turn the pillow inside out to work Kitchener st.  Block to finished measures.  After the pillow is blocked, use the sewing needle and matching thread to secure the 2 snaps to the inside edge at the open end.

Inner Fabric Pillow:
With RS together, fold fabric in half lengthwise.  Fabric will now measure 9” x 4”, folded.  Sewing by machine or by hand, stitch along one short raw edge and one long raw edge, leaving about a 1/2” seam allowance.  The second short end should be left open.  Turn fabric right side out and fill with flax seeds and dried lavender until it is about a third to half full.  Do not overfill the pillow.  The filling should mold comfortably to the contours of the eyes.  After the pillow is filled, fold the raw edges under on the short edge and stitch closed, backstitching at both ends.