Halloween Celebration!!!

There I was at work when very strange things started happening. First there were Zombie Hairdressers, then Thor, an elf, skeletons - even Bill and Hillary Clinton showed!

I rubbed my eyes, but the strangeness wouldn't go away. Ahhh, Halloween with a bunch of creative people...it can be very scary, but very fun!

Halloween, Lauren the Fashion Policeta, Iron-On Crystals and Brain Cookies

My friend, Lauren, thinks about her Halloween costume for months! I remember a Marilyn Merlot costume a few years ago and it's always fun to hear about them and see her finished creations. She loves the Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Crystals™ so much she used them in mass this year! Lauren ironed the Crystals to the dress and glued them on the brim of her hat and martini glass using the Aleene's® Platinum Bond Glass & Bead adhesive.

I hear The Fashion Policeta wrote citations for some pretty outrageous fashion no-no's. Love it Lauren! Thanks for sharing!

She also shared a photo of the brain cookies she made - yummy!

PattieWack, Lauren, Me and Mupu!!!

What a great weekend!!! I got to spend time with three of my best friends!!!

I had a long breakfast on Saturday with my friend, Frances. We don't get to see each other often enough now that we don't work together so it was awesome to spend 2 hours of uninterrupted time chatting and catching up. Remember, she got married last October and I was in the wedding.

Then, it was on to Santa Paula to spend an entire afternoon and night with PattieWack!!! Loved it! It was just Pattie and me for the afternoon - it was girl chat catch up BIG time! We can email and talk on the phone, but we gotta have one of those hugs and talk face to face to really feel connected. Lauren arrived in the evening (more on that later).

Pattie sure knows how to make people feel special! Not only were we greeted with a sign on 'It' (what I call the decoupaged mannequin in their entryway), there was a sign along with a rose in the bathroom AND not only a sign in the guest bedroom but pictures of Lauren and me too!

So, it's a Saturday and three crafty ladies are together. What to do? CRAFT OF COURSE!!! But first, we went to Mupu's Grill and saw the sights and murals of Santa Paula. After dinner we got out tissue, yarn and paper and went to town (or Pattie's Studio in this case!)

Pattie got us started by fan folding two colors of tissue paper and showed us how to make incredible flowers. (here's how to make them) We then moved on to create beautiful tassels and circle books. Thanks, Pattie - you're the BEST!!! BTW, we saw Scott (PATTIE'S BRAND NEW HUSBAND) only for a quick hug that night and early the next morning.

Lauren and I kind of invited ourselves to Pattie and Scott's and we're so thankful for their hospitality - our mission was to get rid of a bunch of craft supplies we'd accumulated over the years! We decided we wanted them to go to good homes so we blew them out at $1 each. We got up super early Sunday morning and headed to Ventura to sell our wares. I was in charge of making our sign so I used Aleene's® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™ to adhere cut out letters on foam core - it worked perfect! Notice that we used the tissue flowers we made the night before to decorate the pole.

This was truly a different experience - in the afternoon
the dreaded Santa Ana Winds came flying in and pop-up awnings and merchandise

was flying. A fire was raging in Malibu not too far away and the smoke flooded the sky along with ash as the afternoon progressed.

On my way home, the 2 o'clock in the afternoon sky was as dark as if it was midnight. Ash was everywhere. Just down the road from where Pattie and Scott live, I came within 10 feet of flames as a different fire had just started. Along the major freeway I took home, two additional fires were being worked on, the strong winds carrying the flames on to new territory. Keep the firefighters in your thoughts as all these fires continue to burn out of control.

Thanks Pattie, Lauren, Scott and Frances for being my friends and taking time from your hectic schedules to play and thank you to all the firefighters who are putting their lives on the line to protect us everyday!

Joan

Decoupage Sunflower Pail

Fall is here and besides beautiful colored leaves it means lots and lots of Sunflowers. I just love those photos of row after row of sunflowers. Where I used to live it was such a delight to go to the flower fields just outside of town and see a sea of sunflowers. The flowers in the area were grown for seed and I never grew tired of seeing the awesome flower fields. Ahhh...since I don't live there anymore I have the beautiful images in my mind and a tiny little flower garden in a pail - this was a kit complete with the soil pellets that I added water to and they expanded enough to fill the pail - amazing! The lid was a cardboard circle with a lovely illustration of sunflowers. I soaked the cardboard in water and the paper image slipped right off of the cardboard. After it dried, I used Aleene's® Instant Decoupage to apply the image to the side of the pail. I couldn't throw away such an amazing illustration. My sunflowers are about 2" tall right now, so I bought some sunflowers to Fallize my home until the little guys grace me with flowers.

LOOK FOR SMALL WAYS EVERY DAY TO BRIGHTEN UP YOUR LIFE AND MAKE IT SPECIAL.
Until next time - think holidays!
Joan

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

An estimated 178,480 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women in 2007 alone.

Unfortunately, with statistics like this, we all know someone with breast cancer or a survivor. Sometimes it's hard to find a way to reach out - this journal is a simple way to show you care and allow the person to write about all of life’s important events and thoughts.

Want to be a part in finding the cure? Contact the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982 that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched a global movement that has changed the world. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. The foundation has raised and invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill the promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-800-I’M AWARE.

Remember to do your monthly exams and schedule your mammogram.

Journal

Materials needed
Aleene's® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™
Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Fashion Design™
Design 12
Tulip® Fashion Glitter Bond™
Tulip® Fashion Glitter™
Neon Ultra-Fine Assortment
Notebook/Journal
Paper, decorative with pink accents
Iron
Fabric or paper, plain pink
Newspaper

Directions
1. Cut decorative paper to fit front of notebook. Place paper, right side down on newspaper. Spray with Tacky Spray. Smooth on front of notebook.
2. Cut plain fabric or paper slightly larger than Iron-On Fashion Design. Iron Fashion Design to center following manufacturer's instructions. Spray back with Tacky Spray. Center on notebook.
3. Apply Fashion Glitter Bond where desired. I highlighted the dots and the edge of the paper/fabric around the plain pink to accent the Fashion Design. Sprinkle on Glitter. Let dry. Tap off excess on scrap paper. Return to container.

Craft Challenge at the Fair!!!

What a hoot I had this afternoon - I volunteered to do a Craft Challenge in the Home Arts Building at the fair and it was so much fun!

There were two teams and we each had the same box of craft goodies to choose from. We did two challenges and both times guys volunteered to be my partner. Tony, my first partner, was egged on by his six year old son. Tony picked a tin and decorated it with the Tulip Boho Appliques for Halloween, then he went for the Tulip Fashion Glitter - he couldn't get enough of that. When we still had time on the clock he opened up the tin and added fabric on the inside along with fluorescent colored wiggle eyes. Great job Tony!

In the second competition, my partner was Jason - he did an awesome job! He selected a clay pot from our box of goodies - he went to town decorating it with Tulip Fashion Glitter for grass, added some flowers with Tulip Soft Fabric Paint and even added a wiggle eye sun. Jason is one creative dude.

Thanks to Lindy who got all of the supplies together (and asked me to volunteer) and Alee the designer on the other team. Alee's mom was there taking pictures and she promises to get me some soon so I can post them here.

I took a few minutes before the competition to check out the creative side of the fair - I couldn't believe the floral arrangements - the pink object with gladiolus is one of those foam pool toys, one even included paintbrushes as accents and one arrangement had Slinkies!!! A+ for thinking outside of the box.

Crafty Weekend at the Fair

I can't wait for some crafty fun tomorrow! The big county fair is in progress and I get to go up on stage in the Home Arts building and do a Craft Challenge. It's a friendly competition with a fellow employee and two volunteers from the audience - I hear we get a box of goodies and have 15 minutes to create something - anything!!! This is going to be soooo much fun! Hopefully I can get someone to take pictures during the madness. I see glitter and glue in my near future.

Saturday also holds a catch up phone call with a very dear friend. You know how you always say you'll stay in touch when someone moves away and how life gets in the way of doing that...my friend and I have set up the first weekend of EVERY month to catch up - it's a relaxing time with no interruptions and we just gab and gab about everything. It's so nice to have a friend that you can let your hair down with and they still like you.

The rest of the weekend is catching up and getting ready for next weekend! Lauren and I have talked many times about all the 'stuff' we have that we need to get rid of and we've both tried ebay and found it to be time consuming, so we decided in Vegas that we'd go to a local Flea Market and get rid of a bunch of stuff. We're making it easy on ourselves by sticking to a couple prices and just blowing all the stuff out. We have an added bonus - the flea market we're going to is very near Pattie Donham (aka Pattie Wack) so we're spending the night before at Pattie and Scott's house - AWESOME!!! The three of us haven't been together for years, so I'm sure we'll stay up late, giggle and have a great time.

Oh, we decided on the theme for our Halloween party - I can't let it out yet - but, we'll be working on our costumes over the next couple weeks...

BTW, I'm working on a Breast Cancer Awareness project that I'll post over the weekend.

Have a safe and creative weekend,

Joan

Four Days in Las Vegas and creativity was never far from my mind...

My friend Lauren (from our days working at Aleene's on the tv show and magazine) and I met in Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday.

It was a whirlwind four days - we NEVER lack for something to do and Lauren's rule is you NEVER come back the way you went, so we're always seeing new sights and interesting things - there is never a dull moment on our trips.

In Vegas you expect glitz, but it was EVERYWHERE and on EVERYTHING! Ideas to use Tulip Fashion Art products kept running around through my brain - Fashion Glitter, Iron-On Crystals...you'll be seeing some of the ideas I came up with right here very soon...The things I saw were hugely expensive and I'll show you how to make them inexpensively.

What we did...
Bellagio...whenever I go to Vegas I have to go to Bellagio and see the conservatory. They change the setting and decorations for the seasons and it is never disappointing. This time there were huge colorful blown glass leaves hanging throughout the casino.

I have been to Bellagio many, many times and never knew that just around the corner from the conservatory is the World's Tallest and Largest Volume Chocolate Fountain - it is quite impressive.

The desserts looked very yummy including my favorite - crepes (we didn't indulge, but I did promise Lauren I'd make crepes for her the next time we're together).







We chatted with a limo driver at the airport and he told us we had to go to Slots o Fun and have a ginormous hot dog for only 99 cents that would feed a family of 5 - with that kind of recommendation we just had to do it and then walked on the strip taking in all the changes and happenings.

When Lauren and I get together we don't need to spend lots of money to have the best time!!! At one point of our weekend, I was looking at some of the photos I'd taken and in one I had the goofiest face and decided to enlarge it to see it up close - it was so out there that we started laughing and couldn't stop - it was one of those awesome mascara running down the face times. I feel sorry for the nearby tour guide who was trying to get people registered for a tour while we were laughing uncontrollably. Thinking about it still brings a smile to my face.

Talk about creativity! This motorcycle was at one of the casinos. The accents were completely made of metal.
On our last night in Vegas, we went to the Wynn to celebrate Lauren's birthday. The Wynn is a fabulous hotel/casino/entertainment center. The settings are incredible - the bars unbelievable - The Parasol with of course, parasols all over, Bliss...very beautiful!

This incredible ceiling decoration was at the entrance to a restaurant in the Wynn - it's made of plates, silverware and a serving tray - it was awesome!

We went to see a performance of La Reve (which in French means The Dream). It was a phenomenal show - done in water. It's hard to explain, but it was part Ester Williams and part circus act...we had VIP passes - huge seats, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and monitors that showed what was going on behind the scenes before the show and what was going on under the water during the performance.

Our fun always has to come to an end...after staying up way too late last night, we were up at dawn to make our way back to the airport and fly to our respective homes. But, we're already planning our next adventure!

Thanks Lauren! You're a great traveling buddy!

Halloween is coming!!!

Thoughts of costumes and decorations are buzzing around in my head. We have a costume contest at work and our department is trying to come up with a theme for our group.

Meanwhile, I decided to Halloweenize my home and came up with this quick and easy idea. We hear alot about craft projects being fast and easy - well, I can guarantee you this project is one that can literally be whipped up in just a few minutes.

I found this delightful new product from Glade®. It's called Wisp® Flameless Candle. I love scented candles, but from the perspective of a person who almost burned down her house once because I got a last minute invite to a movie and left a candle burning for hours, I'm always on the lookout for a safe alternative to candles. I love this new idea and it looks like a real flame. It's battery operated and every few seconds it puts out a puff of scent. It's awesome!
The only drawback I see is that the globe is pretty boring. So, once again my crafty brain went into gear and just had to 'dress it up'.

Here's what you get - the outer globe and the inner 'candle'.





I absolutely love the new Aleene's® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™!!! It's what makes this projects so quick - and there's no drying time.

Materials needed
Aleene's® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™
Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue® Glue Sticks
Glade® Wisp® Flameless Candle
Felt, black
Scissors
Garland with wire
Tissue paper, orange

How to make it



Crumple tissue. Smooth with your hands, keeping some wrinkles for texture.










Spray Aleene's® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™ on glass globe.












Press tissue on globe to cover.






Cut excess tissue around top and bottom.
Cut eyes, nose, mouth and 2 bats from felt.

Glue eyes, nose and mouth to globe using Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue® Glue Sticks.
Glue two bats together with one end of garland between.
Place 'candle' insert into globe. Place bat coming out. Press top of 'candle' to light.












Here's my jack-o-lantern ready to glow for Halloween.

Be sure to carve out a little time for you today!

Joan

P.S. I got my Wisp® Flameless Candle at Target. They have delicious scents available.