My Mind's Eye Blog

Frightful Home Decor

Happy Monday everyone! Valerie here today.

I’m not much of a holiday decorator except for Christmas, but I wouldn’t mind doing a little more of it. I have absolutely zero halloween decorations and it’s not because we don’t celebrate Halloween. I guess I just haven’t really seen any decorations that I can't live without.

I enjoy making a fun costume for my son each year and visiting family and friends so he can tell everyone about his costume and collect a little candy.   I usually make one Halloween layout each year and call it good.

Holiday collections usually aren’t my style and not something I’m drawn too, but I’m so glad I gave Frightful a chance! I think it’s one of the best Halloween collections I’ve ever seen. I decided to use some of the chipboard elements for a home decor piece that I will proudly display in my home.

Supplies:Frightful chipboard elements and Necessities Black & Gray enamel dots. Other: plywood, black paint, and gold leaf kit.

I have a pile of half completed canvases and plywood that have gotten set aside because I’ve either (a) lost interest or (b) didn’t know how to finish them. So this 8 x 8 inch piece of plywood came from this pile of mine. It’s a failed project where I tried to gold leaf a design on plywood.


I messily added some black paint to the plywood and arranged the chipboard pieces on top. Hot glue is good for applying the chipboard pieces to the board. The pieces are self-adhesive, but to make it more permanent, something a little more heavy duty is required for a rough surface like plywood. And a project like this isn’t complete without a few enamel dots!



So easy, right?! I’ve picked out a couple of the 8 x 10 Frameables from Frightful too that I plan to hang too. I’m going to do some Halloween decorating this year!

“31” Door Hanging

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for. I love the juxtaposition of elegance and spookiness that decorating with fake skulls, spiders, and damask creates. I like to decorate with black, white, silver with a dash of khaki and orange. This combination is especially striking against my all white walls. Somehow it subdues the inherent garishness that comes with decorating for Halloween and leaves elegance. Weird, I know.

After having been in on Happy Haunting from the conceptual stage, I am thrilled to have it in my hands and decorate using Happy Haunting. Did you know it’s one of the most popular Halloween lines this year? Janet Hopkins outdid herself!

One of my FAVORITE things about this Happy Haunting is the 8 x 10 Ready to Frame Décor Pieces! Isn’t it to die for (pun intended) – Glittered chalk art! Ready to frame and enjoy in your space!

I created this fabulous door hanging. Seriously, I smile when I drive up and see it.

 

It was a simple, quick and extremely satisfying project.

 

 

 

Instructions:  Download 2013_10_03_GTU_31 Door Hanger

Video Segment:

I hope you like it as much as I do! What is your favorite part about decorating for Halloween?

Have a fantastic-ly spooky day!

Spooky Mantel Decor

It may be the only time that you will want spider webs on your mantel--- Check out these Halloween Decor ideas!

 

  

I had such a great time creating my spooky mantel!  I was inspired by one of my favorite home decor magazines (Pottery Barn).  Our two spooky collections:

AND

 

made my mantel decor project super easy.  The Haunted Flocked Vinyl Stickers quickly transforms a simple dollar store candle into an eye catching element.  While simply punching a hole and typing twine through the top of the Blackbird Glittered Chipboard Elements make the perfect ornaments to my spooky tree.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the show live, we will be adding a link to the segment in the blog sidebar when it is up later this afternoon.

I have included instructions and a supply sheet so that you can make your own spooky mantel decor: Download 2010_10_05_MME_Mantel Decor

I hope you have a wonderful day!

P.S. Did you see the newest members of the My Mind’s Eye family?  We introduced Fine and Dandy (Tickled Pink and True Blue) and State of the Heart last night.  Leave a comment on those blog posts to be entered to win!

Don't judge a book by its cover...

Just because a collection was originally designed for a specific theme these does not mean you cannot use it for something entirely different! Halloween is still more than 2 months away and I did not have pics in my stash that were worthy of the new "HAUNTED" line (and truthfully, I had a tough time getting into that "zone" in July when I designed this...lol!).  I fell in LOVE with the flocked (YES... FLOCKED!!!!!) Chandeliers. Why not use it for a layout that is not the least bit scary.

This is a VERY simple layout too. I didn't have to do a lot to achieve the look I was after. I simply layered some of the beautiful Haunted Papers (using both Flocked and Patterned sides). Did you know these Kraft papers are flocked on one side and printed on the other?! NO??? Well, I am sure you will love them even more now that you DO know, eh?!

The only thing I added were the black flocked chipboard letters and the self adhesive rhinestones from the LUSH Collection. The larger chandelier was hand cut and glammed up a tad and VOILA! A nice simple layout full of texture begging to be touched:)

Want another idea of what you can do with Halloween themed papers without using Halloween photos? Check out the Blackbird layout below! 

I took my boys on the ultimate Mama Date this summer... we went to Disney World and met up with my friend and her 2 kids who live in Florida. With all of the fun stuff at Disney World, their favourite part of the day was getting their faces painted. CRAZY, eh? It truly is the simple things that can bring a huge smile to a child's face.

I used the blackbird collection to create this project and it worked so well with the photos. I really wanted to stay away from it looking too "Halloween-y" and think I accomplished it. I hand cut the bracket page, layered the photos, cut up the journaling into individual words and added a few of the die cut embellishments. 
I even went broke out my sewing machine to add some decorative stitching to the papers. It really finishes a project off and I have to get into the habit of using it more often! I outlined the chipboard letters (again from the LUSH Collection) and added a few self adhesive rhinestones to add the perfect amount of sparkle.

The next time you are looking for the perfect papers to create the layout for your treasured memories, feel free to experiment with products you would not typically think to use! You may be pleasantly surprised with the results!

Now... speaking of books! As the kids head back to school, it also means class time for us. I have been gearing up for several large events and am thrilled to be teaching a few fabulous My Mind's Eye classes this fall.

The picture below is part of the "Releasing the Artiste from Within" class I will be teaching at two store events in Canada.. opposite coasts! I may teach it in other places too... stay tuned for possible dates. If you can't make it to the store for the class, contact them! I bet they may be willing to ship you a class kit that is bursting full with all the beautiful My Mind's Eye goodies you see here and then some!I'd LOVE to see you there! There are still spaces available (but not many!), so if you are in the neighbourhood, come on out and join us for a few fabulous hours! I will also mention that I have included a bonus layout as I loved this collection sooooooo much.  So, I am throwing in more Lost and Found goodies as well as the instructions for you to create another layout on your own time!). There will also be FABULOUS My Mind's Eye prizes so be sure to come out and play!

September 17 - 19

Scrapbook Parade

670 Granderson Road

Langford, BC, V9B 2R8

Phone: (250) 727-0372

AND

September 24 - 26

The Scrap Shack

200 Irving Road

Riverview NB E1B 5V7

Phone: (506) 384-CROP

Have a great weekend and Happy Scrapping!