Happy Halloween!

Halloween Subway Art

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Painting Cheek Art with Watercolor Pencils and Paint Crayons

If you'll be painting cheek art this Halloween season for a school party, carnival, or costume (or possibly in the future) this is a one tip you'll want to remember!  I recently learned that you can use non-toxic Crayola watercolor pencils to draw cheek art.  I never would have thought to use watercolor pencils, I didn't even know they made them, but they do and they really work. 

How to Use (non-toxic) Watercolor Pencils to Draw Cheek Art

1. Dip the watercolor pencil into a glass of water (or onto a wet sponge).
2. Wait just a few seconds for the water to soften the paint.
3. Draw the design.

*We made sure to keep the watercolors away from the kids eyes and kept it strictly on cheeks and hands to keep it safe.  Watercolor pencils are not made for the purpose of painting on skin.

My oldest daughter is the real artist in the family, but since she was at school when I was taking photos for the post, I did my best to draw a little ghost to show you how the watercolor looks. :)  Whether you're painting on a hand or a cheek, it seems to work the same. 

I bought the watercolor pencils at Wal-mart in the office supply section.  I think I paid less then $3 for them.

I also tried face paint crayons for the first time.  I was told by my daughter who used them to paint cheek art at a church carnival this week that they worked great too.  I bought them at JoAnn's in the kids crafts section and used a 50% off coupon, so I paid $2.50 for them.  (Reg. price $4.99)  I don't know how well they would work if you were to paint an entire face because we didn't try it, but they worked well for small shapes.

I used baby wet wipes to remove both the watercolor paint and the paint from the crayons after the paint had been left on for a couple of hours.  They both came right off.  I didn't see any staining on the skin but you may want to test an area first before you go all out on a whole face design or if you will be leaving it on for a long period of time.

This is all new to me and is the first time I've bought products to use for painting cheek art.  Have you tried watercolor pencils or face paint crayons before?  Do you have any great tips for face painting/cheek art?  Please share!

Today's Fabulous Find...Painting Cheek Art with Watercolor Pencils

20+ Free Fonts to Love

Do you get excited about cute fonts?  You do?  Well then this post is for you!  (It may sound like a sponsored post, it's not, I'm just sharing a great find.)

The other night I was helping my sister look for a new font for something she was working on and told her she should check out the KG fonts (that I love) over at DaFont.com. 

What I didn't realize until then was that the designer, Kimberly Geswein, has shared more than just the KG fonts, there are 189 Fonts by Kimberly Geswein at DaFont.com and they are cute, they are free, and I couldn't wait to tell you all about them!

 

I'm most excited to try out Janda Apple Cobbler, Janda Silly Monkey (super fun for kids), and KG This is not Goodbye. KG Skinny Latte is the font I used on my Fall stacker blocks.   For more about Kimberly's fonts, including info. on using a font commercially for only $5, visit Kimberly Geswein Fonts.

Kevin and Amanda is another great place to download cute free fonts.  If you aren't exactly sure how to download and install a font on your computer, I highly recommend Kevin and Amanda's tutorial.  It's easy to follow and has detailed instructions and pictures of each step.

I also recommend running a quick scan on each download first to make sure it's safe before you install the font.  I've never had any problems with the fonts at DaFont.com, but you can't be too careful.

Now go check out those fonts, I think you'll love them!

 Today's Fabulous Find...20+ Free Fonts To Love

Fall Grapevine Wreath with Pine Cone Flowers {Take Two}

When I finished making my first pine cone flower wreath I just couldn't chance hanging it outside on my front door so it was back to the drawing board.  This new version is very similar to the first (still loving the pine cone flowers) but it should withstand the wind and the rain a little better! :)

(The first version is still my favorite.)

Click here for the post on the wreath pictured above, which includes a tutorial on how to make and paint pine cone flowers.

Fall Grapevine Wreath Supplies

Grapevine Wreath

Wood Letter

Ribbon

Pine cones

Three Berry Sprigs

Craft Wire

Hot Glue Gun and Glue

Craft Paint and Brush

Twigs

 Two Large Wreath Magnets (optional)

Clear Matte Acrylic Sealer (optional)

A few things about this wreath...

• The grapevine wreath and berry sprigs are from JoAnn Fabrics.  I paid $2.50 for the grapevine wreath with a 50% off coupon and the berry sprigs were on clearance for $1 each.


• The flowers and berries are glued to the sticks, but not to the grapevine.  I used wire to attach them so that I can use the wreath again for another holiday if I want.  (I don't have a lot of extra space to store large holiday items like this.)

• I couldn't find twigs that were exactly the right shape that I needed so I broke some twigs apart and then hot glued them back together in the shapes that I needed. 


• The wood letter was on clearance for $3.  It was white and I spray painted it black (to match the shutters on the house) and then distressed the edges with sandpaper.


• The wreath is currently hanging on my front door with heavy duty wreath magnets (also found at JoAnn's) but I'm not sure if this is the best way because eventually the grapevine may just pull out or stretch.  I may change and use a wreath hanger at the top of the wreath instead.

• To protect the paint on the flowers you can spray them with a clear matte acrylic spray.  (I forgot to and still need to spray mine.)

A few of you told me you were gathering pine cones to make pine cone flowers.  If you've finished your project and posted about it, leave a link to your post in a comment (if you'd like).  I'd love to see it!

Have a great day!

I'm sharing my wreath at these fabulous parties!

Tator Tots and Jello   Funky Junk Interiors

My Repurposed Life   House of Hepworths   The Shabby Creek Cottage   Lil' Luna

A Dozen Ideas for Halloween

Happy October!  I look forward to this time of year, there are pumpkins to pick out and carve, Halloween costumes to make and I have a bunch of new recipes that I want to try now that the days are cooling down.  (Lime Enchiladas is on the menu this week, which I hear taste heavenly!)

I've never really gone all out on Halloween decor, but I do like to put out a few decorations.  I've been digging around in my archives and found a dozen Halloween ideas that I've shared here in the past that you might like to make. 

Before I get to the Halloween ideas though I have some exciting news to share with you!  Two of my projects will be featured this month at HGTV.com!  If I'm dreaming, please don't pinch me. :)

Click here to sign up

Today (October 1st) HGTV has started a countdown of 31 Days of Halloween Crafts which will go through the end of the month and will feature one fabulous Halloween or Fall themed project from a blogger each day.  You can visit HGTV.com each day for a new project idea or you can sign up to receive a 31-day newsletter which will promote one project each day.  The newsletter will automatically end after the last idea is shared on Halloween.  Prepare to be inspired!

A Dozen Ideas for Halloween

 Boo!  Halloween Blocks

 Spooky 2x4 Pumpkins

 Halloween Subway Art

 10 Day Halloween Countdown Block (with a moving spider)

Soft and Chewy Rice Crispy Treats with M&M's

Halloween Fishing Game

'Halloween Fish', Say What?

Wicked Witch of the West Cookies

Marlin and Merva

WooWoo! Cardboard Box to Train Costume

Chalkboard Countdown Calendar

10 Minute Printable Halloween Countdown

I've got some yard work to get to, but when the work is done I'm hoping to find a little crafting time tonight to put together a new wreath for my front door (I will be hanging the last one I made indoors, thanks for your input and comments!). 

Hope your day is going well!

Today's Fabulous Find...A Dozen Ideas for Halloween