Hello Tissue Paper!

by Edward Quiceno, marketing assistant, crafting novice, and hot chocolate connoisseur

I recently starting working at this lively place called KLUTZ, and quickly realized I had formidable crafting competition. To be frank, I had never really crafted before, or maybe I had and just didn’t realize I was crafting. So I thought that Halloween celebrations would be a great opportunity to put my crafting skills to the test and surprise everyone at the office.

Luckily, I found myself being inspired and excited by the range of options Klutz books has to offer. Hoping to make some decorations that would wow the office, I found the perfect book to assist me in my endeavor.

Hello tissue paper! Klutz’s Tissue Paper Crafts was my saving grace. 

I figured I could use some company, and help, and hot chocolate, so my friend Caro and my sister Yoly teamed up with yours truly to make some awesome crafts. Plus, this crafting session was a fun way to accompany some delicious hot chocolate.

We started off our Halloween decorating with some “pumpkin” making: 

I was excited to see how quickly the pumpkins could be made (my crafting ego was growing). The book is great because it comes with step-by-step instructions to make shapes and sizes that can be used as garlands, flowers, or hey, even pumpkins. Feeling inspired we then decided to step it up a notch and make a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) design to activate some wall space. Check out some of our specially-designed Halloween decorations:

Stay tuned for my journey to crafting fame; I’m coming for the crafting throne!

Four Last-Minute Finger-Knit Costumes

by Caitlin Harpin, editor and Junior Mints enthusiast

I take Halloween seriously. So seriously in fact, that if a party guest shows up without a costume, I’ll insist on providing one from my stash of goofy accessories and ordinary household items. (If you show up fashionably late, there’s a not-bad chance that you may end up being a toilet paper mummy.)

This year, I decided to get a little craftier. Finger knitting is a super-quick craft that even younger kids can do—and it takes a lot less time than traditional knitting. Here are several ideas you can throw together before you head out to your Halloween festivities.

Crafty Cat

You’ll need: one skein of black yarn, a smidge of face paint, and an extra ball of yarn to use as your cat’s toy.

Both the cat headband and the fringe scarf are step-by-step projects you can find in Finger Knitting. Make them in matching colors for a costume you can assemble in an afternoon.

Princess Leia

You’ll need: one skein of brown yarn, a white cowl-neck top or dress, two hair bands, and lots of bobby pins!

Simply finger-knit two chains of yarn, about 48 inches (122 cm) long. Part your hair down the center, and tie it into two pigtails or little buns, depending on how long your hair is. Then spiral a finger-knit chain around each pigtail or bun, securing the chain with bobby pins as needed. 

Jacques Cousteau

You’ll need: one skein of red yarn, a chambray or light blue shirt, and a French accent.

Another project from Finger Knitting, the spiral hat is a bit more ambitious. Roll up the brim and stretch the top out a bit to make a Cousteau Society-approved accessory.

Swamp Thing

You’ll need: multiple skeins of yarn in different shades of green . . . green hair is optional.

What to do with all of your leftover finger-knit chains? Drape them around you in a haphazard fashion, and you’re the creature from the Knit Lagoon. If you want to be truly terrifying you can grab green face paint from Klutz’s Face Painting book and scare just about anyone out of their stash of candy on Halloween. 

I hope these ideas inspire you to make your own craft costume this year! And remember, if all else fails, you can always be a toilet-paper mummy.

Halloween Havoc with Stencil Art

Klutz and I always get up to some good stuff on Halloween! We’ve painted pumpkin faces, made shrunken heads and mini-mummies, and found the perfect way to top off our store-bought costumes. So as soon as I felt a chill in the air, I started to brainstorm what great way we would celebrate this year.

My favourite part of this spookiest of holidays is the dressing up, but I’m guessing for a lot of you, it’s all about the candy. I get it, I do! I used to work my tired little feet to the bone hauling around a giant pillowcase, till I was sure I had enough to last me the year, or at least longer than my sister's.

We had one house on our street that handed out regular-sized candy bars and it was my favourite stop on our route each year! I remember bouding up the driveway in absolute excitement for what massive amount of chocolate I was about to receive. And though I never knew the names of the lovely couple who provided them, I made sure to smile at them whenever I saw them, in the hopes that my cute kid smile would keep the giant-sized treats coming.

Well, I can’t quite break the bank and buy full-sized bars, but that doesn’t mean I can't earn myself some neighborly goodwill by sweetening up my holiday treats! I grabbed a copy of Stencil Art and stamped out some spooky gift tags, packed up some little bags with double the chocolate fun, and finished it off with a ribbon!  Twice the chocolate and some pretty packaging? It’ll be all treats and no tricks at my house this year!

My Stencil Art fun still wasn’t done, and my next victim was our pumpkin. It was a little trickier to use the stencils on a round and bumpy surface, but I persevered and I’m pleased as punch with my polka dot pumpkin! And the best part of this super cool stenciled pumpkin? With 12 days left till Halloween, I can swipe it with a wet paper towel and start all over again!

Happy Halloween!

Disney Princes Purses - Handmade for Halloween

Halloween can be a great time to get crafty, from carving pumpkins to making decorations and baking spooky treats! But when it comes to costumes, especially when you're young and this Halloween business is serious stuff, sometimes a homemade costume just won’t cut it. I remember the horror on a school friend's face when she walked in to class in a mom-made Raggedy Ann, only to find herself in a sea of store bought fairies, pirates, and princesses. I thought her costume was the coolest, but I could tell that she was silently wishing her mom had hit up the store instead of the sewing machine.

When I heard that super-cute little Miss Emilia was going as Cinderella this Halloween, I jumped at the chance to add a little craftiness to her costume. I shared my copy of the brand new and boxy Make Your Own Disney Princess Paper Purses and we gave this little princess some accessories worthy of her namesake!

Little Cinder-Emilia got down to business, donning her royal gown and breaking out her fabulous zebra print scissors to cut out accessories.  She decked out her royal purse in pom poms, sequins, and stickers, and laced the purses up all by herself! She was even kind enough to make two more purses to share with her friends!

If you need more ideas for Klutz-made Halloween fun, check out what I got up to last year! Stop by my One-Stop Halloween Shop for tons of fun, 100% Klutz decorating and costume ideas, or check out how I made my pumpkins pop!

Wicked Cool Arm Candy

In case you couldn’t tell from this sunny coloured blog, I’ve always been one for bright and cheery things. Ruffles and frills, pinks, purples and polka dots; these are a few of my favourite things. But ever since I spotted Wicked Cool Friendship Bracelets, I’ve had to start rethinking my outlook.

I mean, these are no standard camp-craft friendship bracelets. With names like Bitten, Tangled, and Roses and Thorns, it takes a certain kind of cool to pull these dark beauties off. So, it’s time for me to remove my rose coloured glasses and take a walk on the goth side!

This pretty-in-purple book features some adorable, frame-worthy artwork and simple-to-follow instructions. Tie some square knots, add some sparkly beads, finish it all off with a charm, and before you know it you'll have some wickedly cool wrist candy. These moody bracelets are the perfect fall accessory; and they look great mixed, matched and stacked with some cool Ribbon Bangles.

We’re sending off October with one last dark, spooky craft, but the Halloween fun is not yet done! Be sure to come back in after the witching hour’s complete to share your Halloween crafts in the comments.

One Stop Halloween Shop

There are only a few days left until Halloween, but that's enough time to get seriously spookified - with Klutz's help! 

Create this creep-tastic banner (above) by stringing together some Twisted Critters creations. The kit comes with tons of colourful pipe cleaners that you can twist and bend into some scary (or sweet!) shapes.

Make some frightening shrunken heads (above) with Make a Mummy, Shrink a Head and Other Useful Skills. You’ll also find instructions for mummifying a hot dog, and the book includes a cool sarcophagus to store your mummy-dog in when its ready for eternal slumber (below).

Want to see how it's done? Watch this video! 

Looking for last minute costume ideas? Klutz has those too! 

• Make Your Own Twirly Tutu and pirouette across the stage as a prima ballerina. 
• Make Your Own Twinkly Tiara and rule over the land as a posh and pretty princess. 
• Pick your super power and transform into a costumed crime fighter with The Superhero Starter Kit. 
• Make a fancy fascinator with Headbands and Hairstyles and put on your Sunday best as a royal wedding guest.

Whatever you do to celebrate Halloween, remember to create wonderful things, be good and have fun!

Paint Your Pumpkins

Want the best pumpkin on the block?

Just add paint!

Klutz's Face Painting is packed with creative designs and ideas for pretty painted faces. It’s a unique way to add that finishing touch your Halloween costume. And this cool kit comes with more than enough paint for the big spooky day, so why not share the love with your pumpkin, too?

Create a frightening Frank-o-lantern, a scary skull, a wicked witch or a haunted Halloween scene. Klutz's Face Painting has professional quality paints that are perfect for pumpkin painting. They go on smooth, dry quickly, and any minor mishaps can be wiped away with a wet paper towel. And the best part? All that paint means you can do as little or as much carving as you can manage! 

Grab your paints and get ready to wow, because these pumpkins are dressed to impress!

 

Give Me a P-O-M! Give Me a P-O-M!

Halloween is all about creatures that go bump in the night...

But that doesn’t mean they have to be spooky, right?

I am just dying to share my latest Klutz monsters! But scary? That's one thing these little creatures are not!

These fuzzy little balls of yarn are incredibly easy to make and they just melt my heart with their googly eyes, crazy hairstyles and awesome accessories.

All you need is a pair of scissors! Just wrap some yarn around Klutz's handy Pom Pom Maker, cut along the lines, and tie it all up with a knot. Then comes the fun, when you sit your monsters in your stylist’s chair and snip, fluff, glue and accessorize to your heart’s content.

Make a punk-rock pom pom with a rainbow-coloured mohawk; a hipster monster with some stylish specs and sneakers; a scary pom-pom dragon with scaly wings and clawed toes; or a pretty, pretty princess in pink with a tiara and Mary Janes to complete her look.

My pom pom monsters are all dressed up and ready for some Halloween fun! It's a pom pom monster mash!

I'd love to see your little monsters, so please share them in the comments. It'll be a scream!

How to Make a Pom Pom Monster

Just Call Me Dr Mrs Frankenstein

The spookiest month of the year is upon us and it’s time to start celebrating!

So, dust off your lab coats, practice your maniacal laugh, and join me for some fun with Doctor Frankensketch’s Monster Drawing Machine. It’s the perfect way to spend a chilly October day!

Frankenheads, clawed toes and tentacles, oh my! This book is packed with all sorts of creepy crawlies to help you create some truly heinous monster-pieces. Just punch out the parts, then mix and match to your heart's content. And not to worry if you're not so good with drawing... (Secret reveal time: as crafty a gal as I might be, drawing is the one place where I just seem to fall flat.) You'll be relieved to know that this super spooky set comes complete with a Monster Drawing Machine—a rectangular inset in the back cover with a plastic flap for easy tracing of your monster parts. So, let the monster madness begin!

Okay, so maybe my uber-adorable, skull-diaper baby of cuteness (above) is not going to send anyone screaming. But what about this masked octo-henchman with one serious under bite (below)? Would you risk a run-in with him for some Halloween treats?

Celebrate the season with your own Frankensketchian creations. And come back soon, because the Klutz Halloween fun has only just boo-gun!