The Top of My Costume List (with The Marvelous Book of Magical Mermaids from Klutz)

For me, Halloween is serious business--a holiday that’s all about dressing up and eating copious amounts of candy? Yes, please! 

In preparation for this annual day of awesomeness, I keep a running list of all of the costume ideas I want to try--including favourites like Ashley Spinelli, Ramona Flowers and Janice from the Muppets. Some are simple and easy to throw together and some will require some serious planning, but I hope to have each one checked off one day. 

Near the top of my costume list sits my white whale--Cher’s awesome Halloween costume in Mermaids. As a proud handmade Halloween-er, checking this one off my list will be the ultimate challenge. But the year I pull it off, I will have won Halloween! Till then, I'll have to get my fix from some finned friends of my own. 

The Marvelous Book of Magical Mermaids is Klutz’s latest version of paper doll play and comes with more than 200 pretty accessories to mix and match. And just like the equine version of this popular book, the outfits are lush, colourful and totally over the top! 

After creating sailor mermaid, mermaid Cleopatra, a pretty coral mermaid and a mermaid with troll doll hair, my mermaid craving has officially been filled and I can investigate more reasonable options for this year's costume. Plus, all this paper doll play has given me some awesome new ideas to add to my costume list for years to come! 

One Tree, Three Ways

One of my favourite Christmas rituals is the decorating of the tree. The smell of fresh evergreen in the air, a mug of hot chocolate for fuel, Christmas carols on the radio, the fireplace channel on TV, and I'm ready to go! 

When my dad would haul up the big cardboard box of ornaments from the basement, it was like the first Christmas present of the season. We’d open that box up and sort through all of our holiday trinkets and mementos, reminiscing as we draped the tree in paperclip ice skates, shrinky dink Santas, and pumpkin seed poinsettias.  Now that I have a tree of my own (albeit a very mini one), it’s time to start my own collection. I’m commemorating my first Christmas as an honest-to-blogger here with some handmade 100% Klutz ornaments.

Last week, while busily making my Christmas Velvet Art cards, I also put together some fuzzy Velvet Art ornaments (above). They’re super cute and easy to make; the perfect activity to keep little ones busy during snowy winter days. Just punch them out, colour (it doesn’t have to be inside the lines), add some string and you’re set! 

Looking for more of a creative challenge? Get twisted! Ever since I first made my Twisted Halloween Critters, I have been hoping for a chance to make some more. So I set to work with those colourful pipe cleaners and I love, love, love the results. Candy canes, wreaths, reindeer, earmuffs and mittens; these twisted ornaments (below) fill me with holiday joy! 

Finally, try your hand at some Fabulous Paper Dolls to finish it all off. Peel and stick clothes to make all sorts of paper people, then attach loops of string to hang. I made some wintery characters in honour of the season, and some extra special ornaments to celebrate this year’s milestones. A new baby girl in the family, a great tropical vacation, rereading all of the Harry Potter books; just some small reminders of all the things that made this year great. 

 Looking for some more last minute craft inspiration? Pick up Christmas Window Art and deck your windows out in some festive stained glass. You can also use Window Art to make this faux snow globe (below). Flip over a jar or wide vase and stick on some Window Art snowflakes. Then create a little scene to go inside your globe, like this one, made with Twirled Paper and some tea lights. 

Alright boys and girls, that’s it for me this holiday season. Time to hang up my scissors, put down the glue and let the celebrating begin.

 May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be… crafty!

Story Book Horses

I think we’ve known each other long enough that I can share with you a truth that I sometimes keep hidden. It is a very polarizing opinion of mine, and one that has changed more than one person’s perception of me…

I am not an animal person.

I get why people swoon over cute and cuddly creatures, share an affinity for slithery reptiles, and fawn over our fine feathered friends. I’m just not one of them!

Luckily, this feeling doesn’t necessarily apply to animals of the paper persuasion. Couple that with my overpowering love of fashion, and I was actually kind of excited to delve into The Marvelous Book of Magical Horses. And if that wasn’t enough to carry me through, not long after cracking open that first page, I found inspiration in another love of mine.

I mean, come on, could this dark and fiery beauty be any other than The Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen in horse form? All dark and moody, with a flaming mane and Mockingjay pin... Okay, I added that last one in myself, but that's the fun of these magical horses. There are tons of beautiful outfits to choose from, but you can also add your own embellishment and flair. And with peel and stick tabs, once you’ve had your fun, you can take it all off and start over and over again.

After dressing up Katniss Horse to do Cinna proud, I began to search for other literary characters on each punch-out page. Can you guess which story book horses I've created? Share your answers and your own awesome equine creations in the comments.