A Change of Dates

Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the fun tutorials that have been posted so far. If you make any of the projects here, we would love to see them! You can add them to the flickr group at any time.
I have a couple of important announcements. First, swap partners are posted below. Please make sure you check to see who your partner is and then contact them so that you can get to know them a little and see what sorts of treats they might like!

Second, we have changed the date of our kit sales. Kits will go on sale on Wednesday, the 7th of October. Previews will be next week on Monday and Tuesday. I have seen some of the kits already and believe me, you aren't going to want to miss them, so many cute kits!

Lastly, check back tomorrow for a fun Halloween give away!
See you soon,
Cerri xoxo

Halloween Felt and Paper Pom-Pom Garland

by Melissa McCobb Hubbell

Hi everyone and happy Autumn! As we approach October and Halloween, I find myself drawn more and more to black and white things and I especially love polka dots. Recently I fell in love with these felt pom pom balls - which come in fabulous colors but also, black and white! Like 3d polka dots, I thought they would look great in a garland combined with paper circles and beads.

To get started, here's what you'll need:

Black and white felt balls in two sizes (these are readily available online)

Black and white baker's twine and a large needle

Miniature white cupcake liners

50-100 small and medium paper rounds

A variety of small lightweight beads

A few larger accent beads

Black sequins (these are vintage ones with polka dots!)

Black and white mother of pearl buttons

To individualize your garland you may want to add from your own stash of black and white goodies!

Start by cutting the paper rounds. I used a variety of old papers and added in some recycled packing paper, white printer paper and some black card stock. I flattened out one of the mini cupcake liners and traced a circle on card stock to get a template, then hand cut about 25 circles. (They do not need to be perfect!) I cut some more with pinking shears, and with a Fiskers large circle punch. I also cut about 50 smaller rounds with a Martha Stewart scalloped circle punch. Better to have too mny than too few!

Cut a length of baker's twine about 45" and thread it onto a large needle. About 6" from the end start by making a knot, adding a small bead, a sequin, a small felt ball, another sequin and another bead. Finish the set with a knot. To pull the knot tight put the point of your needle in it as you slowly pull the twine and ease the knot close up to the bead. The felt balls will stay in place on the twine without any beads and knots, but I think this makes it look more finished. Follow this with a second set with a larger felt ball. If you have trouble getting the needle through the felt ball, gently pull the needle through with a small pair of pliers.

Now you can start adding sets of paper rounds. Again, add a knot, bead and sequin. Place the needle thru the middle of a paper round, crumpling up the papers a bit so they don't lie too flat - leave a little bit of space between the rounds, and finish off with a sequin, bead and knot. You can add as many rounds as you like, but mine are at least 15 rounds per "pom pom". For the larger pom poms, start and end with a beads, a small paper round (in place of a sequin), and a slightly crumpled cupcake liner. Alternate sets of large and small paper pom poms, with sets of large and small felt balls. You can do this in a regular pattern or completely randomly - whatever appeals to you! Other items such as buttons or small charms can be added as well.

To finish your garland off simply knot a loop at each end. Make several and double them up to add a fun and spooky look to your Halloween decor!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Please feel free to ask me any questions and visit my blog and Etsy shop where I will have a limited number of supplies available for this project, starting in early October.

Happy Halloween!

Melissa McCobb Hubbell

p.s. I just wanted to let you know you can get the felt balls at ornamantea.com!

Trick or Treat Swap Partners

Hello ladies! Thank you all so much for joining our swap! We had an excellent turnout and looks like we have lots of excited swappers!
I have walking pneumonia and everyone in our house is sick, so getting your partners assigned took me a little longer than I had planned, but I have them ready now.
Because many of you did not leave email addresses I decided the easiest thing to do would be to just put the partners up here. I will put the info that was given and you can then contact your partner, visit their blog if they have one and get to know them a little.
So, here are your partners!

Carla carla-cosmogirl.blogspot.com
and
Elaine sugaredink.wordpress.com, elaine@sugarandspicepaperie.com


Lisa homeadornments.blogspot.com
and
Elizabeth thefloweringdogwood.blogspot.com


Cris enchantedheartstudio.blogspot.com
and
Susan Parnell skparnell@sbcglobal.com


Amanda mandyparsons@yahoo.com
and
Tammy littlejunkshop.blogspot.com


Lisa Hessabi hessabi@hotmail.com
and
Tina prettypaperposies.blogspot.com


Michelle ginghamworld.blogspot.com
and
Cami creatingmyselfcreatively.blogspot.com


Cathy cthomas@windstream.net
and
Kate kate_smith@integra.net


Aimee m-verdi.com info@m-verdi.com
and
Shara mydealoftheday.blogspot.com


Nikki nmb1277@aol.com
and
Susie Bieker soozeedoozee@yahoo.com


Cheryl cheryl-comfort.blogspot.com
and
Tania pinktwighlightstudio.blogspot.com pinktwighlightstudio.comcast.com


Jamie rem-nants.blogspot.com amzanioli@yahoo.com
and
Tangie tangiebaxter.typepad.com


Wendy Hue wendy-hue.blogspot.com
and
Carrie thesweetlifecreations@yahoo.com thesweetlifecreations.blogspot.com


Mummakat mummakat.typepad.com kpilar30@yahoo.com
and
Valerie valarty.blogspot.com valeriemyers@yahoo.com


Stephanie crownsandpearls.blogspot.com slo109@aol.com
and
Kelly and Melanie icingonacupcakedj@gmail.com


Sarah mysocalledjunkylife.blogspot.com
and
Cindy cindygilstrap.typepad.com


Maria junkdrawer.blogspot.com
and
Brandy brandywineboutique.blogspot.com


Jill jillsbbald.typepad.com
and
Annie Fannie anniefannie.blogspot.com along350@aol.com


Kath outonawhimstudio.blogspot.com
and
Lee W. webstersworld1.blogspot.com


Karoline cherishedvintage.blogspot.com
and
Cerri littlepinkstudio.typepad.com cerri@thelittlepinkstudio.com


Jean Knee eyecraft.blogspot.com jryan29876@aol.com
and
Wanda wadamai.blogspot.com


Erica erica@zunkychic.com
and
Angelina beautifulcards.blogspot.com dmast@atlanticbb.net

Find swap details here.

If you signed up for the swap and you do not see your name here, PLEASE contact me ASAP so that I can get a partner assigned to you.

We would love it if you would add your swap photos to the Joli Paquet flickr group (link on the sidebar) as you get them ready or to offer peeks for your partners, just please make sure to put swap in the title and tags.
I hope everyone has a wonderful time with this swap, and PLEASE make sure you get your swaps mailed on time (by Oct. 17th), it is no fun at all to not receive a swap package when everyone else is.

Thanks again for signing up!
Cerri xoxo

Trick or Treat Swap Signups Now Closed

Hey all you wonderful Trick or Treat swappers. Just a quick post to let you know that the Trick or Treat swap signups are now closed. Thanks to everyone for signing up! We have a great turnout. Miss Cerri is in charge of the swap. She will be putting together the swap partners and will let everyone know the details in the next few days.

Be sure and grab the swap button and put it on your blog! Happy Trick or Treating!

Cindy

Beth's Boo Banner Tutorial !

Hey girls thanks so much for stopping in !!! So glad to be here again for all the fall festivities .!!!!!
So today I am going to share a tutorial on soldering a banner ... this is for all you girls who love to dabble in soldering ... lumpy and bumpy soldering works great and you don't have to be perfect for this one ... here is what you will need ...
Tools:
soldering iron and solder, foil tape for soldering , flux paste or gel
triangle bevel glass ( i will have this available on my website )
alphabet stickers or rubber stamps,
black stamp pad
black glitter - i prefer glass glitter but either will work
vintage flocked velvet ribbons in orange and black
various embellishments ( i used halloween buttons and velvet black leaves )
vintage papers with text
glitter glue
large jump rings

1. First I cut out templates using the triangle glass as my guide - I used vintage text for the background -
2. Next, I took old alphabet stickers that i am no longer using (any variety will work) - stick the b on one template , the o on the next and the other o on the third - now use the letter as a template and put your wet glitter glue over the letter following the letter again using it just as a template for your glue , then sprinkle your black glitter over it - Voila , you have new glittered alphabet !! and you thought you had to throw out all those old alphabet stickers that you no longer use !! If you don't want to use stickers you can also use rubber stamps and stamp BOO or whatever other ideas you come up with - Trick or Treat and do one word on each ... etc.
3. Next I just used vintage text papers for the back and put ink around edges , but you could use images etc.. again use the triangle glass to cut around as a template - just remember that most likely it will not be seen -
4. Now take your front and back papers for each triangle and glue them together , i just glue them with a glue stick so that i don't worry about paper slipping when i am trying to tape them with the solder foil tape
5. Next, you will need to use the foil tape and tape around the edge of each triangle , burnish the tape down -
6. Next you will need to solder - I usually solder the front first then the back and then hold the triangle in a pair of locking vise grips to hold while i solder all around the edges -
7. You have to solder 2 jump rings per triangle so that you can loop the ribbon through and hold the triangle evenly -
8. String your vintage ribbon through the banner and add embellishments - I used black velvet leaves , and buttons - tie bits of ribbon in different places
well i hope you enjoyed this idea !! you can follow me on my blog or check out my website anytime !!! Feel free to ask any questions too !!! bethquinndesigns@mac.com !
have a wonderful day ...

xo,
beth

Creepy Crawly Candle

You will need:
* Glass Jar, Vase, or Candle holder
* Black StazOn Ink Pad
* StazOn Ink Cleaner
*Candle
*Beans or Rice
*Halloween Stamps
*Creepy Plastic Rings, Toys, Decorations
*Halloween Rub Ons and Stickers

This project is simple and easy enough that kids could help out with it. You might even have everything you need around the house! The Creepy Candle can be as small or large, elaborate or as simple as you want.

Start out with a jar, vase, candle holder, or any clear container. I used a large candle holder. Make sure the jar is super clean and dry.
Next use your StazOn ink pad and Halloween stamps. I used an acrylic stamp on a LARGE block. Ink the stamp then lay it face up on the table.
Very carefully roll the jar across the stamp. Repeat this process with more stamps of your choice. Don’t worry about mistakes because the StazOn cleaner will take the ink right off!
The ink does take a few minutes to dry on the jar so be careful or use a heating tool to dry the images.
You also have to use the StazOn cleaner to remove the ink from the stamps.

After that add your beans or rice. A black and white theme would be really cool!
Then add your candle.
Next is the most fun part! Add all those spooky toys. I like burying the skulls and bones halfway. Then sticking in a few spider rings. Just make sure the item is not flammable!
For a final touch you can add Halloween stickers and rub-ons. If you don’t have the StazOn ink you could use all rub-ons or stickers.

Ohh and the best part is, at night when its dark, the jar cast scary shadows on the wall!
I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. I can’t wait to see what YOU create!

Trick or Treat

It's time to get started on our Halloween Joli Paquet! I'm so excited and hope that you all are as well. I've been hearing what all of the artists have in store for you this season and it's going to be fabulous.
Tutorials will start next week, and new tutorials will be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays leading us up to Halloween. You will be able to preview the kits on Wednesday, September 30th, and will go on sale on October 2nd. We wanted to make sure we got the kits done early so that you have plenty of time to craft before Halloween.
And starting now, you can join our Trick or Treat swap! This is the first Joli Paquet swap, and we're all very excited to be hosting this.
The details of the swap are as follows:
You will create an adult style "Trick or Treat" bag for your partner and then fill that bag with treats. The bag should be a standard tote bag size and you're welcome to either create it from scratch or purchase a tote bag from any craft store and embellish it in the style that will make your partner swoon. Fill it with her favorite candy treats, crafting treats, decorating treats, or anything you think she will adore. Please try to make the entire package have a value of $20-$25.
Sound fun?
All you need to do is leave a message here including a link to your blog and your email letting us know you would like to participate.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at cerri at thelittlepinkstudio dot com.
*Unfortunately, because of the time constraints I will have to make this swap for US participants only. I'm sorry about that!! Next time I will try to get the swap going sooner so that our international friends can participate.
Sign up for the swap until Wed. the 23rd. Packages are to be in the mail by October 17th so that your partner will have plenty of time to enjoy her treats!
Please feel free to grab the ultra adorable blog button that Cindy created for us to show you're participating in the swap!
See you next Tuesday for our first Halloween tutorial!

EDITED TO ADD (9/24/09) Swap signups are now closed. Thanks so much for signing up!