My Candy Corn Cups Runneth Over!

Candy Corn Cupcake Cups

These Halloween party favors are super-easy to make. Just punch a hole on either side of silver cupcake cups. Twist two black pipe cleaners together and feed the ends through the holes. Curl one end up and one end down to make a kooky handle. Fill with...what else? Candy corn!

To The Bat Mobile! Let's Go!

Haunt your house with a bevvy of bats!

Make a spooky mobile for Halloween! Cut the bat shapes out of black craft foam. Stick on self-adhesive rhinestone eyes. (We chose green and lime!) Spray a big stick with Krylon Glitter Blast Bronze Glaze, then string the bats up with fishing line!

Witchy Pinecone Owl

Who's scary? Who! Who!

Here's a fun Halloween craft for kids. Collect pinecones from the yard and dress them up as witches! Make the hat and eyes from craft foam or felt.

Set one by the front door to greet guests. Line up a row of them on your mantle. Or use them as placecard holders for your Halloween party!

How To Make a Witch's Hat

Click to enlarge.

Bring old bottles back from the dead!

Cast a spell with these bewitching candlesticks! Start by cleaning glass bottles inside and out. Give them a thrilling finish with Krylon Glitter Blast in Starry Night Sky, Citrus Dream, and Twilight Sky. Use sparkly stickers to label each bottle’s "hazardous contents." Top the bottles with candles and give your haunted house a ghoulish glow.

Instant Halloween!

Oh no, Halloween has snuck up on us! No worries. Jennifer took her gorgeous fall wreath and gave it an instant frightfully-fun makeover. She took a drugstore spider and wrapped his legs around the edge of the wreath. Enter if you dare!

Spider Attack! Instant Halloween Wreath!

Make 'n Takes Now Online!

We did a different Make 'n Take every day at the Southern Women's Show in Orlando. If you didn't get a chance to craft with us, we've put the How-Tos on our Web site. Just click on the pictures below to see each project.

Stamped Metal Jewelry

Resin Ring

Riveted Metal Pendant

Vintage Monogram Pendant

Good Times and Goodie Bags!

Our little Kia Soul stuffed with goodie bags!

We just got back from the Southern Women's Show in Orlando. So fun! We did Make 'n Takes every day with 50 Southern gals and gave away over 200 goodie bags! Krylon donated 50 Glitter Blast travel alarm clocks. Good swag! Here's a tip, though. Next time we'll stash that box in the car and not in our hotel room. We're started hearing tiny muffled alarms at 2 a.m! It took a few minutes for us to figure out what it was! Hilarious!

The Southern Women's Show Orlando!

We are on our way to Orlando for The Southern Women's Show! We will be doing Make 'n Takes each and every day in the Craft Pavilion.

Make this Resin Ring with us Saturday at 1pm

Thursday 6pm Vintage Monogrammed Pendants!
Friday 5pm Super Simple Stamped Metal Jewelry!
Saturday 1pm Magically Easy Resin Rings!
Sunday 4pm Riveting Metal Pendants In A Flash!

Come craft with us!! We'll be selling our new book Steampunk Chic right after!

Steampunk Chic is here!

It's here! It's here! Our new book just arrived! Hot off the press. The UPS guy just dropped off 2 big cartons full of Steampunk Chic: Vintage Flair From Recycled Finds. Whooo hooo! So exciting!

Our wonderful editor Pam Mostek would want us to tell you it's loaded with fun and funky steampunk crafts and step-by-step how-tos. Kitty's favorite is the mantel clock made out of a cigar box and Jennifer's favorite is the cupcake stand. Take a sneak peek!

Stunning Runner

Give your dining room a mini-makeover with a sumptuous hand-appliquéd table runner. Start with felt for the appliqués––it's easy to cut, has body, and doesn't fray. Then embellish with a whipstitch by simply looping embroidery thread around the edges of the felt in evenly spaced stitches. Attach the chiffon to the linen with just a few beads to give the appliqués a light and airy look. When you’re finished, your table will be dressed to the nines!

To make the runner, you will need:
2 pieces of icy blue linen fabric, 17"x72"
(fits a four-foot long table)
3 pieces of brown wool felt, 6"x6"
3 pieces of sheer gold chiffon, 8"x8"
3 pieces of sheer gold net, 8"x8"
Icy blue thread
Black embroidery thread
12 square black glass beads
12 icy blue glass beads
8 golden brown glass beads
12 black glass beads
Sewing needle
Embroidery needle
Straight pins
Scissors
Iron
Sewing machine
Photocopies of leaf patterns
Tape measure

How To Make the Appliqués:
Step 1
Cut out the leaf patterns from the photocopies. Pin one pattern to each felt square.

Step 2

Cut out the felt leaves to serve as appliqués.

Step 3
Pin one leaf appliqué to the center of each square of gold chiffon. 

Step 4
Using the embroidery thread and needle, whipstitch the leaf appliqués to the chiffon squares. 

Step 5
Center one chiffon square on one piece of blue fabric and pin (to find the center of the fabric, fold it in half and mark with a pin). Pin the other chiffon squares on either side of the center one, leaving a four-inch space between each square. 

Step 6

Pin a square of gold net on top of each chiffon square. Attach the squares to the blue fabric by sewing a square black bead to each corner.

How To Finish The Runner:
Step 1
With the right side of the blue fabric face down, fold the raw edges one-half inch all the way around and iron the edges down. Repeat for the other piece of blue fabric.

Step 2
Pin the appliquéd fabric to the other piece of blue fabric with the good sides facing out.

Step 3
Using a sewing machine and the icy blue thread, stitch the front and back of the runner together one-quarter inch from the edge. Sew all the way around.

Step 4
Using the icy blue thread and a sewing needle, string together three icy blue beads, two golden brown beads, and three black beads. Sew one bead-strand onto each corner of the runner.

Tailored Tip: For a custom-fit runner, measure the length of your dining room table before you head to the fabric store. Your runner should be long enough to hang twelve inches over each end of the table.

Right Turn
To turn a square corner while machine sewing, keep the needle in the down position, raise the presser foot, and turn the fabric ninety degrees.

Shaker Style

Give your décor a dash of fun and flavor with playful salt and pepper shakers!

Highly Collectible Campbell Soup Kids

Smiling California Oranges...Only $13!

For our Aunt Kay’s birthday, we wanted to add something special to her salt and pepper shaker collection. Our opera-singing aunt likes shakers with big personality, so we headed to our favorite gift emporium, the flea market. Once we started looking, we were amazed at what we discovered. Those whimsical figurines were everywhere! And they had themes ranging from pixie-faced vegetables to kooky zoo animals. This was going to be a hoot!

Our first contender was a pair of Campbell’s Soup Kids, but Jennifer noticed that one was missing some paint and its stopper. The vendor dropped the price to $12, but we knew Kay actually uses her salt and peppers when she has company, so that wouldn’t do. We stepped into a booth that had souvenir lobster shakers from Maine, flamingos from Florida, and cowboy boots from Texas. Kitty haggled her way to a couple of smiling California oranges for only $13. We could see why Kay loves these collectibles­­––they’re cute, practical, and affordable!

Treasure Craft Salt 'n Peppers

One dealer showed us a cabinet of salt and pepper sets he described as “nodders, huggers, hangers, and stackers.” He suggested some bobble-head pandas, but they weren’t quite right. Jennifer priced a palm tree with hanging coconuts that would fit in perfectly with her Hawaiiana. Only $15 for a mint Treasure Craft set? Yes, please. 

Diva Kitties!

As he wrapped it up, Kitty spotted some dramatic black cat shakers with gold details, and we had our winner. The cats didn’t have any identifying marks or stickers, but we didn’t care. Those felines were divine! The price tag was a steep $38, but we asked the seller for a deal, and he came down to $30. We can’t wait for our diva aunt to use them at her next cast party!

The Cat’s Meow

Holt-Howard Cozy Kitchen Kitties

We must have a thing for cats! When we see Holt-Howard cat salt and pepper shakers, we always smile. Maybe it’s the way these white kitties lean into each other with a sideways flirty glance, or knowing that each one had a noisemaker inside that meowed when you shook it upside down. These Cozy Kitchen Kitties were made in the late 50s and early 60s. The design was so delightful, Holt-Howard made a whole series of housewares featuring these Siamese cats. So if you’re smitten, be prepared to collect a matching cheese crock, jam jar, wall caddy, memo minder, napkin holder, and a string dispenser with the twine coming out of the kitten’s mouth!

Make a crafty tassel from an unpaired salt shaker!

Shake It Up

Have you ever found a salt or pepper that’s lost its match? We ran across a display of tassels made out of these widowed shakers. Genius! We took a closer look, and it seems you pinch ribbon with wire then run it up through the holes, and finish with beads on top.  We see a craft night in our future!

Mind Your Ss and Ps

If your shakers don’t have “S” and “P” on them, here’s a tip. According to the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Tennessee, the one with fewer holes is for salt and the one with more holes is for pepper. Good to know!

Prices We’ve Seen:

Treasure Craft “Hawaii” Fish $10

Campbell’s Soup Kids $10 to $30

Smiling California Oranges  $13 to $15

Bonzo Pup I’m Salt and I’m Pepper $14 to $20

Denton China Flower Pot Minis $15

Treasure Craft “Hawaii” Coconut Tree $15

Holt-Howard Merry Mice Noisemakers $20 to $40

Holt-Howard Cozy Kitten Noisemakers $20 to $60

Come Craft With Us In Florida!

We'll be crafting on the main stage at Orlando's Southern Women's Show and Craft Super Show! The dates of the show are October 13-October 16, and we'll post our showtimes as soon as we have them nailed down. We'll be doing a different Make-n-Take each day and plan on doing riveting, stamped metal jewelry, metal embossing, and resin rings!

Who knew half the fun would be contacting companies like Darice, EKSuccess, and Plaid to get materials donated!? Not only did we get tools and supplies from over fifteen companies, they are also sending us all kinds of free stuff to give away! Craft schwag! Tape measures from Beaducation! Craft kits from Cousin! Krylon is even sending travel clocks! Hope to see you there.

Email us if you have any questions!

Make Me Over!

Kitty found a set of these chairs for $10 at the flea market! Irresistible! We featured them in this article we wrote for Decorating Spaces. It's sort of a Chair Makeover 101. 

Cheers, J&K

Before: A Chair In the Rough

It’s rusty. It’s filthy. It’s fabulous! If you know what to look for, a ratty old wrought iron chair can become a delightful addition to your little garden oasis. Just take these tips picked up from the pros and get thee to a flea market to find that diamond in the rough.

After: Sweet Little Seat

A Chair In The Rough

This chair passes all the tests with flying colors: the rust is minimal, the seat pops right off, it has no real damage, and it’s loaded with personality. All it needs now is a little TLC. Start by picking a fun fabric for the seat and use a swatch to select your spray paint. Remove the seat and smooth the rough areas and rusty parts of the frame using medium, then fine sandpaper. Clean thoroughly, then spray paint the chair with primer and your chosen color. (To avoid runs, do several light coats.)

What To Do:

1. Disassemble the seat by removing the old vinyl, foam, and rusty staples.

2. Recover the seat with two-inch thick foam and your chosen fabric, folding carefully at the corners and stapling the fabric underneath.

3. Then finish your new treasure by reattaching the seat to the chair. Now you’re sitting pretty!

Tips:

You don't have to use oilcloth to make your outdoor chair waterproof—just cover the fabric seat with a layer of clear plastic.

When selecting a fabric for your outdoor chair, you don't have to stick to florals. Consider decorator fabrics with stripes, dots, or plaids, as long as the pattern matches the mood of the chair.

If you want to spruce up a plain chair with more than just color, try a spray-on finish like metallic copper, hammered bronze, or even natural rust. Yes! You can buy rust in a can!

Crate Awakening Storage Ottoman

We did this cute crate craft for Create and Decorate. Kitty has it in her studio and she uses it to keep bird seed for her feeder!

J&K

Turn a rustic wooden crate into a lovely footstool with storage to boot!

Materials
Medium-sized wooden crate (flea market find)
Plywood, ¾" thick, cut to fit on top of crate
Printed decorator fabric, measure plywood and add 3" to each side
Grosgrain ribbon, 1½" wide, twice the length plus twice the width of the plywood
2 Pieces of high loft batting, measure plywood and add 2" to each side
4 Medium duty swivel plate casters, 2" with mounting plates
16 Wood screws, #8 size, ½" length
Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac
Staple gun and staples
Drill and 1/8" drill bit
Screwdriver
Iron
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil

Instructions
1. To find a suitable crate, look for a medium-sized wooden crate large enough to prop your feet up on, but not so big you can't carry it to the car. Inspect the crate for wood rot and insect damage. A little wear and tear is charming, but the crate should be sturdy.

2. To create a padded lid, layer the two pieces of batting. Lay the plywood on the batting and wrap the edges up around the lid. Staple the edges of the batting to the wood. At the corners, fold the batting around the edges until they meet in a mitered corner. Trim the excess triangle of batting then staple down the edges.

3. Iron the printed fabric, then use it to cover the padded lid. Fold the edges up and staple in place. To make tidy corners, fold the fabric in like you are wrapping a present.

4. Cover the rough edge of the fabric and the staples with the grosgrain ribbon. At each corner, fold the ribbon over itself. Use Fabri-Tac to glue the ribbon in place.

5. Before you attach the casters, mark the holes using the mounting plate as a guide, then pre-drill the holes. Screw on the mounting plates with the #8 wood screws.

Liner Notes: If the bottom of your crate is thinner than your mounting screws, you might wind up with screws poking through. Hide them by covering a piece of foam core with fabric and using it to line the bottom of the crate.

Shadowboxing

Soda crates are a flea market favorite and have dozens of uses. When we found this weathered 7-Up crate, we thought it would make a charming shadowbox. Then we took that idea a step further by turning it into a shadowbox table. The crate only cost $3, but the table looks like a million bucks!

Materials:
Flea market soda pop crate
Glass tabletop, 1/4" thick, cut to fit inside crate
4 wooden legs, 22" with mounting plates
Basswood stick, ½"x½"x24" (in the dowel aisle)
4 black self-adhesive rubber feet, ½"x½"
Foam core board, ¼" thick, enough to fit inside crate
Dark green velvet, enough to cover foam core board
Plaid Folk Art acrylic paint, Napthol Crimson, 2 oz.
Amazing Goop all-purpose contact adhesive
Foam paintbrush
Handsaw
Electric screwdriver
X-Acto craft knife
Masking tape
Metal yardstick
Straight pins
Scissors
Pencil

Instructions:
1. Mask the brass foot of each leg with the masking tape. Paint the wooden legs Napthol Crimson red and let dry.

2. Measure the inside of the crate. Using the metal yardstick and the X-Acto craft knife, cut the foam core board to fit inside the crate. Watch your fingers! Cover the foam core board with the velvet. Secure the velvet to the back by sliding straight pins through the fabric and into the foam core board at an angle. Cut off any excess fabric. Place the velvet-covered foam core board in the bottom the crate.

3. To make a support for the glass top, stick the piece of basswood inside the crate at the corner. Mark it with the pencil ¼" from the top of the crate. Cut the basswood with the handsaw, then use that piece to measure and cut 3 more identical pieces. Glue the 4 pieces of basswood into the corners of the crate using the Goop adhesive. Attach a self-adhesive rubber foot onto the top of each piece of basswood. 

4. When the glue is dry, flip the crate over onto a stack of books, so the foam core insert is resting on the books. Attach the mounting plates to each corner of the crate with the screwdriver. Screw in the red legs. Flip the crate table over onto its new legs.

5. Arrange a collection of items inside the shadowbox. Place the glass tabletop inside the top of the crate so it rests on the 4 rubber feet.

Shopping Tip: Getting a piece of glass cut is cheaper than you think, even for odd sizes. Our 9 5/8"x14 3/8" glass with polished edges cost less than $10!

The Art of Display
To create your shadowbox showcase, start with a theme such as travel, wedding, or holiday. Arrange flat items like vintage postcards and photos in the bottom of the crate to create a colorful background. Then overlap the images with a few meaningful objects. To remember a wedding, you might include the bride’s garter and dried flowers from the bouquet. For a holiday theme like autumn, choose a glass pumpkin paperweight and ears of Indian corn. Don't worry about making the perfect display—this shadowbox is easy to open, and museums change their exhibits regularly, so why can't you?!

Crystal Pie Server

Embellish a silver pie server with sparkling crystal beads and fancy monogram charm.

YOU'LL NEED
Materials & Embellishments
Sterling silver or plated pie server.
Copper wire, 20 gauge, 48" long.
2 crystal bicone beads, 10mm, pink.
3 round faceted crystal beads, 8mm, red.
4 round faceted crystal beads, 5mm, clear.
12 crystal faceted rondells, 4mm, red.
2 crystal faceted rondells, 5mm, peach.
1 crystal faceted rondells, 5mm, red.
2 faceted crystal oval beads, 4mm, orange.
Large rose-shaped glass bead, 15 mm.
Metal letter charm.
Copper jumpring, 5mm.

Tools & Supplies
Needle-nose pliers.
Wire snips.

WHAT TO DO
1. Twist a swirl into one end of the copper wire using the needle-nose pliers. Press the swirl flat onto the handle of the pie server at the triangular serving end.

2. Feed an orange oval bead onto the wire at the base of the swirl, then wrap the copper wire tightly around the handle. Feed an 8mm red crystal bead onto the wire so it rests on top of the handle and wrap the wire around the handle again.

3. Continue feeding beads onto the wire and wrapping the wire around the handle. For the smaller beads, feed two or three on the wire at a time to match the width of the larger beads. Alternate the beads so the colors are distributed evenly down the handle. Stop one inch from the end of the handle.

4. Finish the end by feeding the red rose bead onto the wire followed by an orange oval bead. Bend the wire 90° above the rose bead so the wire runs vertically to the end of the handle. Twist a swirl into the end of the wire at the base of the orange oval bead and trim the end with the wire snips.

5. To personalize it, attach the metal letter charm to the swirl using the copper jumpring.

Easy As Pie: Want to give the hostess something more personal than a bottle of wine? Give her this beaded pie server along with your family recipe for apple pie.

Smashing Glass Tray

Make crime pay with a cool dresser valet made of recycled car window glass.

Give an ordinary wooden tray an edge with shattered green glass from a broken car window. Simple high-gloss resin lets you embed the glass safely while creating an ultra-modern mosaic.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
Wooden or bamboo tray, 6"x6"x2"
Shattered glass from a car window, 2 cups
EnviroTex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish, 8-ounce kit
Disposable cups, 2
Wooden chopsticks, 2
White Con-Tact paper
Household silicone sealant, clear
Medium-sized cardboard box
Scissors
Ruler
Level

WHAT TO DO
Step One
Measure the inside bottom of the wooden tray and cut a piece of contact paper to fit. Stick the Con-Tact paper to the bottom inside of the tray. Seal the inside corners and bottom edges of the tray with the silicone sealant and let cure for 45 minutes. Pour the shattered glass into the tray and shake the tray until the glass creates an even layer. The glass should be about three-quarters of an inch deep.

Step Two
Following the directions on the EnviroTex Lite box, pour the entire contents of the resin and hardener into one cup. Mix thoroughly with a chopstick for one minute. Then pour the mixture into a second cup and mix with a new chopstick for one minute.

Step Three

Immediately pour the resin mixture evenly over the layer of shattered glass until it is completely covered. Place the tray on a completely level surface and cover with a dust-free box. Let the tray cure undisturbed for 48 hours. 

Tiny Bubbles: Don't worry if you whip bubbles into the resin as you stir it. Once you have poured the resin, most of the bubbles will de-gas on their own within five minutes. If any bubbles remain, gently exhale over the surface and the bubbles will rise and pop.

Don't Get Busted: Be a law-abiding crafter and put away the hammer! Instead, call an auto shop that specializes in window repair and ask them to save you some glass.

Light Up Your Life Candlestick Lamp

You don't need to be a professional electrician to make your own candlestick lamp. With a bottle adapter lamp kit from the hardware store, all that's left for you to do is find the perfect flea market candlestick and follow these simple instructions. In minutes, you'll have a working candlestick lamp. To embellish the lampshade for your boudoir, choose an ornate rubber stamp, a paint color that complements your candlestick, and glitzy beaded fringe. With the flick of a switch, you'll be reading by "candle light."

To make the lamp, you will need:
candlestick, 8 inches tall (made for a taper candle with a 5/8-inch to one-inch diameter)
bottle adapter "Make-a-Lamp" kit
light bulb
screwdriver
rubber bands

To embellish the lampshade, you will need:
white clip lampshade (clip attaches to the bulb), 7 inches tall, 9-inch diameter at bottom
metallic silver acrylic paint, 2 fl. oz.
squeeze bottle of iridescent glitter paint, 2 fl. oz.
rubberstamp, 4 inches across
crystal beaded fringe, 29 inches long
hot glue gun
hot glue

How To Assemble The Lamp:
Step 1
Select the rubber adapter from the bottle adapter "Make-a-Lamp" kit that fits the candlestick opening. Slide the adapter all the way onto one end of the threaded pipe.

Step 2
Screw the socket bottom onto the threaded pipe.

Step 3
Tighten the side screw with a screwdriver.

Step 4
Feed the loose-wire end of the electrical cord through the hole in the side of the socket bottom. 

Step 5
Pull the cord apart to create some slack, then tie the ends in a knot. This will keep the cord from pulling out of the socket cap.

Step 6
Connect the neutral wire to the silver screw (the rubber insulation on the neutral wire is ribbed) and tighten with a screwdriver. 

Step 7
Connect the other wire to the brass screw and tighten with a screwdriver. Make sure the brass tips of the wires are secured under the screw heads.

Step 8
Slide the brass shell with the paper liner over the lamp socket. Snap the brass shell onto the socket bottom and rock it into place until it clicks.

Tight Light: If the rubber adapter feels a little loose in the candlestick, make a tighter fit by wrapping the adapter with a rubber band or two.

How To Embellish The Lampshade:
Step 1
Using the rubber stamp and the silver acrylic paint, stamp the image four times around the bottom edge of the lampshade. (For even spacing, stamp on one side, then turn the shade 180 degrees, and stamp again opposite the first image. Then repeat between the two stamped images.) Turn the rubber stamp upside-down and stamp around the top edge of the lampshade four times between the bottom stamped images.

Step 2
When the paint is dry, trace the edges of each stamped image with the squeeze bottle of iridescent glitter paint.

Step 3
When the glitter paint is dry, hot glue the beaded fringe around the bottom edge of the lampshade. To finish off your lamp, insert the lamp fixture into the candlestick, screw in a light bulb and attach the lampshade to the bulb. Then light up the night!

Keep It Clean: For a cleaner stamped image, dab the paint directly onto the rubber stamp. Try a few test stamps on a scrap piece of paper until you get the hang of it.

Perfect Pair
For twice the fun, buy a pair of candlesticks and turn them into matching lamps for your bedside tables.