Halloween Banner

So, I have been encountering all of these cute holiday banners through blogs and Pinterest.  Our fireplace mantle looked kind of boring this Halloween season, so I decided to try to make a theme banner for Halloween.   I took ideas from several different posts and pins, so I don't really have a specific one to direct everyone to...

Here is the finished look:





The letter backings are just black and orange scrapbook paper.  I cut the shapes with a bracket die cut in a Big Shot.
 
The letters are pre-cut vinyl letters I purchased at Michael's.  They are 2" in size.

The Frankenstein head was cut from a bright green piece of scrapbook paper I had laying around.  I cut that in a triangle--no pattern--in proportion to the die cuts.  His hair is a jaggedly cut out piece of black scrapbook paper.  His bolts are made from 4 little, rectangle pieces of gray scrapbook paper that I taped with Scotch Tape.  I glued 2 medium sized gray rectangles I cut out from the same paper as the bolts; then, I drew in the pupil with a black marker.  Last, I free-hand drew his scars on with a black marker.

Then, I punched out 2 holes in top, center of each die cut/letter.  I strung a small diameter, satin rope (using a ribbon would definitely be cute, too) through the punch outs, leaving room for Frankenstein.

Finally, Frankenstein was hung on the banner with 2 tiny green clothespins that I got from my sister in law.




I didn't really hang the banner on the mantle; I put it under the heavier things that were already on the mantle to secure it.  I am sure you could secure with tape, Command products, a nail in the wall, etc.

I sure hope everyone enjoyed this tutorial!  I just had an inkling to make it when I saw all of these different, cute ideas and I ended up with this!  If I can do it, anyone can... :)  If you have a holiday banner, let me know!  I always love new ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kim

Linking to: The Graphics Fairy

Halloween Wreath 2012

So, I came across this blog through Pinterest called 'creatively christie'.  She made this cute Halloween Wreath that looked quite easy to do.  I loved the way it looked and the simplicity of the project piqued my interest!

Here is my wreath that I made with my son, who is 4 years old.  This would be a nice project for the kiddos to help with, but maybe not to complete all by themselves...

Items used:

-One Medium sized grapevine wreath
-One Small sized grapevine wreath
-Black Rustoleum Spray Paint
-Plastic spider, skull, and bat rings
-Lime Green Satin Ribbon






Thanks for stopping by!

~Kim


Check Out this Giveaway from Whisker Graphics

You all need to check out this neat giveaway from Whisker Graphics.  Look at the cute bags they are giving away:






They are going to giveaway a set of 20 polka dot Middy Bitty Bags and 20 polka dot Little Bitty Bags to one lucky winner! 


Click here for entry information.

Good luck!

-Kim

Influenster Naturals VoxBox: Product Review #2 -- LypSyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer™

LypSyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer™  





I don't know if the other reviewers on Influenster who gave this product D's and F's actually read the packaging, but it does not claim to be natural, environmentally friendly, etc.  It just happened that the people at Influenster added this product to its "naturals" VoxBox.  So, it is sad to see that people gave LypSyl such low scores because of that.  A side note, though: the company does not test this product on animals.

Anyways, I really liked this product!  The packaging is great: a one handed slider to get the product up and down, a larger surface area for application.  The product was very smooth, moisturizing, and softening.  Nice minty scent/flavor...

Go to the LypSyl site and check out their products!!

~Kim

Educational Insights® is the manufacturer of unique, innovative, and modern products that deliver educational content in relevant and appealing ways.  They are holding a contest on their quest to 50,000 Facebook Fans!  For every 1,000 fans, they will choose one lucky winner to win a prize pack worth $500!  When they hit 50,000 fans, they will reward ALL of their fans!






Enter by liking Educational Insights on Facebook.

~Kim

The Original™ Dish Drying Mat REVIEW


FACTS:  The Original™ Dish Drying Mat is the new solution to the age old tradition of placing dish towels on the counter when hand washing pots, pans, dishes, and glassware. But more than Dish Mats, The Original™ features a line of cleaning, home and pet products!

$4.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond

PROS: Nice looking, stores easy, seems to wick away moisture faster than other products
CONS: Not large enough; need more surface space. I'll just buy another! :)

I don't normally hand wash dishes, but have been doing more lately. I received this dish mat in the Influenster Naturals VoxBox and was hesitant at first that it would work any better than a towel, etc. Well, it proved me wrong.  Not only does it look nice underneath my hand washed pots, pans, knives, etc., it wicks away the moisture much faster than any old towel would. The only thing is that I wish it was bigger in surface area for larger items.

I would definitely recommend this product, especially at this price.  It is definitely worth it!

~Kim

NCircle's 3 Halloween DVD Review and Giveaway Information

The Bragging Mommy is having yet ANOTHER cool giveaway!   Kim reviewed a few of DVDs that NCircle sent her: Halloween stories from Sid the Science Kid, Word World, and Cat in the Hat!




Those videos look so fun, and I know my son would LOVE to have them.  Wouldn't yours?  Well, head on over to The Bragging Mommy and enter for yourselves!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I win!!  Good luck...

~Kim


PS: NCircle Entertainment specializes in the distribution of quality children and family entertainment.  Check them out at their web site, on Facebook, on YouTube, and on Twitter!  Fun for families!!