Lark Crafts

Do you have a youngster with visions of sugary sweets dancing in their heads? The big night is scarcely a week away. Have you been toiling over a witch, pirate, super hero, or princess costume? Well don’t forget the accessories! While princesses need their wands, devils their pitchforks, a pointy hat for witches, and swords for pirates, they all have one common need—a container for their treats. And since the little hobgoblins are running around at night, how about a candy holder that glows in the dark? This ingenious project scores points for both its usefulness and safety, and just requires paint, stencils, and a bucket.

You can get mega-clever and customize the design to match your child’s costume by making your own stencil or using masking tape. Flowers for the princess or ballerina, flames for a fireman or devil, and skulls for pretty much anything spooky. Here’s the basic how-to instructions: Treat Bucket.

This project is a treat from the recently released Artful Halloween: 31 Frightfully Elegant Projects, by the scarily talented Susan Wasinger.

Yeah, it’s coming. You can tell by the corn mazes popping up across country landscapes, the air beginning to have a crisp nip, and the grocery store shelves groaning under the weight of a plethora of candy. For people that embrace things that go bump in the night, the best time of the year is rapidly approaching. Halloween. An estimated 148 million Americans will partake in some sort of Halloween activity this year and will shell out an average of $66.28 per person on candy, costumes, and decorations. In fact, Halloween enthusiasts are expected to spend $1.6 billion (yes, that’s with a “B”) on decorations alone to scary-up their homes. Those animatronic grim reapers and zombies aren’t free, you know.

We at Lark being a fun-loving bunch, are not immune to the allure of All Hallow’s Eve and have a treat for the holiday reveler. Susan Wasinger, uber-talented craft mistress of the dark, has worked her magic to help clever, crafty folk spookify their houses—both inside and out—in preparation for the big day (or rather night). Her new book, Artful Halloween: 31 Frightfully Elegant Projects, is chockablock with ideas to make your abode frightfully fashionable for the season (Disembodied Hand-in-Glove, anyone?). Pumpkin decorating has become incredibly popular and you may think you’ve seen it all, but we beg to differ: the Peck of Pretty Peculiar Pumpkins section elevates the art to new heights—and no carving is required!

 

 

 

Having some friends over? The Demented & Illuminated Yard Specter would love to greet them.  The combination of fluttering fabric and glowing, glittering light makes this guy the quintessential shape shifter.

 

Have you ever noticed that old photos of people you don’t know, who lived a long time ago, are just creepy and strange, especially if their eyes glow eerily? We encourage you to set the table—and the mood for your next dinner party—with Creepy Old Photo Place Cards.

 

 

This is just a little peek into some of the good stuff being served up in Artful Halloween. Other projects include a garland made with black skeleton flowers, a “blood” splattered paper bouquet, and black doily spider webs.

Susan is also the author of Eco Craft, Fabricate, The Feisty Stitcher, and Sewn by Hand.

 

 

 

It’s winter and weddings are in the air. January and February are the biggest planning months for brides-to-be. With so many  decisions to be made—from THE dress to the place for the ceremony, all the way down to the small details like seating cards and wedding favors for the guest—it can be a bit overwhelming. So what’s a girl to do? One place to turn to for wedding inspiration is Etsy. There you can find everything from rings, invitations, and bouquets to yes, even THE dress. Most shops will happily customize items to the colors, font, and wording that will complement your wedding perfectly.

 

Some old, something new, something borrowed, something fabulous like this custom dress from Holly Stalder.

More Etsy nuptial finds after the jump.

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