Do It Yourself Coffin Jewelry Box // Hinged Box Jewelry Holder

Hi everyone! In case you missed it (because you all know that I'm such a bad blogger!) this is my new tutorial video. It is a jewelry box. For this craft you can use any type of hinged box or box in general. It's really easy and makes a great jewelry storage solution for cheap!

Halloween Party 2013!

Hi friends. I just wanted to take a moment to share with you the video I whipped together of Josh and my Halloween party from Sat, Oct. 26. It's not a long video or anything since I failed to get footage of everyone and everything that was there, but as always, here's a photo montage and a small video clip. We'll call this the 'sober footage'. (Also, I think I am getting better at editing!) Enjoy!

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

Happy Halloween friends! I didn't know if I'd be able to post this closer to Halloween as we are having a Halloween party, and I'm having a tough time making time to do things for the blog. Here is a fun recipe that puts a fun twist on normal rice krispie treats.

What you need:

1 box of Rice Krispie Cereal / Puffed Rice Cereal

2 bags of small marshmallows

2 Sticks of unsalted butter

1 orange to grate

1 lemon to grate

food dye or coloring in orange and yellow

vanilla flavoring

cooking spray

The process:

Separate your box of cereal into 3 equal parts as well as your bags of marshmallows. Coat a cooking pot generously with cooking spray and add 3 tbsp of unsalted butter to the pot. Pour in 1/3 of the marshmallows as well as a tablespoon of vanilla flavoring and stir mixture until it is runny and gooey. Add 1/3 of the cereal and mix until the cereal is thoroughly coated then pour into a square baking pan. Let it cool for a few seconds then pat the mixture flat with your hands so that it only takes up 1/3 of your pan.

You don't have to wash out the pot this time as you didn't use any coloring, but generously coat the pot with cooking spray again and add 3 more tbsp of the unsalted butter. Pour in another 1/3 of the marshmallows, a few drops of orange food coloring and about a tablespoon of grated orange zest into the mix. Stir the mixture until it's runny and gooey again and add another 1/3 cereal and stir until the cereal is coated in a beautiful orange marshmallow coating. Pour the mixture on top of the first mixture in your baking pan and flatten it down so that you leave 1/3 of the pan free to the yellow color.

This time you need to wash out the pot so that whatever remainder orange coloring will not stain the yellow layer. Once the pot is clean coat the pot with cooking spray and add 3 more tbsp of unsalted butter. Pour in the last 1/3 of marshmallows, a few drops of yellow food coloring and about a tablespoon or grated lemon zest into the mix. Stir your mixture until it's runny and gooey and add your last 1/3 of cereal. Stir until the cereal is coated in a bright yellow marshmallow coating and pour this layer on to the previous two layers.

Let this sit for a few hours then cut to your liking. As a bonus you can also shape these treats into triangle shapes with gloves and make them the traditional shape if you have the time, but even if you don't no one is going to care with how delicious these are!

(SSS) Stylish Smithereens Shop Update #2

Hello friends. I thought it was time for another shop update since I've listed more things in my shop and I figured that I would show off some of the stuff I've made.

Halloween Black Cat Dangle Earrings with Swarovski Crystals

Hello Kitty Bow Ribbon Statement Necklaces

Multi-Colored Owl Mug Cozys

Faux Druzy Bobby Pins

And back by popular demand are my Skeleton Hand Hair Clips. I swear that between work and Etsy, I have sold around 40 pairs of these.

I have really been hitting the knitting needles hard since autumn and winter are just around the corner. I will soon have Hello Kitty beanie hats and boot cuff/ leg warmers available so that's exciting.

That's all I have to announce. I hope you all had a great weekend! I'm ready for a productive then relaxing birthday week and vacation ahead of us!

Making Halloween Invitations & The Rule of Embellishment

Here is a sampling of the Halloween invitations I made for my co-workers. By using scrapbook paper, assorted brads and stickers (along with the invitation stamp I used to stamp the information onto the back) you too can make simple invitations.

I didn't really take pictures of my process, but here is essentially what I did. I got this paper stack from JoAnn Fabrics and cut about a third of the paper off. I then took a corner rounding stamp and stamped all of the edges.

The rest is really up to you, but here is the rule of embellishment. It is that you usually want to have no more than 3 types of embellishments on your card. Sometimes it's only two if you are using patterned paper. As you can see from the center card above, I used the skull print paper, two black stickers from the same pack (to give it unity) and I used a needle and thread to stitch some stitches along the top. As you can see from the card to the left, I didn't add much because the paper pattern was so cute all I added were some studded brads and the one on the right had a beautiful printed pattern so I only added a lace trim and a small bat button.

The cards above were a few that I used leftover paper on and completely ignored the patterning rule on, but they still came out looking cute as they are all uniform. This was also a double sided stack of paper, so the piece of paper that I glued to the front of these invitations have the same print on the opposite side so that they aren't really mismatched.

On average, one of these cards took just around 5-7 minutes for me to make. Just have fun with it and make them fun for you and your guests!

What I Love Wednesday 9.11.12

I am sooo sorry that I haven't posted anything else this week. I have been making Halloween party invitations and will make it a point to do a post about them even if it is just to talk about them and the process, maybe even the rule of embellishing. Anyway, here's my five for the week.

These super cute measuring cup kitties from ModCloth. This is one of these items that I assuredly do not need as I have about 4 sets of measuring cups, but how can you not fall in love with these cute little things. I bet all of my food would taste just magical with these.

Apparently this is a thing and unicorn farts smell of bubblegum and spearmint. I found this gem on Etsy and I would just love to whip this out of my pocket and mortify people. I feel like I need this in my life. Anyone else?

Another Etsy find. This pretty much sums up my life and day to day activity. Also, I have been really into rings lately and feel like this would be an awesome addition to my collection.

This is a cute nautical kitty notebook I found on Etsy as well. It is handmade (I'm just saying that because not everything on Etsy seems to be handmade anymore. I see more and more wholesale Chinese shops that the Mods want to do nothing about... Alas- that I a rant for another time.) and lined. I seem to hoard notebooks and stationary as well but I would probably use this notebook for sale documentation or something boring like that.

Lastly are these Devil Suckers from Oriental Trading. I really want to go that extra mile and have one of a kind candy at my party (maybe not to hand out to the kids 5 days later, because I fear that would get expensive, but at the party, yes.) I was thinking of doing prize packs with these in them also. I haven't decided. I am hoping enough people are going to come dressed up (so far, of the 40-ish people I have invited, nearly everyone will be dressing up) so I can give awards for Best Costume, Funniest Costume, Crowd Favorite, etc. I may just do a whole post on my party since a LOT of what I will doing will be DIY or handmade.

If you guys haven't noticed, I am super stoked for Halloween and my party, so I am really just wanting to talk about it. I hope that I will be able to blog/vlog about it and post everything I make for it here and that way you all will get to be part of the fun.

Halloween Deco Mesh Wreath

A promise is a promise! That and the fact that I totally knew I was going to be making this today. So go to your local craft store and gather your supplies. It's time to make another wreath!

MATERIALS NEEDED:

&&;; a large floral wire wreath ring

&&;; one large roll of deco mesh and one small roll of deco mesh in a corresponding color

&&;; chenille stems or pipe cleaners in a color that will blend in to your large deco mesh roll

&&;; scissors

&&;; fall / floral picks (I used some metallic orange pumpkins from the Fall/ Seasonal department and some green and purple curly picks from the Floral department)

First you will need to cut your chenille stems into thirds. You will need to cut about 25-30 of them depending on the size of your wreath frame.

Next you will be tying these pieces of the stems to the wire. I put about 2 per segment, but I did end up adding a few more sporadically as I tied on my deco mesh, so save a few as you go along.

Unroll your large roll of deco mesh a little bit and fold it over and into itself so that the edges and corners will be hidden and use any one of the chenille stem segments to tie the mesh to the wire wreath frame. DO NOT be afraid to stick the stem through the holes of the the mesh. It is a very forgiving material. It is soft/ yet firm at the same time which makes it really easy to use.

Once all the edges are where you want them to be, hidden yet secure, you can start tying down the rest of the mesh. I suggest pulling and puffing little bits at a time so that you can get the volume you want all the way around. Work in small segments and secure as you go along. If you need to you can also slide your chenille stem segments around the wreath so that you can make areas of the wreath look more voluminous. Again, feel free to add in more chenille stems as you need them.

Once you are done with that kind-of time consuming process, look the wreath over, puff anything out that needs it and make your minor adjustments before adding your second roll of mesh.

Unroll that second roll of mesh and secure one end of the mesh to the back side of your wreath. Loop, wrap and secure the mesh as you go along. you can puff it like you did with the first roll of mesh of you can kind of wrap and secure like I did:

If you have extra mesh from the second roll, cut it off and make a bow (that's a tutorial for another time! Shoot your browser on over to YouTube if you need to know how to do this now! I'll try to make one around Christmas time).

Once the bow is secure (use more chenille stems to secure it!) It's time to decorate. Picks are easy to use because you can weave the stick/wire piece around the wire wreath and they are usually pretty secure on their own.

Once everything is where you like it, slap a wreath holder on your door and put that bad boy up to proudly display. I may need to add a few more pumpkins to mine, but I am very happy with how it turned out!

Bath and Body Works & Spirit Store Haul

So I am a total liar and shouldn't promise things ahead of time. I ended up having some other stuff to do today  (along with going to the mall, obviously.) but tomorrow for sure I'll post something worthwhile. In the meantime, here is all the stuff I had to get today!

Here is a look at everything I snagged at Bath and Body Works. I originally went in to grab some fall fragrances, but as you can see, I got a bit carried away.

It was between this mason jar candle and one called Pumpkin Cupcake. These smell amazing. I may go back and get the cupcake one anyway!

Here are a few other things along with that candle I got. I also got another Wallflower plug. I got the owl because I thought he was perfect for Autumn and Winter and I love owls. The Wallflower fragrances I got were Farmstead Apple, Lavender Vanilla, Flannel and (surprise!) Pumpkin Cupcake.

The bins on the way to the checkout are my downfall. Completely and utterly... I can never pass up the PocketBacs. They're usually 5 for $5 so I got Hoot Berry, Pumpkin Caramel Latte, Farmstead Apple, Warm Vanilla Sugar, and Creamy Pumpkin.

Then there was the half off bin where I found this gem. I'd call it a summer fragrance but I may use it beyond summer time as it smells so sweet and yummy.

I did something I NEVER do on the way to the registers. I bought lip products. I got a Lemon Pomegranate flavored gloss, a C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve tin, and a Dazzlelicious High Sparkle Lip Gloss in Golden Caramel. It's more orange-colored and I think it will be fun to wear for fall. I also grabbed these cute kitty emery  boards (like I need any more...).

I also stopped by the Spirit Store just to see what they had and I ended up buying more stuff there. I do plan on returning as I have a friend whose husband works there and they want to get me a discount on stuff I will be getting for my Halloween party. I only got a makeup kit, some faux nails which have little stitches painted on them and are glow in the dark, some white hair spray and a lace web table cloth.

That's all for the haul!

What I Love Wednesday 8.28.13

I cannot believe how quickly Wednesdays come and go! Here is what I am loving this week:

PicMonkey Photo Editing

Since I have moved, some of my things have obviously gotten lost in transit. This includes my Paint Shop Pro X CD which I use to edit all of my photos, and that of course includes the pictures I take for the shop that I use to advertise my items. Upon browsing several forums for which *free* photo editing website was the best, I found PicMonkey. They haven't let me down yet!

Creepy Doll Head Garland

You all remember how I said I was into creepy things? This would be one of these things. I desperately want to get one of these garlands for the Halloween party we're going to be hosting in two months, but it is soooo expensive because it is handmade. Also, it is not long enough. I am hoping that maybe I can replicate one in time. I'm just not sure where to start with this without getting the other people I would need to be involved, creeped out.

Puffy Food Stickers

What? Yes, this is what I've been spending a lot of time looking at. For a few good reasons though. I have a small Ball Jointed Doll which these would make the cutest picture stories and posters for if I used them and for resin making (I would put these inside). Needless to say I have been favoriting these left and right. They're so cute!

Gargoyles

I think that growing up with the cartoon series Gargoyles on Disney Channel as well as the animated Hunchback of Notre Dame  had something to do with my continuing fascination with these creepy creatures. I have always wanted to put them in my future garden rather than some silly little garden gnomes. Maybe Halloween will be a good excuse to invest in one then I will just casually leave him sitting outside. Heh heh.

ModCloth Lace Bowling Shirt

This final item is the one item on ModCloth I keep returning to (aside from the shoes on there, that's another story entirely). I am obsessed with the way this shirt is made. How it looks like a man's bowling league shirt, but it's lacy and feminine and fun. I may have to add it to the virtual cart of no return next payday.

That's five! I am so sorry the crafty posts have subsided! I promise I'll be posting something tomorrow!