2x4 Harry Potter Books

We come from a family BIG on Halloween. I love getting the whole house decked out in a tastefully spooky nature. Each year, we add to our decorations (something I picked up growing up). One of the things we added this year was my "ode to Harry Potter." I'm a rather big Harry Potter fan (still jealous that Meg a.k.a. Mule went to the World in Florida). So, I was bummed our Halloween decorations had no Harry Potter in them anywhere. Que this idea. I loved them so much, I shared the idea with the planning committee for our church craft day and everyone wanted to do them.

2x4 Harry Potter Books

Not attending our Super Saturday and want to make some too?

Gather It:

• 2 ft of 2x4 wood
• 2x2x2 wood cube
• dark stain (optional)
• orange, black, green, purple, cream & gray paint
• vinyl or contact paper
• 2 black pipe cleaners
• acrylic sealer
• glue gun or gorilla glue
  

Create It:

1. Cut your wood. You need two 4 1/2 inches long and two 6 inches long.
2. Stain it using the directions on the stain can. This is an optional step. I wanted my book to look worn & used, so I added an extra layer of color to make the books look really distressed (it's showing through on the Quidditch book).
3. Paint. First, paint the pages. Using the cream paint, paint three sides to make each block look like a book. After that is done paint each book a different Halloween color. I double-coated everything. Don't forget to paint the spider.
4. While you wait for the paint to dry, hop onto the computer and create the book covers, spines & spider face. I used my Silhouette to cut it out of vinyl (or you can use contact paper---thickness 1, speed 2) and use the negative as a stencil. OR-- if you don't have a cutter--- an exacto knife is your friend (I did it A LOT before I got my machine). Trace it onto the contact paper and cut it out with an exacto knife. If you want the Silhouette document, email me.
5. Put the stencils on your books & paint. The bottom books just have spine stencils; the top two have small pictures too. After everything is dry, use a little bit of gray paint to make the books look even more used and distressed--- then seal it so they don't get scratched-- unless you want them to look even MORE distressed.
6. Cut the pipe cleaners into fourths (half--- then half again). Using your glue of choice, glue just enough of the tip of the pipe cleaner to the bottom of the spider... since it's a spider... glue four legs on each side.
7. Assemble the books from bottom to top with a layer of glue in between each, all the way up to the spider. Remember to put the glue on the small book FIRST when you transition in sizes.
8. To glue on the side book, put a strip of glue along the edges of the stacked books, then gentle push the side book on the glue. After that dry, flip the whole thing upside down, and add a little more glue to the bottom of the side book/stacked seams (for added strength).
9. Let dry and enjoy your new Harry Potter addition to your Halloween decor.

If you're not a Harry Potter fan, I also have just Halloween stencil too. The book titles are: Haunting Haunts, Perfectly Potent Potions, Spooky Stories & Tales, and Spells & Charms.

Enjoy!

I link {HERE}.

FREEBIE: Halloween Subway Art

So-- I've been spending most of my time prepping for my church's annual crafting Saturday. We are doing a 'year-round holiday' theme. Every craft has to do with a holiday.

For our super-easy craft, I made (and found some favorites--{Eighteen25} is a GREAT source) Subway Art. The women can either paint a frame or use their own. Like I said, super simple.

One that I designed was the Halloween one. I LOVE how it turned out. Since I loved it so much, I thought I'd share it with y'all.

It was made to be 8x10 or 5x7. Click on the picture, until you get the largest size, then save it. Print it through your favorite store--- personally, I go with Costco.

Happy Haunting!

Click on the link, if you missed the {Easter} one. We included that as one of the Subway options too.

Linking up {HERE}

Millennium Falcon Shirt

As I've said before, my boy is a rather big Star Wars fan. One day, we went clothes shopping and out-of-the-blue, he asks me for a Star Wars shirt. This is how the conversation went:

Knight (what I always call him on this blog): Mama, can I get a Star Wars shirt?
Me (not panicked yet, because that seems do-able): We can look (because we were going to a consignment shop). But, don't you have one? (A Clone Wars one I got at a consignment sale).
Knight: Yeah, but I LOVE the Millennium Falcon. I want one with the Millennium Falcon.

First, I thought it was ADORABLE he was that specific, and then I started to panic. How in the WORLD was I going to find a specific type of Star Wars shirt that was probably sold THIRTY years ago. I know retro shirts are popular, but specifically one with the Millennium Falcon? I knew the odds were against me.

Until, I remembered I was crafty. So, we bought a plain shirt (for $2) and in a couple of days, he had this to wear:

A Custom-made Millennium Falcon Shirt.
Want to make one for your Star Wars fan?

Gather It:

• Plain T-Shirt
• Printable Fabric ( I got mine at Joann's a LONG time ago. It was $20-30 for a roll and I've used it for NUMEROUS projects and STILL have LOTS left. GREAT investment).
• Wonderunder (if desired)
• thread or sewing machine
• freezer paper
• Silhouette or exacto knife
• acrylic paint

Create It:

1. Find a picture of the Falcon using googleimage search. Make sure the pixels are big enough so the picture doesn't look grainy.
2. Follow the directions on your printable fabric to print the Falcon print onto it. (duh). Mine needed to be cut to the right size to fit in my printer. Print and wait for the ink to dry. Follow the rest of the directions to prepare the picture for sewing.
3. Fuse Falcon to shirt with Wonderunder. OR just sew it on with a straight stitch. I did both.
4. Use Silhouette (or word editing software) to create the saying.
5. If using Silhouette, just type and cut with Freezer paper (I use the vellum settings when I cut freezer paper). Be sure to measure the size of the shirt, so the words aren't too big. If using word software, print and trace onto freezer paper. Then, cut out with exacto knife. I did this method before I had my Sil (what I call her), and it worked great too.
6. Paint with acrylic or fabric paint. Wait to dry between coats. Do 2-3 coats.
7. Iron an uncut piece of freezer paper to top of shirt to heat seal the paint.
8. Pull off and let your Star Wars fan enjoy the fastest ship in the galaxy!
   

I think he liked it.Seriously, he does. He wears it almost immediately after it is washed (nope, the picture doesn't fade in the wash). Just remember to follow the fabrics' instructions on how to launder.

I hope you enjoyed my trip to the galaxy far, far away. The force is telling me, I'll probably blog about it again (especially since my knight--- maybe Jedi Knight is more appropriate now---wants to have a Star Wars Birthday party for his next birthday).

Linking {HERE}