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How to Make a Creepy Haunted Candle

July 22, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

A few years ago I participated in a thing called “Secret Reaper” through HalloweenForum.com. It’s like a secret Santa for Halloween enthusiasts, and it’s really fun! The person who was matched up to me had photos posted of things he would like to receive, and on his wish list was faux PVC candles and creepy haunted candles. Challenge accepted! Here’s how I made mine.

How to Make a Haunted Creepy Candle by Candyland Studio

You will need:

Cardboard tube
Cardboard, Foam board, or Cardstock
X-acto Knife
Scissors
Glue Gun & Glue Sticks {lots and LOTS of glue sticks!}
Tape
Paper Clay or Paper Mâché
Spray Paint
Acrylic Paint
Sealant (Mod Podge or a sealant spray)
Paintbrush
LED tealights (I really like these if you want the color changing kind, or these if you want regular tealights)

  1. Start by cutting out a face on the side of the cardboard tube. You can see I’ve crossed out one of my designs…small details to not work well with this project. =)
  2. Measure the opening at the top of the tube and cut out a circular disc out of cardboard, foam board or cardstock. Tape or glue it a couple inches down inside the tube.
  3. Use your paper mâché or paper clay mix to cover the entire tube and form a 3D face. This may take several days and multiple layers…you don’t want to put the mixture on too thick, and you want to give it plenty of time to dry in between layers.
  4. Once the piece is entirely sculpted and dry, start dripping hot glue from the top. It takes awhile to build up the drippy look. I like to let the glue dry and do multiple layers to make it look old, and like it’s spilling over the top. Keep your tip of the glue gun close to the tube to prevent glue strings. (If you get a lot of glue strings you can help minimize some by blowing hot air on the tube with a hair dryer or heat gun.) BE VERY CAREFUL…I cannot tell you how many burns I get from the glue gun. I have finally learned to keep a bowl of water close by just in case.
  5. When the drippy glue is how you want it to look then you can spray paint your new sculpture. I found that I prefer my faux candles to be black. It usually takes a couple coats, and you’ll want to turn the sculpture upside down to make sure you get all the crevices. I like the Krylon Dual Paint & Primer spray paints so you don’t have to prime first.
  6. After your base coat is nice and dry, then you go back with acrylic paints to add some nice details. I like to use white or gray acrylic paints with a dry brush. Just lightly brush over different areas to add some texture and dimension.
  7. When your piece is how you want it to look, then add some kind of sealant as a top coat and let it dry.
  8. Add some LED tealights and you’ve got yourself a pretty awesome new decoration for Halloween (or anytime of the year if Halloween is everyday for you, too!) =)

Two Creepy Candles by Candyland Studio

Secret Reaper Gifts

I used a similar method to make these PVC faux candles, which you can read an overview of how to make that kind on my old blog.

PVC Candles by Candyland Studio

 

 

Filed Under: Halloween, Tutorials Tagged With: Halloween, tutorial

Braided Felt Dog Toy

March 7, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

Today’s Felt Fun Friday post was inspired by our recent situation with our dog, Lucy. :-/ It’s not like she doesn’t have a hundred OTHER dog toys from which to choose, but she didn’t have one of THESE yet!

It’s a VERY simple project, so simple that you don’t even need a pattern or anything. Just choose your color(s), cut your pieces, knot, braid and knot. Fringe the edges if you want to get fancy, and you’re DONE!

Pink & Purple Felt

I chose three colors: purple, dark pink & light pink.

Felt Strips

I cut my strips about 2″ x 14″.

Braided Felt Dog Toy - Knotted End

This was a big clunky knot I started before braiding.

Braided Felt Dog Toy - Fringed End

I knotted the other end a bit differently, and decided I preferred this one to the former.

Braided Felt Dog Toy

And here’s the finished toy. Lucy is still recovering, but hopefully she will get some use out of it real soon. This is actually the first time I’ve ever seen these made from felt, I more frequently see them made from fleece, or old t-shirts, and you can make them any length you like.

BONUS:

Here’s my first Felt Fun Friday FAILURE!! (At least the first I am sharing, haha!)

Since I cut way more felt strips than I needed for my rope I thought I might try this project I saw on Pinterest, originally from CraftedNiche.com:

Easy enough, right? I’ve got this. Or so I thought…

I stacked my felt strips, then I simply tied them with

embroidery thread (that snapped)

another felt strip (which ALSO broke!)

ribbon (FINALLY WORKED!! Sort of…)

Tied Felt Strips

And I tried to fluff the pieces, which resulted in this hot felt mess:

Hot Felt Mess

 Bahahaha!

My felt strips were too long and thick. I was too lazy to cut them down and try again, so I scrapped that idea and decided to show you anyway, just to prove that I’m not perfect, not all my projects work out as planned. =) But that’s okay.

 

Filed Under: Felt Fun, Other Tagged With: dogs, Felt Fun Friday, gift idea, tutorial

Reversible Two Toned Felt File Folder & Mini Lapboard

February 28, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

Reversible Felt File Folder/Mini Lap Board by Candyland Studio

I have no idea why I decided to make a felt file folder, but it makes for another good Felt Fun Friday project, right?! It’s a fun, versatile, quick project that’s also quite easy to make. (I love easy projects!)

File Folder Printable by Candyland Studio

You can download this more descriptive PDF tutorial sheet, but here’s a quick overview:

Cut two sides out of stiff black felt and two different colored pieces out of regular felt. Lay the stiff pieces side by side like an open file folder leaving a small gap between the two.

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder

Lay one colored sheet over the stiff black felt pieces so it creates a nice contrasting outline.

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder

Don’t forget about that little space where the fold goes. Adhere with your choice of felt friendly adhesive.

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder

Flip it over and do the same with the other colored felt sheet.

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder

Voila! You now have a nifty, durable felt file folder!

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder

You can keep all your Baby Signing Time papers in it.

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder
And here’s nice bonus – it also makes a nice mini lap board!

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder

Or, you could embellish one side if you like, but I decided to keep mine plain. Send me photos of your fancy felt file folders, I’d love to see them!!

Candyland Studio Reversible Two Tone Felt File Folder    Candyland Studio Two Tone Felt File Folder

 

 

 

Filed Under: Accessories, Felt Fun, Felt/Flannel Boards, Tutorials Tagged With: diy, Felt Fun Friday, freebie, tutorial

Fun Flashlight Covers for Halloween

October 1, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Make Your Own Flashlight Cover

It’s October 1st!!! Getting close to the most wonderful time of the year…HALLOWEEN!!

Here’s a quick, easy and fun project that will keep the kids entertained for hours. Well, several minutes anyway. =) All you need is some cardstock or thick paper, scissors and/or an X-acto knife, tape and a flashlight.

I noticed that both my daughters (3 years and 1 year old) were quite intrigued by a simple flashlight. (And we have all those toys all over the house why?!) They thought it was fun to chase around the beam of light on the floor and along the walls. One day I decided to up the ante and make some nifty flashlight covers, mostly Halloween inspired designs, of course.

Like this gorgeous spiderweb:

DIY Spiderweb Flashlight Cover for Halloween

Spiderweb_cover

And creepy little spider:

DIY Spider Flashlight Cover for Halloween

I took the kids into the laundry room, closed the door,  turned off the lights and became the coolest mom in the world as I shined various designs on the wall.

(It just occurred to me, how did I not make a bat signal?!)

DIY Pumpkin Flashlight Cover for Halloween

They screeched and screamed as I chased them with a spider and then a zombie, and they “Ooohed” and “Ahhhed” at the smiling pumpkin face. Very simple fun. Totally made my day!

If you would like to try this project you can click HERE to get a printable page with three pre-made designs and three blank templates to make your own designs. Or, you can get a full set of  12 spooky designs in my Etsy Shop:

Set of 12 Spooky Flashlight Covers

Which is your favorite design?

 

 

Filed Under: Halloween, Tutorials Tagged With: diy, freebie, tutorial

Our World Famous Cupcake Stand

January 13, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Okay, maybe world-famous is a bit much…but it’s made the rounds on the Internet and wedding forums since its debut after our wedding in 2008.

Giant Cupcake Stand

We wanted something a bit extreme, yet flexible so we designed a giant cupcake stand that has interchangeable panels that can be swapped out for another wedding or event in the future. This makes it PERFECT for event planners & bakeries. Or, if you want to leave it up on display at home you can make panels to match your decor and use it to hold trinkets and framed photos if you like.

When it came time for our baby shower we didn’t need a GIANT stand (which holds about 220 regular size cupcakes) so we built a smaller version that holds 65-75 regular sized cupcakes.

Small Zebra Cupcake Stand
Small Zebra Cupcake Stand

You can find the free tutorial for the giant stand here, or you can purchase a PDF with step-by-step instructions and lots of photos in the Etsy shop.

Check out some of the lovely stands people have built using our design in our cupcake stand photo gallery! If you build one we would love to see and share your photos!! Send us a note & image right on this site.

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: birthday, celebrate, cupcake stand, diy, tutorial, wedding

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