NEW BLOG SERIES: CRAFTY CARA! – HALLOWEEN by Cara Potapshyn Meyers

Many of you may be interested to know that besides blogging, one of my hobbies is working on craft projects! I have been sewing, knitting, crocheting, and creating various items since I was a young teen. As the craft making industry has blossomed over the past twenty years, I became curious about how to paint “stained glass,” use special markers to decorate glass vases as gifts, decoupage storage boxes or trays, and many more crafty endeavors.

Robin (MotherhoodLater.com’s Founder) has been observing my craft projects over this past year. Being mostly home bound with Lyme Disease, I decided to find my old knitting needles, crochet hooks and glue gun and let my imagination run amok!

Robin thought that my work might be appreciated and inspire our readers to take some of my ideas or “borrowed” creations and hone their own craftiness! I personally found that working on my craft projects has been calming and satisfying. I have chosen projects that are relatively simple and quick to assemble. Thus, the introduction to a new blogging series: Crafty Cara! I must give credit to Robin for the title, lol.

In this series, I hope to blog about a different craft project each month. If the project is something I dreamed up myself, I will post the instructions with photos of the project right in my blog. If there is something I am making that requires more detailed instructions or a video clip, I will post links and give credit to the company that provides these helpful tools.

To start off this season, I decided to post something very simple and as my son said when he saw it, “cool!” With HALLOWEEN approaching, I decided to create a “HAUNTED HOUSE.” Here are my simple directions for this quick and easy craft:

“Haunted House”  

What you will need:

– Pre-made, wooden “bird house” or similar wooden structure

– Acrylic paint colors of your choosing

– “Sponge” paintbrushes or any paintbrushs about an inch wide

– Pre-made and colored wood Halloween characters

– Glue gun with glue sticks

– Painters tape or masking tape

– decoupage sealer (if desired)

Note: All of the above can be purchased at your local craft supply store.

First, decide which colors you would like to paint the roof, body and bottom of the wooden house. Tape areas on the house where paint colors may overlap (such as the seam where the roof and body of the house meet). Paint in sections, ie. paint the bottom first, allow to dry completely. Then paint the body of the house, allow to dry, finally the roof, allowing to dry. To provide a “glossy” look to your house, you may want to add a coat of decoupage sealer over your entire house. On my house, I actually used two coats of sealer to get a glossier look. Allow to dry over night.

Here is the REALLY easy part. Decide where you would like your pre-made and colored characters to go on your house. Plug in your glue gun and allow it to heat up (CAUTION: Always supervise young children when working with glue guns! They can cause burns if not used as advised and specifically followed on the packaging!). Once the glue has sufficiently heated, place a dot or two of glue either on the house or the character and press in place. Hold character for approximately 60 seconds. Continue same procedure with each remaining character. When you have run out of characters, you are finished! Unplug your glue gun and allow it to cool!

Here are images of my HALLOWEEN “Haunted House” from different angles:

If you want to make an even easier HALLOWEEN project, buy a wooden frame from a craft store, along with the characters, and glue the characters onto the painted frame. Here is one I did when my son was young:

You don’t have to be an artist to paint the house (trust me…I am far from one!). All you need are some simple supplies and a little imagination! You can also get your kids involved with the painting and in choosing the “look” of your project! A terrific craft for a lazy weekend or a rainy day. And just in time for some ghoulish fun!

If you need additional directions or want to tell me about your crafty projects, please leave a comment! I love hearing of new ideas!

Happy Crafting! 

Tags: "Crafty Cara", Cara Potapshyn Meyers, craft projects, craft supplies, family activities, Halloween, Haunted House, kids crafts, New Blogging Series, Picture Frame, raising a son