Arts and Crafts

If you want to make your own funny costumes, scary costumes, costumes that look like your favorite celebrities, or totally unique costumes, these Halloween costume ideas will help get you started. You can make costumes for everyone in the family.

To start out, you should browse through all of the costume photos I have collected. You can also send in photos of your home-made costume. To have your costumes featured in one of these collections, just follow these simple directions!

You can find directions to make hundreds of different costumes. Some are extremely simple home-made costumes while others take a little bit of work. Some follow along with more of a traditional Halloween costume them while others are quite unique. You can explore all of my costume ideas and patterns by theme:

• Animal and Creature Costumes
  This collection of costumes features farm yard animals, pets, bugs, and so much more. You can even find a mythical creature or two.

• Edible Items Costumes
  Check out all of these unique costumes made to look like edible items! Find costumes that look like everything from a box of popcorn to a hot dog.

• Inanimate Objects Costumes
  This is a collection of unique costumes made to look like a variety of inanimate objects. Find costumes that look like everything from monster trucks and popcorn to video games and eye balls.

• People Costumes
  Check out all of these fabulous costumes designed to look like people of all shapes and sizes, although not all of them are what you would consider to be real people.

• Popular Characters Costumes
  Check out all of these creative costumes made to look like popular characters from television, movies, books, and more.

• Scary Characters Costumes
  Take a look at the creative and scary Halloween costumes in this collection. All are home-made, and most from visitors just like you.

You can easily make Halloween costumes out of items you already have at home or items you can find for cheap at a thrift store:

• Cardboard Box Costumes
  This collection of costumes will amaze you. Check out the unique costumes you can create when you start with a simple cardboard box.

• Sweatsuit Costumes
  Explore all of these creative costumes made from sweatsuits. I am willing to bet you will be impressed in what you see here.

• Thrift Store or Closet Costumes
  Check out all of these creative costumes made from items that can be bought at a thrift store or found in your own closet.

Finally, if you need a costume for more than one person, consider some of these suggestions:

• Costume Ideas for Couples
  
• Costume Ideas for Groups

If you want to be one of the first to know when new costumes and other craft projects are posted, take a few moments to sign up for the Family Crafts Newsletter.
RELATED:
- Mask Crafts
- Books About Making Costumes
- Make Your Own Trick-or-Treat Bag

(Photo © Stockbyte / Getty Images)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Halloween Costume Ideas and Patterns originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 09:00:19.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

It's been sort of a harrowing week for me trying to get a large craft order out to one of my customers.  Still not done, but as I was taking a break trolling through the internet I ran across a blog posting discussing the value of doing arts and crafts for relaxation.

Of course, I had a chuckle about this.  But the blog posting did make one good point: if you want to pursue arts or crafts as a business (or pleasure) and are not sure which you are most interested in, it's a good idea to  start by exploring what classes in arts and crafts are offered in your local area and just pick one to take.  Not happy - try out another.

That saves a new business owner the wear and tear of thinking a craft discipline is a good one, only to start the business and find out they hate doing that particular art or craft.

For more information, check out these articles I've written on the subject:

• How to Get Practical Craft Experience
• How to Find Supplies for Your Craft Business

How to Pick a Type of Art or Craft originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 05:58:15.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Thanks to everyone who submitted a stick craft! Check these out:

• Fairy House Craft submitted by Brenda
  
• Pine Cone Pony Craft submitted by Tonya
  
• Sticks as Building Toys submitted by TJ from Montana
  
• Tree Branch Menorah Craft submitted by Maureen Morrissey
  
• More Stick or Twig Crafts
  

Enjoy these stick crafts and then make your own to submit. Submissions are still being accept for any and all past Make-It-Over Craft Challenge items.

Now, onto this week's Make-It-Over Monday Craft Challenge Item! This week, I thought maybe we would try something a little different. This week, I want to challenge everyone to make a specific craft. For some reason, the first thing that came to mind was puppets. So, my challenge to you this week is to make and submit your own puppet designs:

Your puppet can be made using any supplies you like. You can experiment with socks, gloves, household packages, and just about anything else.

You can share your simple ideas and tips using the comments feature on this blog post, but to get your project possibly featured in the next Make-It-Over Monday blog post, please submit it using this simple form. If you make the project you are submitting, take a picture of it and submit the photo. Some of the submitted ideas will be shared in the next Make-It-Over Monday blog post. Preference will be given to those projects that are submitted with photos. You can look through projects submitted for past challenges if you want some inspiration.

If you have questions or comments about this craft challenge, use the comment feature below. Suggestions regarding this feature? Again, use the comments feature to post your suggestions; and, thanks for playing along. If you want a reminder when Make-It-Over challenges are posted, sign up for the Family Crafts newsletter.
RELATED:
- How to Submit a Project
- How to Submit a Photo

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Make-It-Over Monday originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 09:00:16.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Not only are this week's craft projects fun for all ages, many are great for back-to-school time.

• Decoupaged Paperweight - Find out how easy it is to transform an ordinary rock into a treasured paperweight. This colorful paperweight is not only easy to make, it also would make a great gift.

• Math Rocks - Ellen from Connecticut explains how the make a unique math game using rocks.

• School Fun Paper Crafts - Find out how to make these fun paper crafts submitted by Jan.

• Poetry Magnet Craft - You can buy small, magnetic poetry words at stores for big bucks or you can spend a few dollars and a little time and make your own magnetic poetry.

• Egg Carton Fish - Find out how you can easily create a school of colorful fish to decorate every room in your house, your classroom, or any where else. All you need are some egg carton cups and a few basic craft supplies.

• Personalized Pet Dish Craft - Create a set of personalized pet food dishes and your dog or cat can eat in style with a matching bowl and mat.

• Feather Face Pencil - Everyone will admire your pencils if you dress them up with feathers and wiggle eyes.

Enjoy, and remember, if you complete any of these crafts, take a few moments to send me a picture and it can be featured here too!

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

This Week's Spotlight Crafts (July 24 - 30) originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Saturday, July 31st, 2010 at 12:00:00.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Enjoy this week's offerings from the crafty bloggers:

• Aileen's Musings - It's Christmas in July and Alieen reminds us that the holidays will be here faster then a blinking twinkle light! Now's the time to start creating gifts to give and to sell!

• Carmi's Art/Life World - Carmi has a Claudine Hellmuth tutorial to share this week!

• Crafty Princess Diaries - Tammy shows you her latest charity crafting project, some crochet washcloths for the Global Knit Haitian Relief Project.

• Eileen - The Artful Crafter - Learn how to make an angelic mini quilted wall hanging.

• Mixed Media Artist - Try using your favorite poem as a starting point for your mixed media art!

(Graphic is courtesy of morgue.com)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Crafty Blogs to Explore originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 09:00:08.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

While this advice is relevant to established arts and crafts business owners, it's particularly useful for brand new startups.  Part of the whole gig for many arts and crafts business owners is exhibiting at craft shows.  Before you decide to whether to participate in a  particular arts and crafts show, try to attend it as a shopper.  Then you can eyeball the crowd and perhaps find a participating vendors who will share with you their impression of how worthwhile the show is to attend.

Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt.  Some artists and crafters may not want to encourage any additional competition or they may just have a booth layout that doesn't encourage sales.  While their experience may not be all that great, the show itself may be a winner for you.

One of my latest articles hi-lights taking the opportunity to add some holiday crafts to your product line for craft shows in 4th quarter.  And here's some just posted info about the Holiday Arts and Crafts show at the Butler Institute of American Art  in Youngstown, OH.

Image: © Hannamaria| Dreamstime.com

Newbie Craft Show Exhibitor Advice originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 07:01:56.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Shhh, don't tell anybody but when I got this book, I had no clue what encaustic art was. Always wanting to learn more about any arts or crafts, I anxiously flipped it open and starting paging through it. This book really opened my eyes and excited me about an art form, also known as hot wax painting, I had never explored before. As it's subtitle suggests, this book definitely seems to be The Complete Guide To Creating Fine Art With Wax.

The author, Lissa Rankin, does a wonderful job educating and instruction with this book. There are 16 chapters that cover everything from the supplies you will need to merging encaustic art with other craft technique most of us have heard of such as collage, printmaking, and sculpture. This book will amaze and inspire the beginner and also offers great advice for the experienced artist.

This book is very educational and the photos are amazing. I paged through this book several times just to look at the pictures. It is truly amazing what some people can create. Of course, the author hopes her book will inspire you to try your hand at creating your own works of art.
RELATED:
- Craft Book Reviews
- Creative Painting with Kids
- Creative Printmaking with Kids

(Cover Art Courtesy of Watson-Guptill)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Encaustic Art Book Review originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 09:00:46.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

I know your kids are probably not ready for summer to end, but these back to school activities and crafts might help make them a little more excited for school to start.

Part of the fun of going back to school is shopping for new school supplies. While you can spend a lot of money to buy fancy school supplies, why not create your own? You can easily jazz up notebooks and other books. Start out with a simple paper book cover or a fabric covered notebook. You can also make your own stretchy book cover and a unique notebook cover using an outgrown pair of jeans! You can easily design your own pens and pencils. Make several of these fun pen and pencil projects to fill your back to school pencil case! You can also use many creative techniques and supplies to decorate or make your own backpacks and tote bags. Another great back to school craft to make is a home-made message board. Make one for at home and also make a smaller one to hang up in your locker.

While you are doing back to school crafting, why not make a gift for your teacher? Customized calendars make great gifts for teachers. Print out calendar pages for September through June (or the entire year if you prefer) and personalize them however you like. Check out these free school related beaded safety pin designs! These beaded safety pin patterns can be used to make fun jewelry to give as a gift to a special teacher. Of course, you can also browse through this list of home-made gift ideas to find the perfect gift to craft for your teacher. Once you make your gift, you can also make a home-made card or gift tag; then, you can use these creative gift wrapping ideas for the perfect finishing touch.

Finally, if you want some fun back to school activities that will help jump start your kid's brain after a long and lazy summer, there are several things you can try. For your kids, you can create a fun back to school coloring book. Make a separate coloring book featuring letters of the alphabet and also one featuring numbers to color. If you think your child needs to brush up on their alphabet, check out these alphabet activities. If you want your child to get into reading, consider creating a Story Sack.

So, let's face it... There comes a time every summer when our thoughts must turn to going back to school. Personally, I usually love the excitement and shopping involved with getting ready for school to start; but, whether you love it or not, by using your creativity, you can make going back to school fun!
RELATED:
- Alphabet Crafts and Activities
- Apple Crafts and Activities
- September Calendar of Events

This post is part of the August About Parenting Blog Carnival, hosted this month by our Guide to Children's Books, Elizabeth Kennedy.

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Back To School Activities originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 09:00:33.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

101 Scrapbooking Tips
Learn how to create professional scrapbooks. -

Source:

Wow, I've run across a bunch of good etsy.com info lately.  Here's part three of a series on marketing yourself, specifically pre-craft show preparation, which will also be applicable for online selling. 

You can access all three articles in the series by following this link.

I also have a ton of info (step-by-step basics) available on how to set up an etsy.com shop.

Also, check out my articles on how to set up an ArtFire.com studio.

Advice for Showing at Craft Shows originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 18:22:57.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

To get weekly updates and craft projects, sign up for the Family Crafts Newsletter. Currently, the Family Crafts newsletter is sent out on Thursday morning. You can also sign up for one of my special e-courses, which are like special 'classes' delivered to your email box at regular intervals. You will want to make sure you set your email box and spam filters to allow email from me (familycrafts.guide(at)about.com) to get through. You can sign up for one or all of these options:

• Main Family Crafts Newsletter - This is a weekly newsletter that highlights new and updated content on my Web site.

• Crafting Through the Alphabet E-Course - Sign up for this great, weekly newsletter and be introduced to wonderful resources to help teach or learn the alphabet.

• Creative Recycling E-Course - If you are interested in learning creative ways you can recycle, sign up for this fun and educational weekly newsletter.

• 31 Days of Halloween Crafts and Activities E-Course - Get new Halloween projects delivered to your email box every day for 31 days!

• 12 Days of Christmas... Crafts E-Course - Sign up for this special email course and receive a variety of Christmas related craft projects every day for 12 days - everything from advent calendars to Santa Claus crafts.

If you are interested in even more craft related newsletter, check out these offering from other About.com Guides.

• Beadwork Newsletter - from Jennifer VanBenschoten
• Candles & Soap Newsletter - from David Fisher
• Crochet Newsletter - from David Fisher
• Cross-Stitch Newsletters - from Connie G. Barwick
• Drawing / Sketching Newsletter - from Helen South
• Jewelry Making Newsletters - from Tammy Powley
• Knitting Newsletter - from Sarah E. White
• Needlepoint Newsletter - from Cheryl Fall
• Painting Newsletter - from Marion Boddy-Evans
• Pottery Newsletter - from Beth Peterson
• Quilting Newsletters - from Janet Wickell
• Rubber Stamping Newsletter - from Kate Pullen
• Scrapbooking Newsletter - from Rebecca Ludens
• Sewing Newsletters - from Debbie Colgrove
• Woodworking Newsletter - from Chris Baylor

You are sure to find some creative inspiration when you subscribe to one or more of these!
RELATED:
- Become part of the Family Crafts Community
- Visit the Family Crafts Forum

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Interested in a Free Craft Newsletter or Two? originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 09:00:33.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

I have gotten a couple of craft projects using sticks submitted so far and am anxiously awaiting more! While you are planning your crafts for the week, I thought I would share some more nature crafts with you and also throw out another mini-craft challenge. Here are some fun nature crafts others have submitted to the Family Crafts Site without pictures. How about planning on making one or more of these crafts, along with a stick craft, and submit a photo. That photo will be featured here and published on the project page!

• Beach Treasure Wreath
  
• Corncob Printing
  
• Geo Dude or Dudette Craft
  
• Mister Harry Cup Craft
  
• Nature Wreath Craft
  
• Sand Candle Craft
  
• More Nature Crafts
  

Now, you should have plenty of excuses to craft this week and also plenty of ideas. While you have your craft supplies out, don't forget to make a craft or two using this the current craft challenge item:

Go for a walk, gather together some sticks, and see what you can create using them. Then, share you ideas to get published here.

You can share your simple ideas and tips using the comments feature on this blog post, but to get your project possibly featured in the next Make-It-Over Monday blog post, please submit it using this simple form. If you make the project you are submitting, take a picture of it and submit the photo. Some of the submitted ideas will be shared in the next Make-It-Over Monday blog post. Preference will be given to those projects that are submitted with photos. You can look through projects submitted for past challenges if you want some inspiration.

If you have questions or comments about this craft challenge, use the comment feature below. Suggestions regarding this feature? Again, use the comments feature to post your suggestions; and, thanks for playing along. If you want a reminder when Make-It-Over challenges are posted, sign up for the Family Crafts newsletter.
RELATED:
- How to Submit a Project
- How to Submit a Photo

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Make-It-Over Monday originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 09:00:33.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

SimplyScrapbooking.com
Scrapbooking. -

Source:

Etsy.com has their June 2010 figures up. While sales went down slightly from the prior month, June 2010 sales dramatically increased from June 2009. Check out all the stats at the etsy.com website.

Additionally, there is a great article on the etsy.com website about the Handmade Toy Alliance's fight against the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. 

Etsy Posts June Figures originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 13:31:27.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

SimplyScrapbooking.com
Scrapbooking. -

Source:

What craft projects are on your to-do list this week? Here are the crafts that were on mine!

• Pom-Pom Ice Cream Cone Craft - Follow these directions and you can make a miniature ice cream cone using felt and pom-poms that is perfect for celebrating the day the ice cream cone was introduced.

• Plastic Egg ABC and 123 Game - Patty shares directions for creating a fun alphabet and/or counting game using plastic Easter eggs and ping pong balls.

• Paper Straw Beaded Necklace - Mary explains how she designed this adorable necklace using drinking straws, paper, and beads.

• Simply Spray Neon T-Shirt - Find out how to create this colorful, neon t-shirt design using Simply Spray fabric dye and tie-dye techniques.

• Sea Shell Bug Magnet Craft - Use these directions to make magnets that look like butterflies, ladybugs, and other bugs using sea shells.

• Pet Fishing Pole Craft - This pet toy is fun for both the pet and the pet owner. Try it with small dogs, cats, birds, and other pets.

• Soda Pop Can Baby - Find out how you can easily create a cute baby using an aluminum pop can.

Enjoy, and remember, if you complete any of these crafts, take a few moments to send me a picture and it can be featured here too!

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

This Week's Spotlight Crafts (July 17 - 23) originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at 12:00:37.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Check out all of the wonderful thing the crafty bloggers are up to this week:

• Aileen's Musings - If your anything like Aileen you have a lot of extra embellishments you haven't used. Stop by and see her Altered Embellishment video where Aileen gives you some ideas on altering them to fit your project!

• Carmi's Art/Life World - Inspired by an antique find Carmi creates a new piece of wall decor.

• Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world - Craftside's giving away 2 copies of the new book Sew Retro along with a whole bunch of beautiful fabric from the on-line store Sew L.A., a no-pattern tutorial on how to make a triangle tank top, a free Hennya (devil mask) print download, a how-to on drawing an eyeball and wings and our schedule for Make and Takes at CHA Supershow in booth 324.

• Crafty Princess Diaries - It's baccckkkk! Tammy is working again on her new jewelry book doing some last minute tweaking before it goes to press.

• Eileen - The Artful Crafter - The Artful Crafter's motto is "Helping Crafters to Be". To turn a phrase, today we have "The Artful Crafter - and Cyndi - Helping Crafters to Be-ad".

• Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter - Kathy Peterson has a new line of Adirondack chairs and five fabulous designers have been challenged to decorate them!

• Mixed Media Artist - Cyndi has 4 books to give away this summer on crafting with tin! Book #2, "Tinwork" is up for grabs this week...come leave you comment and you may win!

(Graphic is courtesy of morgue.com)

Follow me on Twitter | Join me on Facebook

Crafty Blogs to Explore originally appeared on About.com Family Crafts on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 12:00:02.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Rio Grande's catalog containing their gems, findings, displays and packaging for 2011 just arrived in my mailbox.  A separate catalog contains tools and equipment.  If you're not familiar with Rio Grande, I highly recommend you check out their website.

While many artisans feel Rio Grande is strictly a jewelry-making resource, even if you don't craft jewelry, work in PMC or metals, you'll probably find some cool stuff that will come in handy for your arts or crafts business.

Think you might want to expand into jewelry making? Tammy Powley is the Jewelry Making Guide at About.com. 

I've also written a couple of articles on the subject:

1. Basics of Soldering
2. Making Jewelry Using Cold Connections

Wood Jewelry Mold

 Luba V Nel | Dreamstime.com

Rio Grande 2011 Catalog Available originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 16:00:15.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

I recently found an article onEntrepreneour online about crafting being a silver-lining in a bad economy.  Dated March 2009,  much of it is still very relevant. The article specifically mentions green crafting, scrapbooking, sewing and child crafts.

Many of my arts and crafts buddies are still erring on the side of caution when it comes to buying raw materials - basically,  looking for existing inventory items that can be modified to work in new projects.  I know I have really cut back too. Used to be if I saw a great price on some gemstones, even if I didn't particularly need them, I would purchase them for potential future use. 

Economy's Effect on Crafting originally appeared on About.com Arts / Crafts Business on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at 20:43:06.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

SimplyScrapbooking.com
Scrapbooking. -

Source: