A very unique approach to tie-dye!!!

I just came across Basketmaster's Weavings website and am so impressed with this unique use of tie-dye!!! You'll have to click on the image to find out more...plus, you'll find a free shipping code for the tie-dye in her post!!!

If you love fabric dye as much as me and want further inspiration, download a FREE eBook by clicking on book image below!

Me as a Tacky Glue bottle

I haven't even begun to think about a Halloween costume...I need to come up with something very quickly because Halloween at iLoveToCreate is a spectacular event and I'm down to just a few days. My first year working here was the best - I made (yes, from scratch) an Aleene's Original Tacky Glue bottle costume. I hurried over to Hancock Fabrics and bought a yard of really thick gold satin fabric, 2' wide elastic, velcro, boning and styrofoam...I grabbed a bottle of Tulip 3D Fashion Paint and Aleene's No Sew Fabric Glue from our company Hobby Shop. Okay...now I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm not an on-the-spot creative person...it takes me plenty of time to get a good result...so I remember fearing that I just dumped $20 on materials that would end up in the trash! Not so. I decided to paint the fabric first...honestly, I don't remember how I got the lettering so straight and legible...maybe I made a stencil (that's how I'd do it today). I was ultra-proud of the UPC (it's on the back so you can't see my marvelous work)!

Once the paint was dry, I made top and bottom seams with the boning, glued them in place, then adhered the velcro down one vertical seam so I could wrap the tube around me versus having to step in and out. I also glued elastic on both sides of the tube for shoulder straps. For the bottle cap, I used a flat circular piece of styrofoam and glued a cone styrofoam on top with Aleene's Foamtastic Glue.

I wore white leggings (they were extremely difficult to find a few years ago!) and a white turtleneck. I realized what a bad idea this was at lunch that day. While everyone else had made costumes that they could easily take off and be wearing normal clothes, I had to walk into the sandwich shop dressed as a glue bottle...since it wasn't a typical costume, I recieved a few awkward stares!!

So if you are looking for an extremely unique costume, try making a product costume...you are pretty much guaranteed that nobody will have the same one!

Junk Jewelry

We recently had a warehouse sale at work and it was an opportunity to buy the projects that the iLoveToCreate designers make...kinda like a sample sale at a retail buying office! I was four hours late to the sale so I missed out on the ultra good stuff, but I did score this necklace. It was originally designed almost two years ago and I loved it then...so when I saw it hiding under a ceramic plate I was giddy with joy!

The good news is that it's easy to recreate! I call it "junk jewelry" because all of the pieces are found objects...no need to buy new. Visit your local Goodwill or even your junk drawer at home to find random objects - some jewelry pieces, some hardware, some random objects that just look cool glued together! The only thing you need to buy is a bottle of Aleene's Jewelry & Metal Glue or Liquid Fusion.

Here's a pic of a similar necklace (I guess the designer made two different versions) so you can see the detail!

Click on the image for project instructions!

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FREE Costume Ideas

I've never been shy to admit that I don't consider myself a grandioso creative person...I need inspiration of some sort to get me started. It's in the "inspiration spirit" that I share these fabulous costumes made by the incredibly talented designers at ilovetocreate.com! Just click on the images for full materials list and instructions...or visit ilovetocreate.com to find additional costumes and Halloween fashion ideas!

Create an adorable ladybug costume with T-shirts! A couple snips, a few quick stitches and zap-on Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On-Crystals™ for that special sparkle will make your little lady the cutest little bug on Halloween night!

Look like royalty this Halloween with these Queen of Hearts and King of Diamonds costumes!

Ahoy matey! Halloween is the perfect time to sport this wickedly cool pirate costume! Transform T-shirts and felt into this first rate getup with Aleene’s® Tacky Packs™ for Fabric.

Mix up a batch of cookin’ creativity that’ll have you looking “witch and famous” in no time! Spookify an ordinary tee with Tulip® 3D Fashion Paint™ and Tulip® Soft Fabric Paint™.

Mad Hatter costume how-to

Here's a costume idea for the serious Halloween fanatic...fortunately, Rob and Corinne of Threadbanger make it easy to create!!

*Tip* - buy all of the fabric and clothing at your local Goodwill.




Link

GoodwillNYNJ...Clothing Swap and Low-Cost Costume Design Party Blog

For those of you livin' life in New York City, I just heard about an exciting event...

On Sunday, October 25th, we’re throwing a Low-Cost Costume Clothing Swap & Costume-Making Party from 3pm-7pm at Boxcar Lounge (168 Avenue B, between East 10th Street and East 11th Street). We’ll have local designers, fashion bloggers, and great crafters on-hand to help out. They’ll be there to help you make your creative dreams a Low-Cost Costume reality.
Just show up at Boxcar Lounge with a bag of freshly cleaned, lightly used clothes. If you can’t bring anything, we’ll request a $5 donation at the door. Everyone will be able to leave with a bag stuffed with whatever they need to make their own costume just in time for Halloween.

If you don't live in NYC, I still suggest a visit to your local Goodwill for costume shopping. Just think of the store as one giant fabric store, with racks and racks of single yards of fabric!!! Anything can be covered with a bit of Tulip dye, paint and embellishments!

This pic isn't of me (obviously!), but I did dress up as an Indian one year...my mom made my costume complete with hair accessories and mocassins...wonder if my dad can find the pic!

24 Halloween crafts in 24 hours

Alexa is posting a new Halloween craft project every hour today!! Get inspired at http://www.swelldesigner.blogspot.com/.

Great Halloween costume idea from Threadbanger...

http://www.threadbanger.com/tb-projects/episode/THR_20091002

iLoveToCreate...OA Object Art

I've said it many times before...I'm not the crafty type...I can certainly use the products, but the end result isn't typically appealing! That's why I'm so excited about the launch of a brand-new brand and product line - OA Object Art Color Bazaar!!!!!!!




Seriously folks, it couldn't be any easier to be creative - just pick a glass object, pour some Sparkle Fuse in, spoon some gloriously magnificent metallic pigments inside, shake or swirl and let dry. What makes this product truly fabulous is the lack of control - I don't have to worry about messing it up because there is nothing to mess up. Well, I guess you could mix the wrong colors together and end up with a greyish-brown mixture...but even that could be beautiful!





I am so hooked on this product...beware, it's addicting! I'm thinking about designing luxurious spheres to set in a silver bowl I have...oh, and think about the amazing Christmas tree I could design!!!



Paint Your Own Pottery studios across the US, Canada and UK are launching the program throughout October...check out your local studio for OA Object Art Color Bazaar...if they don't have it yet, ask for it...or email ilovetocreate!