A Dollhouse Haunted House You Will Love

This is another repost from my former blog Cupcakes + Owls - but I love this dollhouse haunted house, and I don't want you to miss it! I now display it every year and it reminds me of childhood ;)

Ok, I am feeling like a child again right now as I reveal my haunted dollhouse to you this week. It took a little over a week to complete {about an hour or two a day}... but it was totally worth it! 

In my previous posts (see Cupcakes + Owls blog), I told you that I bought the dollhouse puzzle kit at Michael's, and the paint I used was from DecoArt.

As far as the interior and exterior decorations, I used stickers from Michael's and rubber stamps from my own line of 'Lady Lucas' designs carried by Craffiti Direct.

The miniatures were collected for many years by me from various stores. The cute little crystal ball I made myself from a marble and some polymer clay!

A.C. Moore, Michael's and Hobby Lobby all have great minis that would look fabulous in your own haunted dollhouse... small gift retailers also have awesome additions this time of year.

As far as the ghosts... I'll be posting a little 'how to' for you here next week!

I bought these tiny lights at a store in downtown Lancaster and they work perfectly to light my spooky space up at night.

I had a blast creating this Halloween house for my readers! If you enjoyed it, please consider following this blog by email {check out the box in the upper right column} and don't forget to like my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter!

xo Ashley

Make Your Own Paper Haunted House

Here's a throw back I think you're really gonna like ;) Originally I featured this craft on my blog Cupcakes + Owls. It's fun, easy - and a great Halloween DIY for kids or adults.

Try this adorable craft as a last minute Halloween craft this week! My students loved it, but adults get just excited so don't feel bad if you're running now for the glue gun!

To make this awesome little home you will need:

a paper lunch bag {white is best!}

a folded piece of paper for the roof

old newspaper

markers & crayons

hot glue & a stapler

recycled pieced of cardboard

optional : dried moss, cheesecloth, Halloween miniatures

1. Lay the lunch bag out flat and decorate with markers first. Add a door, windows, spiders and lots of ghosts and ghouls! Color in with crayons in desired.

2. Decorate the folded piece of paper that will be the roof with markers... shingles are cute or even words like 'Boo' and 'Spooky'.

3. Stuff the bag house with crumpled newspaper and staple the paper roof on top.

4. Hot glue the house to a cardboard base and decorate with Halloween miniatures, moss and if you wish... cheesecloth ghosts! All I did was cut squares of cheesecloth and poked my finger through the middle to make a ghost shape. Use thread or a pipe cleaner to secure the head shape.

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest for daily craft ideas!

xo Ashley

PS - Loved this craft? Love Halloween? This Halloween coloring book is for you!

Pumpkin Fairy Garden DIY Tutorial

OMG! I'm so excited that Halloween is right around the corner - my favorite holiday of the year by far. The leaves are falling, the glue gun is getting fired up - and it's time for you to make one of these adorable Halloween fairy gardens!

So get the following rounded up, and get crafting!

Materials:

-pencil

- artificial pumpkin (mine is from the Dollar Tree)

- razor with handle

- hot glue

- moss & miniatures (ghosts pictured are from Wilton Cakes)

Draw a wide oval on the front of your pumpkin. This will be the window where you can access your fairy garden, so make it big enough.

Gather your Halloween miniatures. You can use cake picks, icing ghosts (like those shown), foam stickers, or just about any item for fall like table scatter or confetti.

Using a hot glue gun, carefully add moss to the interior of the pumpkin and above if you feel it would balance the look!

Hot glue miniatures inside your pumpkin and around it as you see fit.

Use as a centerpiece on your table, or display on your windowsill. Add a battery operated candle inside for a spooky effect!

Did you enjoy this craft? Do you love Halloween? Let me know in the comments below!

I'd also like to give a shout out to Better Homes & Gardens 'Halloween' magazine. They feature a very similar craft this year in their pumpkin decorating section. If you haven't purchased it yet, it's a great magazine for all DIY enthusiasts!

xo Lady Lucas

PS - If you love Halloween, check out this printable coloring sheet in my Etsy shop:

Quick & Easy Gladiola Flower Display Tip

Hi There! Gladiolas are in season here in Austria, and if you're displaying them at home in a regular vase, you might find that they flop and twist around too much. You might end up missing out on seeing all the gorgeous flowers on their stems. 

A great solution to this problem is first cutting all individual gladiola stems at a sharp angle (using a knife or scissor), and then placing them in a long bottle that has a very narrow opening. Wine bottles are perfect for this! For my little readers that are not inclined to have wine bottles laying about, you could also use something like a soap dispenser or olive oil container. As long as the opening at the top of the bottle is no larger than a quarter, you're in business!

Don't forget to change the water often and make it nice and cold for your gladiola friends.

Thanks so much for reading!

xo

Zinnie

PS - I you love flowers and gardening, you will LOVE this instant coloring book! I promise.