Halloween Party Plans Underway for this Year’s Bash!!

You know when I have a party; I tend to go a tiny bit crazy bonkers overboard. My greatest desire when I entertain is that the occasion be unforgettable. Each October I throw a Halloween bash that invitees talk about for weeks. This year is no different even though I am working on my wedding in November!!! YIKES!  This week I am working on the invites…A peek at last year’s ‘girlfriends only’ Halloween bash invitation. What could I possibly do to top that?

I started the invitation process by breaking in my newest crafting toy…a box of Prismacolor Markers.

Having a Blast This Fall

My dream set of markers has arrived!!!

Look at the yummy colors…

The Invitation – A Tutorial

Back to the party: I firmly believe that the invitation sets the whole vibe of the party. You can make a quick phone call or shoot the guests an e-mail, but that is so not my style. This is much more my style…

An invitation plus a keepsake. Unforgettable…NEVER!!! Do you want to come to this party? YES!!!

Here is What I Did

This is so easy to do even a wanna-be crafter could accomplish it. Don’t forget to download a PDF of the invitations for your personal use. Just click the image below!!! I had this idea for a Life’s a Witch Party. I want my girlfriends, who all work pretty hard, to have a little break from the toil and trouble of everyday life. So the theme was born:

 

Of course there had to be something artful…yes a cute witch stirring a cauldron. So I broke out the Prismacolor Markers and went to work. I started with a light pencil sketch, just to get the right look. When I was satisfied with the sketch, I used the fine tip of my black Prismacolor Marker to make the outline permanent.

Next was the fun part–coloring. She had to be brought to life and the Prismacolor Markers did the job perfectly. I am thrilled with them. They have dual tips – a fine one for detail work and a broad one for filling in large areas and creating large, calligraphic letters. How fun is that?

After she was colorized to perfection, I scanned her into PhotoShop, added the text elements and printed the invitations.

The invitations are pretty cool, but I wanted the delivery to be spooktacular. HIMself had a 4 pack of Starbuck’s Frappuccino in the fridge…that was it. IMAGINATION AT WORK: Recycle, reuse, reduce! I could create a little ‘taste of things to come’ package for my guests to enjoy until party time. I made HIMself drink them all (actually he poured three of them in another jar and drank one). He washed the bottles and painted the lids black while I made labels for the goodies.

Frog Toes (green licoric), Ghost Skulls (yogurt pretzels), Ghoul Eyes (eye candy) and Monster Teeth (dark candy corn) were placed in the bottles. Each had a tag whimsically stating what was inside. The tag was created to fit over the sticky area that remained when I removed the Starbuck’s tag. You can see the sticky in the top photo above. It worked beautifully and the colorful candies looked so tempting in the jars.

With that done, I needed to work on the carton itself. I had some burlap and ticking fabric I bought for my fall crafty projects. The fabric with some twine and buttons would give my guests a cute fall table decoration that they could use again and again. That should cover the unforgettable aspect I was aiming for, right?

First, I covered the sides with ticking fabric. This was the trickiest part as the triangular area where the handles start had to be fussed with. I cut the ticking a little longer than I needed…so I had plenty of room to play with. I glued it to the side even with the top of the triangle.

Then I cut a slit from the top of the fabric to the point where the triangle meets the top of the carton. This allowed me to turn the fabric in at the triangle side and over the top edge. Then I glued it in place with Crafters glue.

I covered the raw edges of the fabric with masking tape to make it look more finished. I also wrapped the edges of the ticking around the corners for a finished look.

I then cut a piece of burlap the size of the front and back and attached it with hot glue. I made a patch of the ticking fabric and hot glued that in place. I added buttons at the corners for cuteness.

Next, I wrapped the handle area with twine. I did this slowly, hot gluing as I went. DESIGNER’S TIP: I wound a long length of twine, enough to wrap the handle and then some, into a circle by wrapping it around my fingers. I secured it with some masking tape. This was necessary to thread it through the hole easily.

I finished the handles by tying two strips of ticking on each side. I tore the ticking and frayed the edges for a fun look. I sprayed with a little fray check to keep them from unraveling. I could have sewn around the edges also.

I attached the invitation to a piece of burlap by punching a hole and threading string through both. I tied this onto the handle. Invitation complete!!!

I delivered the invitations by hand. The RSVPs are pouring in!

You know you want to come!!!

Come if you dare & bring your own witch’s brew!