Halloween Trees

I have become a little obsessed with decorating for Halloween.  There are so many fantastic ideas out there for DIY decorations and crafts....  It also helps that my three year old daughter has recently decided that 'scary stories' and things like witches and spiders are all fun and exciting - she thinks it's great!

I have a good stash, including a lot of the items I made/found last year (Halloween garland, fabric runners, etc) and a few clearance items I picked up at Target after the holiday.  I even came across a few cute things at TJMaxx earlier this season and my goodness, the ideas on Pinterest lately have been FANTASTIC!

This idea came to me when I was perusing the witches and owls and bats at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago.  They had these gorgeous black feather trees but they were a bit spendy.  Instead, I was reminded of these trees that I did a few years ago for Christmas decor:

Holiday Christmas Tree Tutorial

and figured - heck, I could easily adapt them to be for Halloween!


SO... I searched the store and luckily found two kraft paper cone trees (that were also 40% off - score!) and purchased some really fantastic Halloween scrapbook paper.  I also invested in a 'normal-size' stapler since we've been using a mini version for as long as we've been married.....  still felt like folding and stapling a hundred-plus little strips of paper gave me carpal tunnel but it helped a bit.  :)

Here's how this version turned out:

These are great Kraft paper trees!  I painted them black to begin with....

a closer look at my paint job - doesn't need to be perfect!

I found some really awesome holiday papers at Hobby Lobby - that chevron is amazing and the owls slay me!

the cause of my carpal tunnel (does anyone know how to spell that?  I'm too lazy to Google it!)

more loops of paper!

then start gluing!!!  and gluing and gluing and GLUING!

the taller tree - finished!

I added some crepe paper fringe at the top - LOVING IT

the cute pair

and a closer look....

I'm linking up to:

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

I owe you (my faithful readers) a HUGE apology!  I just sort of 'dropped off the face of the earth' but didn't really tell anyone.... so for that I apologize.  When we moved from Washington to Florida last year, I didn't really know WHAT to expect for Pursewna.  What shape it would take being in a new state with different laws governing small businesses and rules about taxes.... whether or not I'd even HAVE time to sew or craft with TWO children instead of just one.... how to develop a new fan-base in a new city where I didn't know anyone.  The odds were stacked against me in a lot of ways and I was just tired by the time we got here.

I was three million months pregnant (at least it felt that way during the hot FL summer) and the hubby was gone a lot so I figured I'd slow things down a little and focus on trying to be a Mom full-time.  I did get the opportunity to meet a WONDERFUL Etsy shop owner named Kim and we have bonded a lot over Etsy experiences and market stories.  She was a wonderful resource in the beginning, (when I was still considering doing Pursewna full-time) and quickly became a great friend.  (Her shop is www.etsy.com/shop/brownowldesign and you should DEFINITELY check out her stuff!)

I also attempted a holiday market in our neighborhood last Fall - I sold enough to make the entry fee worth it but it was also a good wake-up call to say "yep, it's time to take a break".  So.... I sewed or crafted when I had a moment - some custom orders for friends, but mainly decorations and clothing and accesories for myself and my girls.  It was fun to do some stuff 'for me' and it kept me from getting rusty.

With that said, this blog has definitely been the last thing on my list.  :(  It's hard coming up with ideas to show you and since I wasn't really adding new items to my shop, BUT - I've got my creative juices flowing once again and I HOPE to update you with new Pursewna happenings more regularly!

Thanks for being patient and for *maybe* still checking in every once in awhile.