FINAL (maybe) HALLOWEEN SHAKER

Tuesday will be October 1st. Can I get a "Hey Ya!?!
So love this time of the year. The leaves are just starting to get hints of color. In a few weeks, we should be in full color. I get giddy thinking about it.
Funny thing about Fall, when I was a kid, I could have cared less about turning leaves. As a matter of fact, my Dad would drag my brother and I out for a ride with my Mom every October to look at the foliage, only to be met by groans and moans. Oh, the agony my brother and I felt hearing him say "Hey, let's go for an adventure ride and look at the leaves". NOOOO!
Years later as an adult, I moved from the South Shore of Massachusetts to the North Shore, and I was so blown away by the amazing color of the Fall. Call it what you will, but I was hooked. That first year away from home, as I found myself driving in my car gazing at the foliage, I stopped to pick up some special leaves to send home to Dad. It was a light hearted joke between him and I, and a clue that I had gown-up...figured it out. The foliage was amazing, just as he said all those years before. He took those leaves and pressed them in a framed picture of me on his desk. It is still there, 30 years later, even after his passing. Fall always reminds me of my Dad :) That, and candy corn....but that is a story for another day.

Say Cheese!

I finally finished up my JOL Shaker. I was hoping to re-open my Etsy store tonight, but I keep running into glitches. It has been a while since the shop as been dusted off, and things certainly look different. As I work out the bugs with the Etsy IT Team, I will keep posting pictures here of any new items.
I would love to start selling right from by blog but I know very little about setting it up. If any of you are out there with some experience or helpful tips, I would love to hear from you.

So here he is! He is fully functioning....another words, he is a "true" shaker. He makes a rattling sound when shaken. I had to create the basic hollow shape, fill him with rice or beads, and then sculpt his face with paper clay. Some crepe paper and ribbon and he is ready to party!
I was a little craft with these tiny blank canvases from Michaels. With some printed sheets of Thanksgiving postcards, I decoupaged the images, added a 1-step crackle medium on top and aged them. Created a hanger out of some fall greenery, a splash of glitter and ribbon...and tada!

Thanksgiving Ornies

Thanskgiving ornies. I like these. Pinterest is full of tags with vintage postcard images, but I love the canvas look and the crackle. It is hard to see in the pictures, but it gives it an antiqued painting vibe. They were quick and simple to make. I am definitely doing a few for Christmas.
On to the most important subject! Has everyone been out there shopping? I love hitting Target and Home Goods around this time of the year to see what adorable things are calling my name. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. Not much out there that is peeking my interest enough to slap down some cold hard cash. But, Target did have these adorable felted pumpkins. Large and smaller sizes and soo inexpensive. Super fun.

Felted Pumpkins from Target

Fekted Pumpkins from Target

And they also had these to-die-for owls.

Owls from target

A trip to Home Goods and I found and even better selection of the same owls with different colors and sizes! Damn, they make my heart sing. Love them.

More Owls but from Home Goods

Home Goods

Well, time to take a hot shower and get cozy!
Have a great night everyone. I will keep you posted on the Etsy situation.
Chow for now,
Cyndi