As Halloween inches closer, I’ve been on the lookout for cute monster crafts when I found a version of this little guy on Pinterest (you can find the original pin here on my Pinterest board!), but there was no tutorial attached. So, I made one! You can find the full tutorial on my blog. I hope you all enjoy making this little guy. Be sure to share your monstrously cute coin purses with us!
I’m growing tired of summer and am totally ready for the Fall to begin. So, I’ve been hunting down more and more Halloween craft ideas. When I ran across this one, I knew I had to share it with you guys. I haven’t tried this yet, but the instructions make it sound super easy, and the effect is delightful. Can you imagine a half dozen of these man-eating beauties on your porch this year? Check out the full tutorial by Shirley Bovshow in the Garden Crafts section of the Eden Maker Blog. And be sure to share the results of your fabulous Halloween decorating!
Wait a minute. That’s a Burger King crown! Not a steampunk crown!
No worries, people. Tyson Vick, a costume designer and photographer, has got the coolest tutorial on making that cheesy Burger King Crown into one spectacular steampunk work of wearable art. Just take a look at the final piece!
A Monster to Love is this great online shop where, for every cute little monster doll you buy, Sam, Ben, and their dad Ray, donate a monster doll to a kid in need. They partner up with children’s hospitals and even the World Relief Refugee program out of Atlanta.
I ran across their awesome work about a year ago on Craftsy, including a pattern to make your own monsters to donate to local kids in need, or send off to Ray and his boys in Colorado so they can donate the cuddly little monsters to kids in need.
I try to organize a Monster Making Party at least once or twice a year–they’re fun, and pretty easy to do. Here’s how:
1. I buy a couple yards of fun colored fleece fabric when it’s on sale (usually in the summer). You can get quite a lot of monsters out of a yard of fleece, or even half a yard. Just be sure to shop when it’s on sale! Along with fabric, I’ll pick up a box of stuffing when it’s on sale too (or with a coupon). One box can last a long while and stuff a lot of monsters (probably around 30). I’ll also purchase Safety Eyes for the dolls, which can be attached before sewing, and don’t require any sewing knowledge to install. I purchased my Safety Eyes here, but there are tons of vendors and craft stores out there that sell them. The 18mm sized ones are what I used, and I liked to mix and match colors too. 15 pairs of eyes cost about $15. You can also use buttons for the eyes, but make sure they are SEWN on really well. If the eyes are not sewn on securely, Ray and his boys can’t use them. Do not glue on eyes. Ray and his boys can’t use the monster dolls if the eyes have only been glued on (hello choking hazards!).
All in all, I spent about $40 on supplies for making the monsters, but I did it over the course of a couple of months.
Angie brought her own sewing machine and helped build a couple monsters. That’s my mom in the background stitching away madly.
2. I set up a FB event and ask folks to bring their own sewing machines if they’ve got them, but I also tell folks that there’s plenty of other ways to help too: attaching eyes, stuffing, cuddle testing, and hand stitching are great ways to get even the most novice of crafters involved in a Monster Making Party. Along with the fabric, stuffing, and safety eyes, I also bring along thread, scissors, and hand sewing needles for people to use. If you’re worried about materials cost, you can always ask people to pitch in a couple bucks to help out.
3. I cut out at least some monsters before the party so there are dolls ready to be sewn. I also set up stations for people to work at installing eyes, stuffing the monsters, and hand sewing the monsters closed after stuffing, and even cutting out more monsters if necessary.
Here, my friend Chrystal is stuffing a monster.
Eunice is hand sewing the monster closed.
4. We have music playing, and I ask folks to help out with some food (like chips and dip, cupcakes, and frosty beverages). And I invite folks to come when they can and stay as long as they’d like to. It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon or evening.
5. I’ve found three hours to be a great length of time for a Monster Making Party. You can get a lot done, have time to chat, and still steal a cupcake too. Once the party’s over, you’ll want to box up your magnificent creations and mail them off to A Monster to Love! Their address is on the last page of the PDF.
All our Monsters boxed up and ready to go!
If you have your own Monster Making Party, be sure to take pictures and share!!!
More Links of Interest
A Monster to Love: check out this great online shop and see where they’ll be selling their cute little monster dolls next!
Check out the story about A Monster to Love on Craftsy
Zombie Gingerbread Man Ornament by My Zombie Friends on Etsy, credit Adrienne Jones.
To combat holiday stress, I like to decorate with as much geek-tastic awesomeness as I can create and find. Things like zombie gingerbread men, Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtle ornaments, and 8-bit fireplaces always make me smile. Why not have a geeky holiday this year and let Geek Crafts give you a head start with some fun, easy tutorials and even a gift idea or two.
Ornaments!
For the turtle lover, you’ve got to take a look at The Whoot’s DIY Ninja Turtles. My nephews love the Turtles, and this is the sort of craft you could do with little boys (and plenty of supervision!).
These Muppet ornaments are super easy to make too, thanks to the great tutorial from Meg on Happy Looks Good on You. These little cuties were inspired by her original tutorial on making superhero ornaments.
Kat and Cam from Our Nerd Home has a some great ideas for decorating the home for the holidays, including this Wreath DIY made from foam core! I bet craft foam would work great too. Plus, you could totally customize this to all of your own favorite fandom images.
I have to share their 8-bit fireplace DIY too. This is too awesome for words, and incredibly easy to do. It’s warm and cozy, don’t you think?
This last decor DIY is not for the faint of heart, but this Embroidery tutorial from Jessica (from Miniature Rhino) on Design Sponge takes you step-by-step through making this beautiful embroidered constellation table runner. Perhaps not strictly a holiday theme, I think it lends itself well to any winter themed decor you’ve got going on in your home.
Wow. Just…wow. This embroidered tribute to Ray Harryhausen (who passed away earlier this year at the age of 92) was posted to our Geek Crafts Flickr Pool awhile ago, and it blew me away! It was stitched completely in redwork by the awesome Ellen Schinderman. Ray Harryhausen was a special effects artist specializing in stop motion animation and movie monsters. If you’re into horror or sci-fi movies at all, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen at least one of the movies he worked on, like Clash of the Titans (1981) or Jason and the Argonauts (1963). One of my favourites was The Valley of Gwangi (1969) because (of course) it was about a dinosaur!
