DIY Catherineholm Pumpkins

Can't stop, won't stop? Yeah, that's like me and these fall projects.

Lovers of mid-century Scandinavian design are probably all too familiar with the highly collectible Catherineholm enamelware. While I wish I had a collection of those colorful pieces, I'll have to wait until I hit the thrift shopping jackpot and find some of these in the rough. But lucky for us, it's easy to make some Catherineholm Lotus style pumpkins to decorate your mid-century tablescape!

Here's what you'll need:

• White mini pumpkins
• Black and orange washi tape
• Freezer paper or wax paper
• Xacto knife or scissors
• Scrap paper
• Pen or pencil

Tear a piece of freezer paper from the roll. Layer pieces of the washi tape, about 3" long, on the waxy side of the freezer paper in twos, side by side. (I couldn't find my solid black tape, so I used this one and used a black marker to cover up the pattern.)



Create a lotus pattern template on the scrap paper, about 2 1/2" tall, no wider than the 2x the width of the washi tape. Flip the freezer paper over and trace the template over the tape pairs, making sure its centered over the two tape strips on the other side. Cut the traced pieces out with an xacto or with scissors.


Peel the tape pieces from the freezer paper and stick onto the pumpkin. Make sure to keep the center straight edges vertical, then smooth the rest of the tape over the surface of the pumpkin. Continue around the entire pumpkin.



Try it with colored tapes!


Have a happy Halloween!

DIY Origami Vampire Fangs

There are only a few days left until Halloween, so time to whip up those last minute crafts! I love simple projects and using nothing more than a sheet of paper is about as simple as it can get! I came across this vampire fang model in an origami book I had as a kid and thought it would be a great, versatile decoration for Halloween. Glue it to toothpicks for cupcake toppers or use it to decorate a Halloween bar. They'd be great at a Twilight/True Blood/Vampire Diaries/Buffy/Lost Boys theme party!

All you need is red origami paper! I used three sizes: 7 1/2", 5", and 3 1/4" square.



With the white side of the paper up, crease diagonally both ways and unfold. Fold the corners to the center and crease. Fold the new corners to the center, crease and unfold. Fold the bottom and the top to the center line and unfold. Unfold the right and left flaps. Fold the bottom up to the center again. Fold the right flap upwards to meet the top corner.



Lower the flap down and flatten. Repeat on the left side. Open the center flaps and fold the top downwards to the center. Lift the right pointed flap, open it out and press it down into a diamond shape. Repeat on the other side. Fold both edges towards the center of each diamond. Pinch the center of the white part, folding it together. Hold the edges flat while folding it downward, making a fang. Repeat on the other side. Open the flaps and tuck the white parts inside, so only the fangs are visible. Fold the model in half and fold back the top point. Done!



You can fold some blood drops, too! Just use 1" squares of red paper. Fold diagonally, white side up. Fold two edges to meet the center, then fold the side corners in and the top corner down. Flip over.



Model adapted from Horrorgami by Steve and Megumi Biddle.

If you're looking for other fun Halloween projects to try, check out this roundup of Origami Bats! There's one for each skill level! 

Friday Links

Wow, there goes another week! I've been extra busy around here because I just started teaching the Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship program at my local community college this week! It's a brand new program and is still in the pilot stage, but it's geared to help creatives start Etsy shops from scratch, giving them all the necessary resources and basic information to get a running start. It's a really great program and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor and share my experience with local artists. They're planning to roll out the course nation-wide fairly soon, so keep your ear out for a program near you!

Meantime, here are some links from around the web that I thought you'd enjoy:

• Verve Coffee Roasters is my fave and their Capitola shop has the coolest graphic wall (above).
• I just started reading #GIRLBOSS and I'm really enjoying it so far! Have you read it?
• My pal Rachel just debuted the cutest photo holders in her Etsy shop this week. I don't think I can pick a favorite...
• Check out this cool bleach dyeing technique! I want to try that on a scarf.
• Are you ready to drool over a beautiful craft space? Check out Lia Griffith's studio tour! 
• This pin cracked me up! Now I know what that means!

Also, if you're in need of some puppy wrinkles...



You're welcome.
:) Have a nice weekend!

DIY Spooky Plant Pick

 
I love Halloween, so any excuse to create another craft project is good by me! I partnered up with Mod Podge to make a Halloween project with a few of their supplies. These fun plant decorations can are made with just a few materials and can help spookify your favorite houseplants. Plus they're glow-in-the-dark!

Here's what you'll need:

• Mod Melts in Green
• Mod Podge Silicone Mat
• Mod Podge Glow in the Dark
• Hot glue gun
• Cardstock in yellow and black
• Single ply crepe paper (or tissue paper) in orange
• Stapler
• Double sided tape or gluestick
• Striped paper straw
• Scissors

Punch (or trace and cut) 2 1/2" diameter circles from the yellow and black cardstock. Cut notches out of the black circle to make an irregular, spiky edge. Glue the two circles together.


Cut a 3.5" x 18" piece of crepe. Accordion fold and staple in the center. Add double-sided tape to the edges and fan out.



Glue the paper circles to the fan. Hot glue the straw to the back of the fan.



Now for the fun part! Heat up the Mod Melt in the hot glue gun. Write "eek" in script directly onto the silicone mat. Nothing sticks to this mat so it'll be easy to pop off the words once they're cool! It might take a little practice (it did for me!) but it'll get easier once you get the hang of it.

Once the word is cool, carefully pull it up from the mat. To get a nice, thick coat of glow-in-the-dark goodness, brush the glow Mod Podge over the letters, or do like I did and dip the whole thing into the jar. Let dry on the mat and then glue to the center of the circles.


Add the pick to a spooky-looking plant for a nice Halloween gift! Wouldn't these make the cutest party favors? I used a Christmas cactus, but there are all kinds of other creepy-looking plants that would be great with this pick: venus fly traps, spiky succulents, spider plants, something cabbage-y (an ode to Little Shop of Horrors). The plant container is another opportunity to bring in the Halloween theme. I added black washi tape stripes to a plain white metal bucket, but the opportunities are endless!



Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Mod Podge and Blueprint Social. I was compensated for this post, but all ideas and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep Vitamini Handmade going! 

If you're looking for more craft ideas from Plaid check out these projects: DIY Faux Sugar Skulls with Collage Clay by Mod Podge, 3 DIY Cell Phone Cases with Decoden by Mod Podge, Plaid Blog - Introducing Mod Podge Modeling Clay, Plaid Decoden Pinterest Board


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DIY Paper Napkin Pumpkins

Decorative paper napkins are one of those seasonal things that I can't resist. They're festive and inexpensive and good to have on hand for impromptu parties. They often come in really great patterns! I bought a few great Halloween napkins this year and thought they'd be so cute decoupaged onto pumpkins. After a little bit of experimenting, I found a good method and had some seriously cute pumpkins on my hands! I used real mini pumpkins but the technique would work just as well on faux pumpkins and you could bring them out every year! 

Here's what you'll need:

• Decorative Halloween paper napkins
• Mini pumpkins
• Matte Modpodge
• Brush
• Scissors
• White craft paint - depending on your napkin colors

Start by separating the napkin layers so the patterned top sheet is separate from the blank white layers underneath. I tried this technique out in a couple different ways: vertical strips of napkin, horizontal strips, and then a more random mix of shapes. The random shapes worked out the best and looked best with the pattern. Another tip: if the background color of your napkin is orange, great! No need to paint your pumpkin. If it's a light colored napkin (like the spider print), it's best to paint the pumpkin white first.



Ok, back to the napkin! Cut shapes of the pattern and add a few small cuts around the edges. This will help the napkin conform to the curved surface of the pumpkin and will minimize wrinkles.



Brush a light layer of modpodge onto a small area of the pumpkin and stick the napkin on. Brush over the napkin with more modpodge. Continue covering the surface of the pumpkin with pieces of the napkin, fitting the shapes together and patching small areas with solid colored pieces. Let dry. Enjoy!

Vintage Trailer Caravan Art Prints & Stamps

I've been busy over here working on new products and I'm so excited that I finally get to share! First up are these new 11x14 Vintage Trailer Caravan prints in two colorways! I'm excited to be able to offer a larger format print than my usual 8x10s. They're high-quality art prints, digitally printed on matte stock with archival inks. I was going to say they'd look great in a kids room or nursery, but come to think of it, they'd be perfect in a kitchen, bathroom, living room, laundry room...hmm, I think that's everywhere!



Available in mustard and blue or teal and coral. Both are up and listed in my online shop and on Etsy.



I also have three new rubber stamp designs! Chose your favorite trailer style: canned ham, caravan, or Shasta style. Perfect for stamping up note cards and letters, or stamping your own wrapping paper. You can find them in my shop or on Etsy.

New Vintage Style Vornado Fan

via Amazon

Retro enthusiasts will be happy to hear this: Vornado has reissued a reproduction of their iconic fan, the Vornado VFAN Vintage Circulator. Happy dance!



If you're a regular reader of the blog you may remember this table fan makeover project I did a while back, inspired by the original Vornado. I'm still a big fan (ha!) of that project, but boy, it would be so nice to have one of these.

via Amazon

I love the Mid Century styling of this air circulation diagram! I read it was available in red, green, and a beautiful chrome finish, but I only see the red and green listed on Amazon. At $130, it's not inexpensive, but I imagine this fan would last a lifetime. Considering the originals and previous repros are still out in the world (and highly sought after) it would probably be a good investment piece. And it just looks so dang cool! Maybe I'll ask Santa for one of these come Christmastime...

DIY Gothic Rose Hair Clip

The country is in a tizzy over pumpkin spice everything right now. Call me a weirdo, but I'm not really into it. I've never even had a pumpkin spice latte... Uh oh, I hope I don't lose followers for that honest confession... All joking aside, I just realized that I do have an obsession (albeit, completely different) that pops up when October rolls around: skulls! Every Halloween season I manage to make something with a skull. An embroidered felt skull headpiece (one of my first blog projects), a Halloween planter complete with skull prop, mini shrine, skull garland, coffin candy boxes with skull pattern, and now this fancy paper rose with skull center. I guess I'll have to call the skull my Halloween mascot!

This pretty paper rose hair clip is relatively simple to make, and if you've made paper flowers before, you may have all of the materials on-hand! I love working with paper clay, but it can be substituted with polymer clay if you'd like. The crepe colors can be customized to match your Halloween costume, though I think red and black is a classic combination.

Here's what you'll need:

• Single-sided crepe in red and black
• Paper clay skull (made with La Doll clay. Check out my Skull Garland DIY project for instructions)
• Glitter. I used my favorite, Martha Stewart Smoky Quartz
• Scrap cardboard from a cereal box
• Hot glue gun
• ModPodge
• Brush
• Black craft paint
• Hair clip
• Scissors

Cut out the flower petals. The grain will run vertically on all petals. The flower I made used:

• 8, 2.5" wide x 3" tall petals in black
• 6, 2" wide x 2.5" tall, red
• 6, 2" wide x 2" tall, red 
• 5, 1" wide x 1.5" tall, red 

It's nice to have a few spares on hand, so cut a few more than you'll need. The easiest way to cut these it to cut a long strip of crepe the height of the petal, fold it like an accordion, then cut multiples all at once. Cut a circle from the cardboard, about 2" in diameter.



Dilute the black paint with a little bit of water to get the consistency of cream. Brush the paint on the end of the red petals. The paint will bleed into the grain of the paper and make a nice, uneven edge. Let dry.


Cut a slight heart shape out of the top of each petal. Cup the center (gently stretch outward) of each petal, and stretch the tops backwards. Gather the bases. Here's a side view of what the petals should look like.


Starting with the largest red petals, glue them onto the cardboard round, slightly overlapping each. Continue adding petals of the same size until the circle is completed, then move on to the next smallest petals, and the next. Make sure to leave open space in the center of the flower.


Flip the flower over and glue the black petals to the back of the cardboard, overlapping each slightly.


Add a piece of black crepe to the back to cover any exposed cardboard. Attach the clip with hot glue.

Brush a light layer of modpodge to the edges of the black petals. Sprinkle with glitter and shake off the excess. Repeat with the skull.

Glue the skull to the center of the flower with hot glue.


Sport your new headpiece! This would be a nice compliment to a Dia de los Muertos costume, or a classy, last minute piece to wear to work on Halloween!
I hope you like it!