The Brass Paperclip Project

Green Halloween :: DIY Recycled Burlesque Hat

If you've been following my barage of Halloween posts over the past few weeks, you know that I have decided to be a "sort-of" bat for Halloween this year.  (Lazy Chic bat costume inspiration here.)

I really like wigs for Halloween, so I treated myself to a black bob at the thrift store.  When I tried it on, I felt more "drag queen" than "sort-of bat" so I decided I needed a fabulous hat...and of course, I wanted to make it myself.  I've been challenging myself to use supplies that I already have on hand so I went digging and pulled out an old aluminum pie plate to use for my base.  (A recycled cereal box or large plastic lid would have worked just as well.)  The hat came together so quickly and turned out so well that I want to share the how-to...there are a lot of steps, but it's really very easy and only took about an hour.  Ready to make a hat??  Gather your supplies...

SUPPLIES:

*aluminum pie plate (or recycled cardboard box)

*scissors

*stapler

*spray adhesive (or glue stick, craft glue or whatever you have)

*(2) 8-10" squares of velvet (or other heavy fabric)

*various embellishments: ribbon, tulle, feathers, etc.

*glue gun (optional)

 

STEP 1: Cut the flat bottom out of your pie plate.  If you are using cardboard, make or trace a circle approx. 6" in diameter.

STEP 2: Cut a straight line from the edge of the circle to the center. 

STEP 3: Overlap the two edges you just cut to create a shallow cone shape.  (You probably only need to overlap about an inch or less.) Staple the pieces together when you are happy with the shape.

STEP 4: Cover the outside of your hat with spray adhesive. (I just plopped my hat down in the grass and hit it with a light spray.) Then smooth one of your squares of fabric over the hat, creating a small tuck or pleat at the point in the hat where the seam is stapled together.  (Try to imagine that this photo illustrates step 4 better than it does...)

STEP 5: Trim the fabric all the way around leaving 1/4" to tuck under. 

STEP 6: Snip the fabric every 1/2" or so just from the edge of the fabric to the edge of the hat creating little "tabs"...this will allow the fabric to lie smoothly when you fold it under.  It should already be a little sticky, so fold each "tab" over the edge, smoothing as you go.  Add a bit more glue as needed.

STEP 7: Spray the inside of your hat with a bit of spray adhesive.  (For this, I just stepped outside, held the hat in my hand and gave a quick burst of spray...you don't need much.) Drape the second piece of fabric over the inside of the hat.  It does not need to get pushed all the way up into the hat...just drape it in there and smooth it out around the edges, covering the fabric edge you previously folded under.  When you are done, trim around the edge to make the fabric even with the inside edge of the hat.

STEP 8: Decorate!!  You can bling this baby up however you like, but here are a few ideas based on how I did mine...gather loops of tulle...

Secure loops with wire...

Hot glue to hat...covering seam...

Press until set...

Tuck in embellishments...this is a trimming from the pie plate that I curled and slipped under the wire...I also added a few feathers later.

Make a sparkly bat embellishment...cut out a little bat from black cardstock and glitter it up.

Glue bat to the front of the hat to cover your work...

VOILA!  Fabulous hat. 

To finish, glue or sew a comb or clip to the underside...or attach it to a headband.  Then wait for compliments...  ;)

Hope you found this useful.  If you did, I'd love to see any projects you make...feel free to share your photos in my brand new Brass Paperclip Flickr pool. 

I hope you'll check back again soon for more eco-fun and tutorials.  If you're not already following me somewhere, here's how you can stay in touch so you don't miss a thing...

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 XOXO, Cindi

 

DIY Halloween Bat Garland

I'm seriously obsessed with bats this year, so I decided I needed some good bat decor for my upcoming Halloween party. (If you missed the posts, here is my lazy bat costume and this year's party inspiration.)

Additionally, I've challenged myself not to buy any new decorations or "stuff" for the party this year, so I have been trying to come up with projects to use up my already oversized stash of supplies.  I got the idea for a bat garland last week, but didn't have any black string. I did, however, have a spool of black wire.  After playing around with a few kinds of links, I landed on a wire coil connector.  I think it turned out pretty cute, so here's how you can do it too...

SUPPLIES:

*cardstock

*printer or pen

*scissors

*1/16" hole punch

*wire and wire cutters

STEP 1: Print or sketch your bat silhouette on cardstock.  I used the bat silhouette below and printed four per page on black cardstock...you could also print on white, but it will take you a lot more ink to achieve the same effect.  This bat pattern will also work and takes a lot less ink to print.  If you don't want to print, you can freehand sketch or make a tracing template.

Click Here to Download the Bat Garland Template 

STEP 2: Cut out enough bats to make your garland.  I used 24 to make three strands.  Punch holes in the tips of each wing. (It took me about an hour to cut these out while I was waiting for my daughter at gymnastics.)

STEP 3: Make wire connector coils by wrapping your wire around a pen or pencil about seven times, then snip the end...this will take about 8-10 inches of wire per coil.  Make as many coils as you need to connect your bats.

STEP 4: Twist one end of your coil through the hole in a bat wing about two times through so that it stays put.  Then twist a bat wing onto the other end of the coil to connect the two.  You can smoosh or stretch the wire as you like to make the bats stay put.

STEP 5: When you have enough bats strung together, hang!

NOTES: If you don't have wire, you can just as easily thread the bats on a length of yarn or string.  Twist ties, jump rings or little ribbon ties would also look cute as connectors.  Just look around and see what you have.

What are you making for Halloween this year?  

Check back soon for more scoop on the food and another tutorial or two.  If you're not already following me somewhere, here's how you can stay in touch so you don't miss a thing...

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 XOXO, Cindi

 

Better When We're Together

Six years ago today, I married my best friend...things are definitely better when we're together...

Happy Anniversary, my love...

XOXO, Cindi

Not So Spooky Halloween Party

{Source: KidZui}

Two years ago my husband and I started an annual tradition of hosting an all ages Halloween party on Halloween night.  Many of our guests are also our neighbors, so we enjoy trick-or-treating as a group as soon as it gets dark.  The kids love running around in a flock and the adults enjoy flocking together to sip martinis in the street.  ;)

For this year's party, I've decided to stick with a basic "Not-So-Spooky" theme.  Initially it was a toss-up between "Vintage Fall Carnival", "Spooky Bling" and "Mad Scientist", but I've decided I'm a little themed-out right now and just want to keep it simple.  Can you relate??

I've picked orange, purple and acid green as my main colors with black and white sprinkled in.  This story board from my Dark Foods post last year is...aside from being anything but dark...exactly what I'm going for this year.  How great is all that color?? (All of the photos sources are listed in my dark food post, so check it out for more info.)

Leading up to the house I'm thinking a parade of ghosts...I am planning to repurpose all of my tomato cages to make these...some sitting in the grass and some hanging in the trees.  For fabric, I will probably use a combo of old sheets, cheese cloth and whatever else I may have on hand.  I've seen some great strands of solar lights that I think would work well for lighting these guys at night (and could be repurposed in a million ways.)

{Source: Pinterest}

For decorations, I'm looking for bold pops of color to set the mood and small surprising details to create a sense of whimsy.  For that pop of color I'm leaning towards making a big batch of tissue poms. I am the queen of tissue paper recycling, so I have a pile of purple, green and orange tissue that I hope to transform into this:

{source: DECOpoms on Etsy}

I am also loving this fabric garland...I am sure I can scrape together enough fabric and ribbon scraps to make one.

{Source: Craftaholics Anonymous}

A Happy Halloween banner and bat bunting are also ringing my bell this year...something like this would look cute swagged with the fabric garland above.

{Source: eighteen25}

Here is the bat I'm using for my bat garland...printed on black cardstock I can still see the outline, but when I'm done cutting no one will be able to see if I cut outside the lines.  This line drawing would also work and would take a lot less ink to print.  

For the element of surprise, these peek-a-boo jack-o-lanterns are too cute...easy to do with thrift store vessels and black spray paint.  Or maybe I'll skip the paint and just use my silver tea pots. 

THIS TOILET kills me...peek-a-poo??  Wouldn't it be funny to throw a glow stick in the tank so there's an eery glow coming from the tank?  We usually swap in the black lights for the bathroom anyway, so a glowing toilet tank could be cool...if you're into that sort of thing.  ;)

{Source: MSL and Pinterest}

Check back soon for more scoop on the food and a few holiday tutorials.  If you're not already following me somewhere, here's how you can stay in touch so you don't miss a thing...

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 XOXO, Cindi

 

It's a Bat! It's a Ninja! It's Hula Girl!

No sooner did I hit publish on Umbrella Bat, then my daughter informed me she no longer wants to be a bat...she wants to be a ninja.  What??  Apparently, she is over mommy and me costumes.  She's five.

So...off I go to the thrift store to find a gi for a ninja costume.  I figure this over a pair of black pants with some black socks and shoes...a sash around her waist and a black scarf for her head and we're done, right?  Hold that thought.

While shopping at the thrift store for said gi, I came across a few grass skirts.  My husband collects the wobbly hula girls that you put on the dashboard, so I thought that would be a funny costume for him...better than his first idea...

I pitch it to him and he's sold.  Back to the thrift store with five year-old in tow and we gather up what turns out to be a grass "swag" not actually a skirt.  But for $2.50, who's complaining?  Plastic sea shell bra for another $2.99...5 year-old has a lei she'll lend papa...costume done for $5.49 and the time it takes to adjust the skirt. 

About this time, my daughter decides that she would like to be a hula girl too.  Go figure.  Luckily, good costume karma is on my side and we find a tiny orange grass skirt, another lei and the controversial part of the costume...tiny coconut bikini top.  She's in love with the coconuts...I'm not sure if I'm amused or grossed out.  I decide it's better to have the coconuts and be able to reject them later, so I buy them and home we go.

After talking it over with my hubby, we decided that the coconuts would be ok with a colored top underneath, so a long-sleeve yellow leotard is now enroute to us via Amazon.  I'm sure she's going to look adorable...I just hope we don't seem like those pageant parents you see on tv who seem to struggle with what is appropriate for children.  Anyone else struggle with this?  What are your thoughts?  

XOXO, Cindi

Lazy Chic: 1887 Bat Costume

Last week, I shared a tutorial for the Umbrella Bat costume I'm making for my daughter.  Being the Halloween geek that I am, I like it when my family coordinates, so I've decided that I will also be a bat this year.  Unfortunately, hubby is not on board with this and has other plans...

I'll let you know how THAT goes...

Being that I also tend to run out of steam for costume building, my costumes tend to be what I like to call "Lazy Chic."  By that I mean that they are pretty easy to throw together, but still look pretty cool. As is often the case with me, I tend to look to the past for inspiration and am quite smitten with this 1887 engraving...

I like that it is less "literal bat" and more "essence of bat."  Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks that's a cool costume...several design wizards have actually created amazing reproductions based off that image.  This purple version is impressive.

And I love the wings on this one.  You can actually purchase the pattern here.

Suffice to say, my costume will be a bit less labor intensive...some might say, lazy.  I'm thinking that I'll start with a thrift store LBD...long with a slit up the side...or maybe a short one.  I've purchased these bat tattoo stockings from Etsy shop post to wear underneath, so whatever I choose will definitely show them off.

For wings, I'm thinking some kind of hooded cape that attaches at the wrists so that when I stand on my toes and raise my arms wide...my wings will swoop out fantastically...

For accessories, I'm thinking long black gloves, necklace, mask and/or fascinator.  I have some ideas brewing, so I'll save those for another post.  What is inspiring you for Halloween this year?

XOXO, Cindi

Front Page News

Happy Monday!  Hope yours is going as well as mine so far.  I had the pleasure of waking up to find that one of my items was featured on the front page of Etsy!  Can you spot my wedding programs in the collection below?

Special thanks to Etsy for this honor, as well as, Etsy seller and EcoEtsy teammate The Wooden Bee for including me in this wonderful 100% earth-friendly treasury! 

XOXO, Cindi

How did I miss this?

So, I was sitting in the food court at the mall the other night...enjoying a Chipotle burrito and minding my own business and THIS video popped onto the 47 screens surrounding me while I ate.  I had never seen it!  Now I must share it.  For anyone else who loves Christopher Walken and may have been hanging out under a rock since 2003, enjoy...

 

Green Halloween :: Recycled Umbrella Bat Costume

Halloween is such a fun time of year and always special when you have a little one at home.  This year is going to be a little bit different though...my perennially pink princess has declared that this year, she shall be a bat...in PANTS! (Because bats don't wear dresses, of course.)

After last year's elaborate "little-devil dragon-fairy", I was thrilled at the prospect of a bat.  Black suit, some wings...piece of cake!  So, I started thinking about how to do bat wings and came up with the brilliant idea to use and old umbrella.  Thrilled with myself for being so innovative and earth-friendly, I was shocked to find out that "Umbrella Bat" has been done before!  (By Martha, of course.  I don't know how she always manages to get inside my head and pull my ideas out while I'm sleeping...)

With tail between my legs, I reliquish my title of INNOVATOR in favor of COPY CAT, but I still think the idea is clever and will most definitely be using it for my daughter's costume. (Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, you know.) I guess I should be grateful that I don't have to play engineer to figure out how to make the whole thing work.  The Evil Mad Scientist already did the work for me and kindly posted this great tutorial for an amazing umbrella bat costume.  Check out those ears!

BONUS:  If the costume doesn't work out, I can always turn the old umbrella into a chandelier!

 
 {Source: BHG}

So, what are you making for Halloween this year??

XOXO, Cindi

 

 

Black is the New White :: Black Gowns for Halloween Weddings

With Halloween on the brain, I am wholeheartedly embracing the dark side this month!  Which means, it's time to talk about Halloween weddings.  What do you think of black wedding gowns?

I'm in love with the Vera Wang dress above...shot by Jose Villa for Once Wed.  The Rosa Clara dress below is another one I'm totally in love with.  I've featured Rosa Clara on this blog before...her dresses are stunning!  I like that both of these dresses are chic, not campy, for a sophisticated holiday wedding. 

Source: rosaclara.es via Erin on Pinterest

 

Would you wear one?

XOXO, Cindi