"If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old." ~ Edgar Watson Howe

10/30/09

Aromatherapy Jewelry: "Aromatherapy uses essential oils, called aromatherapy essential oils. Aromatherapy oils are concentrated oils of plants with strong scents to enhance mood, to encourage health and healing, and to draw favorable things to oneself. The essence of plants may be experienced throughout the day in a scent releasing by aromatherapy jewelry. Aromatherapy jewelry is a great way to enjoy the benefits of essential oils wherever you go.Aromatherapy jewelry has been around for quite some time; various cultures, such as Native Americans and some individuals in Hispanic countries have worn aromatherapy jewelry for years in order to provide total fragrance for the body.

Aromatherapy jewelry worn on the body all day needs to be refilled often, and you can use oils like tangerine oil, which helps to awaken the senses and relieve muscle pain, or more traditional oils such as spearmint or peppermint, which can relax the stomach muscles and aid in indigestion. Other great oils to use in your armoatherapy jewelry include cinnamon oil, which is good for circulation and bergamot oil, which can give you energy throughout the day and improve your mood. Aromatherapy jewelry comes in necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets—practically any type of jewelry you can imagine.

Typically the necklaces come with a locket or other pendant which contains a small pad. Put a drop or two of your favorite scent on the pad, put the locket on a necklace, and you have the perfect piece of aromatherapy jewelry. Bracelets and rings are best if you can keep up with smaller pieces of jewelry better, and want to keep the oil more concentrated. Aromatherapy pendants come in many shape such as heart, the sun, the Celtic cross, roses are most in common. Vials also come with many different shapes and sizes. Most have engraved patterns to add the value. Usually, the containers in rings and bracelets are smaller than those in lockets and necklaces.

Aromatherapy jewellery lockets go in all distinct shapes and sizes. The conventional eye aromatherapy jewellery locket is really favorite, as are engravings of the sunlight, the Celtic cross, the pentacle, roses, and respective animals including dragons. Like lockets, vials go with many distinct designs and patterns overly. Costs of aromatherapy jewellery scope significantly, just like any new types of jewellery. The price of aromatherapy jewellery depends on size of the locket or vial and of class , price to the vendor and character of textile used for the aromatherapy jewellery. Wearing aromatherapy jewellery is a humor and original manner to love the benefits of aromatherapy. An added incentive is that you can select and select the aroma to whatever is proper.

"

10/26/09

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER

I am so excited! I wanted to add the gadget on my site that allows others to subscribe to my newsletter, but had no clue how to do that. Well yesterday I found a post with easy instructions on how to do it. I'm so dang proud of myself! So please do me a huge favor and sign up for it today.
Aromatherapy Massage Information: "Aromatherapy is the utilize of essential oils pured from plants to advance a heathy balanced and healthy lifestyle. Massage, bathing, vaporisation and inhalation are the usual ways of use. Aromatherapy massage treatments can be very efficient in relaxing and healing the body, mind and spirit. Aromatherapy massage is massage therapy but with greatly concentrated plant oils, called essential oils, added to the massage oil or lotion. Aromatherapy Massage is generally slow, gentle, rhythmic movements effleurage. Massage therapy has been shown to be greatty beneficial.

Aromatherapy massage provokes the blood circulation, expanding the supply of nutrients and oxygen to cells. In aromatherapy massage, essential oils are generally mixed with a carrier oil like sweet almond, apricot kernel, or grapeseed oil. Massage provoke lymphatic flow, helping tissue drainage and improving the immune system. Long, flowing combinative strokes, called effleurage, normally have these effects. Self-massage meaningfully improved symptoms and wellbeing in people with lymphedema. Massage therapy has long been accepted as an important part of athletic training. Most serious athletes receive daily somatic work.

The massage technique helps muscles melt into deep relaxation, relieves water retention, mind and spirit, stimulates the lymphatic system, improves the immune response, and assists the body to naturally release toxins. Aromatherapy massage is particularly suited to conditions involving stress or improving emotionally-related conditions. It is preventative therapy, valuable in keeping people healthy. The therapeutic power of touch combined with the healing and balancing properties of essential oils is by far the most effective method to use essential oils.

When you massage your body , you can use several common oils involve eucalyptus, frankincense, lavender, sandalwood ,tea tree, peppermint:and rose. Aromatherapy massage is not suggested for certain people include infectious skin disease, rash, or open wounds. Pregnant women should check with their doctor first if they are considering getting a massage. Massage in pregnant women should be done by massage therapists who are certified in pregnancy massage. Aromatherapy massage should not be done rightly over bruises, inflamed skin, unhealed wounds, tumors, abdominal hernia, or areas of recent fractures.

"

10/20/09

AuburnPub.com - Nursing director brings new approaches to dementia care

Found this great article on trying to find out more about dementia patients instead of always being so quick to medicate. 

10/19/09

ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween: "


If
you like (or love) Tim Burton and/ or Johnny Depp then this year’s line-up for
ABC Family’s “13 Nights of Halloween” is for you. The following is their press release for this
event. It all begins tonight.



13 nights



GHOSTS, BOOBY-TRAPS AND A WHOLE LOT OF BURTON NIGHTMARES


HAUNT ABC FAMILY’S 11th ANNUAL “13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN”





Burbank, CA (September 4, 2009) – For the
11th year in a row, ABC Family brings viewers evenings full of screams during
its 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN programming event. The ABC Family premiere of Tim
Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands” will join other Halloween themed



programming airing the 13 nights leading up to Halloween
(October 19 – October 31). Following is a listing of programming thrills and
chills taking place
October 19-31 during ABC Family’s 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN.





Night One – Monday, October 19


The 11th annual 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN begins with a special
Halloween themed episode of “American Funniest Home Videos” that will
terrorizingly tickle your funny bone from 10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT.






Night Two – Tuesday, October 20


Get your slick shoes ready and beware of booby-traps as you join
the motley crew of kids in “
The Goonies” (7:30 – 10:00 PM ET/PT), as they search for the famed treasure
of One Eyed Willy.






Night Three – Wednesday, October 21


Say this man’s name three times and you’re in for quite a
terrifying ride! “
Beetlejuice” wreaks havoc for a married couple from 8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT.
The Tim Burton film stars Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Winona
Ryder.






Night Four – Thursday, October 22


They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysteriously spooky – they’re “The Addams Family.” The eccentric
family must deal with an Uncle Fester imposter from 8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT.
Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christina Ricci and Christopher Lloyd star.






Night Five – Friday, October 23


The shenanigans of the macabre Addams Family continue for a
second night with “
Addams Family


Values” (8:00 – 10:00 PM
ET/PT). This time around, the family must come to their uncle’s rescue when a
gold digger targets him as her new love. Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christina
Ricci and Christopher Lloyd star.



Night Six – Saturday, October 24


The spooktacular weekend kicks off with a mysterious mask that
gives Jim Carrey supernatural powers in “
The
Mask,”
airing 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM ET/PT.
The day continues as viewers get a double dose of family wackiness with
Morticia and Gomez in “
The Addams
Family”
(2:00 – 4:00


PM ET/PT) and “Addams
Family Values”
(4:00 – 6:00 PM ET/PT). Then from
one family to the next, follow the Sanderson sisters on their quest for
immortal life and the 300 year-old cat that tries to spoil their dastardly
plans in “
Hocus Pocus” from 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET/PT. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah
Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. With the day almost over, are you good enough
to keep up with Sean Astin, Corey Feldman and Josh Brolin? If so, then stick
around for “
The Goonies” at 8:00 – 10:30 PM ET/PT. The evening comes to a close with an
encore airing of “
The Mask” (10:30 PM – 1:00 AM ET/PT), starring Jim Carrey and Cameron
Diaz.






Night Seven – Sunday, October 25


The day is full of the ghostly, the bizarre and the undead, and
starting it off is “
Casper Meets Wendy” from
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET/PT, with the world’s friendliest ghost. The eerie fun continues
as the search for the infamous pirate, One Eyed Willy, takes some wild and
possibly deadly turns in “
The Goonies” (12:30 – 3:00 PM ET/PT). The network takes a dark turn down into
some of Tim Burton’s greatest tales, starting with the story of one boy’s
chance to get a look behind the candy curtain in “
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” from 3:00 – 5:30 PM ET/PT, starring Johnny Depp and Freddie
Highmore. Then true love is doomed in Tim Burton’s “
Corpse Bride” (5:30 –
7:30 PM ET/PT), when Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) finds himself mistakenly
married to a corpse bride (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter). The creeps continue
as a lonely boy with scissors for hands is brought into a suburban home and
falls in love with the family’s teenage daughter in the ABC Family premiere of “
Edward Scissorhands” from
7:30 – 10:00 PM ET/PT, starring Johnny



Depp and Winona Ryder. The evening comes to a close with
other-worldly hijinks in “
Beetlejuice” (10:00 PM – 12:00 AM ET/PT), as a couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena
Davis) battle a ghoul from beyond (Michael Keaton).






Night Eight – Monday, October 26


The Halloween hilarity continues as “America’s Funniest Home Videos” startles
viewers with crazy costumes from 10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT.






Night Nine – Tuesday, October 27


“Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize” with the airing of “The Haunted Mansion” from
8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT. Eddie Murphy stars as a father who brings his family to
a haunted house that hides a much darker secret. Then “
America’s Funniest Home Videos” opens
its spooky vaults to air some classic Halloween clips (10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT).






Night Ten – Wednesday, October 28


With an eye of newt and pinch of bats teeth the three Sanderson
witches terrorize a town in “
Hocus
Pocus”
from 8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” continues the haunting humor with videos of scary practical
jokes and Halloween hijinks (10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT).






Night Eleven – Thursday, October 29


The Scooby gang reunites when each member arrives to a
mysterious island to investigate strange occurrences in “
Scooby-Doo” (8:00 – 10:00 PM
ET/PT). The film stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew
Lillard and Linda Cardellini. Ending the night is a group of unsuspecting prey
getting frightened in a musical montage on “
America’s Funniest Home Videos” from
10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT.






Night Twelve – Friday, October 30


The Scooby squad is back at it, this time trying to track down a
masked villain who wreaks havoc at the Coolsville Museum of Criminology in “
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT). Finish the night off with “America’s Funniest Home Videos” from
10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT, when a string of magical videos gone wrong is featured.






Night Thirteen – Saturday, October 31


The petrifying thrills come to a frightening end on the most
haunted night of the year with a day of crime fighting dogs and a man in a bat
suit. All the Scooby snacks in the world won’t be able to help the gang as they
track down dastardly culprits in “
Scooby-Doo”
(9:30 – 11:30 AM ET/PT) and “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (11:30 AM – 1:30 PM ET/PT). Then follow the sad and bizarre tale
of a boy with scissors for hands in “
Edward
Scissorhands”
from 1:30 – 4:00 PM ET/PT. The
evening comes to a close as the dark knight rids the fair city of Gotham of the
evil that lurks in the shadows and around every corner in “
Batman” (4:00 – 7:00 PM
ET/PT), “
Batman Returns” (7:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT) and “Batman
Forever”
(10:00 PM – 1:00 AM ET/PT).





Part of the Disney-ABC Television Group, ABC Family is
distributed in over 98 million homes. ABC Family features programming
reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through
relevant stories about today's relationships, all told with diversity,
dysfunction, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a mix of
network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series
and blockbuster theatricals. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween"
and "25 Days of Christmas!"






ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.
"

10/17/09

Web can help elderly surfers slow dementia - Times Online


I have been wanting to start a computer class at the nursing home where I have been volunteering. So I was thrilled when I came across this post. Now I am even more excited about the program and can't wait to share my experience about it with you. 

Do you have a computer class or tried it in the past? Please let me know what your experience has been.
Shared via AddThis

10/13/09

 I found these over at the long thread, just click below to visit her blog for instructions. Not only are they cute and useful, but they are GREEN too.

Paper Bag Bowls:


recycled-halloween

pumpkin-and-ghost-bowls

pumpkin-bowl


inside-of-bowls
"

10/9/09

5 Tips for the Office Party Planning Committee: "

If your lucky enough to have staff that is committed to helping when it is needed, maybe you could use some of these tips to improve on what you already have. If you don't have the help you need then maybe these tips can help you get started.


Start with a cool name. Employees will be more likely to attend events if they sound cool (or if you’re giving away free stuff). At my last office we had a contest to name the party planning committee. We gave away movies tickets to the winner and you’d be amazed at how many entries we received. The winner: CAKE, which stood for “Committee for Activities & Killer Events.”
Serve food. Everyone loves free food. Even if it’s after lunch and people are stuffed, they cannot turn down free food. If you find your group is having trouble getting employees to a party or even to planning meetings, serve food. Cake is an obvious solution for parties, but you might also consider having your planning meetings over lunch and order pizza. Make the committee feel special for volunteering their time.
The_office
Giveaway prizes. Everyone loves free stuff—maybe even more than free food. Again, if you’re having trouble getting people to your events (some companies have this problem more than others), find something fun to giveaway. Ask your vendors or partners if they have something to donate. Or use a tiny piece of your budget for an ipod. Chalk it up to employee moral, which has been proven to improve employee productivity.
Think outside the box. The types of parties that the party planning committee plans are typically pretty standard—birthdays, baby showers, retirement parties, going away parties. Instead of the standard party in the conference room with cake and gifts, try something different. Maybe a potluck picnic outside? Or a make your own sundae bar?
Figure out your funding source. Money is always a sticky subject, especially within an office where there are different pay levels and enthusiasm for office parties. If your company has a budget for parties, that’s great! If not, figure out how many parties you estimate during the month, quarter, year and either ask for money from the managers within the organization, or see if each employee can donate a small amount. Be careful though, asking for too much will be a turn-off.
Enjoy Planning.
Penelope
"
Super Silly Spider Hats:"

After every post I think, there is no way I can find anything cuter out there. But here it is....are these not the most adorable or what?
Thanks Make and Takes...glad I found your blog


Craft Foam Spider Hat

Supplies for Crafty Spider Hats:

  • black craft foam hat
  • paper hole punch
  • 4 black pipe cleaners/chenille stems
  • glue dots
  • googley eyes

With the hole punch, make 4 holes on each side edge of the hat. Make sure their fairly even on both sides.

Spider Hat Punch Holes

From the inside of the hat, thread the pipe cleaner through one hole and out the other, then back through to the top again. If you thread it this way, the legs won’t move and they will stay secure. Do this for all 8 holes, using 2 holes for one pipe cleaners. You then bend each pipe cleaner to form a bent creepy leg. Spider Pipe Cleaner Hat

Now it’s time for the eyes. Decide if you want 2 or 8 spider eyes. Add a glue dot to the back of each eye and then attach the eye to the center of the foam hat.

Glue Dot Googley Eyes

Here’s my son sporting the spider hat with 8 eyes (of course he chose the 8 eyed spider as it’s more creepy!)

Spider Foam Hat

And here’s a couple of foam hats we turned into pumpkins and ghosts too.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin and Ghost Foam Hats




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10/8/09

“Going Batty” 3D Halloween Card: "

I found this over at Make and Takes, I think it is adorable.

This Halloween Bat card comes alive with tissue paper wings. He’s making his way to your house to give all a good SCARE!

3D Halloween Bat Card

Supplies for 3D Bat Card:

  • cardstock
  • paper cutter
  • black tissue paper – a 3×12 inch piece
  • black art paper
  • white crayon
  • letter stickers

Fold your cardstock piece in half to form a card. Then decide if you want to put your bat on the outside of the card or the inside for a little surprise.

With the black paper, cut out an oval for the body of the bat and glue it onto the card. I used a black marker to draw on the bat’s ears and a white crayon to draw on eyes, mouth, and fangs (he is dracula of course!)

Halloween Bat Card

Using the paper cutter, slice a 1-2 inch slit on either side of the bat’s body. Don’t got through to the end, just cut a little opening for the tissue paper to go through.

Now thread the tissue paper through each slit to form the bat’s wings. This can be a tight squeeze and your tissue paper may get scrunched, but you can straighten it out after. I also cut each end of the tissue paper with zig-zags for more effect.

Tissue Paper Bat Card

To finish it off, use the letter stickers to make the words “Happy Hallow’EEK” or some other fun Halloweeny saying. Now this card is ready to give to a friend along with some spooky treats, maybe these Pumpkin Bites from Bakerella.




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10/6/09

Two easy to make wreaths!:

I found these cute wreaths over at something to do. I especially like the black one myself.

For my autumn wreath I ended up shaping one strand of fake leaf garland into a circle, adding a few pine cones from the yard with some hot glue, and some gauzy brown ribbon for a bow. The garland holds the shape well enough that I didn't have to use any other support.

The colors are so pretty on our back door!

I came up with a Halloween wreath too.
I found some black tulle on a spool in a clearance bin months ago. I remember picking it up, putting it in my cart, taking it back out, picking it up again, etc. It was a battle between my practical, frugal, 'what on earth are you ever going to do with 12 yards of black tulle?!' self, and my creative, can never own too many craft supplies, 'of course you'll think of something neat to make with 12 yards of black tulle!' self.
In the end both sides won. I bought the tulle but it only cost $1.

I started cutting that tulle and tying it around an old metal embroidery hoop I had. I also added some orange satin ribbon.
I hung it on the door that goes into our den.


This was such a simple project! I am so glad I talked myself into buying that tulle!



"
How to Create Your Own Haunted House:

At one of the Nursing Homes where I worked we had a yearly Haunted House. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. Luckily I had a lot of help, there was just no way I could do this on my own. I also had some of the local youth groups help out. They loved being in the haunted house.
I have found this great list over at My Punchbowl which should be able to help if you'd like to give it a try.
Guest post by Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs
Pp_logo_rev

  • Decide on the space you want to use. This could be your yard, your home or just one area of your house, like the basement.
  • Plan your entrance and exit and think through what types of spooks and scares you want to include in your plan.
  • Get help — to not only transform the Haunted House, but to participate in spooking it as well.
  • Don’t forget to add eerie lighting, scary sounds, and darkness. Throw dark sheets or black garbage bags over the windows so no light will be able to get through.
  • Replace your outside bulbs with orange bulbs. Also, you could have a black light bulb for your porch light if you have some glow-in-the-dark decorations hung close-by.
  • If you have some leftover Tiki torches from your summer parties, use those to light the path to the front door of your haunted house.
  • Alternatively, string clear or orange Christmas lights, or if you are going for cuter, rather scary, try these fun spider lights.
  • Hang spider web netting all throughout that your guests will get entangled in!
  • Hang a “dead guy” in the front entrance: stuff a pair of jeans and a shirt with newspaper, and use an old bleach container cut out into a face. Top with an old hat.
  • Decorate your doors to look like coffins, using butcher paper and paint
  • Using large appliance boxes, you can make coffins, fake walls, crypt chambers, etc.
  • Set up a spooky dinner table, have a silver tray with a Jell-O brain mold atop, finger food or a severed hand or head. Set a Monster dummy or a real person at the table about to eat the feast. Creepy!
  • Hang wet yarn from the ceiling for your guests to walk through.
  • Have bloody hands lying around. As a DYI, fill surgical gloves with sand and tie them off with a rubber band. Add the effect of blood with red paint on the fingers. Creepy!
  • Spritz cold water on the guests as they enter the Haunted House.
  • Use dry ice to make a boiling cauldron or for a foggy effect, but be very careful to not let the dry ice touch anyone! A better option would be a fog machine … it is a bit pricey, but you may be able to rent it out to others throughout the year!
Some helpful tips:
  • Small children may be afraid or may not be able to handle going through the scary house. You can always alert your actors to be “gentle” and take off their masks and hand out treats to make the spooky house a friendlier one. You can also set an age limit for entrance. Although it will be dark, make sure you have enough light for people to see their way through. Again, clear Christmas lights placed strategically will work well if you are on a budget.
  • Don’t let the dry ice touch anyone! It can cause serious injury! Do not use candles or other flames — too much of a safety hazard. Try battery operated candles or glow sticks instead.
  • Make sure that the actors don’t touch anyone as they make their way through the haunted house … just play their acting role, i.e. looking creepy, playing dead, etc.
  • Make sure your space has adequate ventilation.
  • Make sure you have enough help!
Happy Haunting!
"
Mod Podge Halloween Banner: "

I found this over at Make and Takes.
Guest Post by Amy of Mod Podge Rocks

Hello! I am very happy to be with you today sharing a Halloween project after my own heart. You see, I am a Mod Podge lover, and I try to incorporate it into most things that I do. This can be hard with everyday tasks such as cooking, dog walking and cleaning. . . but I manage to bring Mod Podge into a lot of projects! One of those projects is this No-Sew Boo! banner I’ve created using Fabric Mod Podge. I only had to purchase the spiders, fabric and felt – everything else I had on hand – so this project cost me $6. The best part besides the cost? No sewing involved! If you aren’t a seamstress, or even if you are, give this a try. Mod Podging is much easier than you think.

Mod Podge Halloween Banner

Supplies for No-Sew Halloween Banner:

  • 1/2 yard orange polka dot fabric
  • Fabric Mod Podge
  • Felt, black – 1 piece
  • Halloween brads
  • Black buttons – an assortment
  • Ribbons – 3 rolls of Halloween colors
  • Felt Spiders (I got these for $.99 from Hobby Lobby)
  • Yarn – 2 pieces of 12” to hang spiders
  • Rhinestones – 4 for spider eyes
  • Shoebox Lid
  • Silver Sharpie (or something to draw on black felt)
  • Craft Knife and Mat
  • Craft Glue
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Flat Paint Brush

Grab your old shoebox lid, a ruler, a pencil (or pen) and a craft knife. You are going to first cut the template for your banner pieces. Let me tell you why the letter is there. I had wood letters to spell “Boo!” and I wanted to cut the same exact size letter out of felt for my banner. This letter was placed on the box for size purposes. If you don’t have wood letters, that is okay – you don’t need them. Simply draw out (or print from computer) the letter size you would like to use on a piece of paper, and that can be your reference.

Halloween Banner Supplies

Cut off all four sides of the box using your ruler and craft knife. You now have just a flat piece of cardboard. I picked the mid-point on my box lid and marked it, because I wanted the tip of my pennant to be right there. I chose 12” to be the side length of my pennant and marked it on the top on both sides. Cut the sides of the pennant. Measure one side, cut with a craft knife. Repeat on the other side.

Halloween Banner Trace

Here’s the finished pennant template – do you see how my proposed letter size fits so nicely? Set the template aside.

You will first want to prepare the fabric before painting. To do this, wash and dry the fabric (do not use fabric softener). Iron and then lay out on a covered work surface. Wax paper is preferable for covering your table. Using a brush, paint a light coat of Fabric Mod Podge onto your fabric. Allow to dry. This will allow you to cut the fabric like paper without frayed edges.

Mod Podge Fabric

This part I actually had a lot of fun with. I used my rotary cutter and the template to cut eight pennant pieces (you will be gluing two together four times). If you don’t have a rotary cutter, just use the craft knife you used before. I also placed the ruler on the side of my template so I didn’t rotary cut the template into shreds (yes, I have done that before).

Eight pieces are about to become four! Grab your Fabric Mod Podge again and thoroughly cover the BACK SIDE of one of the pennant pieces with Podge. Get the corners well.

Gluing Fabric Mod Podge

Grab another pennant piece and place BACK SIDE down onto the top of the wet Mod Podge. Either use a brayer (pictured above) or your fingers to thoroughly smooth the two fabric pieces together. It’s okay if Mod Podge comes out the sides – it probably will and you can just wipe it away. Repeat three more times and then set the four pennants aside to dry.

Cutting Mod Podge Fabric

When the pennants are dry, grab them again to cut the ribbon. I used orange ribbon to line my orange pennants. I laid the ribbon out down one side of the pennant. I trimmed the ribbon at a diagonal on the bottom.

Put a thin line of craft glue down the side of the pennant and lay the ribbon down – smooth. You are going to repeat on the other side of the pennant, overlapping at the bottom point. Do this for all four pennants. Allow the glue to dry.

Fabric Triangles

While the glue was drying, I grabbed two other ribbon colors for the top hanger. My purple ribbon is 3/4” and my green ribbon,1/2”. I cut the same length of ribbon for both and then applied a thin bead of craft glue to the purple ribbon. I did this a few sections at a time, smoothing the green ribbon onto the purple ribbon.

While the ribbon was drying, I decided to cut my letters out of black felt. I traced my letters onto the back of the black felt with the silver Sharpie so I could see the shape. I’m not sure why I ended up with reptile black felt, but luckily the opposite side was normal. Remember, if you don’t have wood letters, you might not need to do this. You can freehand draw OR you can print out something from your computer. If you print out something from your computer, you won’t need to trace anything. Simply tape the letters to the felt and cut out.

Trace Letters

If you traced, don’t forget to do the letter backwards!! Even if you don’t have weird reptile felt like I did, if you do the letters backwards you won’t have to worry about pen marks showing up on the right side. Cut the letters out.

Look at my banner and how very nicely it is laid out! It’s ready to be glued. Please ignore the skull in the background (that is for another project!).

Mod Podge Drying

Time to glue the pennants onto the top ribbon to make the finished banner. Apply craft glue to the top of each pennant and then flip the ribbon back over on top – smooth down and let dry. Don’t move the banner at this time. Glue the letters down now. You are in the home stretch!

So – now it’s time for you to make some decisions on how to embellish your banner! I used Halloween brads, buttons and two spiders to accent my banner. What do YOU want to do? Stickers? Flowers in Halloween colors? You are welcome to try anything you want – my banner is just a suggestion. I encourage you to get wild. Halloween is one of those holidays!

Thank you for your time, and thanks so much to Marie for featuring me. Please visit me any time at Mod Podge Rocks for project ideas and decoupage advice. I’ll be happy to help. See you soon!




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