inspiration monday

  one of my favorite places to find inspiration is in my craft stash.....and there's nothing more fun than to revisit a past project i'm absolutely batty over, and change it up a bit!
here's a fang-tastic way to give these playful little alpha-bats a make-over: 

for each bat, you'll need a 2.5" papier mache egg found in the craft store, some acrylic craft paint,  this bat template from martha stewart ,  cardstock, paint pens or markers, and craft wire.

give each egg a coat of black acrylic paint.
you can also add some color by dry-brushing more acrylic paint over the dried black paint.

once the paint has dried, add a goofy little bat-face using paint markers.
(i've used permapaque markers)

create little bat-legs and feet by cutting a small piece of craft wire and twist one end into a circle using some round-nose pliers.  punch small holes in the bottom of the bat-body using an awl and tuck the other end of the wire in the opening.  secure wire by adding a drop of glue, diamond glaze, or other dimensional adhesive at the opening of the hole.

cut out the bat template and trace onto construction paper, card stock, or patterned paper.
then cut out the bat-wings.

(to create my original alpha-bats, i used black card stock and lettered on the wings using various pens and markers.  for this updated project, i've photocopied my original alpha-bats and cut out the wings.)  

now fold back a small tab at the inside edge of the bat-wing and glue it to the bat-body......

and let your finished boo-crew hang out in your studio.....

or let them loose and see where they end up!!
(i found my silly little bat-buddies lurking in my front door wreath!)


you can read about my original alpha-bats here!


{this project went from spook to spooktacular using these supplies: 
photocopies of alpha-bats , acrylic craft paint, permapaque markers, black craft wire, 
2.5" papier mache eggs, diamond glaze, tombow mono multi glue, martha stewart template}

batfun

i'm a real scaredy cat when it comes to halloween, and i've always enjoyed the more playful side of the holiday.  so as i was cutting out this martha stewart bat template, i started wondering if bats are scaredy cats like me.......and just how do bats go about having some fun?!

do they all meet in the belfry at twilight on saturday nights for a super fang-tastic boo-bash?

or maybe they get into the spirit of things by playing several rounds of batty-cake, batty-cake.

of course, it would be positively de-fright-ful to then head out to their favorite java house for a quick coffin-break......although too much caffeine could have them all going batty.
well, whatever they decide to do, i'm sure they all have a hair-raising, howling good time!

:))

sending you bugs and hisses, and many good witches
for a spook-tacular weekend!!
(okay, since i'm so bats about you, i'll stop with the bad puns now!  heeheehee)

{i had a frightfully good time creating these batty-bats using
martha stewart's bat template, scissors, black card stock, scrapbook papers,
micron pens, metallic pens, charcoal chalk ink pad, uni posca paint marker,
uniball signo white gel pen}

the bats are back....

it's that time of year again.....bat season!!  they're hiding in my bushes....

and hangin' out with the jack-o-lantern......

and even found their way inside and are playing in my fabric stash!!  but these aren't just any bats......they're martha stewart bats!!  click here and you'll find the bat template and video instructions for these super easy-to-make little cuties!!!  

p.s.  i shared these little guys on my blog last year, but they're SO adorable i couldn't resist showing them again!!  have fun!

goin' batty

you can tell that halloween is almost here! i went out to get the mail today and spied this little bat hiding in the bushes.....

and then i noticed them hanging out with the jack-o-lantern.....

and they've even found their way into my studio and seem to love my fabric stash!! but, these aren't just any bats, they're martha stewart bats, and super easy to make! you can find the video instructions and template here!

p.s. i didn't have any spray paint for the clothespins, so i just used acrylic paint and it worked like a charm! have fun! :)