Ray O’Bannon has been busy at RavensBlight creating new papercraft toys for his visitors.
One caught my eye . . . an eye catcher . . . Which is actually catching an eye on a strong . . . A fun hand-eye-coordination thing you may enjoy making for your family . . .
Click the image on the right to be taken to the PDF to print out. Click Here for the assembly instructions.
I do like the eye and may use it in other projects . . . Be sure to check out Ray’s other toys . . . He has a fun golf game that may get you right into the Halloween spirit . . .
To me it seems more like a variation to croquet, but Ray can name his game whatever he prefers. There are so great eyes again . . . Can you imagine terrifying your friends and family by bringing out this Cleaver Golf game?
These may be a great hit at your Halloween party. I think I may make up a bunch of those eyes and put them in a big bowl . . . I wonder about a friendly game of pool . . . or perhaps put little treats inside . . . A little jingle bell may be a nice touch . . . For the eye-catcher, too.
I believe Ray O’Bannon is a clever artist . . . His games and images go to the mysteries of the paranormal . . . His does give a colorful history of how this golf game was created . . . yet it does play a bit more like croquet with the hoops . . . and the cleavers . . . but I’m not going to argue with the creator of this game, I just delighted he has these free to print out and make.
Although I may be feeling a bit creeped out at the moment, I do hope these Ray O’Bannon games will find a place in your home in which to play . . . I did want to give you something fun to have for the official opening of this fall season.
Twenty, Twenty-five, Maybe Even 30 years ago . . .
I was at my favorite craft store.
This was when scrapbooks were the “in thing.”
For me, a scrap book was not a photo album, but a book where you saved newspaper articles, ticket stubs, pressed flowers, printed programs and flyers . . . Maybe those photo booth strips of silly pictures you’d take with your friends . . . maybe even those fortune telling cards you’d get from a machine . . . or even tokens from the county fair . . . Just junk . . . but they were treasures to you at that time . . . It’s now emphemera. A fancy name for junk collected, that seemed valuable for a short time.
Back then you could buy designer papers by the sheet and there were special cut-outs and embellishments available to buy to dress up your scrapbook pages of family vacations or family holidays . . .
Papercrafting has come a long way . . .
There are cutting machines, our computers and printers have come a long way since then, as has the internet.
We can buy designer paper, still . . . or we can download it and print it out on our card stock . . . We can buy all kinds of bling to go along with our scrapbook pages or even make our own scrapbooks, mini-albums, cards . . . centerpieces, gift boxes . . . etc.
Many papercraft hobbies have become a business. It’s amazing how times have changed . . .
I shouldn’t be surprised or amazed, actually . . . Some things grow rather than die out. We do love our hobbies and paper crafts have been around for centuries . . . We always think we’ve discovered something new and exciting only to find that it has all been done before. Maybe not as easily as today, but it has been done before.
I like papercrafts with a purpose . . . boxes . . . books with secret compartments . . . 3-D Haunted Houses with a secret compartment . . . even cards with a slot for a lollipop . . .
Then . . . I started thinking . . . the pop-up cards . . . I’ve always loved pop-up books . . . even those sugar Easter eggs with a scene inside . . . or the image I saw in a book of Alice Through The Looking Glass . . . Do you remember the old View Masters . . . and the 3-D Movies . . .
We still have 3-D Movies . . . we can make our own pop-up books and cards . . . we can make all kinds of 3-D houses and whatever with paper for displaying in our homes for holidays and for everyday.
We get motivated by seeing things others have done . . . and we must try to do it for ourselves . . . We can always find instructions on YouTube . . . or we can figure it out for ourselves and create our own YouTube video tutorial to share with others . . .
And, of course, there are machines and dies and clip-art . . . SVG kits . . . things to buy and things to make from free printables . . .
What I thought about scrapbooking 25 to 30 years ago has changed . . . for the better . . .
There’s a woman on YouTube who tells a story about attending a scrapbooking workshop . . . it was something suggested by her boss years ago while she was working for a company . . . She couldn’t imagine why he suggested she take this workshop . . . Now she has her own papercrafting business in her own home . . . Probably making more money than she did out in the work force.
Even at that time, while attending the workshop, she couldn’t see the sense of it . . . but now . . . It was a turning point in her life.
I remember my cousin telling me about her new Cricut machine and the cartridges she bought . . . all the paper crafts she could make with those die-cuts. All I could think about was the expense and the collection of all those cartridges . . . But now . . . I’m thinking things through differently.
For some of us, it takes time to decide what it is that we want to do . . . to make . . . to create . . .
I looked at the Silhouette Cameo for years before purchasing one. I’ve looked at the Big Shot for years before purchasing it, too. I didn’t know how important it was to be able to emboss paper . . . or to have templates and a machine that would cut them out . . . The Silhouette Cameo can do a lot of cutting and is great for clip-art cutouts, too. I thought this was all I really needed . . . it was a definite answer to avoid the cutter of dies, etc. But, there are times when embossing is necessary . . . yes, Silhouette has a machine for that . . . But, I wanted something else . . . something I’d been fighting . . . The Big Shot . . . especially when I discovered Karen Burniston’s YouTube Video Tutorials for making pop-ups and sliders . . .
It’s necessary to have a space in your home for your crafts . . . it could be sewing or needlework, or even paper crafts. I have a friend who is into film making. She did a lot of it with advertisements for her furniture store. She got her kids and their friends to participate in her ads . . . A forerunner of YouTube Videos now . . .
We’ve come a long way . . . or is it just an easier way?
I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now . . .
Then, looking back to all the time I’ve . . . I was going to say “wasted” . . . but it is a process . . . not a waste of time . . .
It is about learning . . . personal growth . . . deciding what it is we do need to open and fulfill that creative outlet within . . . We do need to express ourselves . . . in some creative way . . .
This reminds me of an Amazon Pilot for a series called Interestings . . . It’s an Amazon Prime Video thing . . . It’s about a group of people who got together at a camp for “creative kids” with acting, dance, art, music . . .
This group or certain members of the group are still together and meet up years later . . . which is kind of a regular thing for them — not a reunion thing. It’s how their friendships formed over the years . . . You may have a different “take” on it . . . It all depends upon one’s perspective at the time . . .
This all seems applicable to life . . . In the beginning there is a quote . . . Life if understood backwards . . . But we have to live it forwards.I may have messed up the quote a bit, but the concept is there.
And quite applicable with hobbies and papercrafts.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
Oh, if you haven’t jumped onboard yet with papercrafts . . . you may want to check out these links:
Thanks again for stopping by! Be sure to bookmark this website . . . we’d love for you to visit us again . . . and tell your friends.
I’m not a fan of spiders, but I’m making an exception in this case because he is quite adorable.
My head is still spinning a bit with the mechanics of making this card. The great news is that there’s a video tutorial that you can play over and over and over again. Any time there’s something new, it’s natural to get lost in the details. It does come together once you get started and work through the process along with the video.
Pop-ups are excellent for cards and mini-albums. It’s nice to use this concept for your other projects as well.
Since I bought my Silhouette Cameo I wanted to make everything simple. That has been the case, but it’s also necessary to take the time to add more details . . . and there is the need for die cuts, too.
The whole purpose of card making, scrapbooking, mini-albums, etc. is the detail. Without detail with your own personal touch, everything will be like the manufactured cards you can purchase everywhere. You are unique, your friends and family are unique . . . so make cards that are meant for them and have your personal flair of creativity they love about you. It’s all about giving something to others you’re proud to have displayed in their homes . . . knowing they are proud to display them and keep them for years to come.
You’re probably wondering why I’m going on about the detail . . . this may be what separates real scrappers from the wannabe scrappers . . . I may be in the latter category . . . wanting to create something unique and spectacular . . . which requires detail and time and . . . a variety of supplies and die cuts.
I am a major fan of Sizzix’s Big Shot . . . and now Karen Burniston’s dies . . . and video tutorials, too.
I’ve wanted to be comfortable with making pop-up displays. Trial and error is great. It works. Having a die cut that streamlines the process is excellent. There are different die cuts for different pop-up displays. I do encourage you to check out Karen’s YouTube Channel and her website to learn all you can about her products and her techniques for making brilliant cards that you can adapt to your projects.
Here are some helpful links to take your crafting to the next level:
It’s always good to start out slowly with the basics or you can dive right in and wow yourself and your friends and family with your awesomeness!!
I call it a nut cup because we’d have parties with little cups of nuts. But you can put candy in them.
You can even have a little mix of stuff to put into these cups.
I do like the vintage look of this Halloween Free Printable.
Click the image on the right to be taken to the PDF where you can download it and print it out. I added a couple more PDFs to go with this. I can’t seem to give you just one.
All you have to do is cut out the printable, fold the fence pieces so they show on the outside of the box, then glue the little tabs together and you’ll have an open box you can fill will nuts, candy or a special treat of some kind.
These are great for home parties and school parties.
Why on earth would I be thinking of fall when it is August and HOT HOT HOT!
Yes, September is on the horizon.
It is so very comfortable in the house. Perfect for reading a good book with a friend.
It’s just when I go outside that I realize how hot it truly is. And it seems we’re quite a ways away from fall . . . but I love fall and it is always good to plan ahead.
Some areas have already started a new school year while others have a bit more summer vacation.
Whatever the season, it’s always good to appreciate what you have and doesn’t hurt to look ahead. I have enjoyed this summer. Even with the triple digit temperatures. Some crafters are still working on Christmas items, others have jumped into Halloween . . . and I’m caught a bit in between. I do want to look at nature and see what kind of cute boxes I can make to give to family and friends who stop by to visit.
I was looking at some fall clip art and got a little motivated to decorate some fry boxes. Then I realized that I like to make boxes that will be saved and cherished by others . . . Yes, I’m a dreamer.
Ray Keim of Haunted Dimensions has a PDF Entry Column box you can make and give to friends and family. I think this would be something they would hang on to . . . Why? Just look at the picture . . . does anything stand out?
Did you read the sign?
Everyone loves having a box that tells everyone to keep out.
Click the image and you’ll be taken to the PDF file. Make up quite a few of these. They are compliments of Ray Keim. He did add some moss to his finished column. You can do the same with some leaves or whatever else you think appropriate to add.
I think a few pumpkins would look nice on top or some miniature books, maybe a skeleton or a pirate’s hat . . . it may be nice to make several “tops” and decorate them for different seasons or holidays. Keeping, basically, with the seasonal weather. A bit of snow and snow flakes on top for winter, maybe some flowers for spring, some seashells for summer . . . or whatever strikes your fancy.
What I like about this box is that you can lift up the top, but no one will know the column is hollow, unless you make a half circle thump hole on the top or the side for easy opening of the “box lid” . . . I would not glue it down . . .
You can fill it with goodies . . . and the person you give this to may want to keep some goodies of their own inside or some treasure of their own. I think teens and the tweens in your household would love this Entry Column. It would look lovely on a desk or on a book shelf . . . even hidden away in a drawer . . . but I would like to display it throughout the year just for fun!
With the August heat, thinking about fall is refreshing.
I enjoy thinking ahead for fall decorating and I’m even open to Christmas decorating. Now is the perfect time to be looking ahead.
I enjoy the different seasons of the year . . . fall being my absolute favorite. I love thinking about the falling leaves and the pumpkins and that slight nip in the air. The transition from summer to fall is always exciting for me.
When I saw this fall tree, I thought it was perfect. A great project to get started thinking about. Gathering up all kinds of goodies that represent the season to me. Pumpkins, candy corn, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns . . . witches, scarecrows . . . muffin tins, pie tins . . .
I’m sure your tree would be unique. Just as mine may be, too. I don’t think “gingerbread” men cookies, but I’m not one to criticize. I might want more cooking utensils and maybe an old hat and boots . . . a few of my favorite books that represent the season . . .
Such a fall tree could go through the process of the kids starting back to school and then moving into Halloween and moving into Thanksgiving. I wonder if this tree would make the transition into Christmas . . . something worth thinking about.
Fall is a process. It’s a time of harvest . . . so there would be corn and pumpkins along with other fruits and vegetables. There may be scarecrows and black crows . . . maybe a raven . . . skeletons and who knows what represents fall to you.
Fall is an interesting transition period. It seems to be as colorful as spring . . yet in a different way. It offers two celebrations . . . Halloween and Thanksgiving. Both times of pumpkin pie and other sweet treats. Caramel corn, caramel apples . . . dressing up in costumes to run around the neighborhood . . . maybe getting scared by someone coming out of the darkness . . .
We do see school buses and children walking to school carrying books or wearing backpacks. It’s a new school year . . . trying out new recipes of pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins and apples — baked and put in pies and cakes and cookies.
The trip to the pumpkin farm is always delightful . . . picking out the right pumpkins to carve for Halloween . . . Then picking out your costume . . . and the planning of your own Halloween party . . . or one for the kids . . .
Fall is definitely an exciting time of year.
And during this latter part of summer we’re preparing for the children to get ready for a new school year. Some of you may be planning the last vacation of the summer. Hopefully, you’ll be visiting family and they will be visiting you. It’s fun when all the cousins get together.
Family is wonderful. It’s great to spend time with them . . . Taking a bit of a break from all our busy routine to relax and enjoy the company of family we haven’t seen in awhile. This is usually great for all concerned.
It’s a time to discover that you do have more in common than you once thought. That’s why these times between holidays are important to get together. It can be much more relaxing and casual.
This would also be a great opportunity to collect items for your fall tree . . . things from your summer vacations and things you learned from loved ones. It is all part of you and what these seasons and holidays represent for you and your family. We are definitely a product of our ancestry.
These are just some thoughts.
It’s important to take a moment out of our daily schedules and think about fall and other seasons. It’s also good to observe how others view the season and what the stores stock up on and what may be missing . . .
I’m always looking for things that aren’t usually stocked . . . but they have plenty of other stuff I have no interest in at all. Do you find that, too.
Enjoy your remaining days of summer . . . and recognize how fall is creeping up on us . . .
I do like the eye and may use it in other projects . . . Be sure to check out Ray’s other toys . . . He has a fun golf game that may get you right into the Halloween spirit . . .
