Halloween Plate Decals

For my second Halloween project, I wanted to make decorative plates. This was a pretty easy project. The most difficult part was designing the decals themselves, but there are plenty of graphics out there on the internet to use or you can just buy decals from a party store

Materials

Plates

SVG Files for Decals

Vinyl 

Transfer Tape or Masking Tape

Cricut

Sure Cuts A Lot Software

Exacto Knife

First, you'll need to setup the decals to cut. With your Cricut connected to your computer and the Sure Cuts A Lot software open and installed,
import the SVG file into Sure Cuts A Lot.

Measure the center of the plate where the decal will go and then scale your design to that size in Sure Cuts A Lot.

Cut the design with the proper settings in place. You want your blade to cut through the vinyl completely but not through the paper backing.  I had my blade pressure set to 3.

After you cut the design, peel out all the unnecessary parts left behind.

Then cut the design off the sheet of vinyl so you don't waste any vinyl and peel off the out part of the design.

Lay your transfer tape (or masking tape) over the design.

Peel the backing paper off the vinyl and place the it over the center of the plate. Smooth it over and slowly lift off the transfer tape. If the decal starts to lift off the plate  press the tape back down and rub that area better before continuing to lift it off.

The finished plates

I used the reversed portion of my pumpkin decal as a window decoration :-)

How to Decoupage Pumpkins

Today, I wanted to start my Halloween themed projects for October. The first one of these projects is decoupaged plastic or styrofoam pumpkins. I thought these were a really cute alternative to plain pumpkins. This is pretty simple, although it can be a little messy and you will difinietly have you hands covered in Mod Podge by the end of it.

Materials

Foam/Plastic Pumpkin

3-4 sheets Scrapbook Paper

Modpodge

Wide Paint Brush

Bowl

Water

Scissors/Exacto Knife

Paper Slicer (optional)

The main idea is that you’ll put one piece of paper over each rib (the vertical stripes) of the pumpkin. If your pumpkin is very symmetrical and even, you can cut all the strips of paper the same size. If the width of the ribs in the pumpkin vary, you should measure each one before you cut it. This pumpkin was very even, so each strip of paper was just over 2”.

Start by measuring for your first strip of paper. Be sure to allow for the depth of the rib by rolling the ruler around the rib as you measure.

Then cut one strip of paper at that width.

Round off the top and bottom of the strip to match the curve of the pumpkin.

If your pumpkin’s ribs are very deep, you should cut slits in the sides of the paper to allow it to fold over itself and fit to the pumpkin.

The scrapbook paper I used for the red pumpkin was more of a cardstock weight, so I needed it to get extra soggy to be able to mold it around the pumpkin. To do this, I mixed the mod podge with 3 parts water and 1 part mod podge. If your scrapbook paper is thin, you can mix it about 1 part water and two parts mod podge. 

  Dip the paper in the Mod Podge from top to bottom. Let it soak for about 30 seconds.

Lift the paper out of the Mod Podge and slide your fingers down it to wipe off the excess glue. Yes, this did ruin my manicure :-/

Lay the strip of paper over the rib that you cut it for. Line it up on the top first, then center over the rib. Start smoothing it down, starting in the center 

and then working your way to the bottom and then the top. 

You can use your brush to smooth it over and even out the Mod Podge. If any areas aren’t sticking, brush more Mod Podge under and on top of it and try smoothing it down again.

Once the first strip is in place. Do the same for the next strip, but be sure to measure from the edge of the last strip to the other side of the rib so there’s no gap. Add a little extra, about ¼”, so that the strips overlap just a little bit.

Repeat this all the way around the pumpkin. Each strip should dry before you make it to the opposite side of the pumpkin, but in case it doesn’t, allow time for it to dry, so you don’t set a wet side down on any surface. This will make a mess on you work surface and probably ruin your pumpkin.

When you get to the last strip, try to get the measurement pretty accurate so that it doesn't overlap the other pieces too much. Center it over the last rib and smooth it down. You can add a thin layer of Mod Podge over the pumpkin to cover any mistakes and give it a little glossy shine. 

The just let it dry and you're done!

Yes, that it a photo mosaic picture in my picture :-)