TastyLinks^TM Saturday

My pals Katie Hacker and Candie Cooper had a jewelry making soiree last week and they each made a deliciously wicked necklace using Plaid's fresh line chandelier components. Absolutely fabulous!

Nathalie Brault linked to my Morticia necklace on MyCraftivity. Merci beaucoup, Nathalie!

Rachel of One Pretty Thing featured my Terrorific Tuesday Morticia necklace AND invitation on One Pretty Thing this week. Wow! I'm so honored!

My bestest buddy Ms. Robin Beam shared some great costume tips for using t-shirts to make really cool costumes on Allentown's TV channel 69. Yeah, it's really that channel, but it's not naughty...I swear!

Huge crafty shout out to the divine Ms. Barbe Saint John who posted my Crystal Web Collar on her Jewelry Making blog at Craft Gossip!

Check out the Scary CRAFT blog hosted by the crafylicious Sacred Yoli and Krissi Sandvik. They showered me with some serious linky love and I'm showering back. These girls have got some kick booty crafty chops.

As always, if you've posted about my blog in yours and I've neglected to Linky Love you back, shoot me an email at margot@margotpotter.com and I'll make sure to get you in the next round.

And now without further adieu here is this week's sampling of TastyLinks^TM "All the good blogs wrapped up in one." Open wide and say, "Ah!"

About Family Crafts If you are in search of creative costume ideas for 2, 3, 4, or more, you have come to the right place.

Aileen's Musings Looking for a new paper technique, Aileen has a colorful one using glossy photo paper and Color Mists. This technique works great as backgrounds for cards, collages and even scrapbook pages.

Cathie Filian Check out the Halloween Videos from the Emmy Nominated television show, Witch Crafts, where Cathie and Steve, make some awesome Halloween Projects & party ideas.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world This week Craftside brings you a modern denim and plaid upcycled quilt block, 2 yummy recipes using sherry, Art Nouveau jewelry, off register screen printing designs and a call for entries for a new book- 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse.

Crafty Princess Diaries No more babies in your life to crochet or knit snuggly blankets for? No worries, the Crafty Princess has the low-down on a baby blanket contest as well as a non-profit group that makes blankets for babies in need.

Cross Stitch at About.com This week, Connie has been spending a lot of time in the kitchen - no, not cooking. Dying fabric instead. Find out more about all the ways you can change the color of your fabrics.

Layers Upon Layers Cyndi has gathered together her most popular tutorials on creating great background papers for your artwork.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Check out a ring project inspired by Sherri Haab's book Felt, Fabric, and Fiber Jewelry done Sweater Surgery style.

The Crochet Dude Drew has the perfect recipes for a Halloween party: Bloody Eyeballs and Maggots!

The Impatient Crafter^TM Madge shares part one of her two part final project for Terrorific Tuesdays. It's a Gothically delicious tale of friendship.

Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea Part 2 Terrorific Tuesday Final Free Halloween Craft Project

Copyright 2008 Margot Potter (Click on images to view close up.
See below for photos of the details. Click here to see coordinating necklace project.)

You can easily tailor this invitation to your own sinister soiree, just change the info up to suit your purposes. I'm telling a story here. A story of friendship...Goth style.

Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea
Paper Crafting Project
Copyright 2008 Margot Potter
For Personal Use Only

Morticia was feeling a little lonely. Oversized, drafty, decaying mansions can do that to a girl. She thought it would be such fun to have a Hallowe'en party and invite some of her more Gothically minded friends. Miss Havisham, a bit of a home body, needed an excuse to get away from that dreadful rotted cake and those pesky rats. Morticia handed her one, courtesy of Lurch who actually was the one doing the ringing in this scenario.

Materials
Light grey textured cardstock
White printer paper
Bronze bat component
Fiskars Spooky Frightful clear stamps (bat, star, spider, left and right squiggle)
Fiskars Stamp Block Set
3" length silver plated small link chain
Head pin
5mm jump ring
Ranger Nick Bantock Ink Lamp Black
Ranger Paint Dabber Red Pepper
Ranger foam applicator square
Ranger non stick craft sheet
Micron .01 black archival pen
Scrapbook Adhesives EZ-Runner Clear
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares

Tools
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Safety pin
Printer
Computer with Microsoft Word or other equivalent program
King and Queen Font Size 11pt. (available at http://www.dafont.com/)
Old toothbrush
Paper Cutter
Ruler
Fiskars scissors

1. Create invitation using Word and King and Queen Font 11pt. Click on project shots for close up of text. Print invitation.

2. Use an old toothbrush with a smattering of red paint to flick a judicious amount of blood across invitation. Allow to dry.

3. Measure, mark and cut invitation background (grey cardstock) to 7 3/8" wide and 8" high.

4. Measure center top point and mark. Measure down 1/5" on each side and mark. Cut in a curved shape from sides to top point working from left to right making a gravestone top.

5. Use a foam applicator to work Lamp Black Nick Bantock ink along sides of invitation background. Move applicator across craft sheet in a swirling motion as you work ink gently into the paper from the outside edge in about ½". Use applicator to blend ink so it has a hazy look and you don't see demarcation lines.

6. Stamp Bat on top center of invitation using Archival Ink in jet black. Move down about 7/8" and stamp stars. Move another 7/8" and stamp mirror swirls.

7. Use Micron pen to add some freehand flourishes to stamped swirls. Add a swirl and a dot coming from tips of bat wings. Add some definition to stars.

8. Cut dried painted printed page to 5.5"wx6"h using a paper cutter.

9. Use foam applicator to dab Ranger mixative in silver on brass bat. Allow to dry. Accent raised portions with archival ink in jet black on foam applicator.

10. Adhere invitation to center front of background using EZ runner.

11. Use a safety pin to GENTLY poke a hole just above and to the right of your printed page.

12. Insert a head pin into hole from back. Cut off excess leaving about 1/8". Use round nose pliers to gently bend into a closed loop.

13. Stamp spider on a scrap piece of grey cardstock. Cut out spider.

14. Use safety pin to GENTLY poke a hole in top center of spider.

15. Insert a jump ring into the back of the hole.

16. Attach spider to a 3.5" section of chain. Attach top of chain to looped head pin.

17. Cut foam squares to fit back of metal bat and adhere along center bottom of printed portion of your invitation.

Materials
Stamps, scissors, stamp block Fiskars, ink and paint Ranger, free font DaFont, bronze bat Ornamentea, head pin, jump ring and chain Beadalon, EZ runner and foam squares Scrapbook Adhesives, Micron pen Sakura, cardstock COLORBOK

Text Detail

Inked bat detail

Spider detail

Final Free Halloween Craft Projects for Terrorific Tuesday Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea!

Copyright 2008 Margot Potter Click on Image to View Close Up

(This week's final offering for Terrorific Tuesday is a two part post with two spooktacular projects for your perusal. Tomorrow I'll share the instructions for the invitation, today I'm showing you how to make the necklace. Make sure to stop back tomorrow for part two...until then...here is a little story of friendship...Goth style...)

Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea Choker Copyright 2008 Margot Potter

Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea Choker copyright 2008 Margot Potter

(Click on images to view close up)

Morticia Invites Miss Havisham to Tea Choker
Free Jewelry Project
Copyright 2008 Margot Potter
For Personal Use Only

If Morticia were to have tea with Miss Havisham, this charming choker would be just the perfect combo of Victoriana meets Goth to complement her ensemble. Would Thing pour the tea and serve the crumpets? Oh to be a fly on the wall during that meeting of the minds. If you want to get your Goth on, you simply have to whip up this little number.

(Designer tip: Chokers have to be fitted so make sure to adjust the size and materials to fit your neck!)

Materials
Plaid ‘fresh' acrylic Teardrop Black Chandelier pendant
25 tiny white metal skull charms
24 9x6mm jet CRYSTALLIZED^TM-Swarovski Elements briolettes
2 3/4" silver plated fold over ribbon ends
Silver plated medium swivel lobster clasp
6" length silver plated elongated cable chain
10mm heavy duty silver plated jump ring
43 4mm gun metal jump rings
4 5mm silver plated jump rings
2 60 link lengths gunmetal curb chain small
7/8" wide 12" (more or less depending on your neck size) black satin ribbon with loops
Ranger Adirondack Pigment Pad in snow cap
Inkadinkado Swirl Stamp 96253-P

Tools
2 pairs chain nose pliers
Electric drill with 1/16" bit
Sewing scissors

1. Measure your neck to determine ribbon length; remember to account for the clasp and jump ring. My neck is rather smallish so you may need a larger length of ribbon and therefore more dangles and longer chain sections.

2. Stamp ribbon with pigment ink on flourish stamp alternating between top and bottom of ribbon. Set aside.

3. Drill three holes in bottom of chandelier pendant, one in center and one on either side. You can use the image as a guide.

4. Attach metal fold over ends to ribbon using pliers to secure them closed. This takes a lot of effort.

5. Begin attaching dangles to bottom loops alternating between skulls and briolettes on gun metal jump rings.

6. Stop one loop from center loop. Attach pendant on 5mm silver plated jump ring. Skip another loop and continue attaching dangles starting with the same dangle style you ended with on other side of pendant.

7. Working on one side of your ribbon, attach a 60 link length of chain on a gun metal jump ring to the inside of the first dangle. Attach it again on the 30th link with a jump ring on the center dangle ribbon and again to inside of the final dangle on the final link. Repeat on the opposite side.
Attach a briolette and a skull on a 5mm silver plated jump ring to each drilled hole at the bottom of your pendant.

8. Add the elongated cable chain on the 10mm jump ring to the ribbon end on the right of your pendant. Add a 5mm sp jump ring with a briolette and a skull. This will hang down the back of your neck.

9. Add a swivel lobster clasp on a 5mm sp jump ring to the opposite ribbon end.


Sources
Pendant Plaid ‘fresh' line, Basic ribbon from Michaels, skull charms Sacred Kitsch Studio, briolettes CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements, stamp Inkadinkado, pigment ink Ranger, fold over ends available at craft stores and online, gun metal chain and jump rings Rings & Things, plated chain and findings Beadalon.

What's this?

Why it's a sneak peek of tomorrow's preview Terrorific Tuesday Free Halloween Craft project...

Terrorific Tuesday

Another week has gone in October and you know what that means! It's Terrorific Tuesday! This week, we are featuring 20! fabulous projects and inspirations! This roundup features jewelry, scrapbooking, party ideas, knitting, sewing projects, mixed media art, photography, and so much more! So sit a spell (or cast one) and enjoy this hearty helping of haunting Halloween projects!

Furry Monster Bucket Kiki of Kiki's Craft World shows how to make a clever project that you'll have to keep an eye on!

Hooty the Hoot Owl Retro Jewelry Set Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter tried her patience making a paper crafted jewelry set for this week's Terrorific Tuesday.

Mini Pumpkin Quilt Phyllis Dobbs shares a spectacularly whimsical quilt!

Sugary Sweet Skull Coasters Stoopidgerl makes some awesome resin coasters packed with candy, rainbows, and skulls!

Halloween Party Pics/Picks Swelldesigner a.k.a. Alexa Westerfield gets nostalgic with cupcake pics inspired by Halloween's of yesteryear.

Witch's Hat Pin Tammy Powley of About.com has a super simple witch's hat pin project for you that is so quick you'll want to make up lots of these to give to other Halloween witches.

Witchy Woman Angela of Angela's Art Diary gets in the spirit when she puts herself in her own bewitched portrait!

Lorilyn Hurley of the Dream Life piles on the glitter and vintage charm in this inspired frame.

Spooky and Kooky photos Chris Garris a.k.a. Universal Stopping point puts his photography skills to the test and creates a set of haunting images to get you inspired.

Halloween Charm Bracelet Jean Yates charms us with this gothic and glam skull bracelet.

Easy Dia de Los Muertos Story Box Kathy Cano-Murillo a.k.a. Craft Chica uses toys, a mini box, and lots of glitter to tell a beautiful tale.

Double Skully Bracelet Melissa J. Lee creates this red and black dazzler strung with double the skull goodness!

Bootiful Belt Buckles Rebecca Hull at HHH Enterprises makes an awesome Halloween accessory out of ordinary belt buckles!

Knitted Ghost Sarah E. White whips up this little ghost, perfect for haunting your house!

Spooky Photoshop Tutorial Amy Locurto of Living Locurto shows you how to create your own Photoshop still life to use on a custom invite!

Pumpkin Scrapbook Pages Michelle McGee scraps up some adorable memories of her little pumpkin!

Wicked Witch Brenda Pinnick's witch is a bit scary, a bit fun andoh so colorful. She is made using heavy weight watercolor paper and acrylic paint. The paper sculpture techniques bring this gal to life!

Rubber Stamp a Luminary Kate Pullen shows you how to use your rubber stamps to create a paper bag luminary for Halloween on her About.com Rubber Stamping Blog.

Fall Owl Pillow Kim of Sew Sugary Sweet gives a hoot with this cute owl pillow perfect for fall!

Silhouetted Paper Lanterns Robin of Urban Debris gets super spooky with vintage paper lantern patterns.