Goody Goody Gumballs

I've had a crazy October and I didn't even tell you about one of the coolest parts! My b-day was October 1st, and my boyfriend William got me the best gift ever! A gumball machine!



He remembered me telling him that I always wanted one. What a sweetie...he gets me :) There are few things that I go around saying I really want...I guess this makes me kinda hard to buy for cause I tend to buy what I really want. But I've always wanted a gumball machine since I was a kid and he got me a cool antique pedestal one! I could even charge for gumballs if I wanted to... I thought about taking it into work and putting it at my workstation - haha, but I think I'll keep it at home. I wouldn't want anything to happen to it!



Best birthday present evah!!!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

The Swell Sprinkles Cupcake Factory

Tonight I made cupcakes, some were Pillsbury, but others were very special cupcakes...Sprinkles Cupcakes! I purchased the mix at William's Sonoma. I've heard people talk about Sprinkles like it was the second coming and apparently it is based on the price ($14 for 12 cupcakes), but I was determined to try them!


Isn't the can super cute?


What is that phrase...the details make the man? Well, in this case, the details make the can!


After I made them, this is the difference when baked between the Pillsbury (on left). The Sprinkles cupcakes level out. I'm assuming it's because there isn't as much air in the batter.


I struggled tonight with choosing the right cupcake liner for my Sprinkles version. It would take me years to get through all these!


In the end, I didn't decorate them like the tradional Sprinkles cupcake you saw in the first picture, I decorated them with just a simple coat of sugar and a orange dot on top! The candy corn ones were the Pillsbury-frosted version. I think people may be a little deceived at our work potluck tomorrow, thinking they are getting the better cupcake by choosing the candy corn decorated one. Then again, most all cupcakes turn out being good cupcakes, no matter if they are homemade or a mix!

All this baking exhausts me. Ha! Just thinking of baking and exhaustion reminds me of this old Rice Krispies commercial! OK, I'm just getting random and delirious now!



Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Check me out on Craftypod!

I was recently interviewed for Sister Diane's Craftypod Podcast. It's the top craft podcast in the industry and she is so knowledgable on so many crafty topics. My podcast was all about how I both work in craft and play in craft. I talk a lot about how I balance myself creatively, what it's like to work at a craft company, and what opportunities are available for crafters who would like to get started in it. I feel I have a little background in it, having worked for two international craft companies in my career.

I hope you find it super insightful! Also check out my "How Do you Stand out from the Crowd" post a while back about my resume packet that helped get me noticed. Really getting noticed in the crafting industry isn't different than getting noticed a lot of other workplaces. A lot of it goes back to how you market yourself and make yourself stand out as a brand!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

My Snooki Pumpkin went Viral!

Remember my Snooki pumpkin I posted last week? Well, it's kinda gone crazy like wildfire on the internet this week! It was featured Perez Hilton and a gaggle of other web sites like BuzzFeed, Vulture, Superficial, The Daily Wh.at, and many more!




Even Snooki herself tweeted about it!

I can't say I didn't work to make this happen, I did. You have to tweet at the right people and link it up on the right sites. In my case, Craftzine picked it up via my Blogher blog and they sent it out. From there, it spread all over the internet. It's kinda like that crazy Kevin Bacon game. One person features it on their site and then another person features it on their site, etc. etc.

Pretty cool, right? Thought I would share.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Terrorific Tuesday 2010 Week 4

Another edition of Terrorific Tuesday has come and gone this year. I'd like to thank all the participants who made this year another smashing success!

Vanessa shows us how to make a Cute Felt Pumpkin in just a few minutes!

Get creative with Eileen Hull with her Pop Up Bat card. Super festive!

Glory makes a beautiful Autumn Wreath to hang on your door or wall.

Erika shares with us her cute Halloween bandana that her dog Sebastian loves wearing!

Cheryl Ball wows us with an adorable Jack-o-lantern Pin perfect for the season!

Sew a sweet Pumpkin Placement with Phyllis Dobbs!

Crafty Chica gets her glow on with this Sci Fi Senorita Head that is totally spooky!

Crafterella offers up some downloadable custom labels that are super spooky and fun!

Make a spooky Undead Terrorarium with Silvia Chenault.

Whip up some cute and quirky Moss Monsters with Missy at Marvelously Messy!

Kate Pullen offers up a fun Pumpkin Favor Box perfect to hand out at Halloween parties!

Get into the fall spirit with this Pretty Fabric Flower from Ann Butler.

Pattiewack crafts up some Mummy Barbies perfect for a haunting Halloween display!

Alexa a.k.a. Swelldesigner makes a bold Orange and black Mary Jane candy wreath, perfect for hanging or eating!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Orange and Black Mary Jane Candy Wreath

I think the orange and black Mary Jane candies are one of those things you really LOVE around Halloween when you get them in your trick or treat bucket or you really HATE. Personally, I really love them. Always have. So to honor this candy, I decided to make a fun and festive wreath with them.

Here's how you make it!

Orange and Black Mary Jane Candy Wreath

Materials:
–Black and Orange Mary Jane Candies (I used two bags purchased at Walmart for this wreath)
– Styrofoam wreath form
– wide black ribbon
– Aleene's Original Tacky Glue
– Glue gun

Instructions:


1. Wrap the wreath with the ribbon, gluing in place as you go with Aleene's Tacky Glue. I used Tacky Glue for this part cause sometimes a glue gun can get clumpy under my ribbon and I didn't want that.



2. Once wrapped, glue gun candies in place. I chose to do black and orange alternately. I did three seperate rings around the form.



3. Hang and enjoy. It really is that simple!

Here's a detail:


And another look at the finished product!



Now the hard part will be making sure no one gets their grubby hands on it! But maybe that's an ok thing?

I hope you enjoyed this craft as much as I enjoyed making it!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. I linked this back to the following linky parties!

Today's Creative Blog

Easy Stripe and Polka Dot Pumpkins Revisited

Here's a series of Pumpkin I did last year that I wanted to reshare! Enjoy!

I just love mini pumpkins and I love how a little pumpkin can spice up décor! So I thought I would share a few simple tips for creating super cute pumpkins in a flash! I created all these pumpkins...each about 15 minutes apiece. Here's a few quick tips for making easy stripe and polka dot pumpkins!

– A black permanent marker is a great way to draw lines, doodle, and personalize. It's also dries super fast. On the white pumpkin above, I drew the lines on, but then went back in with a fine liner brush and black acrylic paint to paint in the squares.

– Use the veins of the pumpkin as natural striped guides to paint your stripes. That's what I did for the orange and black pumpkin above.

– Also on the orange and black pumpkin above, I added dot details with white acrylic paint. For dots, simply dip the end of your brush into white paint and dab onto your pumpkin. Reload as needed.

– Get perfect large polka dots by using a sponge pouncer dipped in paint. Sponge pouncers come in various sizes. For a sparkly look, sprinkle glitter onto your paint while it is still wet and let dry. Dust any sparkle residue left around the paint after the paint has dried.

– Think about other ways you can make a simple pumpkin design...play with zigzag, diagonal, swirl, patterns and more.

So be sure to stock up on lots of mini pumpkins this season and go to town making these simple pumpkins. I really think you'll be happy with the simple, yet stunning results!

In honor of my 24 Halloween crafts in 24 hours, I'm giving away a Swell & Spooktastic Halloween prize pack. Click here to check it out and enter!

Check back next time for another Spooktastic Halloween craft!

Alexa

Edward Cullen Twilight Cupcake Stand

If you are a fan of Twilight, then you'll love this spooky and sparkly vampire Edward Cullen cupcake stand! As soon as I saw this Martha Stewart dripping border at my local Joann, I just knew I had to buy it and make a cupcake stand with it! I just think it turned out so bloody fun!

If you visit my blog often, you may remember that I did a candy corn cupcake stand very similar to this a few weeks ago. I made that cupcake stand and this one at the same time and I've been anticipating showing you this version...I just had to make the perfect bloody cupcake to go on top to match the stand! Didn't it turn out cute?

But before I start, here's a little list of Twilight-inspired cupcake recipes I found you may like that will make the perfect topper to my cupcake stand!!!

Vampire Cupcakes from Baking Bites
Bloody Valentine Cupcakes from the Kitchen Mirror
Twilight Cupcakes from Annie Eats




Here's how you make the bloody cupcake stand!

Edward Cullen Twilight Cupcake Stand

Materials:
– Old CD
– Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue Sticks
– Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue®
– Small wooden candlestick (mine was Lara's Crafts purchased 4 to a pack at Michaels)
– scrapbook papers in spooky red, black, or grey of your choice (Mine was from a paper pack by Martha Stewart)
– acrylic paint in black
– silver sequins
– glue gun with glue sticks
– bloody scrapbook trim (mine was by Martha Stewart available at Joann and Michaels)
– paintbrush
– pencil or pen
– scissors

Instructions:
1. Paint your wooden candle holder black with acrylic paint. Let dry.

2. Trace your CD with a pencil or pen onto red, black, grey or patterned paper of your choice amd cutout.

3. Use Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue Sticks to cover back of trimmed circle. Press onto CD and smooth out any air bubbles.

4. Use a glue gun to glue bloody trim to sides of CD. You will need to piece 2 strips of trim together to go around CD. Use as small amount of glue as possible to attach trim to CD.

5. Attach sequins with Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue® around the entire CD, covering up the gaps where the trim meets the paper (I love to be able to hide project flaws this way!!)

6. Attach wooden candlestick to the base of the stand. Let dry and enjoy your cupcake stand!



Doesn't the blood drip trim look amazing?!?



Here's a detail of the silver sparkly sequins adorning the sides of the stand in honor of Edward! I hope I made him proud with this project!

Oh, and for the way the cupcake looks, all I did was use sparkly red gel icing. I poked two holes on top of the cupcake ad let it drip down. I kinda love how it dripped onto the paper. Makes this project have extra blood-sucking appeal!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. I added this to the following linky parties!

My Candy Corn Cupcakes

I made some orange velvet cupcakes decorated in candy corn style for a couple of friends tonight and wanted to share the in the cute candy corn style I've seen all over the web this year! I've noticed candy corn has been really hot in Halloween crafting this year!! Here's a few shots of my candy corn creations. I had so much fun photographing them!!! So cute!









So are you hungry yet?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Bloody Vampire Painted Pumpkins Inspired by Twilight

Here's a project I did last year that I just love! I decided to revisit it! Enjoy

My "Bloody Vampire Painted Pumpkins Inspired by Twilight" is not for the faint of heart. Har har. It's for those who like to live a little more on the dark side. I originally had the drip idea, but I thought fang marks would also make for a nice, spooky pumpkin (I was inspired by Twilight, but True Blood and Dexter fans might appreciate this one as well). One could also create a cool pumpkin by spattering on the paint with a toothbrush for a Dexter-like blood spray effect. The more blood the better, eh?

Bloody Pumpkins

What you need:
– White pumpkins
– Tulip 3-D Fashion Paint in Bright Red
– cleaning wipes
– construction nail

What you do:
1. Use cleaning wipe or paper towel to clean off pumpkin and remove any dirt/debris.
2. For drip pumpkin, squeeze 3-D Fashion Paint along the pumpkin ridges. Make some drips longer than other for a more random look. Also paint along stem. At bottoms of drips, squeeze a little more paint to look like the blood has coagulated.
3. For fang marks pumpkin, use construction nail to dig 2 small holes into pumpkin about an inch and a half apart. Place tip of 3-D paint into hold you dug out and gently squeeze. Draw a line down from hole and create a bead of paint at end to suggest coagulation.

This will probably be the first and last time you will hear me refer to the word coagulation on my blog. Ha. My creepy/gross side doesn't come out very often.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Wednesday is Lensday: Pretty Pretty Pumpkins

Here's some photos I took this past weekend. The photo above is a cute mini pumpkin adorned with crafty acorns made by Cheryl Ball. Isn't it sweet and so fall?











Hope you enjoyed these pretty pumpkins and get in a fall mood!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Glass Gem Dollar Store Candle Holder

Here's a pretty candle charger I whipped up in like 10 minutes! I thought it made the perfect fall candle accent and it used those pretty glass gems that I love! I bought some from Michaels in orange and black this year. I love how luminescent they are and how they glisten with the candle.

Here's how you make it!

Glass Gem Dollar Store Candle Holder

What you need:
– Small glass gems (I used orange from Michaels, but you may also be able to find them in other colors at the Dollar Store).
– Liquid Fusion® Clear Urethane Glue
– small candle charger from dollar store (mine was from Dollar Tree)

Instructions:
1. Well it's pretty simple! Arrange the gems around the charger into the arrangement that suits you.
2. Glue the glass gems down using the Liquid Fusion. Let dry.
3. Light your candle and set inside!

Here's some detail shots of the finished product!







This project will take you beyond Halloween and into the Thanksgiving season! It would be pretty to make several for a coffee table or to adorn your holiday mantle!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Terrorific Tuesday 2010: Week 3

It's another week and another roundup of Terrorific Tuesday! I can't believe this month has flown by so fast. There's still time to get your craft on, though, and here's some projects to inspire and get you in the Halloween spirit!

Use a 2-liter bottle to make a super cute Halloween cupcake dome with Pattiewack!

Glory shows you how to make Creepy Spider Biscuits with spider Halloween stencils and edible color spray!

Make a funky and functional Plaid Skull&Crossbones Skirt with Excell Crafts!

Vanessa and Erin team up to make Awesome Halloween Cookies in a Jar Crafts complete with free easy to download sticker and label printables!

Cheryl Ball shares her beautiful Embroidery Floss Acorns - the perfect fall accent.

Korinne whips up a spectacular Vintage Style Halloween Wreath on her Crafterella blog.

Make Glow in the Dark Jewelry Using Polymer Clay and Rubber Stamps with Kate at the Rubberstamping About.com page!

Learn how to make festive Pom Pom Pumpkins on the Marvelously Messy blog!

Paint a super easy Pumpkin Pin with Ann Butler to accent your fall wardrobe!

Be a hit at the costume contest with this Corpse Bride Costume by the Crafty Chica!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner shows you how to make a Snooki Painted Pumpkin inspired by the popular Jersey Shore Guidette!

Eileen Hull shares a Cute Halloween Bookmark project that will melt your Halloween heart!

Sebastian is faster than a speeding bullet in his Superman Costume featured on the Sew DoggyStyle blog!

Phyllis Dobbs wows us with this festive Spider Apron perfect for Halloween baking!

Silvia shows you how to make a No-Sew Fuzzy Monster Cuff - the perfect craft project for all ages!

That's it for this week! If you are interested in playing in my fun Terrorific Tuesday roundup, e-mail me at swelldesigner (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll send you the details!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Snooki from Jersey Shore Halloween Painted Pumpkin

I wanted to do a memorable pumpkin this year and I thought this one would be just the ticket. I'm not a huge Jersey Shore fan, admittedly, I've caught a marathon or two on occasion. I do know that people are totally obsessed with Snooki and her funny ways and I wanted to celebrate her pop culture icon through craft. A while back I was thinking about her guidette hair and I had a funny thought that it looked like a mini pumpkin sitting on top of her head. So, with that random thought came the idea to do this pumpkin. And I knew I had to add it to my Halloween craft list!

Here's how you make it!

Snooki from Jersey Shore Halloween Painted pumpkin

Materials:
– medium sized pumpkin
– mini pumpkin
– acrylic paint in various colors
– paintbrushes (liner and foam brushes)
– Aleene's Tacky Glue
– Sharpie
– Dowel rod or pencil
– newspaper
– Aleene's® Spray Acrylic Sealer™
– paint palette (I used a lid)
– hoop earrings (optional)
– trucker hat (optional)
– pickle (optional)


Instructions:

Before you begin: Clean off and wipe down your pumpkins with wet cloth.


1. Gather all your supplies. Admittedly, this pic doesn't contain all the items listed above. I get a little camera snap happy and don't always organize my materials. I sometimes wing it as I go.


2. Remove stems from pumpkins


3. With a printout of Snooki to go by, I drew her face on with a Sharpie.


4. Paint her hair black and let dry. You may have to do this in sections and apply two coats.


5. Paint mini pumpkin black. Again, you may have to do in sections and apply two coats. Let dry.


6. Paint detail into her face. Use a liner brush to do the black and eyeliner and mascara for eyes. I used the Tulip 3D Fashion Paint in a Pearl finish for her lips (and to make it dimensional like her infamous pucker).

7. I made a mistake and forgot to photograph this step! You cut a piece of dowel rod to size (you can also use a pencil...this is what I did). Poke the pencil through the large pumpkin at the crown and slide down. Now poke the top of the pencil through the bottom crown of the small pumpkin. Once you make the hole in the bottom of the mini pumpkin, remove it and move onto step 8.


8. Add glue to the bottom of the mini pumpkin (this will give your pumpkin added stability and make sure the top pumpkin stays connected to the bottom pumpkin.


9. Push mini pumpkin back onto pencil this time and connect the two pumpkins together. Let glue dry thoroughly.

10. When totally dry, spray with Aleene's® Spray Acrylic Sealer™ to help preserve the pumpkin throughout the season!



Adorn your Snooki pumpkin with hoop earrings and a hat if you want. Give her a pickle and call it just another day at the Jersey Shore!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. I added this to the following linky parties!