Party Anyone?!?!?

I LOVE Halloween! It's my favourite holiday and a brilliant time to get crafty! Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to find the best Halloween tutorials around so that you can throw the best party for you and your mates.

So what's the first thing every good party needs...a great invite! I've done my best googling to fine some fab Halloween invites which will get everyone talking about your party before they even turn up

This bat invite is a cute and simple tutorial so it's a great one if you are in a rush or want to make something with the kids

Pop Up Invite - Paper Source

Or another option is this bat bow - just tie a knot in a piece of ribbon and glue in a couple of googly eyes for the sweetest creature creation.

Bat Invite - Details Event

If you are a fan of origami then check out this dinosaur card which could be easily adopted into a Halloween monster

Origami Invite - Thread Thread blog

I love the next one! This Ouija board (not how I thought that was spelled) invite is simple but really effective.

Ouija Board Invite - Love & Lace

Did you love those books with flaps when you were a kid - well this invite will take you back to those fun times, but maybe don't show it to your kids when you've finished...

Layered Invite - Cally Creates

This take away is great if you want to send a little treat as well, you could even make your own Halloween stamp, rather than buying on

Take away box invite - Paper Souce

Now for those of you which take Halloween as seriously as I do - one of these next tutorials is a must have for you party! Your guest will not know what's hit them when they come through the letter box.

Coffin Invite - Do it yourself invitations

Bottle Invites - Martha Stewart

Severed Finger Invitation - Martha Stewart

Halloween survival kit - Brooklyn Limestone

I bet even if you weren't planning a party you are now totally tempted and if any of you do have a party them please share your Halloween creations on www.facebook.com/craftalavista as we love to see what you get up to.

I'll be back xx

A crazy little thing called art

Ever looked at a picture and had to double take? Well I love that kind of artwork, the kind that really makes you look closely to see the real image. Don't worry, I'm not going to start throwing arty terms about because I'll probably use them wrong but here are a few crazy pieces of artwork you'll love to get your head around!

One of my favourite artists is Tom French. His use of figures within a face or skull is extremely clever. I'm a big fan of skull artwork as my friends and family will tell you, so even just the outer image I find gorgeous but as your eyes start to peal away the surroundings and focus on to the figures contained inside I am just outstanded by the level of details and emotion that comes from the people inside the painting.

          

Artwork by Tom French

But Tom isn't the only artist that uses this concept. What about this take on a Van Gogh by Oleg Shuplyak! If you click on the link below the image then you will see many more famous figures transformed into optical illusions.

Artwork by Oleg Shuplyak 

The next painting by George A Wotherspoon takes a simple piece of human nature, gossiping, and shows it's sinister side as it's portrayed inside the face of a devil

Artwork by George A Wotherspoon

Finally we have a picture from Rob Gonsalves. This one takes a different direction by taking figures and transforming them into a beautiful landscape.

Artwork by Rob Gonsalves

If of any you have favourite pieces of illusion artwork then please share them in the comments section below. We would love to see them!

I'll be back xx

I'm a crazy cat lady!

I have 2 cats and I love them to pieces. Meet Jess and Lemmy

Quite a few of my friends and family have cats to and yes...most of us are crazy cat ladies :)

So picture this - it's your birthday and your mate has just handed you a present. You are both massive cat fans and she always gets you something cat related (which you love) but this year she's gone that extra mile with your gift and got you one of these:

Cat Hair Finger Puppet - Felt Like it 222

Awww how cute, and look at that little sweet necklace but can you believe it's really made out of cat hair?!?!

You may find yourself asking - Where would I keep something like that in my house...

Cat Hair Trinket Box - How Tuesday

How about your very own Cat Hair Trinket Box? The How Tuesday blog even gives you instructions on how to make your own so that you can wrap your Christmas presents extra  special this year

Ok so your friend is more of a jewellery person - don't worry we have something for them as well

Cat Hair Necklace - Flora Davis

This is a beautiful piece that is modeled by one of the best in her field - look at that smeyes (smiling with your eyes for all you non top model fans)

Or what about a handbag, you know a girl can never have to many of those!

Cat Hair Bag - Entwined Spirits

And if your friend has just moved into a new house, then how about a unique piece of art work to hang in pride of place...

Cat Hair Wall Hanging - Nine Lives Twine

So the next time you open a gift from your friend with a cat, think about all the possible things that could be inside that package!

I'll be back xx

Let's go Crazy!!!!!

The world has got too serious for my liking this week so I'm shaking it up with a week of crazy crafts!

Starting with the most amazing turtle jumper on this planet - enough said, blog over and out :)

Turtle Jumper - Squirrel Picnic

Kitsch Kitchen Storage

If like me, your kitchen is a tad on the small side then coming up with crafty storage solutions is a necessity!! So feast your eyes on these beauties...

Not only is this a fab way to store your utensils but you would save the space of a whole drawer. All you need is a few cane hoop, some wire to connect them together and then some S shape hooks to put over the top of the hoops. If your utensils don't have a hole to hang them on at the bottom then you could drill one. Simple but so effective!

Super Hero Storage Jars - The Country Chic Cottage

Jazz up those pasta jars with this super tutorial! You don't even need to stick with these superhero figures, you could use something like wooden letters instead.

Canned Food Storage - Amy & Toby

For all your extreme couponers out there, think about how much cupboard space you could save with one of these on your wall. You could even add hooks for can openers!

Canned Food Cabinet - Classy Clutter

Or if you want something a bit more classy - what about this creation! However I do think if you have small kids running about, this probably isn't the safest of the two options.

Wine Rack - Martha Stewart

This isn't really a space saving tutorial but it is a beautiful way to display your wine - you could paint it any colour to fit in with your decor and it it can be finished in 4 simple steps. Also you get to have a bit of Martha Stewart in your house!

I'll be back xx

Make me look beautiful darling

Ask any of my friends an family, went I was younger I was a proper tomboy. Until a few years ago, I had black eye shadow and lots of eyeliner but that was about it in the make up department.

So what changed you may ask...well I moved to London and met the fabulous Tatum who showed me the wonders of red lipstick

After that there was no going back and my wardrobe, make up and accessory collections have just kept growing. I badly need some good storage solution for it all but i want something that is easy to access and looks pretty too. 

Here are some of the idea's I've found while searching the web this week:

           

Magnetic Makeup Board - Laura Thoughts            Nail Polish Shelf - Flutter & Sparkle

I love this magnetic board by Laura. It's so pretty and just makes it so easy to find what you are looking for, rather than raking around that makeup bag. I also have a crazy amount of nail polish in my drawers so it would be great to make it into art on my wall instead.

                           

Hair Bow Storage Board - Remodalaholics           Hair Band Holder - Couturier Mommy

I have quite a collection of fascinators and hair bands but at the moment I'm using my guitar strings as my storage board for them (much to my boyfriend's despair). The ribbon idea is super simple and I'm definitely going to give it a go but the framed canvas is really cool as well - I'm starting to think about all the cool storage frames I can have up in my bedroom instead of art!!!

Jewelry Box - Sincerely, Kinsey

I LOVE THIS JEWELLERY BOX!!! What an amazing idea and a great use of upcycling. It would also be a great gift for the Harry Potter fan in your life - can you imagine how much jewellery you  could fit in one of those!

I just can't wait to get started on transforming my bedroom this year. I hope these tutorials have inspired you as much as they have me.

I'll be back xx

Crafty Storage Solutions

It's a new week and boy is it a cold one...the weather has suddenly changed and I've had to put the heating on for the first time brrrrr

But on the bright side it also means a new blog theme and while you are tucked up warm in your house, what better to do than start organising all those bits and pieces you have collected over the summer months.


While searching around this week I found a fun one to do with the kids - check out these fab storage boxes by Aimee Ledwell.

Chalkboard Storage Boxes - by Aimee Ledwell

In the tutorial she uses orange boxes but I've come up with some alternatives if you can't get your hands on them:

Empty Shoe Boxes

Plant Pots

Empty Food Cartons

I've found so many more amazing things to show you this week...I'm soooo excited!!!

I'll be back xx