Brighton Murals: October 2015

Happy Halloween! It's been such a long time since I've blogged, and almost a year since I've made anything artsy. 2015 has been a year of creative drought in my life and I didn't realize how much time had passed since I'd worked on a project until I was asked to make centerpieces for the tables at my work Halloween Party. Getting out some art supplies and just going for it was like breathing fresh air for the first time! I couldn't have imagined how refreshing it would be to make something. I got to the point where I was skipping eating lunch just so I could spend more time during the day painting over my lunch break. I needed the creativity more than I needed food. I didn't know that was possible, but I'm grateful to have had that realization. I may not be the best artist, and the things I do may not amount to anything beyond my own amusement, but it is something that I need to make a priority. My quality of life depends on it!

So, what were the centerpieces? Hand painted glass jars that I dyed using Mod Podge and food coloring then painted with a combination of paint and a paint pen (which I'd never used before, but was really fun). The jars didn't photograph really well, but hopefully you get the idea from these pictures.

At first, I was disappointed that I was asked to make the centerpieces instead of the wall silhouettes, but once I found the idea for the jars online I was happy.

This jar was one of my favorites. The spiderweb coasters were made by someone else and cut out using a Cricut.

This one is the Wizard of Oz. Hopefully you can tell that the 4 friends are in front and the witch is in the back. The tea-lights inside didn't photograph well at all, but the effects in person were awesome!

The jars were placed up and down the tables. There were 17 total, each with a different design. The theme of the party was "Double Double Toil and Trouble" and had a great witch theme (as you can tell).

I had many great compliments on the jars and ended up giving them all away after the party (missing out on my opportunity to get better pictures of them, which I had planned to do at home). It's all for the best though. The whole time I was making them I kept wondering what I was going to do with them after, and didn't want to have a find a place to store them, so it worked out well that so many people wanted one.

I might make more for myself in the future if I want the decor, and since this was the first time I'd colored and painted jars before there was a definite learning curve. Even though these ended up turning out well, the next ones will be even better!

Riley got into the spirit of Halloween creativity this year too. For the first time ever I made him make his own costume! When he was little, I used to make all his costumes, but then complicated family dynamics, lack of time I could spend with him, and other complications always got in the way and for the past many years I've always taken the easy out and bought something. This year, he wanted to be Link from Legends of Zelda...

He made his own shield and sword and I made the outfit (although he found the instructions he wanted me to use for the DIY hat and ears on YouTube). I would have had him do more, but time just didn't work out.

He wasn't the most excited about doing this, but I think he ended up loving the end result, and you just can't beat the self-esteem rush that comes from completing a project. His little helper is my Mom's cat Mo, who absolutely adores Riley.

Here is the finished product. I was super happy with my idea for the boots. I cut the leaves of a brown sweater and put one on each leg upside down. It was perfect!

We skipped out on hosting the family Halloween party this year and opted for simpler times by joining up with some cousins for trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. Here are a few final pictures of the festivities.