Too Early for Halloween? Never!

It might be too early for YOU to think about Halloween, but it's never too early for a Halloween-lover or a crafter, or the subscriber's to Kari Ramstrom's private Sweet and Sinister blog. Kari http://artsymama.blogspot.com was swamped with requests to join her second-annual Sweet and Sinister swap and/or to subscribe to her project/idea blog- so much so, that she had to create two blogs!

I was thrilled when she contacted me to ask me to be a guest designer for this blog and swap. So, natch, I made some haunted houses, one of my favorites from last year, too. I love getting the plain cardboard house forms and dressing them up for any holiday. Priscilla http://sweetremembrance1.blogspot.com and I swapped winter houses last year.

Anyway, I can't give you my step-by-step instructions or more pics for my houses. You'll just have to watch for Kari's swap next year and hope to get in! I'm giving away one of my houses this year on her private blog, but check below for a give-away in honor of my blog-aversay here (until Aug. 15).

Sweet and Sinister Swap In Progress SIP

Here is the Haunted House I made last night (possibly) for my Sweet and Sinister Swap with Artsymama's group on Flickr. I say possibly because it is supposed to be black and white with thouches of Halloween colors, and this is possibly a little too colorful.

The potions bottle should be a shoe-in though, as it is black and sparkly, with a skull, black and silver fibers and my black cat charm attached. Makes a nice gift I think, as the charm can be detached for wearing, making into a pin or displaying on a tiny easel. The other swap pictures posted on Flickr are all luscious, so I am a little bit intimindated to send my offerings. I hope they pass muster- wouldn't want to be the target of an evil spell or something.

Speaking of Flickr and my new-found love for it (see below), there is a Cupcake group on Flickr which I have joined. Surely someone who not only paints but crochets cupcakes should be in this group! I just love like-minded (weird) people!

My other Flickr group is a Zetti group. Zettiology is the company of Teesha Moore (see links) and her husband Tracy, whom I have written about before. There are over 1,000 pieces of art (and now 5 of mine) in the Flickr Zetti group for admirers of this style. It is a color celebration! Check it out.http://www.flickr.com/groups/zettiology/.