Shop Scissors Blog

Halloween Trick-or-Treat Bag

After weeks of anticipation, time spent shopping for or making costumes, putting up Halloween décor, and eating way too much Halloween candy, the day has finally arrived…it’s Halloween! With all the preparation you and your family have been doing, however, there may be one thing you have failed to think of (I know it’s the one thing my family always forgot about when I was a kid): a trick-or-treat bag.

Yes you can use one of those plastic pumpkins with a handle that is starting to look a little worn. However, those are boring and carried by every other child on the street. Why not take a few extra minutes and make your own trick-or-treat bag out of a pillowcase. It is much more fun and you’ll have it put together in no time at all. All you need is an old pillowcase, a bit of rope from your garage, and some iron-on patches.

Materials

• White pencil
• Scissors
• 2 black 5 by 5 iron on patches, such as Dritz patches
• White or light-color pillowcase
• Press cloth
• 1 ½ yards thin rope or heavy string
• Safety pin

1. Print out the templates on MarthaStewart.com for the eyes and mouth and cut them out. Use the white pencil to trace around the template on the iron-on patch.  If you’re feeling especially creative, feel free to draw the eyes and mouth yourself. Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the mouth and eyes.
2. Lay the pillowcase flat and place the eyes and mouth, fusible side down, approximately 12 inches from the opening of the pillowcase. Lay a press cloth over the top and press firmly with a dry iron set to medium heat.
3. To make the drawstring, cut 2 oval-shape holes about 1 ½ inches long and 1 inch wide from the remaining iron-on material. Iron them into the inside of the pillowcase hem on each side of the seam. Use a small pair of scissors to cut openings about ½ inch long in the center of each oval. Cut a thin piece of rope, such as a clothesline, to approximately 54 inches. Attach a safety pin to the end of the rope and draw it through the pillowcase. When you are finished, remove the pin and knot the ends together. If your child is especially small and the pillowcase is too long, cut the bottom of the pillowcase and saw it closed again.

Decorating for Fall: Floral Arrangements

Along with your Halloween decorations, it’s also time to bring out all of your fall décor that you will be able to enjoy through the Thanksgiving holiday next month. However, since it is just a month away, a good rule of thumb is to keep your decorations simple so you have less to take down and put away in a few week’s time.

Silk flowers. You can easily pick up silk flowers at Michael’s, Jo-Ann Fabrics or even Wal-Mart. Some fall favorites include calla lilies in shades of orange, rust, or plum, sunflowers, daisies, spray roses, or mums in red, orange or yellow.

Real flowers. Although they don’t last as long, nothing can beat decorating your home with real flowers. A good rule of thumb for arranging your flowers is that if you have a container that’s tall, you should have tall flowers. If you are using a short container, your arrangement should be more compact. Use florist shears or a knife to cut the stems at an angle before placing them into the water.

Use containers you have. Serving pitchers make great containers for floral arrangements, especially if the pitcher is valuable and not something you would want to use at the dinner table. Baskets you have in your home already also make great containers for silk arrangements. You can purchase florist’s foam from the craft store and cut it to fit the size of your container. Simply arrange your flowers and stick them into the foam to secure them in place. Other containers you might try include coffee cans with the labels removed, watering cans, glass bottles, or flower pots. Take a look around your home…you will likely be surprised with what you find.

For more floral arrangement ideas or to purchase florist scissors, visit us online at ShopScissors.com.

Girl's Halloween Costume: Flower Fairy

To continue our Halloween series, we have selected a girls’ Halloween costume that you can easily make in an evening. Just like many little boys want to be a pirate after watching Captain’s Hook or Pirates of the Caribbean, many little girls have visions of being Tinkerbell. For this costume, we have selected a flower fairy, a popular costume for children under the age of seven.

You will need:

• Pipe cleaners
• Hot-glue gun
• Artificial flowers
• 3 fabric or feather butterflies
• 7-inch piece of 20-gauge wire
• Package of jingle bells
• Four 27-inch lengths of ribbon
• One 3/8-inch dowel, cut to 1/18th inch
• Acrylic paint and paintbrush
• Tape measure
• Fabric Scissors
• Large safety pins
• Cardboard for templates
• 1/2 yard each of purple and pink satin or other shiny fabric
• 1/3 yard of green satin or other shiny fabric
• Sparkly fabric paint and paintbrush
• Needle and thread
• 1 yard of ½ inch wide non-roll waistband elastic

Wings

Using the 2 pipe cleaners, make a ring that will fit your child’s head, overlapping and twisting the ends. Wrap two more pipe cleaners around the ring to strengthen the crown and attach flowers and leave to the top and sides of the crown using the hot-glue gun. We suggest purchasing bunches of flowers and pulling off the leaves and flowers to use for the crown.

Using the piece of 20-gauge wire, attach a butterfly to one end and wrap the other around the crown, securing it in place with the hot-glue gun. Use two of the ribbons to tie a cluster of bells to the crown.

Make the wand

Paint the dowel with acrylic paint and leave it out to dry. When finished drying, tie the remaining ribbons to the top of the dowel, tie on the bells, and glue on the flowers and leaves.

Make the skirt

Use the diagram on Disney FamilyFun to create cardboard templates for flower petals and leaves. Depending upon the age and height of your child, you may need to lengthen the petals. Create a row of petals on both the pink and purple fabric and a row of leaves on the green fabric by repeatedly tracing around the template so that the edges of the adjacent petals and leaves are touching.
Paint a ½ inch line over each line you traced using the fabric paint and allow your lines time to dry. Cut out the petals and leaves using fabric scissors, leaving the top 2 ½ inches between the petals uncut.

Arrange the layers with the purple on the bottom, the pink of the top with the petals staggered, and the leaves over the top of the petals. Line of the edges and fold them down about 1 ¼ inches, securing them in place with a running stitch along the bottom. Attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic and thread the elastic through the folded down fabric, gathering the skirt as you go and tie the elastic when finished.

Complete the costume with a leotard and tights. You can easily procure wings at an inexpensive price from a party supply store.

Halloween Recipes: Daddy Longlegs Cupcakes

Looking for a fun cupcake recipe to send with your kids’ to school on Halloween? Try the Daddy Longlegs Cupcakes! This creepy crawly not only taste delicious, but their fun legs and big eyes will be an instant success with your kids’ and their friends. With just a few ingredients, you will be well on your way in no time.

Cupcake Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Canned chocolate icing
Chocolate sprinkles
2 pieces of eye-type candy
Kitchen shears
Ruler
1 package of black string lace licorice (legs)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well with each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Begin to add the flour mixture slowly, alternatively with the milk and beat well until the ingredients are well mixed.
5. Fill the muffin cups to ¾ full.
6. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. When cupcakes have cooled, frost with chocolate icing and cover with sprinkles.
8. Press the eyes into place.
9. Use kitchen shears to cut eight 4-inch long pieces of licorice. Holding the legs together in a bunch, bend them in half and crease them. Take eight pieces of the licorice and press them into the top of the cupcakes along the edge as legs, with four legs on each side.

Boys' Halloween Costume: Pirate

Even if you have not begun working on your child’s Halloween costume, there is still plenty of time to have a fun Halloween costume that your child will remember for years to come. For the boy’s costume, we were inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean and the mighty Jack Sparrow, a character much-loved by many children. Your child will need only to pillage the back of your own closet to gather the majority of materials to create this fun pirate costume. Additional materials can be purchased inexpensively at a party store.

You will need:

• Old black pants or a cheap pair of sweatpants
• Gold or white blouse
• Red scarf
• Gold costume jewelry
• Bandana
• Eye patch
• Pirate’s hook
• Black face paint
• Black boots
• Pirate hat (optional)
• Bird (optional)

1. Find a pair of old black pants or purchase a cheap pair of sweatpants and fringe the edges with sewing scissors.
2. Tie a scarf around the waistline as a belt and a bandanna around your child’s head. Add an eye patch and, if you have a pirate’s hat, place it over the bandanna.
3. Clip on some gold costume jewelry to the ears and dab on black face paint to give the appearance of a beard and missing-tooth.
4. If you have a stuffed bird in your toy box or want to buy one, use craft wire to attach the bird to the shirt sleeve.
5. Tuck the pant legs into black boots.

Now your little pirate will be ready to pillage the homes in your neighborhood and collect his Halloween booty.

Halloween Crafts: Bats and Spiders

With just a week until Halloween, we will be having a Halloween series to help you prepare for this spooky holiday. If you haven’t decorated for Halloween yet, now is a great time to start. Not only are you able to create fun decorations, but you will enjoy some craft time with your children and, for little ones, provide an opportunity to work on scissor skills. See your children get excited as you create these fun bat and spider decorations to greet trick-or-treaters next week.

Materials:

• Scissors
• Black foam sheets
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Fishing line
• Masking and scotch tape

Cut bat and spider shapes from the black foam sheets. You can choose to design your own or go to Disney FamilyFun to print out a pattern.

Glue on the googly eyes and use scotch tape to secure the end of the fishing line to the body of the spider or bat. You can also poke two small holes in the body with a tack or pin, thread the line through and tie it in the back.

Use masking tape to secure the end of the fishing line to the surface you plan to hang it from at the height you desire. Consider making extras that you can hang outside from a tree to decorate your yard and scare trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

For more children's craft ideas or to purchase children’s scissors, visit us at ShopScissors.com.

Feature Friday: TigerSharp Fixed Blade Hunting Knife

Today’s Feature Friday product was inspired by the fact that, as October draws to a close, hunting season is just around the corner. For today’s product we have selected the TigerSharp Fixed Blade Hunting Knife, which features a revolutionary replacement blade system. The knife is packaged with a black nylon sheath and 2 replacement bonded blades and is resistant to corrosion.

The 4.5 inch durable nylon handle features a checked inlay for improved grip, and the blades, 4.5 inches in length, utilize a patented RES technology to ensure they stay sharp and ready.
As one customer writes:

This is a great hunting knife. I have had one for years. This purchase was for a buddy that I hunt with. I can field dress and skin an elk with this knife and still shave with it. Its only weakness is cutting through bone but the blades are so easy to change and can be sharpened once back home that i would recommend it to all my hunting friends.

For more reviews on this or other products or to purchase the TigerSharp Fixed Blade Hunting Knife, visit us online.

Metal Art: Safety Tips

Creating metal art is a great hobby that can yield beautiful pieces of artwork. Sheet metal is thin enough to cut through easily with the right pair of tin snips, supple enough to bend and strong enough to stand up to the elements if you choose to display it outside. No longer is it necessary to spend hundreds on yard ornaments, as you will be able to make your own at an extremely affordable price. Sheet metal can be located near construction sites as well as purchased at a salvage yard or home improvement store.

However, it’s important to also remember that this form of artistic expression can come with its own set of risks. While a few minor cuts should not deter you from learning this craft, there are some safety rules you should follow in order to fully enjoy this experience.

• Avoid gripping the metal tightly, as this can result in cuts.
• Do not run your ringers along the raw edge of the metal.
• Avoid making short cuts; instead keep your cutting tool deep in the cut as you move along.
• Wear gloves while working with metal, at least initially until you become more confident.
• If possible, use a clamping device to hold the metal in place while you are working.
• Never use your hands to brush metal scraps off your artwork; instead, use a piece of cardboard or a brush.
• Allow yourself plenty of time to work and avoid rushing, as rushing can lead to injuries.
• Use proper lighting in your work area, since the shine of the metal may make it difficult to see your project clearly.
• Don’t scrimp on tools. Make sure you are using a good pair of tin snips. Aviation snips work well for beginners.

For more information or to purchase tin snips or aviation snips, visit us online at ShopScissors.com.

Make a Wedding Bouquet in 15 Minutes

For anyone getting married in the upcoming spring and summer months, now is the time to be planning ahead for the big day. Flowers can easily becoming one of the most expensive aspects of your wedding. However, you can save yourself money by doing all the arrangements by yourself, including your wedding bouquet. While many believe that the wedding bouquet is extremely complicated and can take hours to make, this is simply not the case. Check out these tips for how to make a wedding bouquet in 15 minutes.

You will need 11 long stemmed roses, or another flower of choice, a small bunch of fern leaves for filler, approximately 10 feet of ribbon, stem tape, and florist scissors.

Prepare your flowers. If your roses have any leaves or thorns, they will need to be removed before arranging the bouquet. If you are using fern leaves, remove the leaves below the halfway point down the stem.

Arrange the flowers. Use a vase to hold the flowers while you create your arrangement. When you are finished creating the arrangement, pick up the flowers as one bunch close to the heads and place a piece of stem tape around them to hold them together.

Add the leaves. Add the leaves around the outside of the roses, overlapping them slightly to give a fanning effect to the bouquet. When you have finished adding fern leaves, use another small piece of stem tape to secure the flowers in place.

Create the handle. Using the ribbon, start at the top of what will be the handle, being careful to cover the tape, and create a criss-cross pattern as you move down the stem until you are approximately half-way down. Go back up the bouquet again in the same way and tie a bow at the top.

Trim the ends. Make sure that the stems at the bottom are all the same length and trim any uneven stems using florist scissors.

For more wedding tips or to purchase florist scissors, visit us at ShopScissors.com.

Selecting the Right Scrapbooking Tools

Scrapbooking has grown into an extremely popular hobby in recent years and is, for many, a fantastic way to relieve stress and express a creative side while at the same time creating a great keepsake. One of the difficult parts of beginning this new hobby is finding the right equipment that will last for hundreds, if not thousands, of scrapbook pages. Here are a few tips to help find the right paper cutter for your scrapbooking needs.

While there are numerous options available for scrapbookers, the two most popular paper cutters are arm paper cutters and rotary cutters. Both are compact and easy to use.

Arm paper cutters. This paper cutter uses a pivoting arm that has a blade on it. The arm is brought up and then back down to cut through the paper or photograph. These paper cutters have been used for many years and while there have been changes made to improve safety, the design has not changed in many years. Unfortunately, the inexpensive arm paper cutters tend to make crooked cuts, which make them less popular with scrapbookers.

Rotary cutters. These paper cutters are the more popular cutter of choice for scrapbookers. Rotary cutters, which resemble a pizza cutter, use a round wheel to cut through paper and photographs. The blades can be easily changed so you are assured of a sharp cut every time. You also can purchase blades that will give you different kinds of cutting patterns.

Corner rounders. Though less popular than the rotary cutter, this cutter makes simple the task of rounding the corners of pictures and paper, a small change that can hugely effect the appearance of a photograph and overall scrapbook.

For more scrapbooking tips or to purchase a rotary cutter or replacement blades, please visit us online at ShopScissors.com.