October Overview

Join the Wildly Original Crowd at the linky party! *Click here*

The goblins and ghouls gather all October 

at I Gotta Create!  

Get ready for goosebumps!

You'll love how these bony skeleton clothespin fingers grasp Halloween treat bags. Is it a Trick? or a Treat? 

Plus....

31 Days of Gratitude: My Spouse

He is the greatest blessing

to me.

My partner, my Love, my friend, my husband.

The Wildly Original Crowd linky party #24

Y'ALL knock my socks off each week! 
This was the biggest party ever!

It's time to party again with 
The Wildly Original Crowd 

here at I Gotta Create!  

Welcome back to all my creative, inspiring friends.

If you're new here, I'm thrilled to have you! 
Please make yourself at home. We're starting a little early this week due to Trick-or-Treating for many of us. ;)

Halloween Costume Parade!

Oh My! From adorable to ghoulish to stylish, here are 8 trick-or-treaters knocking on your door:

Cutest little Ms. Piggy ever! by While Wearing Heels.

Skull Trick or Treat Bag by iGottaCreate

31 Days of Gratitude: Friends

You can laugh together,

cry together,

share your deepest secrets, worries or fears,

find comfort together,

prod each other to your growing edges,

and through it all you'll find Love 

is the constant thread.

Friends.

31 Days of Gratitude: Laughter & Play

It's one of the most cleansing tonics known to humans:

A good belly laugh!

Being playful, flexible, and good-humored is excellent for body, mind and spirit. 

It builds strong bonds with friends and loved ones.

Reversible Burlap Thanksgiving Ornaments

Burlap offers the perfect warmth and texture for Fall decor. These handsome Thanksgiving ornaments can be used in wreaths, on garlands, swags, and trees. 

And here's a bit of ingenuity:

Burlap Scary Movie Poster Ornaments & Garland

You can make them as reversible ornaments to span two seasons: Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Let's see how:

31 Days of Gratitude: Loss

I was talking to a friend about loss the other day.

We've experienced lots of that in the past few months. 
The variety has been striking. 
From traumatic, to mysterious, to sudden and shocking, 
to swift and sacred 
because everyone was so lovingly present.

31 Days of Gratitude: Rapport

There is a difference between Looking and Seeing.


If you want a powerful key 
that will unlock the Mystery
that turns Looking into Seeing
consider this....

31 Days of Gratitude: Silence

DiY Striped Glitter Sneakers

They call her twinkle toes.

Ok, maybe not in actuality. 

But you are sure to be a super-cute superstar 

when you upgrade those basic tennis shoes... 

Chicken About Halloween?

Does Halloween make you chicken? If you're ready for costumes from cute to gory, you've gotta check out...

31 Days of Gratitude: Balance

If you insist that it never rain on your parade,

Then you'll never know 

the breathtaking beauty of the rainbow.

31 Days of Gratitude: Perspective

Meaningful relationships, creativity, an authentic life... 

it's all within our reach.

The key is knowing how to 

Tune in to yourself, your surroundings, other people,
the Big Picture.

Tuning in to others
is as easy as taking to heart
that old adage to 
"Put yourself in another's shoes..." 

Wildly Original linky party #23

Welcome to the Wildly Original linky party 

here at I Gotta Create!  

Y'ALL knock my socks off each week.

Welcome back to all my creative, inspiring friends.

If you're new here, I'm thrilled to have you! 
Please make yourself at home. 

10 Quick Last-Minute Halloween Projects

If Halloween brings out the playful, child-like excitement in you like it does me, here are 10 high-impact, quick & easy last-minute projects to dig into:

X-Ray Skull Watch by iGottaCreate

31 Days of Gratitude: Travel

Planes, trains, automobiles,

boats, boots, wheelchairs,

bicycles, buses, cyberspace,

books, magazines, imagination...

whatever your method for 

getting around,

the adventures

awaiting us each day are amazing.

31 Days of Gratitude: Integrity

Candid. Forthright. Honorable. Principled. Sincere.

The deepest, authentic expression

of yourself

requires a commitment

to integrity.

31 Days of Gratitude: Family

We can bring out the best

and we can bring out the worst

in each other. 

Sometimes all within the same day.

Family.

Whooo Gives Thanks?

A whimsical, colorful reminder that the season of Thanksgiving is coming upon us...

31 Days: Gratitude for Celebrations

Whether for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries or achievements, it's wonderful that we have developed ways to celebrate together.

It allows us to pause from the routines and busy-ness 
of daily living so that we can give the honor of our attention... 

Candy Corn Pumpkins

Adorable little pumpkins! 

These candy corn pumpkins are the perfect decor 

to span the whole Fall season...

31 Days of Gratitude: Curiosity

"The important thing is not to stop questioning." 

~ Albert Einstein

Curiosity is one of our greatest gifts,

 and it is essential to creativity.

Children are natural 'curiosity machines.' 

Yet that curiosity can begin to dim when you are taught that there is only one right answer to the test, 

so to speak. 

There are indeed times for precision.

But if the "one-right-answer" model is your predominate repetitive experience, 

you can lose touch with that wonderfully open, 

exploratory, 

adventurous,

"not knowing" frame of reference 

that allows you to be a 'discoverer.'

If you want adventure, if you want discovery...

Handsome Halloween Hurricanes

Create a warm and inviting centerpiece with a subtle hint of Halloween by using beans for your color palette... 

31 Days of Gratitude: Teachers

I am grateful to my teachers.

every. single. day.

Aren't you? Our formal education provided essential tools

for navigating effectively in the world.

We drink deeply from those who love their job, their subject matter, their students...

And we even learn from those who do not ~

Wildly Original Linky Party #22

Welcome to the Wildly Original linky party 

here at I Gotta Create!   
THANK YOU for returning to link up each week. Last week was our biggest party yet! 

If you're new here, I'm thrilled to have you! 
Please make yourself at home. There's lots to get your creative juices flowing.

Of Ghosts & Graveyards

Unsettle me by Art Club Blog shares her graveyard visit to Paris artists' plots.

It also happens to set the scene for our ghostly features...

Ghost Gang by Bliss Ranch creates a perfect illusion of ghostly trick-or-treaters!

Little Acorn Ghosts by Make it Easy Crafts 

~ Just Look at that Silent Scream!

Spooky Starch Ghosts by Violet Imperfection 

....might make you smile rather than scream

31 Days of Gratitude: Tuning In to Station Y.O.U.

There is a universe of wisdom within you. Waiting to be tapped. Waiting to unfold. 

Do you tune in? 

Or is it hard for you to find that station

31 Days of Gratitude: Food

This gorgeous planet is a living cornucopia that is balanced to supply us with all our physical needs.

Its number and variety of gifts are staggering.

31 Days of Gratitude: Let's Take a Look

You are probably quite a looker.

And of course you're gorgeous, too. But what I'm really talking about here is the process of Looking... for example: on blogs, pinterest, through your camera lens, and in your everyday life.

Previously we chatted about the difference between looking and seeing. Each is highly valuable when applied well. Today we focus on "Looking," because there's soooo much more to it than first meets the eye...

Glowing Skull Light Tutorial

Upgrade a plain plastic skull to an eerie lighted skull for your Halloween decor. This final project in the Skull Surgery Makeover Week series will have you glowing! 

You need just three basic supplies and a few tools to make Glowing Skulls:

X-Ray Skull Watch by iGottaCreate

31 Days: Gratitude for Blogging

Blogging has increased my appreciation of and connection to my world. 

And I'm not talking about the social media world....

I'm talking about my world.  

I notice the beauty around me so much more. I notice details. 

Skull Night Light

Mwwaaa-ha-ha-ha!!!  Forget the glowing pumpkins and wrap your brain around creating a Glowing Skull Night Light! 

 She's slightly sinister but mostly fascinating. You'll be hypnotized by this skull's eerie glow in these phantasmic photos...

31 Days of Gratitude. Looking vs Seeing.

Do you take a look at things, or do you see them?

There's a difference, you know.

You'll 'get it' immediately if I say 

I'm looking at you

versus

I see you.

One puts us in relationships with one another where you feel a profound connection...

Pumpkin Pie Frappe

You want the taste of pumpkin 
but don't have time to bake a pie.  
No problem! 
Get your coffee and dessert all in the same sip... 

DiY Modern Mirror

  I dare you to guess what this DIY Modern Sunburst Mirror is made out of!  From the creative mind of... 

31 Days: The Power of Ideas

Ideas can be powerful things. They can take you to new places, allow you to soar, or limit and bind you. One of the best things about writing this blog is the daily focus it brings to playing with ideas.

Actually, that is the secret to stretching your creativity: 

being playful with ideas...

"Sugar Skull" Makeover Tutorial

Inspired by the Mexican Sugar Skull tradition, this version is a plain plastic skull turned into a work of art. It's part of Skull Surgery Makeover Week!

After making the golden Skull Desk Accessory to hold my Sharpies, I turned around and put them to use on my next skull project...

31 Days: Gratitude for our Pets

They're soft, sometimes cuddly, always eager to greet us, ever open to play, and loyal, loving companions.

Our pets.

Wildly Original Linky Party #21

Welcome to the Wildly Original linky party 

here at I Gotta Create!   
THANK YOU for returning to link up each week. You make the party so inspirational and a success. 

If you're new here, I'm thrilled to have you! 
Please make yourself at home. There's lots to get your creative juices flowing.