Lisa Storms

mad scientist costume

It's driving me crazy not being able to share this year's costumes as I have not yet finished them, oy. So I thought in the meantime I would share my oldest son's from last year since it's one of my favorites.

You have to check out this brilliant brain tutorial I found online here. While you're at it, you should check out the entire blog where it came from as there are lots of very creative ideas.

I didn't make mine bloody as my son isn't into that, but it makes for quite a mad scientist costume when paired with dish gloves, safety goggles, and a lab coat.

While I'm at it, I'll re-share my youngest son's costume from last year which is also a favorite. You can find my full tutorial for it over at Fiskars here.

And more costume ideas can be found here.

flip top monster boxes

I absolutely love flip top boxes. It probably has something to do with colorful memories of crayon boxes from childhood.

Here is a set I made for Fiskars that I turned into monsters for Halloween treat boxes. Super easy and cute with limitless possibilities! You can find the full tutorial with photos here.

Lots of fun Halloween stuff to share this week! Check out my previous Halloween ideas here.

halloween game with free printable

The old "peeled grapes for eyeballs" classic has become my favorite go-to activity for Halloween gatherings. This year I decided to kick it up a notch and make a reusable box set that I had as much fun crafting as the kids will have playing!

Can you guess what recycled item I used for these? It's something we go through very quickly this time of year in the Storms household...

You can find my full tutorial with step-by-step photos over at the BasicGrey blog here.

I also shared a free printable over there for the labels, too!

Halloween is my very favorite crafting holiday, so check back all next week for lots of fun and spooky ideas...

airplane refrigerator banner

In my quest to find new ways to make party banners (or to make any day festive!), I came up with a fun way to hang banners on your refrigerator. =)

Banners are happiness on a string =) so they add an unexpected pop of fun in the kitchen. And the airplanes can be used long after the party is over to clip on notes or photos!

You can find my full tutorial with step-by-step photos and directions over at the BasicGrey blog here.

pillow wraps

Did you know September is National Sewing Month?  In honor I created some super easy pillow wraps for Fiskars...

These are a simple way to mix up the colors or style of a room without the commitment! Have you ever wanted to add fun pinwheels, flowers, ruffles, etc. to your pillows but didn't want to sew into the actual pillow?  Or are you like me and are always changing up colors in a room but don't have any more storage space for the insane amount of pillows you purchase? Ha! Problem solved. =)

The full tutorial and photos can be found here.

football ... and owls

Are you ready for some football? With the first big football weekend upon us, I wanted to re-share a Super Bowl party I created for Fiskars last season in case you are planning some fun festivities soon! You can find the full party, photos, and directions here.

With the start of school, I am also sharing some school lunch ideas over at SheKnows. Can you figure out the theme of this lunch? You will likely be surprised. You can find full photos and directions here.

And earlier this week I shared some free, printable miniature candy bar wrappers for Halloween over at Eighteen25 as part of their annual Spooktacular taking place all month. Be sure to check out all of the other cool Spooktacular projects, and you can find my wrappers here.

I admit to having an owl addiction ... and "owl" be back soon with more fall fun! =)

backpack gift box

It's hard to believe summer break is almost over! Here's a cute little gift box I created using recycled packaging for a favorite teacher, bus driver, or student for "back" to school...

They are easy to make, and you can find my full tutorial including step-by-step photos right here on the BasicGrey blog.

More of my teacher gifts and printables can be found here.

And my school party ideas can be found here including a back to "school" ice cream bar:

BasicGrey design team blog hop

Welcome to the BasicGrey Design Team Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from the blog of Mary Rogers. 

I enjoy being on the BasicGrey design team because their products are amazing and can turn a very simple project into something extraordinary! Gorgeous designs and great people.

The first project I ever made for BasicGrey was this owl gift box as an end of the school year teacher gift. I thought I'd share it again as school is starting back up! This adorable guy could sport a new saying for the beginning of the year. Whooo's ready for school?

You can find the full tutorial for this owl box here on the BasicGrey blog.

To celebrate the new design team, BasicGrey is allowing me to give the Kissing Booth collection away here. For your chance to win, see the giveaway box below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next, it's time to hop over to Joy Taylor's blog. Remember, if you find a link that doesn't work, you can always hop back to the BasicGrey blog for a list of direct links to all of the blogs in the hop.

streamers and garlands

Besides balloons, there isn't much that instantly adds a festive feel to a party like streamers and garlands. 

Making a honeycomb streamer may be the most satisfying project I've ever made. I couldn't stop smiling when I pulled it apart for the first time and realized what I created. =)

I am sharing some different ways to craft up your own streamers and garlands using very inexpensive materials over at Fiskars.

You can view full tutorials and photos here.

paper wrapped frame

Here is a technique I came up with for wrapping photo frames with paper instead of fabric. I love photo frames, and I have an overabundance of them! This is a great way to breathe new life into old or boring frames. 

Hop on over to to the BasicGrey blog here to view my full tutorial and find out the tricks to this easy technique adding lots of impact easily and inexpensively. 

I am obsessed with this technique and plan to do a wall grouping of wrapped frames with black and white photos along my stairs!