Lisa Storms

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.

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! =)

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.

pool party

Summer has finally arrived in Oregon, and with the warm temperatures comes lots of outdoor water activities including pools, sprinklers, and the current fave around here until it popped today - the slip 'n slide. My youngest was in a snorkling mask earlier and reminded me of a summer party I created a couple of years ago for Fiskars.

This is likely my favorite invitation of all time, and I've made a ton of invites. It just makes me smile =).

You can view full images and directions for the entire party over at Fiskars here.

Hopefully everyone is enjoying their summer!

4th of july flag printables

I made some "punny" cupcake flags for the 4th of July and wanted to share them on the blog in case anyone else also needed a last minute idea for party food.

The "sweet land of liberty" flags can be used with any cupcakes or other sweets, but the "freedom rocks" flags were meant to be used with Pop Rocks for sprinkles. When using Pop Rocks on cupcakes, be sure to add them right before serving and add them in a little pile instead of spread all around so that most of the rocks aren't actually touching the frosting and pre-popping.

sweet land of liberty flags: download pdf

freedom rocks flags:  download pdf

Be sure to hit refresh if they don't load for you. Just cut them out and adhere folded onto toothpicks, lollipop sticks, or bamboo skewers as I've done here for drama.

While on the topic of the 4th, check out my party from last year here ...

... and an easy patriotic snack here.

hot air balloon party decor

Party planning for my son's seventh birthday is in full effect. We are going with a "growing up up up" theme with all things that fly. I am trying to take on all of the projects in my head little by little and will share them on my blog along the way.

First up is this hot air balloon centerpiece I designed for BasicGrey.  I've had it in my head for a long time, and it was so fun to finally create. I designed it to be used long after the party is over for fun storage in my office. 

You can view full step-by-step photos and tutorial over at the BasicGrey blog here.

summer lemonade party

With the kids finally out of school, we are ready to focus on summer! I thought I'd kick it off with a new lemonade party I created for Fiskars. It's a great reason to have people over and a fun theme for decorating.

Fiskars sent me one of their brand new Fuse Creativity Systems which  can die-cut and letterpress in one pass! I created this entire party using only one shape and design to showcase its versatility. You can letterpress and die cut:

Or just die-cut:

Or only emboss:

Using lots of materials like chipboard, craft foam, felt, stacks of tissue paper, and thin cork:

Check out the full party here with full projects and directions ... and look for the world launch on HSN this weekend.

tea party

A tea party would be a fun way to celebrate Mother's Day with your own mom, with your children, or with your mom friends.  It's also a fun theme for birthday parties, showers, or an excuse to get together with friends or family.

And it happens to be the theme of my newest article over at Fiskars.  

Get crafty with whimsical teacup rings made from cardstock ...

or a larger version for a fun favor holder.  

From the easiest tissue paper flower table runner ever to a teacup banner that can transform into a scalloped banner for extended use, you can see the full party, photos, and directions here.

baby shower continued

While I'm on the subject of babies, I wanted to share a couple of additional ideas to add to the "shower" themed baby shower I designed.

I am often asked about centerpiece ideas for this shower, and here is a super sweet one I had featured in Scrapbooks Etc. magazine using child-sized rain boots. Directions can be found here.

And for a simple invitation, add a shower of hearts raining down from a cute punched cloud. Directions for this one can be found here at Scrapbooks Etc.

(My original baby shower post can be found here.)