Halloween Treat Cups & "Trick or Treat" Party Invitation

Cindi Bisson created these colorful Halloween party favors using cardstock hand-dyed with Rit and embellished with fun detailing and hand-dyed green buttons!  The treat cup shapes are die-cut using Eileen Hull’s 3-D Vase. The “Trick or Treat” party invitation is a “trick” because it opens backwards!  These treat cups and party invitation match the Halloween banner Cindi recently posted on her blog, Fat Cat Creations.  

Cindi is a mixed-media artist and the Associate Producer for When Creativity Knocks, an online craft TV show.  She creates a weekly Simple Solutions project and writes a Product Review for the website.   

Here's the tutorial:

SUPPLIES:

• Rit Liquid Dye:  Tangerine, Purple, Black, Apple Green 
• 6 Sheets White Cardstock, 8 ½” x 11”   
• Sizzix Eileen Hull Scoreboards XL Die - Vase 3-D and Sizzix Big Shot Machine 
• Plaid Extreme Glitter – Black, Orange & Folk Art Silver Sterling Acrylic Paint 
• Blumenthal Lansing Buttons - Spiders from Big Bag Value Pack of Bats & Spiders, Violet and Fern Glitter Buttons; white buttons in assorted sizes from Big Bag Value Pack 
• Google Eyes, various sizes 
• Elmer’s Craft Bond Tacky Glue
• X-Acto scissors, retractable craft knife & scissors 
• Black Felt  
• Red Sharpie Marker 
• Scrap Burlap, wooden skewer
• Newspaper
• Faux Gemstones, assorted sizes
• The Twinery colored baker’s twine - Peapod, Mandarin and Lilac 
• Dyeing Supplies:  Disposable craft gloves, 3 small bowls, measuring spoons, disposable spoon for stirring dye,  paper towels, microwave, 2 small paint brushes, plastic table cover, iron

INSTRUCTIONS:

To Create Faux Handmade/Mulberry Paper

Make 2 sheets of each color. 

1.  Cover work surface with plastic table cover.

2.  Before dyeing, shake liquid dye bottles.  Wearing craft gloves, measure 1 Teaspoon Tangerine into a small bowl, add ½ cup hot water and stir.  Then measure 1 Teaspoon Purple into a separate small bowl, add ½ cup hot water and stir.   Microwave dye on high for approximately 1 1/2 minutes.  

3.  Gently crumple 4 sheets of white 8 1/2” x 11” cardstock.  Unfold and press with dry ironto flatten.  Place on scrap paper.  Use paintbrush to brush Tangerine dyedirectly onto 2 sheets of cardstock.  Flip over and repeat on back side.  Place onto paper towels and microwave on high for approximately 2 minutes.  Repeat for Purple dye.

4.  To make grey/black “spiderweb” paper:  Wearing craft gloves, measure 1 Teaspoon Black dye into small bowl, add 1 cup hot water and stir.  Microwave on high for approximately 1 1/2 minutes. 

5.  Gently crumple 2 sheets of white cardstock.  Unfold and press to flatten.  Place onto scrap paper.  Use paintbrush to brush Grey/Black dye directly onto cardstock.    Immediately rinse dye painted cardstock in water.   This will lighten the grey background without affecting the darker stained creased areas, resulting in what looks like spiderwebs.  Flip over and repeat on back side.  Place onto paper towels and microwave approximately 2 minutes.    

6.  To custom dye green buttons:  Wearing craft gloves, measure 1 Teaspoon  Apple Green dye and 1/8 Teaspoon Black dye into small bowl, add 1 cup hot water and stir.  Microwave for approximately 1 1/2 minutes.   Place desired number of white buttons into hot dye and let set approximately 20 minutes.  Remove from dye, place on paper towels and air dry.

To Create Treat Cups

1.  From each of 3 colors (Tangerine, Purple, Grey/Black) of dyed cardstock, cut a piece approximately 5” x 11”.  Following manufacturer’s instructions, use Sizzix Big Shot and Eileen Hull’s Vase Scoreboards Die to cut one vase from each color.  From scrap dyed papers, cut base for each vase.  Set remaining scraps of dyed paper aside. 

2.  For “Jack-O-Lantern” --  On cutting mat, use X-Acto retractable craft knife to cut face into side of vase.  Assemble vase from Tangerine dyedcardstock following instructions on package.  Cut strip of Tangerine dyedcardstock and wrap around bottom of vase.  Mount.  Set 3 dyed Apple Green buttons aside for later use.  Then mount remainingdyed Apple Green buttons over strip on bottom of vase.   Use small paintbrush to apply 3 coats of Orange Plaid Extreme Glitter on each outwardfold around vase. 

Let dry.   Rub edge of black inkpad along top and bottom edges of vase.   Wrap Lilac twine 5 times around bottom of cup above button strip and mount.

3.  For “Spiders” -- Ink Judikins spiderweb stamp with black ink.  Stamp randomly onto front of Grey/Black dyedvase.  Coat 3-5 black spider buttons in assorted sizes with Black Plaid Extreme Glitter.  Let dry.  Add faux gemstone eyes.  Assemble vase from stamped Grey/Black dyedcardstock, following instructions on package.   Mount all spiders EXCEPT ONE randomly around vase.   Rub edge of black inkpad along top and bottom edges of vase.  Wrap Mandarin twine around top of vase 3 times and knot.  Allow ends of twine to hang down on side of cup.  Mount one spider to bottom of one end.

4.  For “Frankenstein” -- Assemble vase from Purple dyedcardstock, following instructions on package.  Cut strip of Purple dyedcardstock and wrap around bottom of vase.  Mount.  Mount green and purple glitter buttons over strip on bottom of vase.  Mount 1 google eye to each green glitter button.   For Frankenstein, mount green rectangular button to center of vase front. Cut small piece of black felt and cut edge to create spiked hair.  Glue to top of button as shown.   Mount two small google eyes on green button head. Use red Sharpie marker to draw mouth.  Add small scrap of burlap beneath head. Paint approximately 1/2” of a bamboo skewer with silver paint.  Let dry.  Cut 2 small pieces (approximately 1/8”).  Mount to either side of button Frankenstein head.  (These are his “bolts”.)    Rub edge of black inkpad along top and bottom edges of vase.  Wrap Peapod twine around cup in random pattern as shown and mount.  

Fill with fun Halloween treats! 

To Create “Trick or Treat” Party Invitation: 

1.  From scraps of dyed cardstock, measure and cut:  4” x 8” Grey/Black, 1 1/2” x 8” Tangerine,and two 3” Purple strips approximately 1/4” and 1/2” wide.  

2.  Fold grey strip in half.  Fold orange strip in half.  

3.  With opening to Grey/Black card on LEFT side, mount small strip of Purple cardstock 1/2” from left back edge and 3” from right front edge.  Mount folded Tangerinestrip onto back so opening is on RIGHT.  Tangerine strip will fold to the left, Greyto the right.  

4.  Ink “Trick or Treat” stamp with black ink and stamp onto Tangerinefront flap. Tie Lilac twine through each button hole and mount 3 dyed green buttons to the left next to “Trick or Treat.”   Use small paintbrush to paint stripes of Orange Extreme Glitter around “Trick or Treat” on orange strip of cardstock.  Let dry.

5.  Open invitation, use fine point black marker to write verse.  Add Purple strip to right side of flap as shown.  Ink spiderweb stamp with black ink and stamp onto bottom right corner.  Add extra glittered spider created above.

6.  Ink edges inside and out of invitation with edge of black inkpad.

Distribute your invitations, decorate, and prepare for the spooky fun!