Happy Halloween 2014, spooktacular Darling Lovely readers! To celebrate the holiday of dressing up (fabulous) and eating delicious things (even more fabulous) we’ve created this mini tutorial for you all to enjoy. I also thought these would make adorable autumn wedding centrepieces for weddings and parties! Neat.

It’s so easy you don’t even need step-by-step pictures. Just a lot of enthusiasm and the following things:

You will need

♥ Small pumpkins, assorted sizes
♥ Metallic gold spray paint
♥ Clear-drying glue
♥ Loose gold glitter
♥ A paintbrush

Step one

Cover your work area with newspaper, put the pumpkin upside down and spray it gold. Make sure to stand well away so that you don’t get drips when you spray.

Step two

Wait twenty minutes, turn the pumpkin the right way up and spray again, covering all areas you missed.

Step three

Wait twenty minutes again and then paint on glue from the stalk outwards in downwards strokes.

Step four

Sprinkle gold glitter on to the glue and wait for it to dry.

Don’t they look gorgeous? If you try this one out, please post your photos on Facebook and let us have a look!

As I type, I’m pretty much covered in glitter. The cats all have glittery fur. John has a glittery beard. But it’s all been worth it because hanging in my bedroom are a plethora of gorgeous and glittery photo frames and mirrors.

When I posted a quick Instagram snap of my glittery work, it went down a treat, with calls for a tutorial. So here it is, the quickest, easiest and messiest DIY in the world.

You will need

♥ Dulux Made By Me paint in Glitter Gold Rush (if gold is what you’re after, they do several colours) – failing that, a really strong adhesive.
♥ Loose glitter in your chosen colour – I get mine in big tubs from Hobbycraft.
♥ A small paint brush.
♥ A really big container to work over.
♥ Masking tape.
♥ A multi-surface spray sealant.
♥ A slightly raised platform for drying, like a cardboard box.

The method

So simple it doesn’t even need steps. Tape up the inside of your frame or mirror. Holding your project over your container to catch loose glitter, which you can then reuse (and then you don’t end up with the world’s most glittery house), paint it first with a very, very well-mixed glitter paint or a strong adhesive. While it’s still wet, sprinkle glitter over the painted areas so that it’s thoroughly coated. Leave one side undone so you have something to hold it by and come back to it later.

Wait for it to dry, do the side you haven’t done yet, patch up anything you’ve missed, wait for that to dry, spritz with the sealant et voila! You have your glitterbomb of gorgeousness.

If you’ve got a real glitter bug, like me, then you don’t have to stop at photo frames and mirrors. I’ve glittered up everything, from drawer knobs to small ornaments to lampshades. The world is your very sparkly oyster!

Ho ho ho. There’s certainly a chill in the air and Christmas is right around the corner. For festive parties and weddings, red and green don’t have to be the be all and end all of holiday decorations. For my fellow glitterbugs, I’ve put together some sparkly Christmas craft tutorials. These are easy, quick, fun and are perfect for both parties and weddings. Enjoy!

For bunting, you will need:

♥ Scissors
♥ A pen
♥ Sparkly card (you can buy this from Hobbycraft)
♥ Thin, plain ribbon
♥ A hole punch
♥ A spare piece of cardboard

Step one

Make a heart-shaped template out of the spare card.

Step two

Turn the glittery card upside down and draw carefully around the template on the back of the glittery card.

Step three

Cut carefully around where you’ve drawn so that you’re left with a heart shape. Save the off cuts for later (you’ll see why).

Step four

Repeat as many times as necessary depending on the desired length (or lengths) of bunting.

Step five

Punch holes in the corners of your heart shapes and lay them out in the order you’d like to string them together.

Step six

Cut a length of ribbon (make sure you cut more than you need, you can always trim later) and thread through the holes making sure you go round the back, rather than the front of the sparkly card.

Step seven

Sit back and enjoy your sparkly bunting before using the off cuts for the next project below!

For drink stirrers, you will need

♥ Stick glue
♥ Scissors
♥ Spare card
♥ Off cuts of glittery card
♥ Bamboo skewers

Step one

Cut any necessary templates, such as heart or star shapes. Make sure you make them in even numbers as they will need to be glued together. For flags and crowns, cut strips.

Step two

For flags, cover the back of a strip of sparkly card in glue, wrap around the top of the bamboo skewer, press firmly together and cut a triangle shape out of it. For crowns, cover the back of a strip of card in glue, fold it in half and cut triangles to form a three-pronged crown shape. Then insert the bamboo skewer in the middle of the shape and firmly secure. For heart shapes, cover the backs of two shapes in glue and firmly press them around the top of the bamboo skewer so that they match up.

Step three

Make some fabulous cocktails, sit back and stir. Merry Christmas!