Growing up in a family of wildly creative and imaginative women, I cannot remember a day when we were not up to something artistic. Creating dolls and whimsical figures was a way of life. I owe my love of the holidays to these women who wove a magic web of merriment and mischief around me, spurring my imagination on.
ADULT DIY Paint Kits
COMPLETE DIY ADULT PAINT KITS – Hundreds of designs to choose from, just click on your favorite subject and explore the options!
Holidays – Halloween and Others
from $24.95
Each kit includes the following items specific to the painting choice:
Paint, brushes, 16×20 canvas, disposable palette, water cup, paper towel, picture of completed painting, link to tutorial video and written instructions.
Re-useable, portable, table-top easel is available for $4 extra per kit (see image below).
Shipping will be calculated at time of check out. All kits will be shipped within 2 business days of the date of order.
Painting Choice:
Bad Hare Day Beagle and the Broom-kit Black Cat and Hat-kit Boo Bees-kit Crow with a Witch-kit Dove and Easter Basket Easter Bunny Best Friend-kit Easter Gnome-kit Eyes of Halloween-kit Four-leaf Clover Fairy-kit Full Moon Scarecrow-kit Ghost in the Rain-kit Ghost Scared by Bats Ghostly Teapot-kit Graveyard Raven-kit Halloween Gnomes-kit Haunted House-kit Jack-O-Lanterns-kit Lantern Lit Spider-kit Love Gnomes-kit Love Letter Lucky Leprechaun Marti Gras Mask New Year’s Gnome-kit Perfect Pumpkin Pick-kit Playful Pumpkin Fairies-kit Popping the Bubbly-kit Popping the Bubbly-kit-e Puppy Clowning Around-kit Ride with a Witch-kit Roses are Red Violets are Blue-kit Scarecrow Gnome-kit See, Hear, Speak No Evil-kit Sugar Skull and Roses The Offering Trick or Treat Gnomes-kit Usual Suspects-kit Vampire-kit Walk with a Witch Wishing for Love-kit Witchy Women-kit Yoga Skeletons-kit
Bonnie Barrett
Bonnie Barrett is a self taught artist who started her career airbrushing artistic creations on vans, race cars and other motor vehicles. She ventured into the wholesale and retail market in 1990 opening Boardwalk Originals, a family operation she started in her basement.
Boardwalk Originals’ hand painted dummy boards are found in movies, restaurants, major retail stores and small shops across the country. Bonnie is well known for her unique style, quality, and versatility. Painting is her passion.
Debra Schoch
Like many artists, I am deeply influenced by antiques and collectibles. For many years, with the support of my loving husband, we exhibited at Art & Craft Shows selling my designs. During this time I learned and experimented in many types of mediums. The ‘magical moment’ happened when I tried Papier Mache. It is easy for me to get lost in the momemt of creating – some moments are planned while others are happy accidents. My creations all have a familar look or trait, but each is its own character. My work is colorful, humorous, silly, sweet, and sometimes even a little bit scary!!
Johanna Parker
Since her early childhood, whimsical art has been a natural way for Johanna to express her creative imagination. Her artistic mother led her along the path of crafting, and encouraged Johanna to start exhibiting her Folk Art at the age of 12. Illustration and paint became the focus of her talents, and as a young adult, she was drawn to the arts in papier mache, discovering that her abilities as a painter complemented her sculptured creations. Inspired by her collections of vintage holiday novelties (and an October 31st birthday), Johanna admits that her favorite subject matter is indeed Halloween! Her wish is to spread smiles and cheer with each of her creations for future generations.
Airtasker Caringbah make-up artist Michelle Butler reveals her most popular Halloween looks for 2022
Caringbah make-up artist Michelle Butler reveals her most popular looks for Halloween 2022.
Caringbah make-up artist Michelle Butler is flat out this Halloween.
With colour palettes of blood red, ghostly white and eerie black ready to go, her bare faces will transform into frightening facial canvasses, screaming realistic and Instagram-worthy captures.
Ms Butler advertises her artistic skills on marketplace Airtasker, an online go-to arena for people to promote their craft or talent, and get paid for the service.
Airtasker has seen a huge increase in demand for face painters and costume makers for Halloween events in October 2022. Ms Butler, who is also a creative hair stylist, started taking Halloween bookings in August.
“Sugar skulls, gory faces with look alike blood coming out, vampires and skeletons are the most popular requests, and it’s not just children getting into the spirit of Halloween, it’s the adults as well,” she said.
“I started in about 2010 when my daughter was four. I did the face-painting for her birthday party and from there, through word-of-mouth, it took off. I got photos of one Halloween year I did, put them on my social media, Creative Hair & Make-Up Sydney, and it’s grown.”
Data also shows a 17 per cent increase in the average price customers are willing to pay to pull off the best and spookiest look.
Ms Butler says the cost depends on the detail in the design but for a typical look she charges about $80-$100.
“Airtasker is quite competitive,” she said. “I went on there for cleaning just after COVID-19 because I was desperate for work. I didn’t know other make-up artists were on there. I thought, I could do that. It’s more fun.
“Now I’ve started to build up a team of kids who help me out. My daughter, who is now 15, is also doing make-up – I’ve been teaching her face-painting and she does parties and events.”
In her 20s, Ms Butler studied fashion and photography make-up overseas. Once she returned to Australia, she completed a course in art and technology, where she was taught how to create special effects for television and theatre.
One of the most confronting yet memorable educational excursions, was observing corpses as part of the course – all in the name of art.
“As a group of make-up students were had to go to the police headquarters to look at dead bodies, and slides of what they look like,” she said. “It was a bit graphic seeing how bullet wounds affect blood.”
Ms Butler, who works for an agency called Fly By Fun, has been booked for several private Halloween functions including at the Ivy in Sydney’s CBD. She is also painting children’s faces at Giggle and Learn Early Childcare Centre at Brighton-Le-Sands, ahead of Halloween night.
The centre held a fun day of all things scary and super, ahead of an evening of trick or treating.
“We’re having a big Halloween party with activities and a grazing board,” Giggle and Learn educator, Deena Moursi, said.
“It’s cute. Some of the babies are pumpkins. The kids have dressed up as superheroes, and there are heaps of skeletons. They’re excited.”
Giggle and Learn Early Childcare Centre at Brighton-Le-Sands educators Dianne Iianos and Yianna Theo with children at their Halloween dress-up day. Picture by Chris Lane
