Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Isn't this "Fashionista" Pumpkin great?


Have you checked out Sweet Paul's blog?  He's a creative genius! He also has an online magazine that is serious eye candy.  Pretty soon I'll be doing an "Oh Paul Tuesday" series.

Happy Happy Halloween!!!


Friday, October 29, 2010

Cute Food

There are a ton of blogs devoted to cute food... 

happy little bento
love the turkey dog mummy and that little candy corn quail egg is adorable

little nummies
i may have to try this one... maybe in race car form

 jim's pancakes
this dad makes the coolest pancakes for his daughter!

epicute
these cute little "cheese burgers" are actually macarons!

I struggle enough just getting food ON the table, so making food look cute is pretty low on my "must do" list.  But then I got sucked in by these egg molds when a friend posted photos of her cute food on facebook. 

and look, you can even do rice!

I tried to rationalize the purchase by convincing myself that Smarty Pants (my little non-eater... he literally survives on just air) may be enticed to pick-up food if it's shaped like a car.  It sorta worked, he picked up the car-shaped egg, vroomed around... then took one bite and was full.  Ah well, baby steps...

I suppose I can use these for a future party... I don't think my boys will be growing out of their car phase any time soon.

Have a great weekend!


Fashion Steal: Frye Harness Boots

I was looking for a not-so-spendy boot that looked fashionable, but could also handle the rigors of the sand box.  I think I found it!  And at $50, with awesome reviews to boot , the Mossimo knock-off is a  "steal"...


frye's harness boots:  $218


also comes in a nice brown


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Paint Chip Bandito

I think paint chips are the unofficial upcycle medium for 2010.  I wonder if the folks at Home Depot (or Sherwin-Williams, or Dunn Edwards, or Lowes, etc) are on to it?  I mean, where else does the general populace get paint chips from?  So if you're doing a paint chip project, do you just casually saunter over to the paint section every time you happen to be there?  Inquiring minds want to know!  ;)

I won't be jumping on this bandwagon (just as I avoided desecrating any books last year*), but there are some pretty creative ideas out there!

 gift tags via Real Simple

 bookmarks via How About Orange

how neat (and tedious), but so cool! 
pixelated artwork via re-nest

paint chip mobile via etsy

 
 
have you seen these ads?  they always catch my eye... but of course i didn't remember that it was an ad for sherwin- williams until i googled it.
 paint chip art via sherwin-william ad campaign


hmmm... i think this is the work of a paint chip bandito!
500 paint chip wall via apartment therapy


So no, I will not be joining the ranks of the paint chip banditos... but I've already started wrapping Christmas gifts (!).   According to The Mister, that's a crime in itself! (don't worry, I'll lose steam and will be running around like a crazy person on Christmas Eve).

* In 2009, after this creation went viral, innocent books were being ripped out of their bindings at an alarming rate... Being a lit major and all, I just couldn't do it!  (I'm kidding... sorta.... )

Monday, October 25, 2010

Marshmallow Ghosts

Here are the treats that I'm making for the boy's Halloween parties:

These little ghosts are pretty darn easy and, honestly,  it's kinda nice that you can only get so much candy in there! (Remember, I'm the scrooge of Halloween!  ha ha!)   I couldn't decide on which paper to use so some are made from wax paper and some from parchment paper.

I didn't take photos (boo!) but here's a quick little tutorial:

Supplies you'll need to make the bags:
parchment or wax paper
all purpose scissors
thin wire or twisty ties
washi tape (optional)

CUT wax/parchment paper.  I first tore off a 12 inch piece of wax paper from the box.  Then I folded the paper in half and cut it with a papercutter into 2 inch strips.  Each ghost ended up being 6 inches tall and 2 inches wide.  They fit around 15 mini marshmallows.  If you want to add more, make the ghosts longer and/or wider!

{I was able to get 6 ghosts out of the 12" wide wax paper and 7 ghosts out of the 15" wide parchment paper.}

GLUE edges of wax/parchment paper with a white non-toxic glue.  Glue all of the edges EXCEPT for the shortest side.  Dry until clear.

DRAW your cute little ghost face.  I made mine all friendly little ghosts, but you can get much more creative!

TRIM your ghosts so the top is rounded instead of square.  Completely optional of course.  You can also flip it around and use the open end as the top of the ghost and just twist off the top.  I chose to tie mine so I could use my orange washi tape. 

ADD MINI MARSHMALLOWS  I used the back of a chopstick to pack them in there.  I was able to get around 15 marshmallows into each ghost.

TIE OFF with a twisty tie.  If you want to add color, you can use washi tape, strips of fabric, or strips of paper and reinforce them with thin wire (and maybe mod podge if you use paper).  I did a combo of covering twisty ties and thin wire (24 gauge) with orange washi tape.

 
Just a few more to do!  Hope you're having a spooktacular week!!!


linked to:



Oh Martha Monday - Treat-O'-Lantern & Pumpkin Cooler

Practical and seasonal... Great Ideas!

how-to here

how-to here

I can't believe Halloween is this weekend. It's going to be a busy week-- We have 2 potlucks and 3 Halloween "parties" to attend... Bring on the sugar!  Oh boy, I better finish up the Halloween treats that I've been working on...

Have a fun week!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Pumpkins!

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of Halloween decor.  Bats? Nah.  Spiders? Ew.  Skeletons? Scary!  Black, orange, purple? All fine colors on their own... but mixed together?  Meh.  

I know, I'm the scrooge of Halloween-- I guess that makes me a... "rotten pumpkin" (?) Wait a minute...

I LOVE Pumpkins!

 and being ever so practical...
i love how they can easily transition over to thanksgiving!

Here are some fun PUMPKIN creations that have caught my eye...

{Glittered Pumpkin Candle Holders}
the glittered pumpkins really give the tablescape a luxe and elegant look
i really like how these are made out of a foam pumpkin and can be reused year after year

{Washi Tape Pumpkins}
another fun way to use washi tape!

{Pumpkin Fireplace}
seriously? this is amazing!

{Pumpkin Tree}
another clever idea

{Spray Painted Pumpkins}
i'm a sucker for anything shiny

{Mini Pumpkin Wreath}
i adore this wreath.

{Modge Podge Pumpkins}
i love the elegant paper that she chose

{White Pumpkins}
will i ever tire of looking at things coated with white spray paint?  probably not :)

{pumpkin topiary}
this is just lovely

We went to the farm the other week and I now how 6 pumpkins lined up waiting for some sort of direction.
Hmmm... maybe a project for Thanksgiving! 

Have a great Friday!