Happy Halloween!

"Breakfast" and a Couple of Ninjas...

those are our costumes, man. cholesterol and ninja stealthiness... what's not to love???

We had our Fall Festival last Friday and had a great time playing games and eating lots of goodies. The hubs picked our chock-full-of-cholesterol breakfast costumes and they were a hit. The kids were especially drawn to the bacon. And a few made the bacon a little nervous... Drooling, glassy-eyed kids droning b-a-a-a-c-o-n-n-n-n... will make you fear for your greasy life!  :)

Quite frankly, I was kinda over Halloween after last week. I almost forgot about taking the kids trick-or-treating tonight! Never fear, although I am the Halloween Grinch, we will be hitting the pavement tonight.

Have a Happy & Safe Halloween!

Make // DIY Kids Halloween Cards

Every year the boys make Halloween cards as one of our school's community service events. These cards, accompanied by a handful of goodies, go to children who are part of our county's foster care system. I love that this project is hands-on and meaningful for both the children who receive the cards, as well as the ones who make them.

The boys and I brainstormed and decided to make cards with ghosts and bats. I've been testing out a few ideas for Christmas and happened to have  a lot of "stuff" out on our kitchen counter. AKA, I make a mess and don't always clean it up! The white "abominable snowman" fur grabbed their attention and we agreed that furry white ghosts were in order!

White Furry Ghosts

materials needed: white craft fur, black craft foam or card stock, glue gun, small alphabet stamps, white ink pad, scissors

Click "Read more" for the full post

Our Home // Somewhat Spooky Halloween Scene

When it comes to Halloween, I usually don't put up many decorations. Maybe a few pumpkins here and there, a few bats or some ghosts, but nothing too complicated or macabre. But I guess my decorations are so subtle that my kids' asked why I don't decorate for Halloween... So here it is, my attempt at somewhat spooky, not so subtle Halloween decor.

Click "Read more" for the full post

Make // Easy Jack-O-Lantern Planter

I have to admit that I'm not feeling Fall just yet, so I decided to ease into the upcoming season with an easy project.

Since the weather is still warm and dry, it's the perfect time to break out the metallic spray paint. Did you know that you can't use metallic spray paints when the temperature dips below 70 degrees Fahrenheit? I've tried it before and the paint bubbles up and turns into a hot mess.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Round-up // Fall Projects

Can you believe that Fall will officially be here in the next week and a half? Have you felt a seasonal shift where you live?  In Southern California, it doesn't usually start to feel like Fall until early November. Darn. So while we have to wait a bit for cooler temps and falling leaves, that doesn't mean we can't start celebrating the changing season inside our homes.  

Here's a round-up of several Fall projects that I pulled from the archives (you'll need to click thru if viewing this in a RSS feed or via email).

Do you have any Fall projects up your sleeve this year? I've got a few in mind and just need to make my way over to the craft store.

Have a lovely day!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a bit of an afterthought this year since the entire family has been down and out with a wicked bug. Yesterday we finally managed to sneak out to the Pumpkin Patch... Let me tell you, it was slim pickings and all that was left was a bunch of wonky looking pumpkins.  We picked the least wonky of the bunch then had some fun playing carnival games.

[Oh Martha] Halloween 2012

I haven't done an "Oh Martha" round-up in quite a while. Here are some fun (and some creepy) Halloween ideas from the folks at Martha Stewart...

wriggling snake wreath

popcorn goody witches

great idea for a non-candy treat

[Weekly Inspiration] 10.13.2012

this pretty sight... for a wedding, but this would be a beautiful way to light up any party 

via bridal guide :: photo credit via tanja lippert photography

[Make] Chalkboard Paint Doodle Pumpkins

Paint.  What a great way to change something up without spending a whole lot of money.  And if you make it chalkboard paint, it takes the fun to a whole new level.

[Make] Polka Dot Pumpkin Vase

I love pumpkins, I love polka dots... Of course I had to make a Polka Dot Pumpkin!  Then after seeing this pumpkin vase from Chatelaine on Pinterest, I knew that I had to have a Polka Dot Pumpkin Vase.  Try saying that fast 3 times.  :)

[Make] Creepy Muppet Pumpkin

AKA "How to turn a Craft Fail into a Funky Vampire Pumpkin"

I'm not sure if this project is worthy of inspiration or duplication, but it scared both my kids so it wins in the "Boo!" department.

Since I'm not one to throw away something that I've spent money on, I decided to turn a craft fail into this crazy muppet pumpkin.

Click "Read more" for the details

[Make] Batty Branches

Whoa, it's October! How did that happen?  I'll be honest with you, I'm not feeling Fall yet. We had a late summer and it's still incredibly hot here in Southern California.  I can't take Fall seriously when I'm still wearing sundresses, flip flops and slathering on sunscreen! Even the deciduous trees are still bright green and don't look like they'll be shedding their leaves any time soon.

But it's October, so time to start thinking of falling leaves, pumpkins, bare branches and thing that go "Boo!".  As far as decorations go, I don't usually go all-out for Halloween... Just a little nod to the last day of the month.  Last year I made these ghosts, this year I decided to do something with bare branches and bats...

Definitely more on the elegant side than scary... but I kinda like it like that.  :)

Click "Read more" for the details... 

[Make] Gilded Brown Paper Bag Pumpkin

When we last left off, I showed you how I made this brown paper bag pumpkin.  Now comes the fun part-- Adding some glimmer and shine to that plain ol' paper pumpkin!

I wanted my paper pumpkin to fit in with my pumpkin collection, so metallic paint to the rescue!

Click "Read more" for more details

[Make] Grocery Bag Pumpkin

Before BYOB (bring your own bags) became the norm, I accumulated a huge stash of market paper bags. Last fall I made a painted leaf garland with them.  This year I wanted to make a bigger dent in my stash and decided that a 3-dimensional paper bag pumpkin would be just the project to do that.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Happy Halloween!

Here's how my last minute Halloween costume turned out...

bat headband tutorial here

special effects via picnik (loads of fun!)

Happy Monday and Happy Halloween!

Last Minute Halloween Ideas

One Last Halloween Idea Round-up

this is for those of us who wait until the very last minute to plan for the ghosts and goblins.  :)

free russian doll template via happy thought  :: as seen on poppy talk

trash bag cobweb via how about orange

gummy bear ghosts via the cheese thief :: as seen on craft gossip

cookie cutter pumpkins via modern parents, messy kids

glow in the dark fun via home design by kevin sharkey:martha stewart

cute kids halloween party via the smith family :: as seen on armelle blog

And speaking of last minute, I just started working on my Halloween costume for a party tomorrow morning... wish me luck!

Oh Martha Monday - Going Batty!

Call me crazy, but I think bats are kinda cute.  Maybe not their creepy rubbery wings or their propensity for rabies, but their faces?  Their faces remind me of a little fox (at least some of the Australian fruit bats are like that).  Anyhow, bats are perfect for Halloween and, because of their simple shape, are pretty easy to assemble whether it's for a costume or decor.

umbrella bat costume

bat tissue paper garland

bat lampshade

bat favor bags

bat jar

clothespin bats

bat cookies

hanging bats

bat mobile

Can you believe Halloween is next Monday??!!  Have a great week!

[Make] A Cute Spider Costume

This year Smarty Pants knew exactly what he wanted to be for Halloween-- Spiderman!  When I asked his 3 year old brother  what he wanted to be, I expected him to say Spiderman too (he's his brothers little shadow).  However, he insisted that he really wanted to be a spider.  Spider?  I can do that!  So that's how I came to make my first ever Halloween costume.  I think Happy Vee is pretty happy with the outcome.

click "read more" for the tutorial

Oh Martha Monday - Costumes

Halloween is just around the bend... do you have your costume(s) in order?  Here are some original DIY Halloween costume ideas from Martha Stewart--

rose garden

no-sew jelly fish

butterfly costume

family outer space

leaf garland

owl glasses

chick & little lambs

bat headband

  

raining cats & dogs

rose costume

This weekend I made my first ever Halloween costume (I'll share it later this week).  I thought I was ahead of the game and was so excited to have completed Happy Vee's costume before October 31st... but then I  just found out that I need to make a Halloween costume for myself as well. Gah! I'm so glad I looked on Martha's site-- I'm leaning towards the bat headband for myself... maybe with some cool bat sunglasses to go with it. 

Happy Monday!