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 // Fabric Pinecone - Pleather & Faux Fur

If you like to craft, but aren't quite ready to go THERE with Holiday projects (I'm with ya, I get anxious just thinking of the holiday madness), then these little pinecones are the perfect project for you. They're great to use in Fall decor and can easily transition over to the winter holidays. I've made several variations over the years--

scalloped lace pinecone | felt pinecone | muslin fabric pinecone | toile fabric pinecone

While these look similar in shape to the toile fabric pinecone, this time I streamlined the process and also experimented with different textures; Bring on the Faux Fur and Pleather!!!

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Make // Fabric Pinecone - Toile

I took a month off from crafting and wasn't going to make any Fall projects, but then I started thinking about pinecones... I love pinecones! So I eeked this one out last Saturday between two soccer games and a baseball practice. Sometimes a little pressure helps the creative process. :)

I've made pinecones before-- this lace one, this felt one, and this muslin fabric one... So this time I combined a few techniques and came up with yet another version of a fabric pinecone.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

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

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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.

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Our Home // Fall Mantel + Teal Pumpkins

Can you believe that it'll be October in a few days? How is that even possible? So I may be in denial, but today I decided it was time to pull out the Fall decorations. I'm hit-or-miss with the other seasons, but I love Fall decor. Something about pumpkins, those rich colors and the changing of the seasons.... Not to mention the kids being back in school so I actually have some time to think about stuff like this!

Over the past couple of years I've collected a variety of decorative pumpkins. I think I've met the fake pumpkin quota, so this year I decided to remake a few instead of buying more. Inspired by a recently purchased accent chair, I decided that the addition of teal would add just the right amount of "pop" to our traditional pumpkin display.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Make // Responsibility Chart

Have you ever made a chore chart for your family? Did it work? It's always been something that I thought we should do, however I could never think of a way to make it work for my family.

After giving it a lot of thought, and also figuring out what motivates my children, I finally decided to give it a go. But instead of "chores", I wanted to focus on responsibilities.

Here's how my version works-- 1) Every day I choose a variety of daily responsibilities and place them at the top of the chart; 2) When the kids complete their responsibilities, they place it in the "done" section; 3) Discuss at the end of the day-- dinner... or anywhere that we have their undivided attention.

From "chores" to responsibilities

Responsibilities are more than just a chore to "get through". I want my kids to think broader than that and  realize that their responsibilities are more important than just helping out around the house. And yet they are just five and seven, so I also need to keep it real!

So at five and seven, they can start doing some serious tasks! For their daily tasks, I kept it simple-- do homework, wipe table, set table, make bed, etc. Then I threw in some special things that they are working on-- practice balance (for my aspiring pitcher), shoot hoops (for both young hoopsters), practice piano (I'm not a tiger-mom about piano so my kids actually like this one!). To go along with their everyday tasks, I also rotate in a few responsibilities that are more "social" than actual tasks-- Be helpful, Do something nice, etc. Like most children their age, my kids sometimes get sucked into the pitfalls of childhood-- teasing each other, bringing each other down instead of lifting up, thinking they are the center of the universe, etc... Actually, I know some adults who haven't advanced passed that stage! So I think it's good to start young with developing those important social skills. More details on social responsibilities later.

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bliss bloom blog in a Magazine!

Over the summer I was contacted by Homemaker, a print magazine based out of the U.K. Jam-packed with eye-catching layouts, plenty of inspiring craft/decor ideas and yummy recipes, this magazine is perfect for anyone who strives to be more creative. They initially wanted to interview me and feature bliss bloom blog in one of their columns. Unfortunately we were out of the country during that period of time and I was unable to provide all the photos and details that they needed in a timely manner.

So skip forward a couple of months and I found out that I was featured in a later issue. Not the same scope, but still really cool that they even kept me in mind! And hey, I don't take these things lightly. If my name and ideas are in print, then what I'm doing must be somewhat real... right?  :)

I received my own print copy a couple of weeks ago and here's a little peek--

 Homemaker Magazine can be purchased at booksellers in the U.S. and U.K., via subscription and also through iTunes.

Thanks to the team at Homemaker for the feature!!

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!

Our Lives // First Day of School!

It's official! The boys are back in school. How is it that I have a Kindergartner and 2nd Grader??

The transition from preschool to Kindergarten was so seamless for my youngest that there weren't any first day jitters for either of us. He just went happily with the rest of the kids and didn't look back. And when I picked him up he asked "Why can't I stay longer?". I hope that enthusiasm continues!

My oldest is so happy to be back in school. He was ready! The second grade is a big transition as there is additional responsibilities, more independence and, of course, more work. To be honest, I think I'm more nervous about it than he is. We'll see how it pans out, but so far, so good.

So the kids started school... then half the family was struck down by the stomach flu (aka nasty norovirus). Terrible, terrible stuff. I know, because it completely knocked me out. The illness part was one thing, but four days later and I'm still feeling the effects-- tired, achy, dark circles under the eyes... Not pretty.

I had a bunch of projects that I wanted to start this week, but I can barely keep my eyes open. So I'm going to sign-off and try to rejuvenate a little before it's time to pick up the rapscallions. 

Hope you're having a happy and healthy week!!

Make // Decoupaged Butterfly Display Box

After a long delay (four years to be exact), we finally have begun to update our family room decor. New couch- check! Accent chair- check! Coffee table- check! Rug and throw pillows- check! We just need a couple more pieces to finish it off and make it share-worthy.

While I like our new furniture, there's a lot of grey and dark wood and it was starting to look a little too masculine and serious. No-can-do. I need whimsy! I need fun!  Enter the teal chair, bull's-eye pillow and this butterfly display box. 

click "Read more" for the tutorial

Inspiration // Back to School!

In the spirit of "Back to School", I've pulled together some fun inspiration that brings me back to the good ol' days of jumping rope, standard lined paper and pencil boxes. Do you remember how you felt at the beginning of each new school year? For me it was a combination of excitement and anxiety mixed in with the promise of new beginnings. Not to mention the joyful anticipation of wearing a  brand spanking new pair of shoes... Exciting times!

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