Halloween Fire Place Banner

I purchased this Martha Stewart clip art craft kit awhile back and I finally got around to opening it and I was pleasantly surprised. There are a lot of things you could create with this one kit. It comes with 6 sheets of fun Halloween craft paper and three fairly large pieces of clip art that could be embellished in a dozen different ways. I of course, made something that the kit was not intended for, I made a Halloween banner. The sheets of paper were the perfect size and it just inspired me to make a banner for the fire place. I encourage everyone to try to make one of their own, since it is so stinking easy and fun. The supplies needed are: craft paper, glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, and letter clip art which could be printed off the computer to save money. You could also use material in place of paper if that is what you have on hand.

A Fun Halloween Project To Do With The Kids

But first, I have to ask has this ever happend to any one else? I spent the weekend going to the Country Living Fair and the Springfield Flea Market which were amazing. I of course, took a million pictures so that I could blog about the day and this is what happened. It was extremely toasty and I think my camera may have gotten over heated. I was sooooo disappointed. I had some awesome pics to share.

Oh well, now for the simple halloween project. At the Country Living Fair, they were selling gourds of all shapes and sizes. Since, I love dried gourds, I had to think of something to do with them so that's where the idea for Mailda the Witch came from. I simply sawed off the neck of a spoon gourd and placed in on top of a broken shovel handle. Then I screwed a scrap piece of 1 x1 horizonally to the handle to form the body (the same concept as a scare crow). At that point, you are ready to assessorize. I painted her face green and added a fancy hat and cape. Now she is ready to greet the trick or treaters and the best part is she did cost anything since, my sister already had dried gourds. Now I think all she needs a broom.

Simple Chicken Wire Project

This project is sooooo simple. All that is needed is chicken wire and some decorative paper. In all honesty, I was experimenting and I used materials that I had on hand. Although I like the way it turned out, I would have preferred an orange or green ribbon for contrast. I plan to make some additional ones since, I would like to hang them on the back of each of my dinning room chairs and fill them with candy.

Essentially, all you do to form the wire cone shape is to cut chicken wire in the shape of a cone (larger than the size you desire) and then form the cone shape by folding over the wire edges to secure it in place. I repeated this same concept for the decorative paper and from there you can get as creative as you want.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . . My Favorite Time Of The Year

I know I may be rushing things a bit but, Halloween is big in my family. The sister's have already decorated their homes and I am well on my way. I thought I would share just a few of my decorating ideas that I think are fun and hopefully you will too. I purchased this silver tray at garage sales over the weekend and so I thought I would share how I incorporated into Halloween decor.

Here I just used candles and orange lights in the fireplace, since it's to warm to build a fire and it's a safer alternative with three kids. I looks amazing at night.

Remember this jar I got last weekend, well I filled it with candy sticks and it looks so festive!

Here I used a key I purchased at Hobby Lobby and I attached a piece of card stock that I printed the words "key to the dungeon" and I hang it next to the basement door. To give it an aged appearance, I just lightly brushed a burnt umber over the paper. My kids get a kick out of it. Check back soon for more fun and bewitching decorating ideas to come!

I Can't Just Stop At One . . . .

These are just a few pics of my decorating "style" from around my house and I've discovered that I have an obsession with decorating in multiples. I don't think I ever buy just one of anything. Does anyone else have this problem?

Decorating With The Unexpected

I have been looking for a base for this little glass cloche for what seems to be forever. Everyone that I have found has either been to big or to small. Then, I went to a little boutique near my favorite antique shop and they had this darling little sterling silver dog bowl and behold it was the exact size I needed. I love using things in unexpected ways and so this was perfect for me. Does it get any better than cloches and flower frogs? Also, just wanted to let everyone know that in keeping with the 100th post tradition, I will be having a give away in the very near future, so please make sure to stop back. I think it is an awesome way to say thanks to everyone who takes time out of their crazy schedules to stop by my blog and often leave very uplifting comments. You are very much appreciated!!!!

Three Post In One . . . . . .

BEFORE . . . . . . . .

Remember this bench I picked up last week well, I finally finished it! Can you guess what color I choose? Well I guess I am becoming a little predictable but, I really do have a plan. I am going to use this little bench in the front yard to display pumpkins. I have a slight obsession with Halloween and now I am just waiting for the pumpkins to arrive.

Since, I was working on the bench for Halloween, I decided to make a quick cake plate since I need a silver one for my Halloween decorations in my kitchen. I used a silver platter, a compote, and a glass dome. I was so simple and yet it will be perfect for what I need it for.

However, the cake plate project triggered my memory of a beaded cake server that is so simple to make and cost very little. All that is needed is large beads of your choice, a glue gun and thick guage wire, (you could use soldering wire however, keep in mind that it does contain tin and lead and would have to be for display only) and finally, you will need water proof apoxy unless you are ambitious and would like to use a soldering gun. You could use this same concept and make a set of salad tongs or serving spoons and they make great gifts. I've now decided that I need Halloween server to go with my new cake plate so I am off to Hobby Lobby to purchase black and orange beads.

A Sweet Little Cabinet Redo

I found this sweet little cabinet at the thrift store for just $3.00. I knew immediately just what I wanted to do with it. I love the character of the bead board backing but, the addition of the antique crystal knob and chicken wire gave it a little more of a vintage look. Surprisingly this little cabinet has a lot of storage which makes it perfect for displaying fun pieces and keeping other necessities organized but hidden behind close doors.

A Work Space Should Be A Place That Inspires CREATIVITY

When I created a space in my basement to work on all of my crazy projects, I wanted it to be a place that inspires creativity. One thing that always inspires me is storage. I love to repurpose thing in order to use them in unconventional ways to store my supplies. I find that it adds personality and fun to my work space. I think having a fun and inspiring space is important whether you are lucky enough to have a designated craft room or if you just have a little corner carved out in your dinning room that you call your own.