Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Paper Bag Haunted House

Here is a super quick craft that young kiddos will love. A paper bag that's been turned into a 3d haunted house!!

You'll need:
brown paper bags
brown paper
black no-slip material (found mine at the Dollar Store)
black paper (trimmed to rectangles, large triangles)
yellow paper (trimmed into rectangles, ovals, circles, etc)
black crayons
Halloween stickers
stuffing (newspaper, tissue paper, etc)
scissors
stapler
gluesticks

~Take your paper bag and lay it flat in front of you. Start glueing yellow triangles for windows, black shapes for a door. use your imagination!!
~Take the black crayon and make lines across the windows.
~Flip it over and do the same thing to the other side.
~Put some stuffing inside the paper bag and fill it near the top.
~Take same brown paper and make the shape of a roof for it. Trim out some of the no-slip material to be the same size.
~Pinch the paper bag together (like you would to fold it for a lunch bag)...instead, lay the brown paper roof over, then the black material, and staple it on.
~Add black paper shapes to be taller chimneys and roofs if you would like.
~Put some halloween stickers on that house!!
Have fun and Happy Halloween!!!!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

A Marvelously Mess and Features!!!!

Howdy Crafty People!!

I wanted to show you a couple of details from my husbands costume (handmade by me!!). We went to a party last night as a Steampunk couple. Ever heard of steampunk?? You've got to google it. I think of Steampunk as Victorian era clothes with a Jules Verne-ish modern technical edge. 
Here is part of my hubby's costume:

We leaned towards western steampunk. Bowler hat (found at target) with safety goggles-turned sci-fiction (lots of chrome colored spray paint, random metal scraps, hot glue, and even a little nail polish). The belt and holder is just a regular tan woven cotton belt with attached leather holster (hot glued into the right shape by me). The holster has a drawer pull on it-minus a knob.  The weapon my husband carried was actually my Munchkins remote for a car, spray painted. It still works!!

Found this great western-style vest at goodwill. Hot glued more metal doohickey's: chains, leather, latches, and yet another drawer pull (I had a bunch of them on hand and they fit the style for me). There is usually a good amount of *purpose* behind each part of a steampunk costume....I am ashamed to admit I didn't always imagine what purpose each piece might have. I was making it all fairly fast.

On his arm, the hubbster wore another "tool". This one got the most comments from everyone....what was it's purpose???? I left them guessing (because I was lazy and didn't want to make up a purpose).  I used a metal fire extinguisher holder for a wall and spray painted it a bronze color. I found a sparkling water bottle and cleaned it up, dripped some gold paint on the inside and let it cover the walls and attached a lot more metal, brass, wire, washers, wooden objects painted to look like metal....you name it, it's on there. I sewed it into place on an old white shirt (which was worn under the western vest) through the screw holes.

And, my costume?? I didn't get many great pictures, so I might have to put it on and pose tomorrow. But, I will show you the whole ensemble before Halloween!!!!!!



Here are my fave's from last week:
Pumpkin Drool Bars from Twirl and Taste.

And, the post I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week is....


Thanks to all of you for linking up!! If I featured you in this post this button is for you:
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Now, on to the party!!!



I shared this post at:
It's So Very Cheri

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Marriage Equality In Maine


I am so proud that Maine will be voting on Marriage Equality this November. Maine is one of four states that will be doing so....the others are Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington. Please go out and vote for Marriage Equality and share this video!!!!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Fall Time Home Organization



Fall Time Home Organization – Everyday Tasks to Keep You Going


The thought of cleaning your home on a daily basis can be overwhelming, especially now that it is cooler during the fall time. It is easy to slip into a fall and winter time slump, staying huddled by the fire and not wanting to go out. However, instead of going into hibernation mode, make daily goals for yourself and get going – your kids and family members will love you for it! Oh, and make sure they pitch in and help you as well!
Keep Tabs on Clutter – An easy way to stay on top of clutter is to clean up your messes every time you leave the room that the current mess is in. If the baby is done playing in the living room, for example, put away the toys in that room. If you are done making a meal in the kitchen, clean up the remaining plates and accessories that you used. Store the leftover food and supplies in ziploc bags that will also help you stay organized.
Make the Bed and Keep up on Laundry – Tidiness certainly starts with keeping things organized, so make the bed daily and stay current on the growing laundry pile as well. You’ll feel better about your home layout and with fresh sheets and wonderful smelling laundry, you’ll feel organized and well put together already.
Sweep the Kitchen Floor Right After Meals – Just like you clear away the dishes and either hand wash them or put them in the sink, add sweeping the floor a chore that you can do right after lunch and dinner. This way you’ll stay on top of the dirt and other mess that comes in from the little ones playing outside. It will also become a daily habit that will be a lot easier to take care of as opposed to taking an entire day to clean up a mess after a week of tracking in dirt and other debris on your hardwood floors.
Sort the Mail – Mail can be tedious but if you sort through it every single day as opposed to letting it pile up in your home, it will be a lot easier to manage. Look through it quickly as soon as you retrieve it from your mailbox and then later in the day make a time each day to sort it into its appropriate folders, such as bills, catalogues, and personal correspondence. Soon enough you’ll have organized interiors and home supplies and staying tidy will help you along the way.

Sierra is a freelance writer who likes to keep these organized and in order to do this she implements daily tasks to make organization a lot easier.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Halloween Highlights



While googling for a haunted house craft for Halloween I came upon this incredible Monster Party from D.I.Y Louisville:
This lady made 40+ felt monsters (one for each kiddo) for this party!!!!
That's a lot of monsters....



Look at the cuteness that is that Monster Cake

and Slime Punch (lime-aide, sprite, and lime sherbert).

Check the link above for more of this party. She really went all out.


Other projects I like:
Loving this Wriggling Wreath from Martha Stewart
and these
Black Painted Cat Pumpkins from Sunset

and from CL (#8 on the slideshow) a webbed rug:



What have you been inspired by for Halloween recently????

Sunday, October 21, 2012

A Marvelous Mess and Features!!!!

Welcome to my Marvelous Mess Party!!!!

Here are my faves:

Island Shrimp with Avocado from Frugal in Florida. Maybe I'm really hungry, but to me this looked delicious!!!!!

Spider Candle Holders from S.O.S. Mom.


And, the post I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week is....

How To Paint Mercury Glass Pumpkins by Just a Little Creativity. Gorgeous!!!

Congrats to all of you!!!! If I featured you in this post, this button is yours:

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Now, on to the party!!!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Mixed Media Halloween Decoration


I made a mixed media painting-ish type decoration for fall. What do you think???? I used a piece of plywood, twine, hay, wood glue, foam, brown felt, and paint.
I painted the back ground dark blue for the sky. Once it was dry, I smoothed out circles of wood glue and took some twine and "twined" it around the circles, giving it a vertical up-and-down feeling of the segments that show on a pumpkin. Once those were dry, I painted them various shades of orange. I added little brown felt stem to it. 
Once everything is dry, cover the ground area with wood glue and place some hay on the glue.

The moon was made out of foam, trimmed to shape and then "distressed" with something with a rounded top (for the craters) and something pointy for the smaller craters. Then I painted it with a messy hand, using gray, white, and beige in splotches.  Cool, huh???

I painted a little black witch on a broomstick in the sky. Unfortunately, I didn't get a close picture of her zipping around.

I shared this post at the following parties:


Sunday, October 14, 2012

A Marvelous Mess and Features!!!!

Welcome to the party!!

Here are my fave's from last week:
Halloween Decor from Alderberry Hill. Caaa-ute!!

And, the post I'm going to feature for a week on my sidebar is......


Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle from Turtles and Tails!!
Gawd, that looks soooooo delicious!!!
Here's your button:
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Now, on to the party!!!




Monday, October 8, 2012

New Weight Loss Goal



I've made a goal to lose some weight. I have been *struggling* to lose weight for a while now, with not a whole lot of success....mostly because I have a lot of binge eating tendencies and I don't get enough exercise. So, I'm doing Visalus shakes for a month and I've also joined a 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge with Creative Bioscience. I'll be taking a daily pill with a combination of raspberry ketones, green coffee bean, African mango, Green tea extract, lycee fruit, and vitamin c. It's call the 30 Day Diet (which I will be doing for 90 days).

I'll be keeping you updated on the Challenge and how it is working for me. Once the supplement arrives, I will give you some basic stats on my weight and that way we can see the results at the end of 90 Days!!

Are you a blogger?? If you are, and you're interested in trying to lose some weight you should join the 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge. They are looking for well maintained blogs who get visits of more than 250 per day. 

Be sure to check out the site!!!!


A Marvelous Mess and Features!!!!




Look at this cute pumpkin linked up from Happy Canadian Home!! 
I will be featuring this project on my sidebar for a week. 
Why don't you link up a project of your own and maybe you'll be featured next week.....
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Sunday, October 7, 2012

DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids




Image from this website

DIY Halloween Costumes for Your Little Trick-or-Treaters

Halloween is three weeks away and besides sifting through the left over costumers at Target, you might be feeling pressured to come up with fabulous Halloween costumes for your kids. They rely on you for your creativity and you can’t let them down. So instead of panicking that you won’t come up with an amazing costume in time, rally up some supplies that are inside of your home and search for coupons that will be useful for purchasing accessories that you are missing. It’s time to make a DIY costume that will look wonderful. Your kids will love it!

Space Man – Let your little man or woman blast off and find all of the delicious snacks on Halloween! To create an outer space man costume, dress your little child in all white and use aluminum foil to add bands around the arms. Continue using the aluminum foil and put stripes down the legs as well. Now it’s time to create a really cool rocket. Do you have any shoe fry cans in your home? This is the one time you can tell the kids to hurry up and eat them because you’re going to use the empty tube of shoe fries to create a great looking rocket. For the cone use cardboard and staple it to your shoe fry box and watch him or her blast off!

Colorful Crayon – Create a simple yet colorful costume by turning your son or daughter into a crayon!  Find out what their current favorite color is and after they tell you, start making a crayon costume that they will have fun in on Halloween. To make this costume, use colored poster board for the main portion of the body – one sheet for the front and one sheet for the back that can be adjusted accordingly. Construction paper shaped into a pointed cone will work perfectly for the top of the crayon. Then cut out the eyes and the mouth and staple or tape it together for a colorful creation. Don’t forget about the coordinating shorts, top, and more that will color coordinate with the crayon, creating a fun Halloween costume.

Scuba Diver – Sure it’s the fall time, but if your child loves the ocean water and hopes to be a scuba diver one day? Encourage them to become a scuba diver for their Halloween costume and have them dress up in their favorite wet suit or swim trunks. It’s also time to dig out the goggles and scuba gear for a complete scuba diver ensemble. Now they’ll want to find the nearest pool to really act out their costume!

Sierra is a freelance writer and owner of Paige One. She loves shopping and creating a fun costume and looks for her favorite accessories on sites like JoeShopping.com.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Guest Post: Reasons to Clear Clutter


Reasons to Clear Clutter — and the Best Place to Start

I’m a bit of a neat freak — for some reason, I’ve always felt bothered by clutter. When I have a pile of junk of my desk, I feel like I can’t concentrate; when my kitchen is littered with dishes, it puts me in a funk. I swear that my kids’ homework-finishing ability is sapped when their rooms are a mess.
As it turns out, science backs me up on this: Neuroscientists and psychologists have found that cluttered environments wreak havoc on your ability to focus and dampen your mood. You might not even think you notice clutter, whether it’s a single stray sock or a pile of junk mail you’ve been accumulating for months — but your brain notices all these things, and the attention it wastes on them drains your mental resources. The results are what you might expect: less concentration, less motivation, less productivity, more general irritability.
If you’ve got a lot of stuff lying around, the prospect of clearing all that clutter away can be daunting. But with well-designed storage areas, you can create a place to store all that clutter and add newly functional space to your home, especially in bedrooms. That’s why the best way to go about organizing your home can be to tackle your closets first. Unfortunately, many closets are poorly designed — an afterthought of a home’s architect — but their space-saving power can be doubled or even tripled with the use of closet organizers.
Every home is different, and every family is different, but closet organizers can be customized to fit anyone’s needs, whether the items in your closet need to be folded, hung, or boxed — even locked — away. You can use adjustable shelves and rods to keep your closet tailored to your needs even if they’re constantly changing. Commonly used items can be kept in plain sight, while seasonal items and treasured possessions can be stored away where they can be easily retrieved without taking up space underfoot. Even spaces in closet corners can be made usable.
Whatever type of closet you have, there’s a system that can make it that much bigger-seeming and better. In walk-in closets, closet organizers eliminate wasted space and make things easy to find. Large walk-in closets can even be turned into crisp, modern dressing rooms where everything is within easy reach. In reach-in closets, organizing systems can help make the most of what limited space there is, preventing you from having to waste time rifling through overflows.

There are several options for setting up closet organizers, whether you want to go the DIY route and buy implements at a houseware store, or get a custom set that matches your home décor from brands like California Closets. Either way, with your newly partitioned space, you won’t get flustered searching for clothes in the morning, and you’ll have more space — serene, clutter-free space — in the rest of your room and home. It just might change your life!