Guest Posting Today!

I am guest posting today over at one of my very favorite blogs!

I am sharing a tutorial on how to make this:

Head on over to check it out!  If you are visiting from Someday Crafts, Hi!  I am glad to have you here!

DIY Candy Corn Halloween Shirt

I went out to lunch with my family this past Monday (they are out of school this week...yay!)  We went to Cafe Rio  (my fav. food is mexican).  Afterwards, my mom was trying to find a Halloween shirt for my little bro and they only had really weird ones at Walmart.  I told her I could make one and had this one done in an hour.  He loves it.  Isn't he so cute too?

The eyes are attached with velcro, so you can take them off to wash the shirt.

I am linking up here and here.

Guest Posting Today At A Little Tipsy!

I am guest posting at A Little Tipsy today!  Go there to see how to make this coat rack from a pallet.  Plus, find out what I used for the hooks...they were actually made to be used for something else!

Hope you are having a great Monday!

What would you do with a door knob?

I love old door knobs!  Well, any fancy door knob I really like.  I love seeing them in different places than on a door.  My husband and I went four-wheeling this weekend around some old mines.  We had a friend with us who is more adventurous than us that wanted to explore.  There were a lot of old buildings filled with machinery and "treasures,"  it was so fun to look at all the old stuff.  There were even old door knobs!  Check out my door knob pinterest finds this week!

 I love the variety.  I don't think these are actual door knobs, but they are knobs, nonetheless.  They can be found here.

 I love this picture!  It is so artistic and all the different knobs are fun to look at!  Found here.

 What a great idea!  Use a door knob to hold curtains back!  This can be found here.

This is my favorite!  Pumpkins from doorknobs!  I love pumpkins!  Found here.

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

One of my favorite things about Fall is definitely the pumpkin pie and soup.  I also love getting pumpkin pie milkshakes!  Yum!  Well, last year I decided to experiment and figure out how to make my own!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Vanilla Icecream

Milk

Pumpkin Pie Filling (in a can)

The great thing about his recipe is that there is no measuring involved! All you need to do is scoop some vanilla ice cream into your blender, add a little milk and blend.  You may need to add more milk or ice cream depending on the consistency you would like your shake to be.  (Add more ice cream for a thicker shake).  

Next, add  a few tablespoons of the pumpkin pie filling.  Blend.  Add more to taste ( I usually go by color (like in the about picture) and then taste it).

*Note:  If you can't find pumpkin pie filling, you can you plain pumpkin.  Just look at the recipe on the back for the spices and mix them in.  (Or, if you are like me, sprinkle some in and taste it until it tastes right).  I also found that if you go this route, add some sugar (again, to taste).



Linking up here and here.

Baby Girl Outfit {Gift}

I guest posted this cute skirt over at DIY Kinda Girl on Wednesday.  I included a tutorial with it, so if you are interested, please go check it out!

My friend is due to have a baby girl in October, so I decided to make some cute little girly accessories/clothing for her.  I have been dying to make girl accessories lately, but don't have any girls to make them for!  I was so excited when she found out she was having a girl!

I decided to make a little outfit.  I had to buy a few things, but had most of what I used in my stash!

Here is what I bought:
2- Fat Quarters (only used one)
Onesie
Tulle
Hair Clips

Here is what I had on hand that I used:
T-shirt (never been worn, but about to be thrifted)
Jeans (almost new)
Ribbon
Flowers
Brads
Thread
Elastic
Felt
Buttons
White Sheet

This onesie was on the clearance rack and says "Born in 2011" on the front.  No problem - these ruffles covered them up handsomely!  I made the ruffles using a 1" strip of t-shirt and 1 1/2" of pink tulle (same as from skirt).  I gathered them together and then pinned and sewed on the onesie.

I made this cute little pom pom embellishment to add some more pizazz to the ruffles!

I pinned the pattern for these booties a while ago, and shared it here.  If you want to go straight to the pattern, click here.  I used some of the fat quarter, t-shirt, a sheet (white inside), and I had some grippy sole stuff (not sure what it's called) that I put on the bottom of the booties.  It was leftover from my dinosaur project here.

I made the flower clips from things I had on hand: flowers, brads, ribbon, and clips.  I like to cover the clips with velvety ribbon so they don't slide down the hair as easily.  My favorite flower is the white one with the blue pearly center.

I will be linking this up here and here.

The Tohoku Tote {My Version}

I decided to participate in the "Create With Me" over at UCreate this month.  September's project is the tote bag from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar.

I payed less than a dollar for this bag!  I won some burlap from a giveaway over at Debbiedoos, the lining is a would-be thrifted t-shirt, and the paisley fabric is a $1 fat quarter from Walmart!

Unfortunately, I am not very good at reading and following directions (I just get too excited), so I had to modify things, so the bag turned out smaller...it is more of a purse size.  I love it though!  I got lots of compliments on it my first time using it!

Linking this up here and here.

Guest Post: Christina Johnson

Today is a bit busy, because I am guesting over at DIY Kinda Girl (come see how to make this cute skirt) AND I have a guest poster on my blog today!  ALSO, come back FRIDAY to see the other cute little things I made to go along with this skirt!  So fun!

Today we get to hear from Christina Johnson.  She has written an article on tasteful Halloween Decor.  I found it to be very helpful and I figured all of my readers would too!   And, if you haven't already, go ahead and follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter to get the latest updates and join in some conversations! 

 Here's Christina:

Don't Scare the Trick or Treaters Away?

By: Christina Johnson

With fall just around the corner, so is sweet fun of Halloween. Just as everyone likes to dress up for the holiday, feel free to dress up your house too! Halloween decorations don't have to be all orange, black and covered in cotton spider webs—with a little thought and creativity, you can transform your home or Manhattan rental into a festive and tasteful Halloween-ready home.

Follow these simple tips to avoid your house looking frightful for all the wrong reasons:

Simplify: While it might be tempting to stroll down the Halloween aisles and pick up anything with an orange or black color, show some restraint. Focus on a few, key pieces within a theme for a classic, lasting look.

Don't Be Too Scary: Halloween is about monsters and costumes yes, but you don't have to have every square inch of your yard covered in Halloween paraphilia; fake cemetery, plastic spiders, ubiquitous cobwebs, and inflatables. Try not to be that house. Instead, go for a few items that will make a big impact. A big fall wreath on the door will last through to Thanksgiving. A hay bale and a couple of well-placed jack-o-lanterns will jazz up any entryway. Lanterns up the steps provide much-needed lighting for little trick-or-treaters, and look festive, as well.

Themes: Focus in on one major look, and do it well. Think about a timeless black and white theme; black and white Halloween dishes, black cauldrons filled with Spanish moss and white-painted pumpkins. Take a white plate and add black Halloween decals, then add it to a collection of black and white patterned dishes for a classy look. A fall cornucopia theme is another option. Place colorful gourds of varying sizes in a glass urn for a fabulous centerpiece. For a little Halloween bling, paint pumpkins, leaves, and sticks gold. A benefit of this look is that it will last all autumn long.

Keep it in the Group: Within the chosen theme, group items together. Place a group of ceramic jack-o-lanterns together on the fireplace. Fill a unique grouping of different sized glass containers with candy corn, caramel popcorn, and licorice. With the black and white theme, use black and white candies. Stack apple crates filled with pumpkins for a holiday display where some height is needed.

Tasteful Halloween decor makes a house inviting to guests, looks festive and avoids the cheap or kitschy look that sometimes goes with the holiday.

Thanks so much, Christina!  Doesn't she have such great tips!


Linking this up here and here.

Crochet Flowers (Pinterest Finds)

I have time today to post some fun crochet flowers I found on Pinterest last week!  I have been wanting to try some out.  I was happy to find some with patterns!

 The cute beanie is found on etsy.  I love the color! Some day I would like to try to figure out how to make one.

 This flower came from here and there are more patterns than this there!  So cute!

The cuff is a flickr image, that is found here.  I think it is so cute with all the variety.  How fun would it be to use different types of yarn?

Linking up here and here.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy Monday to everyone! I planned on posting my usual Pinterest finds today, but it has been a crazy week trying to get crafts done and things caught up, with all the other things in life.  I may possibly post tomorrow...I will just have to see what tomorrow brings!

It Roaaaarr's! {Two}

Remember my previous post of this little cutie?  This is the dinosaur costume I made for Isaac last year.  I made it with ultra cuddle fleece, so it is so soft, snuggly, and warm (perfect for Halloween).  He looked so adorable in it and I was surprised at how much he wanted to wear it (at least once a week).  Well, it turns out, he's not the only one that thinks a cozy dino costume is the cat's meow.

 Enter Dino Man.  Yep.  Isn't he handsome?  I think so.  The most handsome Dino Man I've ever seen.  My husband came up with this great idea that we should all be dinosaurs for Halloween this year.  He has been saying this since last Halloween.  I thought he was joking, but nope, he was serious. This was great for two reasons: 1.I got to go to the craft store. 2. I got to spend money there. :)  (Not that I don't get to do that anyway, but here's another excuse to go).

To make it, I used McCall's #8953 pattern. (Which consists of a lion, cat, bunny, etc.)  I knew I wasn't going to find a pattern of what I wanted exactly, so I looked for something that had a full body suit.  All I used from the pattern was the front piece, back piece, and sleeve pieces.  The other things I had to come up with on my own.  So, I designed the hood, spikes, belly, tail, and slippers.  It was quite the adventure, but it was well worth it.  I learned a lot, which will benefit me on future sewing endeavors.  My husband loves it and is currently wearing it.  It feels great that he loves it so much!  

 Let me show you the details. Besides being super comfortable and warm, this costume has many other great features:

 A cute blue belly, complete with zipper.  (I even got the zipper right the first time, which doesn't happen regularly).

 Check out these cute slippers.  They have blue lining inside and they are padded as well.  The bottom has the no-slip fabric on them (I am just realizing I forgot a picture of that...Sorry!).

 There are these two-toned spikes down the whole back.

 And check out this tail!  It wiggles when you walk, which makes it all the more fun!  Here's one last peek of the costume:

I am planning on making myself one of these dino costumes too.  The fabric is on its way and should be here soon, hopefully!  Any guesses as to the colors of mine?

I am linking up here and here.

The House Undone {Guest Post}

Shellie and Ashlie of The House Undone, are guest posting here today.  Shellie sent me a beautiful room redo, and I figured you would LOVE it, because I do!  I will let Shellie take it from here:

I sprung this project on my husband about a week in advance of getting started.  This nearly caused a divorce because I told him that we could handle it without him and he wouldn’t have to do any of the work.  Well, needless to say we did end up needing his help. He was not a happy camper, but in the end, he absolutely loves our new beautiful bedroom.

As you can see, the walls were a dull beige color and everything was dark from the furniture, curtains, and bedding.  The winter scene outside the windows certainly didn’t help!  Because the house is so old, there was a lot of patching to do on the walls and since the walls are made of plaster, I recommend using Behr’s Ultra Primer and Paint in One.  It worked great for coverage and imperfections on the walls.

We started with giving the whole room a fresh coat of paint and using an accent color on a couple of the walls.  As you can see, we tore the fan light apart and added a ceiling molding to give the lamp added appeal.  The light was originally all brown with a tan light fixture.  We used spray paint and Martha Stewart’s metallic paint to give it a new face lift.

Next, we used a stencil and the same Martha Stewart’s metallic paint to stencil the walls using a dauber brush.  Tip: You will want to wipe off the excess paint on a paper towel to prevent it from running underneath your stencil.  The stencil was really easy to use since it came with instructions, so I would say we did quite well for being our first time.

Pretty soon you have a completed wall that looks like a work of art.  It literally only took us one day to complete!

After all the painting and stenciling was complete, it was time for the fun stuff!  We started with buying the bedding, fabric for pillows and accessories to give the room a final touch.

Happily Ever After!

Remember the fan light?  Look how gorgeous it looks now; it’s like a brand new light for very little cost.  Also the rectangle mirror on the wall was a black frame, so we painted it with silver spray paint to make it pop out from the dark wall.  The black frames on the wall were in my garage tucked away with pictures of my kids when they were little.  We took some of the same fabric we bought for the pillows and used it for the backing of the pictures, and then we used Ashlie’s handy Silhouette Machine to print the vinyl letters and place on top of the glass.  They turned out beautifully for virtually no cost!

From there we started accessorizing with things that we loved, to give the room that romantic feel and a place that we call our sanctuary.

We finished with a few minor details to give the room that final touch.  The drawer knobs were on sale for half price at Hobby Lobby and the chains for the light were very inexpensive at Home Depot.  We hope you enjoy looking at the pictures of our latest project and we welcome you to come back for more projects in the works.

All photos taken by Thru My Lenz photography

Isn't this room just absolutely gorgeous?  Go visit Shellie and Ashlie's blog for more great ideas!