Pumpkin Carving

Just wanted to show off our little family of jack-o-lanterns. I think they turned out cute. Chad did the scary guy and helped Jane with her little pumpkin. I stuck with a traditional gap-toothed smiling jack-o-lantern. So much fun to scoop out pumpkin guts.

Seattle Artists Craft Fair

Yay! an Arts & Crafts event in Seattle. You can check out some of the vendors by clicking the link. Its free and looks fun. Anyone want to go?

Fall Decorating

I don't own a lot of decorations for holidays and I am all about making my own. I saw an idea in my November issue of Real Simple magazine that caught my eye. They cut out the center of mini pumpkins and gourds and used them as candle holders on a mantle place. They are simple but look really pretty. Too bad I don't have a mantle place.
I also love the felt leaf garland Artsy Craftsy Babe has hanging from her fireplace mantel as well. That would be a fun project to make; albeit time consuming. A photo in November's Better Homes and Gardens magazine shows a similar garland idea using faux leaves to make a ribbon banner. I am not a fan of fake foliage but this garland looks pretty cute.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

I decided to make a very simple cake to bring to my dad's birthday dinner today and finally try out the Martha Stewart cake stencils I got for my birthday. I opted for the polka dot design. It turned out pretty cute but since it sat overnight the powdered sugar dots kind of dissolved away a bit. It isn't my finest work. Oh well. I'm just looking forward to eating it.

Projects and Miscellaneous

Now that I'm home from vacation I am settling back into my projects and gearing up for several upcoming events. I have decided I really need to finish my kids room makeover which has kind of been on hold. I am determined to get some prints on the wall and quilt Jane's quilt! Also, my sister (who is now a married woman) is having her reception next weekend and I have to gear up to make and decorate 100 cupcakes and put together a few boutonieres and corsages. A few days later I am hosting a baby shower (its really a sprinkle since it is my friend's fourth baby girl). And my current dilemna is deciding what to do about Halloween costumes for the kids. I've decided to save the "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Big Bad Wolf" costume idea for next year since Jane just got a cute Hula girl costume in Hawaii. However, I am all about coordinating costumes so that means I need to come up with something for Clark. I am thinking I could do a surfer and make a cardboard surfboard, or maybe make a pineapple costume or...a sun? a palm tree? I don't know what I am going to do.

Speaking of costumes, contributors from Craft Magazine are appearing on the Early Show (CBS) on Saturday (tomorrow morning) to do a segment on "Last Minute Halloween Costumes For Kids". They are going to show five costumes you can throw together with items from around your house, etc.

Favorite Finds

I am so excited to share some of the fun things I found in Hawaii. A few years ago I found some lip balm there that I loved so much I decided to stock up on my favorite flavors again. They are handmade in Hawaii by Island Soap and Candle Works and come in tropical flavors like "Island Passion," "Kauai Kiss", "Pineapple" and "Hawaiian Sunrise". So yummy. I also found tons of vintage inspired Hawaiian postcards. I bought a set which features old school airline ads for the islands. I also found some black and white ones which used old Hawaiian photos of plantation workers, surfers, etc. I love old photos so I wanted them all! Even our hotel gave us a beautiful set of postcards that had a variety of old Hawaiian photos and other images worthy of being framed.

Aloha!

So I've been pretty preoccupied lately getting ready for our trip. Tomorrow we are leaving and I will be gone for the next nine days. I'm sure I will have lots of new fun things to share when I get back. Aloha!

Win a Clutter-Busting Home Makeover

I am so excited about REAL SIMPLE'S latest contest. Enter to win a visit from a REAL SIMPLE organizer who will declutter three rooms in your home using $3000 worth of products from the Container Store. You have to enter the contest by October 21st!

Haunted House

While these decorations are not the least bit spooky, they definitely get you in the Halloween spirit. I created a black Halloween bat garland like this one from Martha Stewart with some black tissue paper I had and a bat template I created using clipart. Next, I downloaded this really cute Halloween banner from Allsorts and am going to hang it with black ribbon like they've done over the fireplace. I found this pumpkin and kitty Halloween garland from Heidi Kennedy at My Paper Crane that I want to print and add it to my decor as well (once I replenish my ink)! I still need to put it all together and then I'll put up a few photos. For now, enjoy the free downloads; they are so cute.

Carry On!

My new issue of Entertainment Weekly features a blurb about the new season of Project Runway debuting on November 14th (on Bravo). Finally! So mark the date. The article is really just a spread with photos of the new contestants, short bios and Tim Gunn's take on this season's 15 competitors. I began watching the show from Season One and absolutely love it. I can't wait to see the designs they come up with this time around.

Close Your Clothes

Wow! This Close your Clothes book from Forty Two Roads is amazing! It is made from recycled clothes and fabric. The creator included zippers, buttons, buckles and more to help her daughter learn to dress. It even has a pair of shoes sewn into it. I love it.

Paperdolls

I printed these free paperdoll templates from Microsoft Office Online for Jane. I am having them laminated then plan to add velcro dots to the doll and accessories so that Jane can mix and match. I love paperdolls and these come with eight outfits and hair styles. There is a boy version as well, and they come in light and medium skin tones (totally PC). Best of all, they are free.
If you want to play with virtual paperdolls instead, you can check out the online versions of Allsorts dress up doll and dress up bunny. Hours of fun.