Don't toss out those old jeans yet....

Here’s a little fun game you can make for any party, but since its Halloween I think it has a good creepy look as well.


You’ll need an old pair of jeans , some card board, and tape. We just used a few old boxes & cut out large rectangles . Roll up the card board to fit into each leg. Release the roll to fill the leg. Then tape so that the card board stays in place inside the jeans. Do the same for the top waist area of the jeans as well.

If you want to use this for a Halloween game it would be so much fun to add some red crumpled construction paper or gift wrap tissue to the top of the jean waist! But since my kids are still small & didn’t feel like “scarring them for life” (yet!) we just left it as is.

Toss what ever you like in to the pants to make this a great game. We made ants out of paper and pipe cleaners to have an “Ants in your pants” game. But for those who don’t scare easy why not toss body parts or red paper balls to give it a more gross out theme.

                                                     Happy Halloween!

Last Minute Halloween Costume

Need a last minute costume idea? How about a TOOTSIE ROLL! This is quick and easy costume that is great for all ages.

              

You can find every thing you need at your local craft store. You’ll need one large brown t-shirt , one large orange shirt, large brown foam sheet, large white foam sheet, glue gun, and a pen.

Cut off the sleeves on the brown t-shirt. Then in the middle of the orange t-shirt measure about a 4 inch wide area. Cut this area straight across the shirt so that your cutting both the back and the front at the same time. That way the side seams are still in tack. That will be your top orange stripe for the brown shirt.

Slide the orange ring up to the top of the brown shirt . Tuck the ruff edge under and secure with a glue gun. Since your stripe will be at the sleeve line you’ll need to cut the orange ring at the sleeve line & tuck seam under and glue it as well.

Measure and cut another 4 inch wide ring on the orange shirt. Repeat steps above, but you will not need to cut the ring. Just glue the ruff edge under all the way around the bottom of the brown shirt.

Cut the brown foam sheet into a large rectangle that will fit the middle of the brown shirt. Now draw your block letters “TOOTSIE ROLL” on to the white foam sheet. Cut each letter out and glue gun to the brown rectangle. Glue gun the entire piece to your shirt right in the middle.

That’s it! Simple and cute! Making this shirt large is great for those Halloweens where the weather doesn’t cooperate. Just slip it right over any coat.

                                                            Now go get some candy!!!

Sewing , gluing, crafting, OH MY!

So many things to do and so little time. This weekend is the start of many weekends of holiday craft shows. I thought I was organized & had more then enough items to get me through all of them. But you never know & we’ll have to see how much sells.

On top of all the prep for the shows, I was lucky enough to have custom order request through my ETSY shop! I was so excited! She placed an order for 8 TOTES. Each one different & unique. I happy to say I was able to complete the order within one day. It's amazing what can get done while the girls are at school!


And just as exciting, the sale of the totes also create a donation to our local animal shelter. The girls loved bringing in the donation, & no ….we didn’t go home with a new puppy yet! (Not this time anyway!)

Finishing last minut items

Now in the frenzy of getting everything ready I can’t help but feel excited! It maybe a lot of work but it’s truly fun. I love creating my items & love even more being able to meet the people that will take them home and enjoy them.

With shows back to back until Thanksgiving I hope it remains exciting . Even if I’ll be spinning in circles mixing everyday life with all of this. I mean what better job then to make items that DESSERTS get to go on! Of course when selling these pretty cake stands I have to make cup cakes to display on these stands to help my customers “see” just how great they display. I just hope it’s a busy show or I’m sure I’ll be the one eating all of them ! AHHHH!

This weekend I’ll be at ST. JOHN BERCHMANS, 2511 W LOGAN BLVD, CHICAGO 10-2pm.

So if your in the area, please stop by, enjoy a cup cake & say hello!

Dish out some tricks with your treats!

This was so much fun to make! It did creep me out a bit while making it though. I love making these stands & coming up with ideas for something for the holidays helps change it up a bit.

You’ll need plates , glasses (from local charity resale shop) plastic spider, glue gun, epoxy & a ceramic paint pen & sand paper. You’ll also want a face mask to block the epoxy glue fumes as well as safety glasses.

Sand all pieces on the spots they will come in contact with the glue (bottom / top of glass, middle of plate etc.). This assures a complete bond. You’ll want to have your protective gear on for this.


Make sure that the plate you want to paint the web on is free of dirt and dust. Using the ceramic paint pen draw out the web. I find it helpful to look at a template while drawing it out.

Once dry, bake in oven for 20 mins @ 130 degrees. This will give the paint staying power through washings. Check the directions on your ceramic paint for exact directions. Some brands require different bake times.

Now your ready to glue. On the bottom plate glue your plastic spider in the middle with your glue gun. Mix your epoxy according to directions. Apply to glue to top of wine glass rim. Place over spider. Allow glass to adhere. Usually about 5 minutes. Then apply the epoxy to the bottom of wine glass and place web painted plate on top of it. Done! I usually wait about 24 hours before using . It just gives the glue more time to fully adhere.

Imagine your guest reaching for their treats! It’ll be so much fun to see their expressions. No worries. This little spider is safely contained.

Dollar Store Makeover

Looking for a cheap way to change up your kids bedroom, or even your own? You might not think of the local $ store as an option for inspiration or even décor. But with a little imagination you can change up simple items to make a big change.


When we first moved onto our house we started with a blank slate of builders white every where. Those who know me will tell you I love to paint & paint & paint! So white had to go! My youngest daughters room is the smallest so I wanted to keep the illusion of a larger space plus paint the raspberry color she chose. I decided to paint only about 5 ½ feet up the wall leaving the top white. This kept the room airy yet colorful. Here’s were the $ store came in. I needed some kind of border to top off the paint. Since I hate commitment on color ( I have literally painted the same room several times in one year!) I found a cute wall paper border for just a DOLLAR! I needed at least 2 to be sure it I had enough.  Rather then actually gluing it I used double stick tape. Its held it for 3 years now & will come off so much easier then wallpaper glue.

To add a matching accent, I found removable wall stickers that coordinated with the border & 2 rolls of ribbon. I glued the ribbon around the lamp shade using a glue gun. The bottom ribbon I decided to give it a little fold for more interest. Next I placed the stickers around the shade & DONE!

With the left over ribbon I made curtain ties & tied them to the white shower curtain rings I also purchased for $1. All said & done I spent $6 total. Not to mention the curtains were only a whole $5 ! They are actually a table cloth bought on clearance in another store. I just cut it in half & seemed up the ruff edge.

 

I was also able to pick up a few accents for older daughters room as well. For her shade I used ribbon ($1) and an utility knife. After making 2 small cuts every several inches, I thread the ribbon through it. I then joined the to ends together to make a bow.

For her curtains I also used white shower curtain rings. To go with her star theme I found heavy card stock stars that that I added pink construction paper stars to the middle of. I then tied them to her curtain rings.

So for a grand total of $8 I was able make great impact on their rooms & not a dent in my wallet. Plus when its time to redecorate it won’t hurt so much! Its not always that easy to find what your looking for so cheap, but if you think out side the box it sometimes works out!

Apple Bake

Its that time of year. Apples everywhere! So here’s a great quick & yummy apple recipe. I don’t know what you call it. We just call it “apple bake”. Its like an apple pie …but not. I make this for the brunches we go to & “bring a dish” parties. Never fails! I always bring home an empty dish!

To make a dish for 4 to 6 people you’ll need 6 or 7 apples of your choice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter & 2 to 3 crunchy granola bars (or homemade granola).

First peel and cut apples into ½ inch pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add about ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Mix well until apples are covered.

Place mix into a baking dish. Using a rolling pin brake up the crunchy granola bar & sprinkle evenly over the mix. Now using a grater, grate the butter over the granola evenly.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 mins. The best part of the recipe is you can make it to your own taste. Want more cinnamon ? Add it! More sugar? Add it! This not only smells great baking, but taste even better! Eat it alone or add it to a scoop of vanilla ice cream for desert. You can’t go wrong!