Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Monster S'mores on a stick

I made these s'mores on a stick for Jaxon's kindergarten class Halloween party.
It was super easy and fun to make! I jazzed them up by adding candy eyes and turned them into S'mores Monsters! Click here for a great tutoral on how to make S'mores on a stick.

I used lollipop sticks instead of wooden skewers shown in the tutorial, for safety reasons. You can purchase the lollipop sticks and candy eyes at Target or Michaels.
*TIP* - how to apply the candy eyes - Take the leftover melted chocolate and dab on the back of the eye and set into place. The melted chocolate is like the glue. Refrigerate to harden.
Enjoy!


Monday, October 29, 2012

Costumes completed!

I am happy to say both Maya's Cleopatra costume and Jaxon's Ninja costumes are ready to go!






Thursday, October 25, 2012

Free Halloween printable tags

Are you looking to give out Halloween treats to your children or their classmates, friends, family, or co-workers? You can make custom treat bags using brown paper lunch bags and attach this to the front of it! Feel free to download this here:   Happy Skull Dowload PDF

They are formatted to fit on a paper lunch bag, however, feel free to resize and print smaller tags or print on adhesive paper and stick onto whatever you wish!
I simply printed mine on cardstock paper, cut, and glued it to a bag.


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Humble Potato

I can't wait to try Humble Potato! Opening this Friday October 26, 2012.
They tout American comfort food with a Japanese kick.


Shichimi, garlic & parmesan fries....Yum!


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Nice Quotes


I love nice quotes. Words Over Pixels has nice ones along with some I don't agree with. Its still a fun place to check out.


Thursday, October 18, 2012

How to make fairy wings

Do you need wings to complete a fairy, butterfly, or any other girlie girl costume?
Below you will find steps to creating your very own, using items that you may already have laying around the house.

What you will need:

*4 wire hangers
*2 pairs of panty hose or tights any color (adult size)
*any kind of sturdy string 1 ft. ( I used hemp)
*2 pieces bubble wrap approx. 3 inches x 4 inches
*2 pieces of cotton stuffing approx. 3 inches x 4 inches (I used stuffing from an old pillow)
*Tape / packaging tape
*2 pieces of fabric approx. 3 1/2"inches x 4 1/2" inches
*Acrylic paint / acrylic glitter paint
*2 pieces of 1 inch thick elastic. approx. 1 1/2 ft. each.

Tools:
*2 Pliers / round nose pliers (one to hold the wire, and the other to straighten )
*Needle and string


1. Straighten each of the four wire hangers. It doesn't have to be perfect.
2. Curve each of the wire to your desired shape leaving an 1 1/2 inch on the end to twist together to
    hold into place. Repeat until you have all 4.
3. Cut off the legs of the panty hose so that you have 4 separate pieces.
4. Cover each wire starting at the top bent portion. Tie a knot at the end. Repeat for all 4.
5. Cut off excess fabric leaving about an inch so that the knot stays in place.
6. Tie the 4 separate wings together with a sturdy string. I used hemp, but any kind of string will do.


7. Cover the knotted area with bubble wrap. Each side.
8. Add the cotton on top to each side to reinforce. I used an old pillow stuffing, but stuffing from an 
    old stuffed animal will work fine too. (you may be able to skip this step if the bubble wrap was
    enough to protect the area).
9. Tape it down. One piece horizontally and another vertically.


10. Cover each side with the fabric. Pin in place.
11. Sew from front to back all around. Make sure you go through the wing to the other side of the
      fabric.


12. This is the fun part! Use a small brush and apply designs with the acrylic paint. I used acrylic
       glitter paint by Martha Stewart available in most larger craft stores. You don't have to do this,
       but I painted the edges too so that each wing would stand out.


13. Now for the straps. I covered my elastic bands in fabric, but this is not necessary. The length
       I listed is approximate, you may need a shorter or longer piece, depending on each individual.
       Leave approx. 1/2 inch to sew down onto the padding.


14. Cover each area with the felt square and sew all around. This step is not necessary.
      This is purely for aesthetics....so it looks nice even on the inside.


Voila! You got yourself some wings! Enjoy crafting!


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Best reuseable bags

Baggu  reuseable bags are the best! I've used so many different types of reuseable bags, but Baggu takes the cake! It's lightweight, sturdy, and holds a lot! I own three myself, and not only do I use them to hold my groceries, but I've used these nifty bags when we go out too. It holds both my children's jackets as well as my own, and water bottles all in one bag. Its great when you go to the park or museum, when you don't want to carry things in your hand.

They are also available in solids in every color you can imagine. Regular sized bags are $9, but they also have Baby Baggu and the larger size too. You can buy them online here.


Monday, October 15, 2012

Etsy Finds Under $15

 Here are some of my favorite recent Etsy finds for under $15! 
Geometric stud earrings by Rare Indeed. $8.00.
Vintage set of Teak Hors D'oeuvre picks at Sabine Vintage Home $14.00.
Letterpress Notebook Cross Stitch by Pistachio Press. $7.00.
"With Enough Coffee" print by Hairbrained Schemes $15.00.





Friday, October 12, 2012

Have a nice weekend!

Pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama in Naoshima, Japan
I've been craving pumpkin-y things these days....
My mama makes a really good pumpkin soup and pumpkin tempura too! (that's fried pumpkin with dipping sauce). I may have to cook up one of these delights over the weekend.
I guess it would help if we grabbed a couple of pumpkins first.
That shall be on our weekend agenda! I hope you have a lovely weekend!


Nerdy Bats

These little guys will be hanging upside down from our large oak tree this year.
You can buy the foam bats at Target in the Halloween section. They come 35 to a pack in black/purple combo for $5.00. Not bad right? Have fun putting your own funny faces on them!


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Halloween Accessories

We finished up the needed accessories to complete Jaxon and Maya's costume. You can't have a Cleopatra without her headpiece and a Ninja without his Chinese stars right?
headpiece made with recycled belt, cardboard, rug pad remants, vinyl adhesives and scrap leather.


 The kids claim my cobra is "funny looking, but cute"! Obviously, I'm not very good with
making animals and or reptiles as you can see...I think it kind of resembles a 'ram' if you ask me...

Chinese stars made with rug pad remants, vinyl adhesive, and sharpie detail.
Fastened with velcro onto recycled bag strap.