Christmas Card & Newsletter

I saw an adorable newsletter on Pinterest this year. It was so unique and to the point with cute little graphics to boot. I attempted to make one myself, but that was a disaster! SO, I contacted my usual gal who does my cards for everything and had her make me one. You can have her make you one by visiting http://www.etsy.com/shop/deanworks?ref=shop_sugg. She had actually never seen a Christmas letter like this, so hopefully she will start selling them in her shop along with her amazing cards.

Happy Christmas, Merry Everything!

Spooky Juice Boxes

I saw these adorable ghost/mummy juice boxes on Pinterest, but all I had was black duct tape so I figured I would make a bat!

You will need:

duct tape ($1 store has them)

 juice boxes

 scissors

 hot glue

 googly eyes.($1 store) 

 1. Wrap your juice boxes in tape. I never cut my tape until it was all the way wrapped. For the top, make sure you cut out a squarewhere the strawgoes

 2. The wings were tricky. I tried many different ways and the best way was to fold a long piece in half, cut in in the shape of the wings, then tape it on the box. Cut out some teeth, then glue on your eyes and straw on the backside.

 

 Here is my finished bat and ghost/mummy. I put these in my daughter's lunch along with a sandwich cut with a ghost cookie cutter. She loved it!

All decorated for Halloween!

Here is my 2012 Halloween entry table display. The small skull, spooky gauze, spider web filling and ribbow around the lamp shades were all from teh $1 store. The large skull from Target

 I used some plastic cups to elevate my skulls

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Yard Display

All decorated for Halloween! How about you? As I was shopping I realized that Halloween decorations have become so expensive. My daughter wanted some ghosts in the yard, so I wrapped my scarecrows in christmas lights and covered my them with an old white t-shirt and some "spooky gauze," which you can buy at the dollar store. I cut out black eyes with felt.

My finished ghosts. Cheap and easy and after Halloween I can simply "undress" them to create my Thanksgiving/fall display

Free Halloween Printable

I found this cute printable online. This would look great hanging over a mantle on on a side table. Select the largest size, save to computer, upload to walmart.com or other photo printing service and have it shipped to your home. Or you can print on card stock on an 8.5x11 paper. I bought the frame, mat, and feather boas (2 mini ones tied together) from Hobby Lobby. You can also pull in decor from around your home. I just happen to have a black and white decorated room, so I added 2 canisters from that room. I also removed my candles from my candle holders that are always there and placed some pumpkins on top.

 This piece is actually a frame from my B&W room. I made the decoration out of cardstock. Accordian fold some paper to make two discs, then glue down. Cover up the center with another piece of paper and add some sparkly letters. Tie a ribbon on the top finial and you are done.

The other framed pieces are a handprint spider from my daughter and feet ghost from my son. This is a great way to incorporate sentimental pieces.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77760688@N08/7015923645/sizes/k/in/photostream/

Revive Old Patio Furniture

This post is nothing new. Many people have  painted their patio furniture to give it an update. My husband flips houses and found these chairs in a backyard. The Arizona sun beat them up pretty good. There were some hideous cushions also, but I will spare you the photos of them.

You Will Need:

Spray primer- 2 cans per chair

Spray pain- 2 cans per chair

Make sure you paint in a well ventilated area and wearing a mask would be extra safe. I primed each chair with thick coats, let dry for 15 minutes, and then added my color. I added cushions and decor I already had. Whats funny is the table base was free also from a house my husband had. He built and stained the table top. So this whole seating grouping cost me $20 in spray paint (minus the decor and we already had the wood and cushions)!! I suggest looking on Craigslist for some free/cheap furniture. This time of year is very popular for those listings. Good luck.

Unique, Beautiful Girls Hairstyle Ideas!

My niece Maddi always has the CUTEST hairstyles. My sister-in-law Tricia is very talented when it comes to little girls hair. She did this cool design on my daughter. She mixed a basket weave with a french braid to keep the bangs back and then french braided and twisted the rest into an updo. She gets her ideas from http://www.princesshairstyles.com/. The styles will take lots of hairspray and practice. I would love to see what you end up with!