Halloween Outdoor Curtains & Halloween Wreath

I am obsessed with outdoor curtains lately! I wanted some spooky striped Halloween curtains for my front porch. I was shopping for cheap fabric when I had an amazingly cheap idea! These curtains were only $8 to make! I bought 4 black rectangular table clothes and 4 white rectangular clothes. I stitched 2 black and 2 white together using my sewing machine (I am sure you can use glue as well if you do not sew). They look super cute without being super expensive, and since they are plastic, they can hold up against the rain. 

Here is the wreath I made to match my black, white, and orange Halloween color theme. I used tulle (2 spools each color) and the largest green wire wreath I could find. It is made by cutting 12 inch strips and tying them on with knots. I also used orange netting and a spider for the bow.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Coloring Pages

Happy October break! The kids and I are coloring today and I was sick of the coloring pages I found online because we colored the same ones last year. SO I attempted to draw my own! They are by no means a masterpiece, but we had fun with them.

Candy Gift Bouquet

One of my co-workers had a birthday recently and we all decided to chip in for a gift for her. A candy bouquet is a cute way to give candy and gift cards. I have seen some really creative and cute ones! We chose to use silk flowers and Werther's original candy.

 You will need:

Silk flowers (2-3 colors, different types)

coordinating feathers

candy of your choice

skinny wooden dowels (cake decorating isle or by the popsicle sticks)

hot glue gun

extra stems from the silk flowers

vase

vase filler (I used Easter grass)

ribbon

gift cards

wire cutters

 1. Fill your vase with the grass. Start adding in silk flowers randomly

 2. Take a flower off a stem or use a dowel and trim to the right height for your vase. Glue the gift card to the stem. Stick those in the back

 3. Glue your candy in a row on another extra stem or wooden dowel. Stick these in randomly in your vase

 4. Glue some feathers to the extra dowel and stick those in randomly. Tie a ribbon around your vase and you're done!

July 4th Yard Decor

Note to self: do not do this craft outside in July in Arizona. Besides my heat stroke, I had a fun time making this "dynamite" yard decor. Ever notice how outside decorations are so small (besides the big blow up figures)?? The scale of this project is quite large, so it will surely be noticed from people driving by!

You will need:

8 foot fence post from Home Depot (and a husband to cut it)

5 feet of thick rope (Home Depot)

Red, white, blue, brown, and clear spray paint

painter's tape or Cricut to create design

wood glue

a drill with 3" wood bit

3" screws

plywood

raffia or ribbon

1. Cut 8 foot post to 3.5, 2.5, and 2 feet sections. It would help if your husband could temporarily drill the posts upright into the plywood or else you will be holding them and trying to paint at the same time. 

 2. Figure out the design you want and start taping. I did stripes for one post, Chevron for another, and polka dot for the last. For the stripes, paint the whole thing white, tape with painter's tape, then paint with blue. For the Chevron, I painted the whole thing white. Then I cut out several zig zag strips (came with the cartridge that comes with the Cricut) and taped those to the post, then paint in between with red. For the polka dots, I painted the whole thing blue. Then I cut out a big circle and used the surrounding paper for my polka dot stencil. I free-handed a white border to make the red stand out against the blue.

3. Have your husband drill a 1-2 inch deep hole into the top of the posts. Squirt some wood glue in there and stick in your rope. I heavily frayed the ends of the rope that are hanging down to look like the dynamite is lit. 

4. Cut out a 2x2 foot plywood piece for the stand and paint it brown. Use 3 inch screws to screw them into the base from underneath. Tie some raffia or ribbon around them and you are done!

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.

Host a Rainbow Party!

My daughter's 5th birthday was March 13th. All of her school drawings consist of our family and rainbows. I spent many evenings collecting ideas on the internet, Pinterest, and going shopping to spark ideas in my head. I found a great quote from Maya Angelou about rainbows that I wanted to incorporate into her party. A poster is a great way to bring in some color and add a unique element. I have a few how-to pictures of the poster and the rest are other shots from the party.

For the poster, you will need:

A poster (Dollar Tree)

Glitter (Orange, Purple, Green)

THICK Rip Rap from Hobby Lobby (Pink, Yellow, Blue)

Modge Podge

Paint brush

Measuring tape

pencil

Cricut and paper to cut your words out -or- you can go to a scrapbook store and pay to use their die-cut machines -or- buy ready to use letters

Hot Glue

Stampin Up Dimensionals or small raised foam double-sided mounting squares (Michael's-scrapbook isle)

1. Measure your columns so that you have 6 (you will draw 5 lines). I messed up and had an extra column.

2. Paint one column at a time with Modge Podge. COVER in glitter. Let dry. Repeat in bald spots.

3. The order I used for my colors was orange glitter, pink rip rap, purple glitter, blue rip rap, green glitter, yellow rip rap

 4. After I stuck the letters on for the quote. I hung the poster over my island using ribbon glued on the back side. I tapes tons of streamers to the ceiling for the backdrop along with another rainbow paper garland.

I found this Christmas tree at Hobby Lobby for $6 (down from $70)! A green tree can be used for many holidays and parties. At Christmas, I will use it to go with my candy theme. At St. Patrick's Day, I will decorate it will clovers and rainbows. At Halloween, I can put eyeballs and Frankenstine decor on it. You could also use it for a boy's birthday party for an Alien or Monster theme.

 The rainbow ornaments were made by hot-gluing pipe cleaners onto a piece of felt, adding cotton balls, and then cutting around the finished rainbow. They can be used again for St. Patty's Day or a summer party.

The lollipop favors were in the wedding isle at Michael's. I also bought some $1 store bins and put out some dots candy strips. I saw the awesome rainbow fruit tray on pinterest. I covered a cookie sheep in rainbow tissue paper to cut down on buying another platter.

The beautiful cake was made by my sister-in-law. $1 store straws stick out the top. The 5 is a wooden one that I covered with glitter and Elmer's glue.

 Hopefully, you can come up with some fun ideas. Rainbow party ideas are endless!

Rainbow Necklace

I made this necklace for my daughter's birthday outfit. We had a rainbow party and I came across this charm on Etsy. How cute is a piece of rainbow cake!!?? I wanted to make my own necklace, because everywhere you go they want $40 for a child's necklace, which is too expensive in my book. I paid $6.79 for the cake charm and $6.25 for the rainbow gumball beads (also on Etsy. I already had the pearls, wire, and crimping beads, but you can buy inexpensive kits at Walmart or Michael's to get those.

You will need:

Rainbow cake charm www.Etsy.com/shop/jessieraye?ref=ss_profile

Rainbow 12mm "gumball beads" www.Etsy.com/shop/fizzypops?ref=seller_info

Pearls or other beads to alternate in between other beads

tiny silver beads to alternate in between other beads

Needle nose pliers

scissors

beading kit with wire, crimping beads, and clasps ( I like the hook kind or the toggle so my daughter can take it on and off herself. The lobster clasp she can't do on her own)

E6000 glue and a toothpick

1. Figure out the pattern you want. I wrote my colors in order that I want to use them, knowing I will add a silver bead, pearl, and another silver bead between each color

2. Here I layed them out in order to get a view of what it will look like.

3. Cut about 1.5 times the length of the wire you want. I compared my length to a necklace my daughter already had that I liked. Put two crimping beads on the end of the wire, then one of the clasps. Loop the wire around the clasp, then slide the two crimping beads over the folded wire and clamp tightly with your pliers.

4. Here I am reinforcing the crimping beads by painting them with E6000 glue and a toothpick. I don't like to use crimping beads covers because in my experience, folding the crimping bead so it will fit inside the bead cover makes the crimping bead weaker. Also, the glue will help prevent the necklace from breaking and all the beads flying off.

Then, I added several silver beads to begin because this is the part that will be in the back of the neck. It will save you money because you won't be using up all of your expensive beads. I was able to make two necklaces with my gumball beads (I had to buy two cake charms). Make sure you have the same amount of beads on either side of the charm! It might take several trys to get it right to it your desired length.

5. Thread your entire necklace. Don't forget to put the cake in the middle. Add one final crimping bead to the finished end. Leave more wire than you see pictured! I made it too short and it was really hard to get my final clasp on there. I like to put a crimping bead to tightly clamp the threaded beads so they are not loose, then I put my second crimping bead on, then the clasp and then clamp. Then glue again. Let the glue dry for 24 hours, then the necklace is ready to wear!