Spooktacular!

I fell in love with these two Halloween ideas on Pinterest (The Party Dress and Pottery Barn maybe?).  Both images are so cute and offer so many fun ideas.  I wanted to mimic the look, but mix it up a bit.  I had a black desk that would work, and I knew I could make the pendant.

I bought several pieces of orange/black/gray/designed scrapbook paper from Michael's and made the silhouettes and pendant.  It was quite a chore, but worth it I think! :)  Nothing like a fun Halloween greeting when you walk in the front door!

MY FINISHED PRODUCT (drum roll please.....):

YAY ME!!!!

 My little munchkin thinks I'm the coolest, "FUNNEST" mom ever!  :)  Hope someone will get some ideas and have a little Halloween fun themselves.  Good luck!

Let the Halloween Fun Begin!!!

Sooooo....we are HUGE Halloween nerds!  We LOVE to dress up and to do fun stuff around the house.  Last year we hosted our first Halloween night party and it was a blast!  The best part of the whole night had to be the "hay ride" that was really a boat pulled by a truck filled with straw and pirates and cute kids in funky costumes!  :)  Marty filled the truck with straw and then brought home his huge pirate flags from work to fly from it.  He and Fish (friend) dressed like pirates and pulled the kids, while my dad and Mr. Story (neighbor) sat in the back with them.  Dad told pirate tales and had the kids scared and laughing all at the same time.  SUCH a good time!

I have been digging around for some fun Halloween stuff online (have I mentioned that I LOVE Pinterest b/c I get ideas and get to log ideas in one neat little area).  I bought a bunch of black, white, gray, orange and patterned scrapbook paper today (on sale!) and got to work.  Project #1:  Framed Halloween silhouettes for my entry way.  I have several black frames with white mats....that seems to be the only kind of frame I buy (b/c when I want something different I never seem to have it).  I cut the background paper in orange and white pattern (stripes and polka dots) and then I created a silhouette of Halloween stuff to glue in the center.  It was the cheapest, easiest project yet!  I created my own silhouettes b/c I don't have a printer here at home, but I'm guessing you could find cool patterns to use as stencils if you look online.  Anywhoo, I am posting 2 out of 3.  I haven't finished the 3rd one yet b/c I can't seem to get the cat right (*frustrated*).  I found these frames at the Dollar Tree several months ago and couldn't help but buy them.  So, for about $1.50 per picture, I have super cute Halloween decorations for my entry way!  :)

New Pedestal Table...YAY!!!

So I FINALLY found a pedestal table for my kitchen!  I have been looking for FOREVER but with no luck (probably b/c I wanted CHEAP).  My dear crafty friend, Beckey, spotted one at Goodwill last week for me and sent me pictures.  It was $50 and came with 2 leafs ("leaves" even when you are talking about furniture?  which is it?).  Anywhoo, I wasn't supposed to leave the house b/c I had just had surgery, but Marty and I went to check it out.  I was debating ($50 isn't expensive but this table needs more than just paint) until the guy who worked there said he would pay me to take it!  haha!   OK!!!!  So I asked him to make me a good deal and I would take it right then.  He did!  $30!  AND, b/c I am uber thrifty and like to save even just a few pennies, I cashed in on Goodwill's military discount (saved 10%).  So for $28 I walked away with a new table to paint and recreate for my kitchen.  I HAD a dining room at one point in my life, but it has been replaced with a baby grand piano SO I needed a smaller table to fit my kitchen.  I am too cheap to buy new....not to mention I like painting and reinventing furniture....so this will be a fun before and after project for me.  I am taking votes on color!  I LOVE blue and green, but white is easy and classic and neutral.  Input invited!  :)

I think I will....

I have been attempting this blog thing but to no avail.  By golly, I'm gonna do it!

I'm passionate about a few things....and will probably drive you crazy should this work out for me.  For now I will just tell them quickly what they are and what you can expect out of me.

1.  My baby - ok, he's not a baby anymore.  He's 6.  But he will be MY BABY even when he's 36!  He is and will always be my ONLY baby.  My whole world revolves around him and the experiences he has.  I have a theory, cheesy as it may be, but I firmly believe that life is not meant to just live but to experience!  Why ebb through life day by day and not make the most of everything?  Instead... EXPERIENCE everything!  Driving to school?  SING and act silly with your kids or ask them questions to keep their minds going (we play 20 Questions).  It rained?  Let the kids (and even yourself) have some fun by riding full speed through the rain puddles on a bike!  You will laugh until you can't stand it!  Ok, not all of my life experiences are fun and full of excitement, but I try to make most of them something to smile about.  So that is why my favorite "JOB" in the whole world is being a mom!  :)  Sometimes I think I could be WAY better at being a mom, but other times I realize how fabulous my lil' guy has it and it makes me proud to know that I'm doing this for him....making life a super, uber cool bucket of rock star experiences!  :)

2.  My God - well, HE should have come first.  HE makes me happy when skies are gray.  HE provides.  HE answers prayers.  HE forgives.  HE loves me when I'm unlovable.  HE doesn't listen to gossip.  HE doesn't judge (though sometimes I walk around feeling SO judged and doomed).  But then I remember....HE IS LOVE!  :)  (and grace and mercy and happiness and kindness and generosity...need I go on?).

3.  Decorating...on a BUDGET!  I'm good at it (or so I've been told).  90% of my home (if not more) is filled with 2nd hand stuff.  Even my wardrobe.  I like being thrifty!  I can buy more stuff and do more stuff when I buy cheap stuff!  :)  I think I will probably use this blog to show you how you can buy 2nd hand furniture and other finds and make them feel alive again.  We'll see.  I have a feeling this blog is going to host more than that...haha!

4.  Real Estate - I sell it....I love it!  I LOVE finding a bargain of a house in a sweet neighborhood and showing the world!  I tend to take my thriftiness into my real estate.  I can see the GOOD in most any home.  There is USUALLY potential and I love that I can see past the yuck and see the gem.  I will probably post pictures of homes I love and deals I find in our area.

So like I said, it will be a smorgasbord (hey, that's a real word...I just googled it) of info, hopefully mostly about painting, decorating, furniture, crafty crap and deals.  Wish me luck!

xoxo