Halloween Laboratory

I was never much of a Halloween person, Christmas has always been my favorite holiday to decorate for.  Last year, however, I decided I'd have a get together in October.  Once I got going with ideas, I was hooked.  There was no limit to the things I could make and my creativity went into overdrive.  

I was going for a "mad scientist laboratory" look.  Most of the specimens I used were toys the boys had.  The awesome tentacles meant for your fingers we picked up at Archie McPhee's for Ronan on his Birthday.  The syringes were from their Doctor Dreadful kit.

I served shrimp cocktail, mini quiche, and baked potato soup

For drinks I made a kiwi punch/cocktail you can find here and poured the mix into test tube shooters. I also made a kid-friendly version for the little scamps.  I made labels and added them to simple black plastic cups, a fun way for everyone to keep track of their drinks.

The kids loved the fun names for the baked potato soup toppings.

The boys were nice enough to loan me their electric light for the day to jazz up the lab theme.

My inspiration and ideas:

• Martha's Mouse Motel Pumpkin
• Martha's Coffin Treat Boxes
• Canned Monstrosities

The Cat's Meow

Since the weather has warmed up I've been making the back deck more user friendly.  Every thrift and antique store we've visited, there has been some neat little something that I simply had to add to the catio project.  I had to finally call it a day or I'd be bordering on hoarder.  You can check out the catio's humble beginnings on my previous post, My Catnip Dream and Stretching my Sea Legs & Creative Muscles.  There are plenty of places for the ladies to climb, jump and lounge (mostly lounge).  I love jazzing up outdoor spaces more than inside, and this is definitely my favorite spot we have now.

This planter I snagged at a rummage sale for $5 was easily turned into a table with room for storage using a beveled mirror for the top and adding casters for easy movement.

Craig had a hard time when he came home to a ladder on the deck, but it has proven to be a great place to hang plants and Sara loves using it to get a better view of her feathered friends.

I couldn't pass on the glass floats from my two favorite places, Not Just Antiques in downtown Bothell and Nasty Jacks Antiques in La Conner.  We also picked up the great strand of floats that goes all the way around the top of the catio at Nasty Jacks for only $25!

Some silly goose threw out two deep fryer baskets, which I quickly scooped up and made into planters for Irish Moss.  I also repurposed a chicken feeder and paint pan into planters.

 Craig and I set out July 4th in search of new antique stores and besides getting caught in a parade, had a great time.   I thought this old lantern we found was neat, except upon getting it home found out it wasn't very old.  It actually had wiring in it for a bulb, but someone had snipped the cord.  I removed that nonsense and squeezed another glass float inside.  

Sara has the right idea...she's got an issue of Flea Market Style! 

I love enjoying the nice weather on our eclectic deck with the ladies, now what to do with all of it once the rain sets in...

Special Ideas for Mum

Image: 25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6ampdMVDe1qb499jo1_1280.jpg

My mum is the most amazing woman I know.  She worked, went to school and made many sacrifices to provide the best life possible for my brother, sister & I.  She taught me morals and to respect myself and others.  She took in people that were in a bad situation and would give others more than she had.  She is the most caring and selfless person I know.  I'm so thankful for her and everything she has done and continues to do.

 Many holidays may seem like money makers, but looking back at how our mothers have molded us into the people we are, I think this is truly one of the important ones.  We need to show these amazing women we appreciate them, for without them, we would not be.

It can be difficult trying to find that perfect gift so I've come up with some ideas that may help (men take note...you're welcome.)

Flowers

A fragrant bouquet of flowers is always nice.  What would be even nicer, is taking her to a flower farm.  You can enjoy a walk together, choosing and clipping her favorites to make her own bouquet.  Search for farms in your local area and make a day of it.  For the mom who loves the outdoors you could even take a nature hike and collect wild flowers together.  The thought of planning something like this would melt her heart.

Spa  

You can get her a gift certificate for a nice massage or pedicure at a local spa.  Or, because some can be quite spendy, create your own at home.  Buy some foot salts & lotion, fill a bin or tupperware with warm water and give her a great foot rub.  This would be especially sweet for the little ones to do, I know I would melt if my boys planned this.

Outing

Take mom to one of her favorite spots.  If she loves animals, take her to the zoo or aquarium.  If she loves the water, take her to a beach (collecting shells & sea glass is one of my faves) or lake.  Pack a picnic so she doesn't have to worry about a thing and spend the day doing what she loves.  

Shopping

Give mom a gift certificate to her favorite place to shop.  It could be a boutique or consignment shop or for home decor like Pier 1, whatever she's into.   Moms do so much for others it's nice when they can buy a little something for themselves guilt free.  Make sure she has time alone when she plans on using her card so she can shop stress free and take her time browsing and trying things on.

Homemade

Something from the heart is always wonderful no matter what the occasion.  If you're not super crafty, you can find a great saying or poem and hand write it or type it and have it framed.  I found a wonderful poem one year for my mom, it brought tears to her eyes...mission accomplished.  

Pampered

Another great idea for a gift certificate is to a salon.  Every lady loves to have a fresh haircut, you just feel so pretty when you leave that seat.  If she's not in need of a cut, she can just get a blow out.  Having someone do your hair is a treat, especially when it takes 30+ min. to do it at home like mine.  

A day off

Take care of everything she would normally have to handle.  Having a day we don't have to worry about a spat between the kids or fixing dinner is literally the best ever.  There are so many stresses and responsibilities moms take on, give her just this one day out of the whole year where she doesn't have to lift a finger.  Even though it's Mother's Day, doesn't mean we necessarily need to spend the whole day being a mother.  Maybe you can plan an outing for her with the girls so she can have some away time.

Hopefully these gave you a few ideas to make mom's day special.  

Stretching My Sea Legs & Creative Muscles

I haven't posted in far too long.  I was busy interviewing for a new position...and then preparing for my first day because I landed the job!  After things settled a little, I started getting antsy for a project.  

I found a great old ladder beside our place lost and without a purpose, lying in the grass.  I scooped that little sucker up to give him a new life (actually big sucker, about 13' long, and really I awkwardly bumbled around with it until I coerced it onto our back deck).  Anyhow, I knew it would be perfect for hanging treasures from.  The trouble was, what treasures?  I decided I wanted a little ambiance back there and set about figuring out a way to hang votives for tea lights.  

Using some extra rope from a toy hammock I dismantled, I created mini nets for each votive to rest in.    Once I had one done, it was a cinch to whip through the others.  I have a step-by-step towards the bottom for making these hanging nets.  

The mini nets were very nautical to me, and I still had the rest of the toy hammock, so my vision just grew from there.  I soaked the toy hammock in coffee for a bit to tone down the bright white then hung it from the top of the ladder on down the rungs. 

I also snaked some rope from the top down the back, knotting at each rung, and attached some beach finds.  

  

It's so pretty at night, I love lighting it up and enjoying my little bunk.  

 I'll be working full time so I may not post as often as I'd like, but you can bet your buttons I will  still squeeze in projects some how because I get all jittery when I don't stretch my creative muscles.  

Step-by-step for hanging nets

Depending on what you plan to hang you'll want to adjust the space between your knots.  You can knot your stands around a plant ring or similar at the top, and use S hooks or plant hooks to hang your votives or jars.  I used what I had on hand, some old shower hooks I no longer use.  This would also work great with wire, you would just twist the wire at the points you would knot.

Miniature Wonderland

I had everything all planned out for Easter down at my grandma's.  We were going to arrive about an hour early so I could put together and cook the quiche.  Once those puppies were in the oven safe & sound, I was going to dress up the table just in time for everyone to arrive.  I had the vision in my head and it was going to be amazing.  Things didn't go quite as I had planned however...

We made a pit stop half way down at a gas station and were in and out in a jiffy, ready to hit the road for the home stretch.  When Craig unlocked the car door it bent the key a little and as he was trying to bend it back into place, the tip broke right off!  We couldn't start the car and were stuck with all the ingredients for the quiche, which was to be the main course at our brunch, and all the eggs for our great hunt.  While Craig was in the gas station trying to glue, tape and use telepathy to get those two pieces back together, I was calling my mom for help.  We ended up calling AAA to bail us out by sending a locksmith who cut us a new key.  So, needless to say, we were two hours late for the much anticipated Easter brunch.  I had to whip through the quiches like a mad woman and throw together my carefully thought out table decor.  I was bummed it didn't turn out quite as I had envisioned.

  I've had a hard time letting go so I set up the tablescape here at home to recreate what I had planned.  I was wandering around my neighborhood snipping branches, uprooting plants and piling clods of moss into my arms...I'm sure it was quite a site for my neighbors.  I captured the pictures I wanted though, and can finally let it go...enjoy.


I used mercury glass votives and glass bottles I've saved for the plants, branches and flowers.  The grapevine sphere I made from a wreath I had taken apart from a previous project.  I won't include a how-to for the sphere because it was just nonsense trying to reconfigure the grapevine, I suggest purchasing premade spheres from your local craft or home decor store.

The mushrooms I made from styrofoam and can be found on my au naturale post, along with the vase containing the branches and nests and mini terrarium inside the butter dish.

I purchased the long strip of moss, bright green moss, mini eggs, butterflies and lady bugs from Hobby Lobby.  The moss clumps and other greenery were courtesy of the great outdoors.

I used a metal paint trough to hold the tea lights and just filled in moss around the votives.

After all is said and done, I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.  We now have three spare keys and will always keep one handy in the car...lesson learned.

Au Naturale

We are going to my grandparent's house this Easter for brunch and an egg hunt I'm putting together for the kids.  I'm shooting down a little early so I can jazz up the table before everyone gets there because It's what I love to do.  They live on a beautiful piece of property complete with woods and a pond, so I thought I'd make the Spring table themed around nature.  

Below is the start to my centerpiece which included a vase my lovely Executive Producer (Craig) bought me for Valentine's Day, twigs from a downed branch, a nest we found last year some mischievous critter knocked down and two small nests I grabbed some time back because I'm a compulsive buyer.  Don't mind the Nosy Nancy in the left picture, she's always in my business.  

I added some moss and feathers along with some eggs from the local craft store, and I'm loving the way it turned out.  I may see if I can snag some fresh blooms before we head down to poke in there as well, as long as I can run faster than the owner of whosever yard I will be snipping them from.

To go along with the nature inspired tablescape I  visited two craft stores in search of mushrooms and came up empty handed, so I had to figure out a way to make my own.  I ravaged through my craft supplies for something I could whittle them out of.  I had nothing that would work, but did find some styrofoam pieces inside a Pez set Ronan received as a gift.  I thought I'd give it a shot and was pleasantly surprised by the result.

Using a sharp blade I cut smaller pieces from the blocks of styrofoam, rounded the edges, slashed the underside to look like mushroom gills and attached a small piece using glue for a stem.

After painting the fungi, I placed them atop some moss inside a butter dish I scored at an antique store and added a sweet little ladybug and stone.

I'm still editing and creating my vision for the table, but will post pictures of the final product right after Easter.

Spring has Sprung

For an Easter egg hunt this year I wanted to come up with a cute idea for the baskets or bags the kids would be collecting the eggs in.  I stopped by the dollar/party store near our house in search of ideas.  I found simple paper gift bags that turned out to be a perfect blank canvas.  I also snagged some patterned paper and stickers on the cheap.  

First I traced letters from stencils I already own onto the bags and painted in the lettering.  Painting the letters was quite tedious and took a steady hand, but It's kind of relaxing to me so I didn't mind.  I then did a different theme on each using the patterned paper and stickers.  I love the bright colors and think they're neutral for either a boy or girl.  

Another Gem For The Closet

I've had this dress I picked up at a consignment shop for over three years.  I loved the tulle underneath and of course the classic black with white polka dots.  It fit pretty snug on top when I decided I couldn't live without it, but figured I'd make it work.  Well, I've never made it work.  I've grown since and needless to say, the "snug" turned into "not gonna happen".  The lower skirt section of the dress fits perfectly around my waist, so I began ripping apart yet another article of clothing to fit my needs.

  

I removed the stitching to separate the top from bottom and hemmed the edge of the waist.  

Add a white tank, belt and cardigan and I've got myself a super cute new outfit!  I actually wore it this past weekend on a venue walk through for a wedding I'm assisting with.    

Now, I don't like to waist, so I was trying to figure out what I could construct from what I had left over.  Craig had the great idea of making an apron since I don't have a single one, genius!  This project will have to wait until I have a sewing machine because I'm no master seamstress, but I have the idea of using the top from this polka dot gem, the remaining skirt from my Reconstructing The Wardrobe post,  and some pink fabric I cut from a babydoll lingerie piece that sprouted a hole.

This is the rough plan of what the apron will look like.  I'll have to get some ribbon or other fabric that will work for the neck halter and back ties, as well as figure out where to cut and how to configure this thing, but I can't wait until I can get started on it.