Our Halloween T-Shirts

Today I saw a sign that said,

"If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done."

I would really get along with whoever came up with that one.

While the kiddos were napping this afternoon, I did a little last-minute crafting so the hubbo and I would have something festive to wear over the Halloween weekend.

Mine:

So easy--I just sewed ribbons on a tee.

His:

He actually said this to me at lunch today--and I made him run me over to Wal-Mart while we were out so I could stencil his witty little remark onto a t-shirt.

I think he was wishing he'd kept his big mouth shut. Ha!

MY 1ST GIVEAWAY is coming up on Monday morning.

Be there, baby.

Ooh... I'm so excited!

Happy Teddy Bear Costume

He's a ferocious beast...

ready to pounce on his unsuspecting prey...

and completely overpower the weaker species with...

cuddles and drool.

Happy First Halloween, Baby Boy.

I could just eat you up.

**********

PS: My mom did a beautiful job crocheting his little bear hat using and adjusting this free pattern found at SandyFrogLegs. That's a red felt heart I hand-stitched onto his onesie.

How To Remove Your Popcorn Ceiling (and a Zoolander plug)

Can we all agree on something?

Good popcorn:

Bad popcorn:

Good. Very good:

Bad. Very bad:

We recently bought a fixer-upper and those suckers had to go before we moved in--which was yesterday, by the way.

Let me tell you that going from a popcorn to a nice orange peel ceiling made our 1983 house look at least 20 years newer--without doing anything else!

Don't get me wrong, there's PLENTY left to do.

Retexturing is not easy. I won't lie.

It IS worth it.

1. Cover everything! When that junk comes down, it's a nasty mess. For reals.

2. Wear goggles and a mask. You don't want the black lung, Pop.

3. Using a spray bottle of water, spray the ceiling in a workable area--for my husband, it was a few feet at a time. If your ceilings are painted, you will need to let the water soak in for a few minutes.

Can we pretend that's a water bottle and not a Spray N Wash bottle he found in the garage and filled with water? 

'kay, thanks.

While we're pretending, can we just say that that chainy light fixture is gone forever? 

'kay, thanks.

4. Scrape the texture off. My husband used a 6" putty knife and it worked like a champ.

I told you it was a mess. Those countertops are going, too, my friend.
Oh. Yes. They. Are.

**You could stop here, brushing off any residue, then paint.**

We're crazy. We believe hard work is its own virtue, so we went ahead and retextured, too, using a friend's hopper gun connected to an air compressor and boxed joint compound.

Next time (there will never be a next time), we'll skip that last part.

All done:



If you want to keep your chainy light fixtures, feel free to remove them first.

Davy Crockett Treat Bucket

My little guy is going to be Davy Crockett for Halloween this year. 

See his easy-peasy, no-sew costume here.

Well, no self-respecting candy-hunter would even consider trick-or-treating without a fringed, coon-skin treat bucket! 

I have paint buckets-o-plenty lately (updates on our home reno coming soon), so I picked up a little faux suede and hot-glued it on. The fringe was a remnant that I cut myself and the handle was covered with a 2" piece of faux fur.

Are your kids' costumes ready?

I'd love to hear about your creative ideas!

Homemade Cleaning Products: Disinfectant

When my oldest son was about 6 months old, he developed eczema.

In an effort to control outbreaks, I started rethinking the chemicals I was using in our home.

Now, almost all of the store-bought cleaners we thought we needed in order to keep our home clean have been replaced by safer, cheaper, homemade alternatives.

I thought I'd share with you my most-used, go-to cleaner for surfaces and sinks.

To make:

Add 2 t. Borax and 4 T. vinegar to 3 cups hot water. For stronger cleaning power, add 1/4 t. liquid castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's from the health food store). Pour into a spray bottle and use like any other disinfectant.

Chocolate-Dipped Twinkie Mummies

These are dangerous.

And completely irresistible.

And definitely not carrot sticks.

Consider yourself warned.

Start with a box of Twinkies (which normally contains 10, but somehow, we only had 6 in our box--now how did that happen? LOL).

Insert craft sticks and freeze them for about an hour. This helps with the dipping later.

Melt a package of chocolate chips and dip the Twinkies in, spreading the chocolate evenly.

Place them back in the freezer while you melt a package of white baking pieces.

Pour your melted white chocolate into a baggie and pipe strips on your Twinkies using a flat tip.

Add eyes with icing or candy.



You can eat your mummies cold, but they are So YuMmY at room temp.



Happy Halloween!

Linked to:

Craftaholics Anonymous

Gummy Worm Slushy

It's Tuesday....

GLEE night!

I love the music on that show so, so much.

In honor of Glee and slushies and Halloween and hot weather in October (crank up the AC, honey!)...

Gummy Worm Slushy

1. Fill an ice cube tray with gummy worms and Sprite. 
2. Freeze. 
3. Dump wormy ice cubes in a pitcher and fill with equal parts Sprite and Orange Peach Mango juice.
4. Place the pitcher in the freezer and stir every 20 minutes or so until it's slushy.
5. Share with your family if you're feeling generous. Or drink alone. I won't tell.

Adult Costume Ideas

My husband and I go to a couples Halloween party every year. This year, I'm still a little clueless as to how we'll dress up.

And it's on SATURDAY! Oh mercy.

I do know that our costumes will need to be: easy and cheap (or free!).

Maybe we'll each carry a mustache on a stick and call it a night!

In case you're also in need of inspiration for this year, I thought I'd share two of my favorite couples costume ideas from years past.

Dorothy and The Yellow Brick Road:

80s Girl and Weekend at Bernie's (It was an 80s theme party that year.): What you can't see are my red Keds. And doesn't my husband totally look the part of the old dead guy? Scary.

White Fudge "Dice" for Game Night

The girls recently got together for BUNCO-- no men or kids allowed.

I brought white fudge "dice" and they were a hit!

Want to make some for your next game night?

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white baking pieces
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. orange extract
• mini chocolate chips for dots

Directions:

1. Spray an 9x9x 2" baking pan with non-stick spray. 
2. In a heavy saucepan, cook and stir white baking pieces and sweetened condensed milk over low heat just until pieces melt and mixture is smooth. Remove saucepan from heat.
3. Stir in extracts.
4. Spread fudge evenly in the prepared pan. Score into 1" pieces.
5. Cover and chill for about 2 hours or until firm. Chill chocolate chips as well.
6. Cut into 1" cubes.
7. Working quickly and with cold hands, press chocolate chips into the "dice." I worked in batches because the fudge and chips get soft fast.

Inspiration for the Playroom

I should be packing, not picking paint colors, but the boys are asleep--at the SAME TIME (does it get any better than that?)-- and I NEED to think about the playroom.

Here's what I love:

The symmetry and order in this room are perfect. I love everything about it.

Oh stop! Animals on the walls-- it's so stinking cute I can't stand it.

I wonder if the hubs can make me the boys a corner shelf / double-window seat unit? 

Honey, are you reading this? I know your to-do list is considerable, but I think the boys need this for their educational development. 

Somehow. 

A giant map on the wall... The former teacher in me is fainting right now.

Who thought up chalkboard paint? You are a genius, and I bet you're a parent, aren't you?

The closet doors-- what a clever use of space. 

* * * * * * * * * * 

Okay, the empty cardboard boxes are calling me: 

"Walk away from the computer, Erin, and fill us up with stuff." 

I hear you. I hear you.

Until next time, America,

Monogram Bookmark

If you're an early bird, plan-ahead kind of girl just like me (ha--yeah right), and thinking about Christmas gifts, here's a sweet idea for the kids' teachers or a girlfriend who likes to read.

Make a lovely, personalized bookmark.

If you are giving a book or journal, wrap it up in brown craft paper and attach the bookmark to the front in place of a bow. How cute is that?

Or slip it into a birthday card, which is what I did.

Simply:

1. Glue scrapbook embellishments to the front of a large button. 
2. Cut several pieces of ribbon the same length and glue to the back of the button.
3. Seal the ribbon edges with an open flame (lighter) to prevent fraying.