Cannibal carvings

Pumpkin carving is sadly not my husband’s favorite thing (by far) but this year he was actually willing to pick in and have a little creative moment with me (ok, so I begged him to help... but he gave in so that's something : P). This year I got a bit of inspiration from some stuff I found on pinterest (aka the DIY addicts site).



Source: Uploaded by user via Ashleigh on

Pinterest

We weren't so sure about the idea of have a little pumpkin in the mouth so we came up with the idea of the little pumpkin sitting next to the bigger one.

 To make the whole scene we made it so that the larger pumpkin foaming at the mouth and sort of looking at the little one as if to say " I will eat you"!

 We thought it would be funny to make the little one have more of a cartoony/ innocent face and looking up at the rabies induced cannibal with wide eyes and screaming (I know, we're so twisted sometimes).

Hope you like them, and happy harvest!

snakes and blood and spiders oh my!

In preparation for the season I decided to create a little table scape. Which, with the exception of the pumpkin, was completely free stuff I all ready had or made of stuff I already had!

See that black thing? If you can't tell, its a spider.



A spider that the Hubby made out of wire hangers ( We're not exactly wire hanger kind of people so I was happy to see them go) that I then sprayed with some black spray paint we had around. And while My babe was doing that... I was doing this

Ok, so we know who has the wire crafting jeans in the family :P But in my defense, that wire was really tough to work with! I also made these  bleeding candles with the half-a-candle from when I made my fall wreath and anther one I got at the same time just in case one wasn't enough.

All I did was burn the candles for a little bit to make them looked used and a little older. Then I dripped a bit of red wax (from another candle I already had) on the tops of them to make them look like they were bleeding. Of course I played with photo shop a little to make them look spookier but they look great even without the ambiance.

Other then adding a few leaves, a tray, and a strip of burlap, that's it!

Have any of you jumped in the fall spirit and created a table scape? What about any fun fall crafts? Have any one been bettered out on a craft by a spouse or friend but it wall worked out in the in? Who's ready for some of there kids candy!? Or are you just chilling out at a harvest party this year or having a howl of a night (pun intended) with a bunch of friends over?

Homearamathona

During the weekend Hubby and I went on a little adventure... house viewing! We, unfortunately, weren't looking for our first home (which is happening soon ;D ) no, we were viewing this years lovely homearama home that were down in Suffolk, VA.  Me and my mother go every year and it is so nice to be able to just hang out with family and to be able to bring the hubby. There is just so much inspiration in the homes; and, although a lot of them were painted boring dull tan on the inside, they still had a lot of good idea that me and my man grabbed in photos for our future home. I took quite a bit of photos so here's a few for you all to enjoy... (warring, photo dump ahead)



We just loved the rustic look of this table and think its a awesome idea for outdoor furniture... nothing says laid back like rustic wood!

This is SO a do-it-yourself project in the making... if I can get my hands on a bunch of drift wood and a little mirror... what do you thing?

This is another awesome DIY project that I'm so going to do! Its a napkin ring that I though looked like coral.

How cute is this little guy. I could also totally see him spray painted white ( I hate admitting that because my Darling says I have a white spray paint addiction).

This is yet another great DIY idea... if you know how to sew. You can actually buy a pillow case that has a center strip like this one and then sew what ever type of beads your heart desires. Personally, I like these kinds of beads but maybe on a burlap pillow. Can you tell I'm ambitious to DIY any and everything possible... hey, the way I look at it, its cheaper, fun, and creates a since of pride and memories; so why not! :)

The Hubby actually like this outdoor love seat! which if you know my sweetie, getting him to like anything wicker is like pulling teeth out of a crocodile! hopefully when we get a house we can find one just like this. :P

I'm not sure what it is about these adorable little critters. Something about them is just so darn charming!

Of course I had to take a photo of a few birds. Its like every house we went in John had to say " Oh look, the put a bird on it". i should have NEVER shown him this video! but, alas, I do love birds -.-.

How cute is this faucet handle!? I told the Hubby it reminded me of Micky mouse's cloves. Doesn't it!?

Here's one more DIY idea just to finish things off. Well, that's if folks. Hope this got your creative and design juices flowing... it sure did for me. Now get off the computer and go have some creative fun! ;)

how did you all spend your weekend? Did anyone else go to homearama? ( other then you... mom) If so what were you inspired by? Did anyone conquer a DIY project over the weekend? or did you just hang out with the ones you love and soak in some of that beautiful fall air? Hope you all had lots of fun!





pinundrum to posted!

Oh boy do I have a treat for y'all! I'm taking the pinterest challenge that going on at Bower Power, Young House Love, Ana White, and House of Earnest. Oh yes, I'm sure these ladies will have me beat with pinning awesomeness but even the littlest fish in the sea have their moments... at least I'd like to think so. So jump on the band wagon if you have a blog.... you know you want to . And show us how you took your pinundrum and turned it into something totally you! ( Pinterest didn't do anything to deserve this post other then being created and inspiring me to get off my computer and live life... oh.. and make fun/cool/ life improving stuff! ) And just because these two girly's make me laugh-so-hard-I-feel-nervous I wanted to post ( I stole it from sweet Kate ... hope you don't mind doll ) this so you can all join in on some nervous awkward laughing too! aren't I a sweetie.

It’s Back! The Pinterest Challenge was such a fun motivator for all of us this past summer and so we thought it would be a good way to get a proverbial autumn bonfire under our rears to get something done this fall!

This time we have a few new hosts joining Sherry (of Young House Love fame) and me - so let’s make sure to show them some love – group smooches goes to Ana of Ana-white.com and Erin of House of Earnest!
Yup – this time around it looks like a brunette brigade…and if you don’t have these three gorgeous girls in your reader, well, you are missing out. Get on that. Like now. Like yesterday. Like 1981.

And for anyone that missed the Pinterest Challenge last time – here’s what’s what:
We all heart Pinterest. We pin inspiration all the time. Stuff we want to try to make ourselves but before the DIY train leaves the depot, it gets stuck on our boards and never gets done. So this is a public challenge. One that gives us a steel-toed-boot-in-the-derriere to make our pins come to life. We are planning on posting our completed projects in one week – on Wednesday, November 2nd. And you are very welcome to join in on the fun.
Here’s how you bloggers can play along:

• Like the wacky photos said – pick your Pinspiration project. Do it. Blog about it. Celebrate!
• In your blog post, we ask pretty please for everyone to share the link love! Link to the Pinterest item, the ORIGINAL source of the inspiration photo on Pinterest, and it would be soo nice if you also linked to the four Pinterest Challenge hosts above (you have no idea how much we appreciate the linkage love too!)
• Linky Party at the Bower House! Each host has the option to linky party - so if you blogged about your project, link up with us too so that we can all see your completed projects and we can share it to our readers.
• Have fun! No matter what the project is – it can be small, big, super-sized, seasonal, decorative, cooking, crafty – anything goes…just as long as it “Pinned then Spinned” you can consider us fans! 

Fall Leaf Wreath

Over the last few days I have been working on a little project.

The amazing thing is, that I got all my supplies for this at the dollar tree! ( no, they didn't pay me or compinsate me in any way to say that, there just cheap and awsome so they get a cool shout out )

The only thing I didn't get from there was an extra pack of hot glue sticks because I ran out of the stuff I had. Everything els I had at home or got at the Dollar tree. :)

The leaves I just picked up from around our apartments and picked off from a tree that I really liked. Don't you just love Gods free art?!

So, lets get to the fun part... making one!

You will need: a double boiler (I made one using two sauce pots) a hot glue gun, an old t-shit, one Styrofoam wreath, one to two white candle sticks, essential oils (optional), thumb tacks (optional) and scissors.

•  heat water in the lower double boiler just until the water boils.
• cut off a piece of your candle and drop it into the top part of your double boiler ( you can also lite it and drip the wax into the double boiler but this takes longer). Once the wax has melted off, remove the string with a fork. DO NOT LET THE WAX BOIL! (this is were you can add your essential oil if you like so that your wreath will have a nice scent)
• take a leaf and coat its entirety with wax. I held my by the stem to do this. By coating the leaves, they will hold their color for a much longer time so you can save your wreath for years to come!
• Once you have coated all your leaves and have let them dry, you can start pining the leaves onto the wreath were ever you like. make sure to cover all the wreath so no foam shows through.

(sorry the hubby didn't know how to use the zoom.. hope you understood that )

• Hot glue all the leaves down. I found out later that the tacks help hold thing in place when I hot glue them down but without hot glue, the fall out.
• When all your leaves are on you can cut your spare t-shit into strips like I did Here and make them into what ever you like. (here's a great tutorial for making rosettes, and here's one for ruffle rosettes). I made a bow to keep it easy and simple but have fun with it, let your creative side wonder.
• On the back, tack a long strip of fabric ( I used more from the shirt but you can use something else to give it a little more flair if you have it around) down with your thumb tacks and hot glue over it to keep it nice and snug.
• Hang it up and your done! happy fall!

Now for the linguistics; this entire project cost me $7 ! the break down?
       $1 wreath
       $1 candle
       $1 thumb tacks
       $0 leaves
       $0 t-shirt
  +   $4 hot glue sticks
____________________
       seven buckaroos!

Creole and Deals

Projects, Projects, Projects. That's the key word for this week. Me and the hubby are jumping in on so many fun and exiting things this week and I can't wait to share them all with you as we go. But, first I want to share what we did this weekend! Saturday was full of shopping, exploring, and hanging out with my main squeeze. You see, we had planes to go on a ghost walking tour of a historic area but it turned out that all the tickets are pre-sold and boy were they pre-sold out! Because we couldn't do that, we decided to hang out at main street Manassas for a little bit and grab a bite for lunch. There are so many great restaurant there and I can't wait to try them all once we move closer to Johns work.

 The one we picked to try this time was a little creole place that had the best chicken cordon-blue I have ever tasted. Infact, it went so fast, these are the only photos I got of our food.

It was so unique the way they served it to. The chicken was fried in a creole batter and served with smoked ham and this amazing cheesy corn hash. Of course Hubby, who loves spice food, got there seafood gumbo which was surprisingly really good too; and my amazing hubby cam up with the idea of dipping the fried chicken in the gumbo before eating it and that, my friends, was worth every dime.  When we were done chowing down we headed out to a few antique shops were we found these great digs!

I actually picked up those gloves (which are super light FYI) and hit my poor Darling with one, like in the old movies ( not hard) I don't know why but I have always wanted to do that :P and My man was such a good sport... he bought them for me ! XD They were actually owned by a 80 year old women who had a whole collection of them from the 30's that she used as driving gloves for going out. how awesome is that! On top of that we picked up this sweet treat.

I actually found this along with three more at a little antique shop near our home (the only one near us) and just had to have it for our kitchen. I'm not sure if its actually an antique because anyone can make a rag rug if you know what your doing but I don't mind if its newer. I love how the colors make it friendly for any room in our house ( though its going in our kitchen) and it gose with our future color scheme!
Once we were all antiqued-out we decided to get our creative juices flowing; and headed over to Micheal's for some project goodies. We picked up some spray paint for a little project that I'm working on now (more on that later) and a few supplies for a project I already had going. ( I ran out of glue sticks :P ). I can't wait to share them both with you all soon... who knows, I might have one up later today! I'll also have some great photos and a post up on what we were up to on Sunday!

So how did you guys spend your Saturday? did anyone get to go on a walking tour? jealous! how about and shoppers? did you find something amazing like we did here or just something to add a little more of that special touch to your home? anyone one get a cute piece of clothing you just can't wait to wear? how about any weekend projector?

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

Fall days are getting colder and it has come that time for warm comfort food, colorful walks though the woods all bundled up in scarves, and hot coco! So here I am with a great recipe for pumpkin whit hot chocolate <3.
This original recipe comes can be seen here. I actually found it on pinterest and just loved the idea of white hot chocolate so I made it! The actual recipe calls for 4 oz of white chocolate but I found that this didn't quite give me the chocolaty flavor I was personally looking for so I used 9 oz (one and a half 6 oz bars).  If you really want that pumpkin/ fall flavor then you might like to keep with the original recipe but for all you white chocolate lovers, here's my adapted recipe.

You will need: a medium sauce pan, a whisk, and a soup ladle (optional).

• 3 Cups whole milk
• 1 Cup canned pumpkin puree (warning... this is NOT the whole can)
• 1 T Spoon cinnamon
• 1/8 T Spoon Fresh grated ginger or 1/4 T spoon dried ginger
• 1/8 T Spoon ground cloves
• 1/8 T Spoon ground nutmeg
• 1 T Spoon vanilla extract
• 9 oz white chocolate
• a pinch of salt
• Whipped cream (optional)

1. Heat the milk and pumpkin puree over medium low heat just until it starts to simmer. Whisk to combined. Add in the spices and whisk well.
2. Add in the chocolate and whisk until it is all melted.
3. pore ( or  ladle) into mugs and serve with whipped cream (optional)

Happy fall !

Keeping with the System

Remember back at this post were I talked about us packing? Well I thought I would share with all you lovely people how we handle the organizing aspect of the whole shebang.

Of course the first step was to start packing and to set up a system. For the system I used a number and letter key to describe each box and were in the house it belongs.

 The letters describe were (for example, L for living room, D for dinning room and so on), and the numbers described what was in it like L1 would have decor for the living room in it. On a sheet of paper I wrote what each letter/number box has in it so we can unpack things by their impotence.

Because I sure would hate to unpack my flute when I need toilet paper! So for us having a system like this seems to work best. Hope that this was helpful for you all. Is anyone else starting to pack up and move? how about packing up all your summer stuff in exchange for fall and winter digs? have you ever had one of those unfortunate times were you unpacked just about every box and still couldn't find the one thing you needed? errg I hate that! Anyone one else have a nifty system they use for packing? I'd just love to hear about it. ♥

Something Old

So who doesn't love spending all there weekend hanging out around old stuff and doing crafts all day? No we didn't visit a retirement home OR my grandparents house. Though, both of those, for the recorded, would have been equally as cool as antiquing all day! Yep, we totally drove half an hour to old town Manassas just to go to some new-to-us antique shops and it was great!

Photo by: Mattew Wangrycht

It was actually completely worth the drive if for no other reason, that we got to hang out together and get loads of inspiration. So here I am giving back a little inspiration and just a taste of all the great finds we found. ;)

This one I SOOOO wanted but the Hubby turned his nose up at the slight discoloration between the lid and the tin. I guess hes right that if the lid doesn't mach you never know what was in the tin before the lid read pretzels. After all, we did find a cute wooden contender that I didn't happen to snap a photo of that was super cute but turned out to be a children's toilet bowl holder. umm yeah, eww. This next one I just loved to pieces (no pun intended)

But with a $65 price tag I had to say no. I know that's not bad for a quilt ( and this one was made well too), call me cheap but I just couldn't see myself spending that much on something that I could make for the same amount, if not cheaper. So, even though the colors were amazing it just wasn't meant to be.

I loved the look and ageing of this rack. I wanted to get it and hang it on the wall in the bathroom for towels. What I found even quainter is that it was the siding of an old crib! unfortunately My darling Husband would have none of it. He hated the rustiness of it and said that we should find a newer one :P. I do agree that no one wants rust on their towels and at $45 I suppose hes right that we could find a cheaper one so I let it go. Here is a closer look at the gorgeous detail on it... sorry its blurry.

Hubby and I almost bough this but because we don't have an actual house yet we decided we could either A. get it later if its still there or B. find one like it. either way, something like this WILL be in my future house! The idea of a corner cabinet is just so genius and charming but sadly seems lost to my generation. I say this is its come back time! Yeah, I can start a trend.... watch me! :P

You do kinda have to look past the clutter to see the glory of it but it truly was something in person. It was so simple but full of so much charm and potently it was crazy! I can see it now, lined with wall paper on the back wood slats and some shade of sweet pale yellow painted on the inner doors. mmm. that makes me kinda salivate. but for real, I WILL own one of these! And if corner cabinets aren't what get your knees-a-shaken maybe something like this adorable train set would.

I could totally see little Olly getting a dig out of these. there is just something about antique toys that you just can't get in mass produced, manufactured toys now day (and I don't mean lead paint 0.o ). Sadly, we didn't walk away with any other these great finds. No, instead we got this...

Which kicks the butt of ALL the other things we found! Why? because we have been looking for a antique chair like this seance Hubby and I got married a year ago! Now its not that hard to find this style of chair but to find one in a reasonable price and this style and in good condition is a completely different story. The amazing thing is that the original price on this sweetie was actually around the same price of ones I have found on cregslist and at other antique shops. We were blessed that the shop was going out of business (q.q because we loved it and just found out about it) and so everything was on sale and the owner was super willing to bargain! This was the price tag...

Even after it being half off we got to haggle the price down to $150 instead which was awesome because the chair was being sold by anther person and the owner said what ever about her price so he could get rid of it and we could get a good deal! So, although we only walked away with one item, we had a blass window shopping and got an amazing deal on something we truly have been wanting instead of spending willy nilly.  I can't wait to read more books about reupholstering ( I hear its not that hard if you fallow directions well and learn first) and get my hand on this new project of mine and my Darlings!
So how did you all spend your weekend? Have you ever gotten a great deal on something or had the thrill of haggling something down to a great price? How may antiques are out there.. would love to share finds. Anyone one how how to reupholster a chair like this?