No Sew Halloween Costume

I like to make some or all of the kids costumes when I can. This can be tricky if they choose something challenging or when they are changing their minds every few days. I have learned to wait until I get really close to the Halloween before I purchase any supplies. This year my son (3 yr.) started off saying he wanted to be Buzz Light-year. That is what he went as last year and I’m not so sure he understood that he could be something different. Then he said he would be a fireman. Great. We have a hat in the dress up box and his coat has some bright yellow on it so we’re most of the way there.

Then he said he WAS NOT going to be a fireman! Ok, now what?

I asked what he thought about a skeleton and then his face lit up with excitement.

I had an idea that was going to make this the easiest costume for Mama to make.
Wooo Hooo!!!!

I already had all the supplies I needed.


Black pants and a black T-shirt. Already had those items in the dresser.
A sheet of craft foam. Had a large enough piece left from a previous project. (ok, so I’m part pack-rat)
White(ish) contact paper. I had some left from lining dresser drawers and I had used this same stuff when I did the ceiling fan makeover in our bedroom. It looks a little like white/gray marble when you see the whole sheet but cut up I thought it would be perfect as a dirty bone.

I used my seam ripper to remove the pocket from the T-shirt.

I made some rough sketches of bones to use as a pattern. I first cut them out of paper and then traced them onto the back of the contact paper.

It took a little time to cut out all the bones but I sat on the living room floor and watched Jailhouse Rock while I tinkered away at the costume.

I used google images to find the outline of a skull and then traced that onto the craft foam. I cut out the eyes, nose holes and a slit for the mouth and then used a marker to draw in some details. All that is left, is to staple a piece of elastic on and the mask is all done.

I had some gloves that I found last year that have bones on them but you could use the same technique as the rest of the body if you want to. The best part is that I can peel the contact paper off after Halloween and use the pants and T-shirt again.

I think he’s going to look pretty cute.

What’s your easy last minute costume idea???

Something for the walls... part two

Several months ago I saw this new (new to me) technique to use aluminum foil to give a contemporary look to a common piece of furniture. I came across a blog (I wish I new which one) that had done this technique on a small dresser/ side table. I wanted to give it a try but on a smaller scale.

I had my eye on this tray for a few weeks and it finally got marked down and moved to the clearance section. At $4.00 I couldn’t go wrong. It was already cream but to make sure it blended with the other items in the room, I gave it a light coat of paint.


I cut several pieces of foil into various sized squares and rectangles. Then I used decoupage to adhere them (shiny side down) to the bottom of the tray. I glued a small picture hanger to the back and on the wall it went.

Hmm, I wonder what I can do this to next??????

Something for the walls...part one

After repainting the powder room I needed to also update the decorations on the walls. I held onto an idea for a while but needed the supplies and the time to put it all together.

I started an obsession over frames almost two years ago. I wanted to find some realty big frames for our family photo shoot in the park. Big enough to hold up around us while we got our picture taken. I found two while on vacation at the beach in 2010 and they worked out great. I just couldn’t stop. I kept finding frames and a new collection by surprise began.

During one of my stops at a local antique store I found this frame for $2.00.



At the time I didn’t know for sure what I would do with it but I couldn’t pass it up.

$2.00!!!!

Ok, so it needed a little love.

I removed the backing and pulled all the pins and staples out. A good sanding and a few coats of paint and it was as good as new. I sanded a few areas a little more to give it an aged look but a clean and pretty aged look.

Next, all it needed was some chicken wire. Not as easy to come by as you might think. I did find small rolls at a local hardware store but the smallest roll was $21.00. I just couldn’t justify spending that and only needing about one tenth of the roll.

Father-in-law to the rescue. We stopped in there for a quick visit on our way to the beach this past summer. (They live half way in our trip East) He has one of those Grandpa like garages that has a little of something left over from every project he has ever done. Low and behold, in the corner behind the fishing rods was a tiny roll of chicken wire!!!! Perfect! (and free)

Tacked a piece on the back of the frame and added some black wire to the top as a hanger.

Now all it needed was a few decorative clothespins. I glued strips of scrapbook paper on the clothespins and sanded the edges.

Now I can pin up cute little notes.

I saw a bunch of frames at that same antique store just yesterday…Should I go back and get them????

Just in case...

No, I didn’t forget that I have a blog. I just put a few things on the back burner for a little while. This time of year is generally busy in this house. This year is especially busy. The In-laws came for a visit. I planned a family party and a kid party for my now eight year old. (Not sure what’s easier to cope with… Hosting my Family or 9 little girls). And on top of that I’m working like a fiend to get ready for a vendor show this weekend. You know, for that little jewelry business I have.

Anyway, since I have re-prioritized temporarily, I need to delegate a few tasks. So if you should happen to be here helping out, there are a few things you might need to know to make life easier.

If you run the dishwasher, you need to twist the door to the right then push down on that side before you close the door. Then you have a 50/50 chance that it won’t leak while it’s running. Watch out for water on the floor when it’s done. My cute little blonde butterfly daughter fell on the opened door twice. (Nope, didn’t learn after the first time she fell)

If you need to use the oven, add at least 25 degrees to the temp you really want. Then once it’s preheated and you open it to put your stuff in you’ll need to turn it off and then back on. Make sure you hear the thermostat click on. Not sure what happened but we think it got fried during a power serge. Just a little temperamental now but it usually gets hot.

If your drive my van and it’s raining, don’t try to adjust the wipers. They started hitting each other last year and we had them “fixed” and now they do what they want. They always work but they just go at what ever speed they feel like. Unpredictable but doable.

If you need to talk to the hubby get eye contact first. You’ll have a better chance that he might really be listening. But be careful, he’ll hear the first few words and try to analyze how to fix the problem before you’re done talking so sometimes the point you’re making gets lost. Good luck.

I think that covers most of the quirks here.

Do you have any funny little quirks that you’re dealing with in your daily life? I’d love to know I’m not alone.

A quote to live by

Several years ago I lost a very dear friend. He was the husband to one of my most special friends and a very extraordinary man. At the funeral there was a line out the door for three hours straight, filled with people who admired and loved him. At the church one of his favorite quotes was read. Ever since then, I’ve had a copy of that quote in my wallet. I occasionally read it and wonder if I am living up to that standard. In difficult situations I sometimes wonder to myself “How would Ed handle this?”

When I revised my photo gallery wall, I made sure to add a framed copy of this quote….

“To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)


Do you have a quote that mean something special to you???

Back to Reality

I know I’ve been absent for a few weeks. The chaos of daily life hit hard a few days before leaving for vacation. I had planed on getting a few things done before going but time moved on despite my protest. So there was no updated blog post, no auto-reply set on my e-mail, no new photo for my face book page… Oh well, shame on me. I did miss hopping around the blog world and commenting on your blogs. I hope to get to you soon!!!!

We had a great time at the beach. We went to stay at my friend’s place. (The same place we visited last year). Thank goodness for people like her. The kids loved the ocean. My oldest has just recently learned to swim and was thrilled to be capable in the water this year. My perceptually challenged child was able to walk a straight line this year and not tilt over as the tide went in and out. My little man had a blast in the world’s largest sand box. I even had fun joining in on the sandcastle building.

You truly get a sense of how big the beach and the ocean is when you are watch three little people. Not the most relaxing time I’ve had at the beach but at the end of the day… F.U. N.

But wait…

What’s that you say…

I’m just now starting to get back in the swing of our regular routine and here we are looking at the last day before school starts.

Thankfully I washed the uniforms, bought new school shoes, and organized school supplies in the new backpacks before we went on vacation. Whew.

Here and here are few ideas on making the back to school transition a little smoother.

How’s the end of summer going for you????

Photo Gallery

This spring the entry hall into my house was on the list for rooms to be painted. After it got a fresh new color it was time to put the pictures back on the wall. I made a few changes from what had been there before we painted. I added a few new pictures and I pulled out some old photos and got them framed. I also framed a quote I like and hung a few skeleton keys for a little added interest.

To get everything back on the wall and make sure it looked balanced without making too many holes, I mapped things out first.

I traced each of my frames onto pieces of paper and then started taping them to the wall. This way I could move them around until I liked the way it looked. It was like shuffling pieces of a puzzle to get the right fit. After the paper pieces were lined up just right we started replacing them one by one with the framed photos.

I’m real happy with the way they turned out and I love looking at all the memories.