Thursday, October 31, 2013

Trick-or-Treat

Happy Halloween from my Ninja Turtle and Little Monster!






My Ninja Turtle with his ninja turtle pumkin



Trick-or-Treating at my old sorority, KKG

My boys being very generous handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters



Happy Halloween!

Happy Champagne Thursday!

Cheers!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Burlap Halloween and Thanksgiving Garland

I decided to make a Happy Halloween pendant to go with my more darker, skulls and crossbones Halloween decor.  As opposed to my bright and happy candy corn decor.  And while I was at it I made a Thanksgiving pendant too.  I figured burlap is pretty thanksgivingish, right?  Plus, I don't have any Thanksgiving decor and I like to have a little something for most holidays. 



What you will need for the pendant garland:

Burlap - 1 yard was enough for me
Scissors
Black Acrylic Paint
Paint Brush
Letter Stencils - Mine were 4 inch letters
Twine
Glue - I used a hot glue gun

Steps:

1.  Make a template for the pendant.  I found the largest letter I would be using, for me it was 'W' and went from there.
2.  Determine how many letters you will need.  I needed 26 for both Happy Halloween and Happy Thanksgiving, using the 'Happy' only once.   I like to write out the letters I need and then cross them out as I finish them.

H A P P Y - 5
H A L LO W E E N - 9
T H A N K S G I V I N G - 12

Total - 26

3.  Trace your template on the burlap and cut out all your pieces.
4.  Grab your stencils, black paint and brush and stencil your letters onto the burlap.
5.  Let dry and then lay out your words and glue to your twine.  Make sure to measure your twine so its long enough.
6.  Hang up and enjoy.








One week until Halloween...I don't have much time left to finish Parker's costume.

Happy Champagne Thursday!

Cheers! 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Color Block Coat Rack

I found this great coat rack at the Good Samaritan in Helena, a little over a month ago.  Everything is 50% off the first five days of the month, so I got this rack for only $6.  I love a good deal!  A similar coat rack sells for around $50 at Target.  It's a great metal, sturdy coat rack.  It had a few small scratches, so I dressed it up with a couple coats of paint.


First, I wiped down the coat rack to get any dust off.  Then I sprayed a couple, light coats of Rust-Oleum metal primer.  Next, I sprayed a few, light coats of Krylon Brushed Metallic spray paint in Satin Nickel on the upper portion of the coat rack.  It was actually very similar to the original color, but I needed to get rid of a few scratches and I wanted the top to be the same color.  Next, I taped off a section so I could spray the bottom and get a nice clean line.  Again I sprayed a few, light coats of Krylon Short Cuts spray paint in hot pink.  I removed the tape as soon as I was done with the pink to get a straight line.




The coat rack is in our guest room/office most of the time.  I thought it would be nice for our guests to have somewhere to hang a coat or clothes up, since our closet is full of other stuff.  I love it and the pink ties in nicely with my pink desk.  Plus, I can bring it downstairs when we have people over, for extra coat storage.




Happy Champagne Thursday!

Cheers!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Candy Corn Wine Bottles

I know I recently posted about my candy corn jars, but I couldn't resist making these fun candy corn champagne/wine bottles.  I like to reuse some of our champagne and wine bottles and paint them for holidays and decorations.




These were easy and done in a few quick steps.

Candy Corn Bottles

1.  Remove labels from wine, champagne or any other glass bottle.  I try to peel the label off and then soak the bottle in hot, soapy water to remove any remaining label.

2.  Spray entire bottle with white spray paint.  I used a few light coats.

3.  Spray the bottom third of the bottle with a couple light coats of yellow spray paint.  I used Valspar spray paint in Gold Abundance, from Lowes.

4. Spray middle of bottle with a couple, light coats of orange spray paint.  I used Valspar spray paint in Island Orange, from Lowes.

5.  Let dry and enjoy your candy corn bottles for Halloween.

I loved the blurred lines and how the colors blend together on the bottles.

*Always use spray paint in a well ventilated area.  I usually spray in my garage, with my the garage door and window open. 






My Fourth of July bottles are probably my favorite, but these candy corn bottles are a close second.  I've also done some Valentine bottles and some chalkboard bottles.  I am currently using the chalkboard bottles for Halloween decorations too (picture below).


Chalkboard Bottles

3 Weeks Until Halloween!  What are you doing to prepare?

Happy Champagne Thursday!

Cheers!


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Raising Awareness: A Story of Inspiration

This isn't one of my usual posts, but I wanted to share this inspiring story. Heather contacted me and asked if I would share her story with my blog readers. So please take a minute to read and watch Heather's story.
Heather is a wife, mother and a mesothelioma survivor.  When her daughter was 3 ½ months old, she was diagnosed with this rare and deadly cancer, and given 15 months to live.  Heather's prognosis was grim but she knew that she needed to beat the odds for her newborn daughter, Lily.  
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of your internal organs.  Mesothelioma is an aggressive and deadly form of cancer. Mesothelioma treatments are available, but for many people with mesothelioma, a cure is not possible.
An individual may be at risk to develop mesothelioma if he or she was exposed to asbestos in the workplace or at home. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos and the inhalation of asbestos particles. In most cases, mesothelioma symptoms will not appear in an individual exposed to asbestos until many years after the exposure has occurred.

Heather is using her personal story to help raise awareness for this little known cancer, and to provide a sense of hope for others facing life’s difficult challenges.
I clung on to hope throughout my whole journey with mesothelioma. When you have hope, it makes the battle easier.  I want people to be inspired by me, I want to make them fight; give them something to hold on to when all else fails. That is why I do it.  If I inspire one person, I've done my job. - Heather
Here is a video of Heather's story.  Please take a few minutes to watch.
Cheers to Heather and everything she is doing to make a difference!
Happy Champagne Thursday!
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