Boo! Halloween candlesticks

I have a cute Halloween tutorial for you. Last night I made these cute things. I'm not quite sure what to call them. I wanted to call them "BOO Apothecary jars" but they don't have tops to the and I added candles to them. So I guess we are going to go with "BOO! Halloween candlesticks".

Now, in my opinion, I think if you were to see these in the store then you would easily pay $20 for them. It doesn't seem like you can many decorative glass holiday products for less then that. But you CAN make these for $6, and I'm going to show you how.

1.  I picked up three glass candlestick holders at the dollar store. 

2.  I painted them black with some good ole craft paint.

3.  Once they were dry I gave them all an even coat on "Deco Art- Triple Thick" glaze.

4. While that was drying I printed out some letters to use as stencils for my jars/vases. Then I cut them out.

5.  Next I grabbed my three dollar store vases. I used my painters tape (you can do this with whatever tape you want. or you can do it a completely different way) to make an even line all the way across the vases so that I wouldn't have wonky letters.I traced my stencils on with washable maker (thank you kids art supplies) and then filled them in first with white. then I built on that with black and grey.

These are the paints that I have been using.

6/7.  Once I attached the vases to the candlesticks with E6000 epoxy, I used this Raffia to make bows around the sticks.

When everything was dry and secure, I filled them with a cheap bag of  "Jolly Time Pop Corn" (purchase by the bag) and then topped them off with a tea light in each one.

I really like the way that they turned out. I was excited to make them and I think it was a really fun project.

You can fill them them with whatever you want. Ideas, you ask? Candy Corn, Spanish Moss (minus the candles), Halloween spider webs and little plastic spiders, rubber snakes, the list goes on and on. Be creative!

At first I really painted the letters to be "Perfect" but, you really need vinyl letter for that look. The paint was a little tricky because it leaves little bumps in the paint as you add layers. Eventually I threw in the towel on perfection and just started mixing black and white and slopping it on. At the end I put them all side by side and decided that, I love it! Give it a try.... you cant beat a $6 dollar craft project. There is no reason not to try this, so get to it y'all!

Pumpkin Bouquet

I know, I've been slacking on getting my posts up. I'm leaving for several weeks to go back home and visit with my family. I only go once a year so its usually a long trip. Although I am super excited for this upcoming trip, I also have lots to do around the house before I leave. If you know me that means I need to decorate the house for the fall season. But the icing on the cake is that I am also decorating for Halloween before I leave because I wont be getting back until 2 weeks into October. And honestly, who wants to decorate the entire house for two weeks. Nope, not me. So I'm going to do it now so that when I get home I don't have to do anything but enjoy it.

Halloween is my husbands FAVORITE holiday! We do it up pretty big around our house. And we don't do the cutsie decorations either. There are a few of them but, for the most part it's creepy hanging ghouls and goblins, an armful of huge house climbing spiders, several skeleton pumpkin kings dressed in tattered gauze complete with chains hanging from their wrists. A graveyard in the front of the house, and a bunch of inflatable horse driven hearses and ghosts along with a 5 ft tall witch that stands gaurd at the front door and stirs her cauldron with her glowing eyes. I often tell my husband "The house is scary enough for kids to even think about coming to the door, so you shouldn't scare them further by being the scariest thing you can imagine!" but does he listen..... NOPE! One year he was dressed in an orange escaped convict jumpsuit and wore a Jason mask. He would walk out and not say a word to the kids, just stare at them in silence until their little knees wobbled in fear. Last year our house was SUPER CREEPY and he had prosthetic's made for his face so that he could be a zombie. It literally looked like flesh was falling off of his face. I tried to tell him to go easy on the ones that were obviously still too young for the fright of all hallows eve. But he still terrified the small tots, bless their little hearts. He thinks Halloween is to terrify and shock. That is his favorite part!

Anyway.... I'm trying my best to get the decorating done. I have a few projects that I'm still working on. This one isn't Halloween exactly but more of an autumn in general project. The best part is that it cost me a whopping $4 to complete.

I went to the Dollar Store and picked up this cute little pumpkin. It has a line around the middle of it, but I don't really care. They all had it but, what do you want for $1?  I took my exacto knife and cut around the top just like I would if I were carving a real pumpkin.

I expected this thing to be solid foam. I thought "I'm going to have to dig out the foam in order to do what I want with this little guy!" To my surprise it was hollow inside.

I flipped the top upside down and shoved it into the bottom of the pumpkin.

Then I grabbed some wire cutters from the hubbies shop and cut the stems of my dollar store flowers to the height that I needed them to be. I used the topper of the pumpkin that was now in the bottom of the hollow pumpkin as florist foam and just stuck the stems straight in there to keep them in place.

TA DAAA!!! Cute little pumpkin bouquet for my kitchen counter. I love it!! I may end up painting the pumpkin if in a couple days if it just feels too orange. But I don't know..... what do you think?
What if it was painted to look like grey stone or something. I don't know. Just an idea.

If I do paint it I will post a picture of the finished product. Until next time my lovely's!

Beautiful bow ties

It's been awhile since I have posted anything so I checked my phone for any pictures that I could turn into a quick tutorial. And what do you know, I had a little something to share! 

I was in the mood for a tedious project a few months ago. Sometimes I need a project that puts me in full creative focus and that is all I focus on for awhile. Well I was inspired by these adorable bow tie necklaces that I kept seeing online. They weren't made from the pasta noodles but they looked just like them. They were colorful and delicate and I thought, ya know what, those would look darn cute in an apothecary jar! 

And a project was born..... :)

You are going to need a couple of boxes of bow tie pasta and some craft paint in your favorite colors. 

I waited patiently for my kids and my husbands bedtime so that I could start my project. Then I got started by pulling design inspiration from online and fabric patterns that I loved.

Like I said folks, this is a time consuming project. You need to be somewhat careful when handling the noodles. But the hard work pays off (at least I think so) look at how cute they are!

Now, I've only filled one jar so far but I plan on coming back to this project soon and filling the second jar. But I love the way they turned out! You could fill a decorative bowl with them, or put then in a cute jar, decorate a picture frame (and let the kids paint them). Lots of possibilities. :)

Well what do you think? I would love your feedback. Would you make these cute bow ties?

Until next time lovelys!

Apothecary jars

Okay I have been so busy planning Corbin's first big birthday party that I have been lacking in the blogging department. But I have a great tutorial for you. It was a lot of fun to make and I have received so many compliments on them.

First I bought these great candle holders at hobby lobby for 60% off! Amazing, right!? They are great as is but I knew I wanted to brighten them up.

I primed them with white and then let them dry. Then I did a thick coat of Bahamas blue craft paint. 

Once everything was good and dry I went out to the garage and found this cool attachment for the drill. 

Now you want to just pull up some of that paint in a few places. You can do this as much or as little as you wish.

This is how mine turned out.

If you don't own this glue then you should go and get some. Super strong and totally worth it. I used this to glue on my dollar store vases to the candlesticks. 

Dollar store vase, please meet your new best friend the candle stick. 

Really make sure you center your vase well so that your finished product isn't off centered.

These circles are from hobby lobby's wood craft isle. I also used them in my "fabulous picture frame knock off" tutorial. I purchased two finials from the same store and painted it al Bahama blue. On the under side I (and by that I mean my husband) created a groove on the bottom so that it would sit nicely on the vase and screwed the finial on.

Here they are all finished. I LOVE THEM! 

I will probably end up putting some sort of protective coat on them in the future but for now this is how they are.

I'm in love love love! What do you think of the finished product?

I hope you try this out. Until next time my lovely's 

Precious Time- Things I will miss when they grow up.

I don't know if I can write this without crying. I have been thinking a lot over the past few days about my kids growing up. Corbin's 4th birthday is just around the corner and all of this birthday planning has got me feeling pretty sentimental. I remember the long journey of my first pregnancy. Bry and I so in love (we still are :) ) and excitedly awaiting our first baby. We hung a calendar on the fridge and marked off each day as it passed to show our progress. Everyday was filled with so many "I love you's" spoken softly to my growing tummy. We would stay up long into the night talking about what we thought he would look like and which features from both of us that we would hope he would get. My first pregnancy was pretty picaresque, it was like walking in the clouds for nine months. Half way through a very hot summer, the big day had finally arrived. We checked into the hospital and waited as patiently as we could for our sweet boy to burst into the world. We waited, and waited. There were a few scares, and for a moment I was frightened that I would never get to hold my baby. After 38 hours of labor I had an emergency c-section. With in minutes the doctor and nurses announced "Your beautiful baby boy is here!" but still I heard nothing. No cry as he took his first gasp of air. I think my heart slowed down, and the sounds of all of the machines and pumps quieted along with it as I searched the room for any noise from him. I had a sheet in front of my face so that I couldn't see anything going on in the room. My husband called out  "Is he alright?" and as if Corbin knew his fathers voice, he called out with a big wail. We both burst into tears. Nothing can describe the happiness that you feel when you hear and see your baby for the first time. The nurse brought over a tightly wrapped up baby swaddled in a white blanket, with a little beanie on his head to me and said "he is perfect", and he was. He wasn't pasty white like most babies. It was like he had a slight tan. He had soft down brown hair, soft little lips, a beautiful nose, and the most perfect eyebrows that a baby could every have. Those days in the hospital went quickly and I couldn't wait to bring him home and start our life as a family. Everyday hasn't been perfect, but everyday has been a blessing. I feel so privileged to be this little boys mommy.

We were blessed again with another wonderful little boy a year and a half ago. He has made our lives even more blessed. My pregnancy with Daxton was not an easy one. He was very active which worried me as to what kind of personality that I was in store for. I also suffered with depression during the first five months of my pregnancy.  That is really hard to admit to the world. maybe i will make that a future post. My hormones were through the roof and all the while I was trying to be a perfect mother to Corbin. Daxton came into this world right on schedule. A giant chunky baby with a personality from day one that you couldn't help but fall head over heels in love with. He has continued to surprise and amaze me on a daily basis.

The love that I have for these two little boys is immeasurable. My heart swells at the thought of them. All to quickly these years are passing. Flying by as if they were weeks instead of years. On a daily basis I think about how great it will be when they can go hang out with friends, go to school, make their own breakfast. Im human, and although I love them to pieces, I look forward to their independence. This has also got me thinking about the things that I am going to miss about who they are now. They will always be my babies in my mind. No matter how big they get. No matter where life will take them. So these are some of the things that I will miss as they continue to grow.

Daxton Dances- This little boy of mine loves music. So much happiness pours out of this little boy when he dances. Although it is rarely  on beat as he sways or bounces around, you can see that need to move his body and the joy it brings him.

Character Underwear- I know this is a silly one but I love the drawer full of spiderman, star wars, monsters inc, and toy story underwear. Its just another sign of their all to short childhood. How many more years do I have left of lovingly folding and putting away these sweet reminders of how young and precious they are? It is going by to quickly!

Tiny Toes- Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I cant stand feet. Not even my own. But the exception to this is my children's little feet. I will miss all of the times that I had them cuddled up in my lap as we counted each toe over and over, doing "this little piggy", and nibbling their feet during a tickle fight.

Corn Silk Hair- Somehow I ended up with a blond haired little boy. From day one his hair has reminded me of pulling back the husk on a cob of corn and seeing the golden silk. In the beginning when I would give him a bath and then dry his hair off with a towel, it would get so fluffy and soft, and who can resist that smell of freshly washed baby hair? I will miss this the most.

Mispronunciations- Corbin speaks very well for his age but he does have trouble with some things. Ginormous usually comes out as ginorsaraus. Tree is pronounced twee. When he says prayers instead of Heavenly Father he says Heavenly Fadder. :)

Loud Noises- Not loud noises that they make, but rather when they hear loud noises and then come running to you for cover and safety. Like a mother duck holding her ducklings under her wings for protection, I welcome them into my arms for a snuggle and reassurance that everything will be okay.

Magic Mommy Kisses- There is not a scratch or a stubbed toe that a magic mommy kiss cannot fix in a heartbeat. My children will be in full meltdown mode, sobbing uncontrollably at times, and with one peck from mommy the tears will stop dead in their tracks and a smile will come to their faces. If only this trick would work for the rest of their lives. I would kiss away broken hearts, and hurt feelings that inevitably will come calling in the future.

Morning Wake Ups-  when they quietly climb up onto the bed in the morning and my cheeks and nose get covered in tender and loving kisses. I love opening my eyes and seeing their cute morning faces smiling at me.

And because this post is getting pretty long I will wrap this up with one last thing (although there are so many more things I will miss) 

Mommy Knows Everything- there is never a question that Corbin has, that he doesn't think I will have the right answer for. And I must admit that sometimes he will ask things that I am not sure what to say. One day he will turn to his friends or god for answers to his life questions instead of or before asking me. As most of us do. But for now I enjoy being his very own "Siri". 

I wish that I was able to lock away all of these memories in a box in the corner of my mind to pull out and dust off when my children are grown. The harsh reality is that we will forget so much of this stuff. I will leave you with these two videos. I love both of the songs. 

This second song makes me cry everytime I hear it. Im such a blubbering baby even as I am writting this post.

What are the things you are going to miss most once they have grown or already miss if your kids are now adults? I would love to hear about what you have to say.
Until next time my lovely's

WHY!!!!!????

What goes through this kids head? Where do his ideas come from? I don't get it! My sweet little baby comes up with the most grotesque things to do to us.

Yesterday, after Bryan got home, I passed the kids off to him so that I could catch a few minutes to myself. I warned Bryan that the kids had been a little batty that day and he would need to closely monitor them because they made it a mission that day to get into everything that they know is "off limits" to them. I also warned him that Dax kept taking his diaper off but he hadn't had any accidents around the house. I gave him a weak smile and quietly slipped out of the room as not to be detected by the children.

I closed the door to my room and nestled into my bed, flipped on the TV and started watching a show that I can only watch by myself (the bachelorette) because if I put it on with my husband around then he complains and says he is going to leave the room. Needless to say I was excited for the quiet and for the opportunity to watch a show without interruptions.

Have you ever heard the saying "don't count your chickens before they hatch"? Literally 3 minutes later my oldest son came bounding into the room adamant that he is going to watch the show with me, which really means, chat my ear off while i put subtitles on so i can catch at least half of the show. I shooed him out of the room and firmly told him that this was mommy's quiet time. About 5 minutes later I hear stomping coming up the stairs. I know immediately that it is Bryan who is about to enter the room next and interrupt my show for the second time. I start to feel upset that I cant have any time to myself, and seriously wonder if I have enough time to get up and lock the door before he gets there.

He comes into the room and has a smirk on his face which threw me off guard for a second. Instead of hollering that I need time alone I instead inquire about the look on his face. Timidly I ask "What is going on down there?" "come down stairs! You wont believe what Daxton just did!" I noticed some small stains on his shirt but didn't mention them. Partly because I was having visions of stains and spills on the cream carpet. I followed him downstairs, all the while bracing myself for whatever awaited me. To my surprise Bryan walked to the backyard door and began telling my what had happened.

Shortly after I went upstairs, Bryan and the kids went out back to ride bikes and scooters and whatever else happens in the backyard. Not to place any blame on my wonderful husband BUT when he is out there he gets on his phone while the kids play, and madness ensues, all the while his nose is planted in his screen. Well I guess after they came out, Bryan hadn't closed the door all of the way and Dax went back in by himself. Bryan claims that a couple of minutes later he heard Dax saying "poo poo, poo poo" he looked over to see a completely naked baby holding a bowl from my dinning room table ( the "do not touch" decorative bowls) and before he could figure out what was happening, Dax dumped the contents of the bowl on my husbands shirt. I'm sure that you have guessed by this point that the beautiful decorative bowl that has never been used in all of the years that I have had them, was full of poop.

Now it is still unclear weather he went inside and had to poop and thought that the bowl was as good a place as any other. Or, he pooped in his diaper, took it off, and then placed it lovingly in the bowl for his Father. Either way it was disgusting, unsanitary, and hilarious. I'm just glad it wasn't me!!

ahhh, the adventures of Mommyhood!

Until next time my lovelys!

4th Of July Wreath (pool noodle wreath)

I kinda stink because I am just posting this at 5
pm on the fourth of July. Please forgive me. But save this post as a favorite so that you can do it next year!


Dollar store pool noodle. Do not trim it down. It makes a perfect wreath size as is. Just bend it so that the ends touch each other and then tape it so that it doesn't come apart. I'm not really sure how the glue gun would work on this material so I just used tape.

Now grab an old pair of jeans from the closet. I used my "when I loose weight" pants. If you are part of the 10% of the world who doesn't own a pair of those kind of pants, then you can run to your local goodwill and pick up a pair very cheap. Now starting at the hem of the pant leg you are I made my strips about 4 inches wide. Just start wrapping your jean strips at an angle around your wreath (pool noodle). Tack the jeans in place once you get all the way around. I added a bit of hot glue on the back of the first strip I put down and then made sure to fasten the end of my jean strips to that.

All Wrapped

I had a few sheets of crafting felt lying around and decided to make some flowers out of it (never made flowers before, but it couldn't be easier) I folded my sheet of felt in half and then cut along the crease. Now put a line of glue along the edge running the full length of the felt (picture below for reference) and fold in half to make a tube.

It should look like this once it is folded over.

Cut into the felt almost all the way to the glued down edge. The more cuts you make the fuller your flower will be. I experimented with this and I like the flower to be a bit fuller so I made lots of cuts.

once you have made your cuts, all you do is add a line of glue along the edge and then roll them up tightly. once they have cooled you can fluff them out.

These are the colors I used.

Hot glue them to your wreath in whichever layout you choose.

I wasn't thinking and didn't take pictures of the garland I made to attach to the wreath. Sorry. I used and old pillow case that we were never going to use again and cut out my triangles I used a blue felt for the backing so the would be sturdy and less transparent. That's it! I love the way it turned out and hope you will pin it so that you can try this out for next year. Loves to all of you. Have a great 4th of July and please be safe!

All Done! Happy Independence Day! Until next time my lovely's