Halloween costume: garden gnomes

Looking for a last minute Halloween costume?

My darling and creative daughter-in-law, Ashlee, put together these garden gnome costumes for their annual "friends" Halloween party. I think they are fantastic! (*Ashlee, we want to borrow them next year!)

My son, Patrick, has been growing out his beard. I HATE it! He gets a ton of compliments on it though, so apparently I'm the only one. I definitely prefer him clean-shaven or he looks great with a simple goatee. I have to admit, he looks the part of a garden gnome. (Hopefully he'll at least trim it after Halloween. :) please, oh please!)

GIRLIE GNOME:
dress (thrifted)
apron (made using an apron she got as a wedding gift as the pattern)
black shirt and tights
striped socks
red Toms
hat* (from felt)

GUY GNOME:
graduation gown (thrifted and shortened)
belt (black fabric tube with elastic insert, buckle is cardboard with yellow cardstock and the black rectangles filled in with a marker)
black shirt and polyester thermals
black rain boots
hat* (from felt)

*HAT:
Supplies:
1/2 yard of 60" felt
matching thread
measuring tape or yard stick

Instructions:
Cut an isosceles triangle from the felt measuring 12" at the bottom and 18" high. Put right sides together and stitch along the long edge using a 1/2" seam. Turn right side out and push the point out.

(Ashlee made three hats from the 1/2 yard of felt.)

A FUN ACTIVITY:
It was a Halloween tradition that Ashlee and her friends would watch the Michael Jackson "Thriller" music video, and recreate the dance in the street outside their condo. How fun would it be to see a bunch college-age kids all dressed up and dancing in the street? Apparently the neighbors disagreed and kept calling the police. I didn't know my daughter-in-law was such a wild girl (wink, wink)!

Happy Trick-or-Treating!

my favorite [simple] things: Halloween 2012

I'm sharing a few of my favorite things about Halloween this year.

We have our own little "Vampirella". :) You gotta love the toothless grin of a six-year-old. When Ella brought home her school pictures, she scowled as she handed them to me, "I look like a vampire!" I smiled. She was right. I even regressed back to perfectionist-mode and thought about doing a re-take. Nope, this is just how we'll remember her.

This sweet little story about our granddaughter, Madi. We got a little laugh out of it. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. :)

A little Pinspiration for you--some of my favorites, both old and new.
1. Love this playful print. 2. What a fun countdown for the entire neighborhood, and the saying is great. 3. These little bats look quick and easy to make. I saved my eighteen count egg cartons so we can make them. 4. Mummy Oreo cookie pops. What kid--or adult--wouldn't love them? My friend, Mykel used this same technique and made ghosts from Nutter Butters for the preschool kids, and used mini chocolate chips for the eyes. Too darling! 5. A perfect little something for a friend or neighbor. You can download the tags for free. 6. This saying made me smile. And I love the design and fonts. I may have to try this project with my Silhouette. Go check out the other designs too. 7. These little signs would add a perfect touch to my Halloween mantle. This is a free download too. 8. Ella's lunch on Halloween. She'll LOVE it! 9. I saw this banner last year, and it's still one of my favorites (free download).

Halloween Hugs,

simple halloween project | pumpkin heads

I had this simple little project in mind as part of our Halloween mantle decor this year. I let Ella and Madi choose which pumpkins went on each family members face and they squealed and giggled through the entire project. They couldn't wait for Patrick to come over so they could show him he had a mean face. And they chose the biggest pumpkin head for Dad/Grandpa because he has the biggest head. :)

These Martha Stewart Crafts Stitched Felt Pumpkin Stickers worked perfectly. The size was great for our 8x10 photo and I love that they have some dimension and aren't just flat. I found mine at JoAnn's, but also saw them on Amazon.com for about $2. (A great little add-on if you're trying to get to $25 for free shipping.)

Happy Haunting!

I also shared this idea here:

out and about | witchfest at gardner village

For as long as I can remember, we've celebrated fall by visiting the witches at Gardner Village. Every year it grows into a larger event.

Kate and Madi were visiting from Idaho, and it's Ella's fall break, so we thought it would be a great little girls' date.

 

There are little vignettes with witches throughout the villages shops. They are all so darling!

This one is always a huge hit with the kids. :)

The airport scene cracks me up.

There are tons of live witches too. I loved the candy necklace and hat this one wore.

And of course Madi LOVED her shoes.

My sweet little granddaughter, Madilyn. The girls scored in the shopping department--witch hats, little dolls and their choice of a treat at Sweet Afton's candy store. Lynn always got a caramel apple there, but the last couple of years, they only make them with just caramel instead of adding nuts and other goodies. Just not the same. Sorry, hon, I tried.

This little cutie and her sister had matching outfits--hats, tutus, and aprons. I asked their mom--who made the outfits--if I could take some photos.

I was so inspired by all the girls and women who dressed up, I purchased my own plain black witches hat. I'm going to embellish it up with some fun trims and accessories. I'm playing a witch for Ella's class party on Halloween, so it'll be the perfect thing to wear.

Then the girls started getting witchy tired, so we headed home and stopped for lunch on the way.

Happy Halloween, my pretties. :)

I also shared this event here:

happy halloween 2011

My day was wickedly busy! Which makes me laugh, because I have friends whose days are like this every day, and it's their norm. I just don't function well when I'm over-scheduled and can accomplish more when I keep things simple. I also give myself one day per week--Thursday--that I schedule nothing. It's a free day and it's my day to do the things I want. I have Lynn pick up dinner on the way home, so I don't even cook. It's one of those essentials in my life.

I started the day with attending the Halloween parade at school--so fun. I worked out, checked e-mails (and yes, Pinterest, but only for 15 minutes :)). I picked up Ella from school, got her lunch, got dressed and we headed to play therapy. I went into the play room with Ella this time. We're starting a new thing called "relationship enhancement," hoping it will help her with an issue she's struggling with right now.

Then I was off to the United Way of Utah County to be taped for a presentation at the "In Her Shoes" Gala, which is a fund raising event hosted by Women in Philanthropy. They support some of the programs at the Family Support and Treatment Center. I shared our experiences with the programs at FSTC and how they have benefited us.

I was behind the camera on occasion when I worked for Creating Keepsakes and Making Memories, but it has been a long time! I was definitely out of my comfort zone on this one. But it's been awhile since I challenged myself to do something that made me nervous and even a bit fearful. It ended up being very rewarding. And Karen and John were awesome. That made a huge difference. Of course I got a little emotional at the end. I always do when I'm talking about something so dear to my heart.

Another reason I agreed to do the taping, was because I love the Family Support and Treatment Center. We would not have made the progress we've made with Ella if not for their programs and resources. We know that. I wish I had a million dollars to throw at them, but I don't. So instead I will help them in any way I can.

On our way home, we stopped to see this display. Yes, I know it's juvenile, but it's silly and imaginative and Ella thinks it's hilarious. She calls them "the pumpkin bums."

Here's another part of the display. Spooky, but not too scary.

We thought we'd better buy more Halloween candy, so we stopped at Walmart. I already had five bags, so I bought five more. We were gone trick-or-treating during the "busy" part of the night, so we ended up with three bags left. (I'm really adding this so I can refer back to it next year. I always forget how much candy we bought the previous year. :)) Oh, and I bought all Skittles because I'm not the least bit tempted to eat them and can use them as rewards for E since she loves them.

After a "fiber-filled" dinner to off-set the coming sugar overload, we were off to go trick-or-treating.

And because Ella and Jordan are pretty much inseparable, our first stop was the Burns'. Lynn kept saying how much he loved this pink pony costume. I ordered it from Pottery Barn Kids. It's darling and warm.

The weather was perfect for the first time in I can't even remember how many years. The girls ran to every house and filled their bags to the brim.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween, too!

halloween fun: monster slime kit

I went visiting teaching this morning (yes, I know it's the end of the month :)). I wanted to take along something fun for Halloween. We had such a good time and got so "freaked out" making magical monster slime yesterday, I thought I'd put together a kit with the supplies so Cami could make it with her own little monsters.

SUPPLIES:
4 oz. Elmer's glue
1 tsp. Borax powder in a little ziploc bag
green food coloring in a little ziploc bag
tri-fold how-to card (download below)
cellophane bag
halloween ribbon

Simply package up the supplies in a cellophane bag and tie with scary Halloween ribbon. I left the glitter out since Cami has three boys and I'm sure they don't think it's as amazing as little girls do. (But I did create a how-to card just for magical monster slime that includes adding glitter along with the food coloring.) Take your pick:

green monster slime how-to card (include green food coloring)
monster slime how-to card (include any color food coloring)
magical monster slime how-to card (add glitter to the kit)

Fold your how-to card on the lines into a tri-fold like this and it fits perfectly in front of the bag. So simple and I love a gift or favor that's also an activity.

Enjoy!

I almost forgot. The font I used for the how-to card is Shlop from Font Squirrel. Cool, huh?!

halloween fun: magical monster slime

There are a variety of recipes floating around Pinterest for Slime or Gak. My boys loved the stuff when they were younger. They probably still would. :) There's one special ingredient that the recipe we used forgot to add, which makes the slime "magical."

Ella, Gentry and Kate

 That's according to these three little monsters.

Ella and Kate wanted a play date this week. They both love to do crafts, so they dressed paper dolls with real fabric and made magical monster slime. Gentry (Kate's younger sister), hung out with us while her mom ran an errand.

MAGICAL MONSTER SLIME

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon Borax powder
1 1/2 c. water, divided
4 oz. (or 1/2 cup) Elmer's glue--we used clear glue, but you can also use the white.
food coloring (*update: readers said they had trouble when using blue food coloring. I'd choose a different color.)
glitter (the secret ingredient that makes it magical!)

Fill a small bowl (or measuring cup it you have two) with 1 cup of water and add 1 teaspoon of Borax powder. Mix until the Borax is dissolved and set aside.

Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup of water.

Spend five minutes arguing about what color the slime should be. (Notice each girl has a different color food coloring?)

Once it's decided, add about four drops of food coloring to the glue mixture.

 Stir it up a bit and add a bunch of glitter.

Now add the Borax mixture to the glue mixture and watch it begin to solidify--cool!

Stick your hands in and and start mixing it all up. The more hands the better.

 Giggle at how "freaked out" you are by how it feels!

Pour out the excess water and knead the mixture until it becomes more firm and dry.

When you're done playing with it, store in a Ziplock bag or other air tight container. We used 2 oz. portion containers (also called souffles) I had left from this Halloween play dough project. You can find them at larger party supply stores or I've seen them on Amazon.com. They've also had them at Costco in the past. The cups and lids usually come separate, so be sure to check before ordering or purchasing.

My friend Mykel (also Kate and Gentry's mom), is making monster slime with the kids in Kate's class at their Halloween party. Cool mom, huh?! She's even going to wear a witches hat and cast a spell over it to turn it to slime. :) Yes you are Mykel, you said you would! ;) Fun stuff.

Hope you have a magical Halloween too.

***Update: If you have concerns about the use of Borax, I found this informative post very helpful.

an interest in pinterest: halloween goodness

A friend in my neighborhood posted on our Google group, looking for ideas her kids could make each other for Christmas. I suggested she look on Pinterest. Here's a follow-up to my reply:

I agree with Pinterest, but be warned, it sucks you in like a giant crafty black hole, never to be heard from again. Evil. Awesome evil.

Denise

I busted up. It's true. And yes, I was the one who shared the "awesome evil" with Denise. I'm so ashamed. :)

Yep, I'm officially addicted to Pinterest. I refer to it all the time in my conversations and a couple of times, I've even dreamed I was pinning--really.

I'm always surprised by how many people don't know about it. If you're not familiar, it's a place to gather the things that interest and inspire you and "pin" them onto boards you create.

pin + interest = pinterest.

It's the perfect organizational tool. I used to have a million posts and websites "bookmarked" on my computer. But trying to find them again was a daunting and time consuming task. Now I simply go to Pinterest, open my boards, and the information is all there, attached with a photo. It's pure genius.

I get ideas for activity days and Relief Society meetings, recipes, tutorials, home decor, crafts, sewing, quilting etc., from the site. Here's a list of my personal boards (or categories):

• buttons
• celebrate
• cupcakes
• digi
• ella's room
• fashion love
• garlands
• health
• hints
• holidays
• home
• kate
• kids
• little fashion love
• make
• organization
• it's all in the packaging
• photography
• pink
• polka dots
• ribbon
• ruffles
• salads and fruits
• sew sweet
• stuff i love

The boards pretty much sum up my lifestyle and the things I love.

Here are a few things I pinned for Halloween onto my "holidays" board:

1. fabric pumpkins pattern: retro mama etsy shop; 2. spider handprints: childsource.ca; 3. halloween wordart: coco prints etsy shop; 4. pumpkin-filled lanterns: inspiration for decoration blog; 5. halloween crackers: martha stewart; 6. halloween tablescape: gordon gossip blog; 7. trick-or-treat bucket: two sisters designs etsy shop; 8. halloween labels: blush printables etsy shop;
9. monogram pumpkin tutorial: butler's blog

Another great aspect of Pinterest, is that you get to see what everyone else is pinning and can pin them onto your own boards. That means there are a million other eyes out there looking for the best ideas and inspiration. It's a major time saver--unless you spend too much time pinning and that's when the evil comes in. :) You can also follow others boards who have similar tastes and styles to see just what they've added. I spend ten or fifteen minutes here or there pinning away. It's my un-guilty pleasure.

If you want to join in the fun, drop me an e-mail and I'll invite you. Or you can request an invite on the site, but it takes much longer.

So celebrate Halloween early and enjoy some awesome evil-ness. :) Get pinning!

tutorial: halloween thumbprint tags

 This one's for Allison. She's a reader who e-mailed me and asked if I'd be willing to share my template for the Halloween thumbprint tags we made for Ella's preschool last year.

Remember these? I still love them. Here's the original post.

When I started blogging way back when, it was mainly for my family and friends and the Relief Society in my church ward. Because of Pinterest, that has changed. I'm getting mega hits each day and so many nice e-mails and sweet comments. It's so fun. Thanks so much everyone, it really makes me happy. Because I posted projects--but not many tutorials or downloads--I am very open to sharing information, templates, creating tutorials, etc. Just be patient with me. :)

Okay, back to the project.

Originally I had Ella stamp her thumbprint multiple times on white cardstock. Then she made them into jack-o-lanterns by adding stems and silly faces. (It kept her very busy.) I chose my favorite one, scanned it, added words around it in Photoshop Elements, and duplicated it.

You can still use this process in an editing program, or to make things simpler, I created a blank template for you to create your own tags. Your little goblins can stamp their thumbprints in each circle and create jack-o-lanterns. Each tag will be an original work of art. I chose a variety of generic wording to choose from.

Help your little one stamp their thumbprint with a cheery orange ink pad in the lower part of the circle (this will leave room for the hole and string for hanging). Then they can add stems and faces. It's getting close to bedtime, per the sad faces.

Use a 2" hole punch upside down to center the circles and punch.

I used a micro circle punch for the hole and crochet thread for hanging. I love crochet thread for so many things. It's a nice lightweight string, very inexpensive and one skein lasts forever.

Now help your little Picaso tie their tags to a special bag of treats.