Category Archives: etc.

Displaying Halloween Instagrams

October 23, 2013

I had to share these fun instagram prints with you. I’ve been wanting to have a way to display Halloween pictures from years past. So, I printed some of my instagrams and displayed them on a little wire photo tree that I got at a thrift store for $1.

Sometimes I just come across something too great to not share. Do you know about Persnickety Prints? Well they are an online printing sight that does really fabulous things with instagrams and lots of other great stuff as well. I printed my instagrams on 4×4 cardstock (with a 1/8″ white boarder). They are very reasonable priced and the quality is awesome!

It will be fun to add to the collection each year. I also think these pics would make a really cute bunting for the mantel (kind of like Olivia’s first year one) to hang each Halloween.

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Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake

October 21, 2013

Well, I’m not sure if I should say this, but this recipe might be just as delicious as traditional Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake. And Texas Sheet Cake is a favorite around our house. But, seriously, you top a moist spicy pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing, how can you go wrong?

Sheet cake is my go-to dessert when I have a lot of folks to feed or very little time to prepare dessert. You can have a sheet cake ready to eat in less then 20 mins. So, this year a adapted my sheet cake recipe to make a new Fall classic for our family.

Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I make my own)

1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned is perfect)
2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk, let sit for a minute or two. In a smaller bowl mix together the melted butter, oil, pumpkin and beat the eggs in. Then add the buttermilk mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Pour cake batter into a greased jelly roll or large cookie sheet pan. Bake at 400 F for just 15 mins. Allow the cake to cool and then top with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
a couple tbsps. milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy. You may need to add a little milk to thin out the frosting for easy spreading. You want it a little runny, so that it lays down nicely on the cake.

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Halloween Flower Arrangement

October 17, 2013

I’ve been pouring over the pages of The Flower Recipe Book for months now. Flower arranging is something I’ve always wanted to learn how to do, like take a class or even work in a florist shop. I felt totally inspired to do a little flower arranging for Halloween. My little arrangement is obviously very simple and inexpensive, but I had fun putting it together.

So, here’s how to make my easy Halloween arrangement.

Supplies:
3 white roses
Spanish moss
a few twigs
1 black succulent (aeonium atropurpurea)
a small low container (mine is an owl measuring cup)
a metal frog (like these)

Simply place the frog in the bottom of the vase and fill with water. Start with the roses, place them in a grouping together. Then place the succulent (roots and all in the front off to one side). Place your twigs in the back of the arrangement. And then to finish the arrangement, fill in holes and gaps with a tiny bit of Spanish moss.

Is there a skill you wish you knew more about or had time to learn how to do? I’m going to challenge myself to try to put one arrangement together every month, I think it could be a lot of fun.

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Let’s have a Halloween Party

October 16, 2013

I’m really liking black and white for Halloween this year. Yes, I love orange pumpkins (they’re a classic), but it feels fresh and clean to try something new this year. I’ve put together some unique picks for a fabulous colorless Halloween celebration.

Black Glass Cake Stand // DIY Boo Banner // Printable Chalkboard Skeleton

Spider and Web Cookie Cutters // Onyx Silverware

Black Owl Candle // Black Fringe // Bird Cookie Instructions

I have the Black Owl Candle, I added him to my collection this year. And I’m really tempted to try making some of those gorgeous black bird cookies, but they are almost too pretty to eat. And my favorite of all is the simple, but totally adorable, Boo Banner. I had to make my own version. Do any of these party finds appeal to you?

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Riley (my vintage trailer) Style

October 15, 2013

Last week, after being inspired by this month’s Ford Fiesta Movement theme, STYLE, I challenged myself. I decided to give Riley, my vintage trailer, a little more style. I had saved a few vintage items that I’ve found at flea markets and thrift stores this year and I also added some fabulous new finds.

I’m really happy with the results and I hope that my Riley Style translates and you can understand where I’m going with this. I tried to stay true to my original inspiration board, a little vintage, a lot of color, and very much outdoorsy. I think I found a lot of the pieces I wanted. The only thing I’m missing is some pink plaid and maybe a little more mint green here and there. He’s getting some personality though, and although he is a mountain man, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. There’s a lot of fun, quirky pieces that keep this old guy (built in 1948) young and hip.

I’m really happy with the color palette. The forest and mint green, red and pink are really fun together. This pink striped throw is incredibly comfy and I love the touch of feminine it adds to the space. I want to find more pink for Riley, like another floral similar to the front door vintage tea towel curtain I made. I also love this red and white camp rope pillow, I think it’s a modern take on a cable knit sweater.

This adorable print called, Theodore Collects Firewood, is hung by a vintage wood hanger. Art in trailers can be tricky. You don’t want anything heavy or breakable. This can easily be taken down and laid flat when in transit.

I like to have reading materials in the trailer, these a a few of my favorites. The Sunset National Parks of the West book is from the 60’s, My Cool Caravan was a Christmas gift from my hubby when we first got Riley and the mini Ansel Adams National Park book I found in a gift shop when we did our Southwest road trip.

This might be my favorite pair of pillows. The handsome bear pillow has been named Fuzzy Wuzzy, by my son Dylan and the white faux fur pillow gets pet by everyone who sees it.

My Hudson Bay pillow shams look great with this fun camp log pillow. And I’m absolutely dying over the S’mores pillow. He’s my kids favorite addition to the trailer.

Like a thought, my vintage picnic basket works really well for blanket storage.

Yesterday I made one more pillow. This felt white bear kind of looks like a polar bear, but actually he’s my California bear. And this new pillow looks great beside the Alaska pillow I made years and years ago. And really, does anything say mountain man more then read red plaid flannel?

I still like my birds and wire hanging thing that I put up a while ago. It’s fun to change out the pictures now and then.

I found this green oak leaf tray at a local flea market this weekend for only $5. It may come inside for Fall decorating as well.

The bird theme is repeated in Riley. The shelves are edged in this fun detail. I keep my vintage jadite green melamine dishes on one of these shelves. I know the wood is kind of a yucky yellowy color, but I can’t bare to cover it up. Although I love when old trailers are painted crisp inside, I feel this obligation to keep the original finish. 1948 is pretty dang old, you don’t see too many trailers that old out there. What do you think? Shouldn’t I keep Riley as original as possible?

So, what do you think? Did I succeed in making Riley a little more stylish? What was your favorite addition? What else does he need or what would you do to him? I’d love to know your thoughts and opinions.

Be sure to check out more of the movement’s STYLE videos this month, maybe you’ll be inspired.

This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Halloween Entryway

October 14, 2013

I took a few pictures of my simple Halloween entryway this weekend. You know I don’t do scary, so here’s some of our tame Halloween. I painted some twigs black and attached spiders to the windows and wall in random places.

And here’s a few other details around the house.

I got these little pumpkins at the thrift store for 75cents for all three. I gave them a fresh new look with a coat of white paint.

Now onto costumes. I have all the fabric bought, I just haven’t taken the plunge and starting cutting them out. How are your Halloween plans coming? Have you decorated or found costumes yet?

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Pumpkin Spice Shortbread

October 12, 2013

You know I love Pumpkin Spice anything! These crisp, buttery cookies are just the right mix of sweet and spice. I made them in fox shapes for Olivia’s fox themed birthday party. And now we’ve been munching on a batch of these pumpkin shaped ones all week.

Pumpkin Spice Shortbread

1 cup butter (room temp)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 1/2 cups flour

Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the salt, vanilla, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice and beat until smooth. Add the flour and mix till dough comes together.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4″ thick. Cut pumpkin shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and chill for about 20 mins. Bake at 325 F for about 12-15 mins or just until the edges of the cookie start to turn golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Brown Sugar Icing

3 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
about 1 cup powdered sugar

In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Add the cream, sugar and vanilla and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. You may need a little more or a little less then 1 cup of powdered sugar. Drizzle over cooled cookies. I put the icing in a squeeze bottle for easy application.

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Wall of Bats

October 10, 2013

Ok, I’m loving Halloween this year. I’m having a lot of fun decorating and making things. I’ve shared before that I’m not into celebrating the scary and evil things. I like to keep it pretty happy and just a little spook with creepy crawlies like spiders, bats and owls. And to keep it from getting to dark, I installed a wall of white bats.

This was soooo easy. I just cut out lots and lots of bats in 3 different sizes (I used my Cricut of course, but you can also use this template I created and some good old scissors). I used just regular white card stock and then using a little double sided tape, and simply adhered them to the wall and then bent the wings out. I like the 3D effect this gives. And I placed them in an angled flight pattern up of the wall.

My kids are going to be pumped when they get home from school and see this on the wall today. Now that they are 10 and almost 12, they really want more of the spook and creep that comes with Halloween.

Wouldn’t this be a great backdrop for a photo booth or a Halloween dessert table?

Here’s the template, 4 sheets of this printed on card stock will cover a wall like mine. And for my Cricut using friends, the bat is from this cartridge (Tags, Bags, Boxes and More 2).

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Southwest Inspired Pumpkins

October 9, 2013

I’ve had in my mind for weeks that I wanted to paint some SW inspired pumpkins for this Halloween. Last year I painted simple modern pumpkins with triangles (of course). I’m still in love with all thing geometric and tribal, so why not trendy pumpkins? I think I’ll even leave these black and white beauties out after Halloween is over. I think they’ll be fun for Thanksgiving as well.

This year I used foam pumpkins so that all my hard work would last. And since I wanted them black and white, I decided the fakes would be just fine. I started by spray painting the largest pumpkin black and the smaller ones white.

Then I cut vinyl stencils out with my Cricut, but this could easily be done with an x-acto knife as well. I attached the stencils to the pumpkins, making sure to the press the edges down firmly to get a good seal. And then I covered the rest of the pumpkin with plastic wrap held down with masking tape (like this). Finally, I sprayed a light layer of the contrasting paint color.

To be totally honest the seal was not perfect and a little paint got under the stencils. So, I just took a tiny brush and did a little touch up along the edges. If you look closely you might see what I’m talking about, but sitting on my mantel, I don’t notice the imperfections at all. I’m not sure how you get a perfect seal on a round, bumpy surface. If you know, please share.

Can you think of any other current trends that would look great on a pumpkin? I’m keeping my Halloween decor mostly black and white this year. It’s kind fun to change things up from year to year. Do you have a color palette for Halloween other then the classic orange and black?

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Finding Riley’s Style

October 8, 2013

I’m back to share more of the Ford Fiesta Movement with you. Last month I shared what adventure looked like to me and then I was inspired to take a little solo adventure in NYC. This month, Ford’s 100 “agents” are taking on the theme of STYLE.

Oh boy, style is tough. I’m a mom of 3 kiddos, somewhere in my 30’s (I won’t say where exactly), and I’m not feeling too stylish these days. But, I guess we all have a style whether it is in or out. I think I am more confident with my design and interiors style then I am with my own personal style or fashion. I think my style is very much practical and frugal and it’s somewhere in between eclectic and clean. I love modern lines, but love to mix them with color and vintage pieces that have character. And green is my signature color (I’m a redhead). Have you ever tried to define your style? It’s tough and I’m not sure if my definition is quite right yet.

Here’s what I’m starting with and the color palette I love for him (just a touch of peachy pink).

I’m going to have a little fun with style this month and I’m going to give Riley (my vintage trailer) a little more style. This is a fun place to play with style because I don’t have to play it safe or practical Riley’s not our “real” home, he’s just our play house. I have a vision of how I want him accessorized, I just haven’t taken the leap and fully executed my plan. So I’m going to challenge myself this week to get to work and give Riley the style he deserves.

But, I want your help. What would you do to Riley to give him more style? I need your suggestions and ideas. You do need to know that Riley is a 1948 Kit Companion. He was outfitted for the hunter (and although we do not hunt), I want to keep him a bit of a rustic, mountain man. The upholstery is in really great condition, so the forest green plaid has to stay. So, leave me a comment or a link to a great product, accessory, or idea that you think would be great for Riley.

It’s fun to see everyone’s different approach and idea of what style is. This video from one of Ford Fiesta Agents was very cute and clever. I enjoyed watching many of the short you tube videos the agents put together.

This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own.