"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." - Albert Einstein
I dream big and can easily be swept away with my imagination. I have had so many hobbies over the past 20 years and now I am starting yet another. My hobbies range from crafting to movie making and dreaming about writing children's books. I find myself caught up in my head, day dreaming of how I can portray my experiences, desires, and memories. I hope my blog entertains, inspires, and helps you laugh about your own silly quirks.
Here is a Halloween party
playlist that I would definitely have on my party playlist. I'm a big fan
of the 'classics'. Itis a cheesy list but to me that's what makes it so enjoyable and fun. I hope these hauntingly great hits help make your gathering a memorable one.
I am diligently working hard at checking items off my Fun Fall checklist. I am really finding the list as a great motivator to continue to experience and enjoy all the aspects of fall that make me smile.
Below you'll be able to see some of pictures I've taken along the way. I have been able to watch 'It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown', hosted a chili football day, went to a haunted house and corn maze, started and almost finished a Halloween craft from my Pinterest board 'Halloween Haunts and Happenings', watched 2 of 3 scary movies, made and mailed out Halloween cards to some lucky people, collected leaves with my kids, and I went pumpkin picking with my family. Even though I did a lot I still have so much more to do!!
I hope you too are able to get out and enjoy all that fall has to offer.
I
am always looking around me for inspiration and thankfully I didn't have to go
far. I am very lucky to have so many friends
and family that are quite talented at putting together some very clever, cool,
and creepy costumes! This post is
dedicated to them.
Here
is a great collection of Halloween costumes that wowed me and will hopefully
inspire you.
Fiona, Shrek, an Owl, and the Joker!
Contacts, lime green body paint, and fake flesh....wow these four characters really didn't hold back here and knocked it out of the park. They went all out and really took time to put their costumes together.
Gangnam Style, Mod Babe, Chicken and Bob Ross.
These sassy ladies and classy guy really nailed it here. These are some great examples of use what you have and have some fun with it. Of course there are some extra accessories here that they bought but spending a few dollars to have a great costume is worth it in my book.
Swine Flu and an Ice Queen!
The above costumes teaches me that a little creativity and a whole bunch of patience will pay off. I also love that she gave viewers a hint to who she was in the front and the back. It's never any fun when people don't know what you are. So help them out.
Halloween is 2 weeks away! For those of you that have not nailed down your Halloween costumes for yourself here are some approachable suggestions that will ease any stress you are having. Picking a costume can be such an arduous task for most people. What to be? Will it look cool? The one I hear the most is 'I don't want to spend a lot of money'. So then don't! Try going through your jewelry boxes, your Moms', or even your Grandmothers' for some quick inspiration. You will be surprised with what you find and come up with. Here are six costume ideas I put together from just 15 minutes of exploring my jewelry boxes.
A) Gypsy
I did cheat here a little by adding in a bandana/scarf I had from my Mom but it was right near my jewelry boxes so I couldn't resist. The bold blue necklace and medusa/snake pin were my Nana's. I think the necklace would make a great signature piece here. Bangles from college. Earrings form my chandelier earring phase. Orange and red beaded ring from H&M and the green ring from my childhood. Costume jewelry hoop earrings from high school.
As you dig through your closet, the rest of the outfit can be easily put together with a long skirt (any color). Preferably one that is a bit bohemian but if you don't own anything like that, then a simple long black skirt or dress that has movement to it when you walk would be great. If you plan to be outside any kind of sweater would work and top it off with pashmina shall - (you know you have one somewhere left over from a bridesmaid outfit). If you are going to be inside more, than a plain tank top or peasant shirt would be very fitting. You'll most likely find them in your summer bin. Still throw on that pashmina shall and the outfit will look classic. B) Hippie
Velvet choker with pink butterfly was my Mom's. Red earrings from a trip to Mexico. Seed bead necklaces I made in middle school. Rainbow clay bead from a crafts' fair in Lake George.
I personally think this is one of the easier costumes to put together. The rest of the outfit could entail a pair of jeans, they don't have to be bell bottoms but if you own bell bottoms bonus! A t-shirtor solid print tank top. (Extra bonus if you can find a tie dye shirt) If you own clogs or platform shoes definitely wear them they will help tie the outfit together. Finally, if you have ribbon, even curling ribbon for gift wrapping, wear your hair down and tie the ribbon across your forehead. It's Halloween, so embrace the fun of it.
C) Old Grandma Money Bags
The oodles of fake pearls are a mixture of my childhood pearls and Mardi Gras beads. The clip on pearl earrings and star burst pearl brooch were my Nana's. Finally the stretchy faux diamond cuff was a flea market find my parents gave me as dress up jewelry as a child.
This one is my favorites. I think this collection/costume needs some large stone rings. I can also imagine a fur hat and maybe a muff (fake or real according to your own personal feelings). I think a pair of gloves and a handkerchief would be appropriate. Under all of these accessories a simple black dress and 'comfortable and modest' black heels would tie it all together.
E) Diva Rock Star
The sparkly gold bangles are a throw back to my college years. The very large hoop earrings were from a funk/disco costume. The star necklace was an impulse buy from Forever 21 several years ago. The length is so long but I love it and you'd be surprised how much it comes in handy to dress up an outfit. The gold necklace is another piece I was given as a child. I think any kind of animal print pants, skirt, or dress here would be very appropriate here. If you are not that adventurous black pants and a neon shirt would also go. Also sequins go a long way here, either in a mini skirt or in a top. Lastly, strap on a pair a of heels and you are one fierce woman. The heels don't even need to match perfectly, remember you are a diva she-woman so own it and it will look fabulous. F) Hawaiian Tropic
All except one of the pieces above were souvenir gifts from family and friends' trips to Florida and Hawaii. The only one that wasn't was the monochrome shell necklace that I picked up at Salvation Army.
The rest of the costume can be put together with a bright and colorful shirt, maybe something that already has flowers on it. If you have a floral dress that will work too. To top it off if you have a fake flower from any holiday decorations or gift wrapping tuck that behind your ear, put on a pair of sunglasses, and you are golden!
G) White Rabbit
Some may look at this and be inspired in another direction but when I look at these two pieces I see the cute furry White Rabbit from 'Alice in Wonderland'. The necklace clock and sweater clip were both my Nana's. Two of my favorite pieces I was given after she passed away.
The rest of the costume can be easily put together with a vest that you could borrow from your husband, partner, Dad or brother, rabbit ears (that can be made with simple white computer paper and a headband), eyeliner whiskers, and a cotton ball tail. Don't worry about the rest of the details, people will get the costume.
I hope I was able to inspire you. Have a safe and fun Halloween! Please leave any comments below, your input is greatly appreciated. AP
Inspiration:
I recently obtained several books from my elementary school library because the school is closing down. All of the books had the old school library cards in the back of the book. I knew I needed to do something with them. The size of the card is perfect for a notepad so I did a little search on Etsy to see what the serious crafters were selling. I found a really nice one with metal binding. As much as I would totally buy a metal binding machine I don't think my husband would approve. So I opted for a simple hemp binding instead.
My final product. I know, I know not exactly well put together but I am okay with putting up a project that isn't perfect for display on this kind of platform, for now. I tend to learn as I go. I also feel that not every project is going to come out perfect the first time but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it out. Most likely you are going to make it better than I will.
Supplies:
Used library note card
Graph paper
Paper cutter
Pencil
Hemp (garden twine)
Scissor
Ruler (optional)
How did I make mine?
I won't go into too much detail on this because I do feel this is a bit of an intuitive project to a certain degree, if you are someone who makes things on the regular. So, instead I will give a few pointers and pitfalls I ran into.
I chose to use graph paper. I thought this would be a helpful way to cut the paper evenly. Using the already existing lines as my guidelines. This did help. I used my library card as my size guide and marked the graph paper in pencil accordingly. There were two time consuming parts; one was cutting the paper on the paper cutter. I used small chunks of paper (maybe 7 or 8 pages per cut) so the paper cutter would cut evenly. If you use too many sheets of paper it tends to cut at an angle because its just too thick for the blade to get through it straight.
The other time consuming part was putting the holes in the paper. This was tough because I had to do it by hand with a hole punch. To be consistent with each hole punch so the holes match up was tricky. I used my cover as my guide but I should have made a stencil or dummy cover because during one of my hole punches I slipped and punched an extra hole making it uneven and sloppy. I could have changed the cover but I loved the 'Green Eggs and Ham' card and felt it would be a waste not to use it.
Quick 'how to' video on book binding. I definitely need some practice with this. I did not make the video but used youtube to show me the way.
I hope this helped and I hope you like my project.
Good Morning!
I know it's Monday. But I have a fun post for you all. I spent the weekend mostly unplugged and successfully reconnected with people, family, and crafting! Three days of no Facebook gave my brain and phone a welcome break. It's amazing how much battery life I saved from not constantly checking my FB page. I was still connected, very much, to Pinterest but I felt those searches had more value so I'm okay with that.
Here are few photos I took over the weekend.
Beautiful Dalhias at the Mohonk Mountain House Show Garden
Enjoying the splendor of fall and keeping busy with upcycled craft projects.
The library card notepad will be explained in a how to post. The acorns and pine cones were fresh out of the oven (to kill any bugs that sneaked their way into the house.) I used the pine cones for some fall mantel decorating and the acorns were dipped in glitter. the lovely pressed glass is from the Woodstock chime factory I scored at the Materials Exchange many many years ago.
I can say happily that I can cross off quite a bit from my Fun Fall Checklist.
Made an apple crisp and people actually like it! (or they lied to me- which I'm okay with)
Drank 2 kinds of Pumpkin Ale - Samuel Adams and Saranac. (Saranac was much better)
Here is a quick list I composed of scenes from family friendly movies that take place during Halloween. Hopefully this will get you all excited for Halloween. I thought it would be a fun way to kick off the month of October.
'E.T.'- Halloween- Funny, creepy, and adorable all at the same time.
Update:
Here is one movie scene that I forgot about until today. This is one of the most ridiculous and strange movie scenes. But this is a movie from my childhood so the nostalgia outshines the strangeness for me.
