Monthly Archives: October 2014

Halloween Blog 3 (the final chapter)

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This is our 3rd Halloween post for the year. We are still learning and having fun, creating new things and sharing a few ideas. This week we are focusing on the Happy Halloween Banner and some other random yet (hopefully) interesting Halloween and fall related things.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN BANNER: We saw a banner in a store not too long ago, and we decided to design our own and put our own twist on it. The banner we came up with is simple to make. We made ours out of things we had around the house, but if you were to buy the items, you could probably do it for under $10.00  Let’s make this a banner year!

You will need: 15 5X7 inch rectangles of burlap, 5-6 feet of Jute or ribbon, acrylic paint; black and orange, 15 wooden clothespins. tacks to attach banner to wall.

To make the banner: 

  • Cut fifteen 5 X 7 inch rectangles out of burlap. Iron them with a t-shirt or towel over them.
  • Using black acrylic paint, paint one letter vertically on each rectangle spelling out                   H A P P Y  H A L L O W E E N ! in approximately 4 inch capital letters.
  • Paint 15 wooden clothespins orange. Allow rectangles and clothespins to dry.                          ( about one hour)
  • Cut 5-6 feet of Jute or ribbon, hang 2 ribbons 11 inches apart one above the other.
  •  Attach to the wall by tying the ribbon to tacks with the ends 5-6 ft apart  (or what works for you).
  • Using the orange clothespins, attach (letter-by-letter) HAPPY to the top ribbon, HALLOWEEN to the bottom.
  • Center and adjust for your desired look.

NOTE: Perfection is not the goal for this project: burlap frays, clothespins can be tricky to paint, and hand-lettering is a challenge for some people, but that is part of the charm of this banner.          (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)

RANDOM STUFF:

Here’s another picture of our Halloween decor.

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TREAT TRICK: An easy way to make popcorn balls is to use the Rice Krispies treat recipe (on the box or online), use  the same amount of popcorn instead of Rice Krispies!

PETS WARNING: Remember chocolate is toxic for pets, keep the kids trick-or-treat candy out of their reach! (The pets reach that is, well maybe the kids too!)

GO FLAMELESS: Flameless candles make for a safer Halloween. Use them in Jack-O-Lanterns and all over the house!

JOKE OF THE WEEK:  What’s the problem with twin witches?                                                                                                You never know which witch is which!                                                                                                                                        (Source: jokerz.com)

Up next week: Thanksgiving!

Thanks everyone for reading this and the other entries. Please share, like and follow!

We wish you and yours a Happy, safe and creative Halloween!

Roy and Kevin

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Halloween Blog 2 (the sequel)!

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PUMPKINS AND SCARECROWS AND GHOSTS -OH MY!!

 Post number 2!  We had fun putting up the last post and are still learning about this blogging stuff.  Anything worth learning is going to take some time. We are just starting the process of creating a routine for getting more of these posts out with better and better content.

Last Sunday we decorated our place a little bit with the contents of the buckets of Halloween items we have collected over the years  We used that as inspiration for the few tips we are sharing this week. The Lighted Stacked Jack-O-Lanterns are so simple and affordable. The scarecrow ideas we share make use of household items and thrift store finds. We hope you like these ideas and are enjoying this magical holiday season!

ADD A LITTLE PUMPKIN SPICE TO YOUR DECOR!

IMG_2653 (2)Decorating tip: The Lighted Stacked Jack-O-Lanterns shown here is a cute display that is easy to create.  You can make this for under $10.00.  We had 3 pumpkins but needed a forth. We also needed a set of lights. We went to Target and bought the pumpkin for $1.00 and a set of lights for about $5.00.  Start with four plastic pumpkins that are the same size. The ones here are 8 inches. Using a utility knife, cut the bottoms out of the 3 top pumpkins. The very bottom of these pumpkins are usually thicker plastic, so cut along the edge where it is thinner and easier to cut. Stack them together with the uncut one on the bottom and string lights through them from the top. Our’s shown are just stacked, but you may want to attach them together with duct tape in the back. The light shines through the plastic and gives the room a great glow!

SCARECROWS!

I made the scarecrows shown at the top of this page. I made mine like dolls, and used thriftstore clothes. There are other ways too. Included here are a few tips for making scarecrows :

  • Children’s feet pajamas make great scarecrow bodies. Just stuff them and dress them. Dress them in used clothes , either your own or some bought from a thrift store.
  • Heads can be made from paper bags, burlap sacks, wig heads, and as one tip from Martha Stewart suggests, use (clean and empty) laundry detergent bottles, upside down using the handle as a nose.
  • Stuff with fiberfill for a more permanent indoor scarecrow.
  • Give your scarecrow personality. Maybe glasses and a book for a studious scarecrow, tie-dyed shirt for a 1960’s inspired scarecrow, etc.
  • Gloves for hands, shoes for feet, buttons for eyes.
  • Finish with straw and  plastic leaves for a realistic look.

Vignettes! We like to group like items with like items. This decorating idea works in all sorts of decorating situations, holiday or not. Here (below) is a ghost vignette with some of our favorite ghost decorations we have collected and created though the years.

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SPOOKTACULAR!

Joke of the week: What do ghosts eat for breakfast? Boo-berry pancakes!

MORE NEXT WEEK!

THANKS TO ALL WHO READ THIS AND LAST WEEKS POSTS! PLEASE SHARE FOLLOW AND LIKE.

ROY AND KEVIN

New Holiday Blog Project!

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IMG_2640 (2)What’s it all about

We have been thinking about blogging for years. I figured that the holidays would be a good time to start, as we always have lots of creative holiday ideas and there is a lot to write about. With that said, we are launching our HOLIDAY BLOGFEST!! Every week between now and January 1st we will post a blog about the holidays with ideas and other (hopefully) interesting content. Our focus is that   creativity can be simple and affordable and it can make life more fun!

Today we’ll start simply with just a few items:

FIRST HOLIDAY: HALLOWEEN!

Craft tip: The little ghosts shown in the photo above are an easy party favor you can make. Wrap a lollipop with a white napkin. Tie with a ribbon or rubber band, use a marker for eyes, and you have cute ghosts. BOO!

Decorating tip: Tie string to witches hats and hang them from the ceiling!

Hats

 

FUN FACT: The first Jack-O-Lantern was actually made from a turnip. Source: Randomhistory.com

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What was / is your favorite Halloween candy??

At Halloween, don’t worry about dusting, think of the dust and cobwebs as free decor!

KUDOS TO: Kevin for taking the great photo of the pumpkin on the stairs in Provincetown fall of 2012. ( shown above)

A BIG THANK YOU to the Warwick RI Public Library and wonderful  instructor Reza Clifton for the great blogging  and social media class they presented.