Splendid

candy corn craft and muffin luminaries

We made a ton of these little candy corn gift bags this week.  I punched out the scalloped circles and hand cut the simple paper ribbons. Big sis has 6 teachers now that she's in middle school, so these will be easier to take with her. We also made extras for neighbors and some friends.

I wanted to do something kind of special for my littlest's teachers. She is so lucky to have an amazing staff at her school that help her and treat her with so much love and kindness. I bought these metal luminaries and kitchen towels from Target and baked a ton of miny pumpkin muffins. I lined the luminaries with the towel and added the muffins. Tie on a tag and I was done. The teachers loved them.

Happy Halloween everyone!

my pumpkins

This time of year is my favorite time of year, I love fall!!  This past week it cooled off considerably, and I felt renewed.  South Florida summers are humid and hot, and I felt like I might just freak out as I don't really love the heat...but since this past week or so has been mild, I may just stick around...We went to the pumpkin patch with friends and got a couple pumpkins, walked through the butterfly garden and enjoyed some apple cider...

It was a good day.

The 13 days of Halloween

I made this tag book this week, but it's to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas, but this is the 13 days of Halloween.

On the 13th day of Halloween, my dead love gave to me...13 potions brewing, 12 boiling cauldrons, 11 spiders spinning, 10 creepy dolls...

9 zombies crawling, 8 bats a flying, 7 crows a cawing, 6 toads a croaking...

5 cackling witches...4 dusty skulls, 3 black cats, 2 mangy rats...

and a vulture in a dead tree...


This week has been a whirlwind of school activities, baking, Halloween decorating and crafting.  I am IN LOVE with the cooler weather this last week, I even wore my knee high boots on day (grin).  What's your favorite thing about autumn?

scrapbooking with FX

Anyone who knows me I have trouble sitting still.  I wouldn't say I am high energy or overly talkative, definitely not fidgety or unable to complete tasks, but I do have this calm hyperness.  My husband always says, "geez!  Can't you just sit here with me?"  I do have trouble sitting still and watching tv or movies.  I need to be folding laundry, checking emails, writing lists or doing some hand-work. I scrapbooked these last week, one while watching Sons of Anarchy with Dave. I must say I like me some Jax, and I like him better with shorter hair. And the other show that I'm starting is American Horror Story, ummmm, scary and weird, but I like it.  Anyhoo, this was produced in those 2 hours of tv.  I think that nervousness relates back to my dad who had a funny motto, " you should never sit on upolstered furniture during daylight hours" meaning we should be busying ourselves, and I guess I still think like that.

Do you have any nervous ticks?

black and white with a speck of orange...

Halloween is my favorite holiday!  I love all the holidays, but there's something about Halloween; the goofiness of costumes, mummy dogs and trick-or-treating, plus the magical, mystical and aura of the unknown, I must admit I find it captivating!  I pulled out my decorations last week, mostly sticking with a black and white palette, but adding some orange here and there.  I love the old, retro decorations, too.  Most of my decorations are vintage-inspired by artists like Bethany Lowe, Wendy Addison or Lori Mitchell.

I still have a bunch of ripped cheesecloth to hang up over windows and drape across tables, as well as a cemetery to build in the front yard.  We're having a Halloween party here, with themed foods, games and trick-or-treating around the block. Can't wait!

finally.

So sad, I've been working on this mini (or not so mini, I can't even shut it ) and it's done. From over 2 years ago and moved around through 2 countries, last week I glued in the last picture. Almost a month of European pictures; 11 days in London, 4 days Venice, 5 days in Manchester and ending 5 days in Paris). Whew.  But seriously, one of my most favorite times of my life, a vacation of a lifetime, a dream really!  Here's a little bit of it. 

 

 

There's many more pages, I made a lot of fold out pages and pockets for souvenirs and trinkets.  I wanna go back and do it all again.

fall festival

There was a sweet, little fall festival here.  Actually, in my terms, a fall festival should not be 89 degrees and humid with you searching for shade under a palm tree, but I shouldn't complain. There were some carnival games and a hay ride, that's very fall festival-ish, right?

 
    
  
 
 
We're off to a pumpkin patch next weekend, and word on the street is it'll get much cooler 'round these parts soon.  It better. Or else.

pocket pies

Giggle.  That name makes me giggle, but as I'm always trying to do something different for dinner around here, then I saw this fun little contraption at Target the other day.  Like empanadas or turnovers, these could be filled with almost anything.  Little sis loved making them for her dad.  Turkey meatloaf stuffing and hand-cut sweet potato fries for dinner, followed up with 3 different types of pies. One cinnamon apple, fresh raspberry and the last banana-nutella, yum! 

These little pockets of yumminess were as autumn cozy-comfort foodish as it gets here in south Florida when it's still 87 degrees and humid...

15.

15 years ago today, I married my best friend. Since then we have made two beautiful, amazing girls, moved almost countless times living abroad and across the US, laughed and cried, traveled the world, supported each other through thick and thin, brought each other coffee in bed, can read each others thoughts, and he still gives me butterflies in my stomach. I love you Bear.

 then.

 

(Wellsville Canyon, Utah, 1996)

yep, rockin' the 80's eyebrows in the mid 90's... rad, I know...

 

(omg, even from the side my eyebows are huge...and those ringlets through the crown...major, I know. Don't be too jealous.)

now.

 
(Eiffel Tower, Paris, France)

He's been gone on a business trip for 9 days and gets back tonight.  I love you Bear, can't wait to see you!!!

sketch 253

I have never done with a Pencil Lines Sketch, but I liked sketch #253, so I thought I better get busy and do it.

 
This was this year in London standing on the bridge that goes over the river Thames.  I used last month's Studio Calico kit (along with a couple extras). My plan is Sunday to get a lot of crafting done, I have some Halloween cards and goodie bags I want to complete. What's your weekend plans?

just a little thanks

My littlest' teacher is like the super best.  I love this teacher, she is the sweetest. My younger daughter has recently been diagnosed with some reading difficulties/processing problems similar to dyslexia. Poor thing, we're getting her help from a renowned medical facility and we're keeping it positive.  But I appreciate so much that her teacher shows her a little bit of extra care and patience.  I made her a little bag of homemade sweets and tied this vintage ballerina cupcake topper and Sassafras tag to the wax paper bag.

I hope she knows how much her kindness means to our family!!!

Stitch Rock Indie Craft

Okay, all I can say is right now I feel soooooooooooo happy that there are actually cool, fun and independent thinkers here in south Florida. We moved here about 5-6 months ago and after a little searching around I came to the idea that there was nothing like Stitch Rock or the people that attend it.  So, when I stumbled upon this on the internet, I was BEYOND happy, like, seriously, my heart soared.  Saturday I felt like I was being wisked away back to Philadelphia and the First Fridays or craft markets that are pretty rad if I do say so.

  
             
 
I am smitten, and I will return!

pop culture

That's The Creative Type's prompt for October.  Come and play along with us!!!  This one is a pretty easy one to pick a topic, and I thought about doing a LO on Twitter or Facebook, but, I really don't do either of those.  Then I thought about all the Vampire groupies, Twilight and True Blood in particular, but, no.  Music groups, thifting, Indie/hipster something or other.  Then I looked down at the stack of cooking mags I have collected in just a couple weeks (Halloween and Fall cooking is like eye candy in magazines) and thought about how popular cooking has become again.  Like Food Network and all the other cooking shows, I really love them.  So, that was my inspiration for this layout.

 
 
Come play along with us!  We've got awesome prizes! Great You Tube tutorials and more!!