10 Halloween Inspired Crafts-Food-Fun

Happy Halloween!!! This is a post dedicated to all of those cute Halloween ideas that I thought were just oh so cute, but as I don't decorate for Halloween since it's just me and hubs so far, I didn't make.  Here they are, my favorite Halloween inspired crafties, food, and costumes!!!

Spooky Halloween Bunting

Gourmet Caramel Apples

Halloween Mantels (or shelves for us without mantel)

Trick or Treat

Gross-ology Food

Baby Food Jar Votives

 DIY Ladies Costumes

Monogrammed Carved Pumpkins

Some Halloween Decor I could really get into!

Pumpkin Pie Syrup by Everyday Art

(I already tried this and it is scrumptious on oatmeal and in coffee too!)

Have a spooky and fun filled Halloween everyone!

BOO,

Top Pins of the Week #5

Here they are again! My Top Pins of the Week! This is one of my favorite posts to do.  There is so much creativity out there and I love showing you my favorite pins. Soap box moment for me, when you pin something go and look at it eventually. Most of the stuff from Pinterest is from some cute blogger who has a ton of other great ideas too, so go have a look!  Now that I'm off my soap box, here they are!!

Guacamole Salsa by Frosted Bake Shop

 

This looks seriously delicious! I love guacamole and salsa soooo this is a perfect mix for me! Check out the recipe and make your own!

Skinny Halloween Treat: 4 Ingredients Pumpkin Fro-Yo by The Family Kitchen

So yummy and so easy! Make some for a quick and yummy Halloween or Fall inspired treat!

DIY 1$ Hat Organizer by House Dressing Style

 This is a perfect way to organize hubs hats! This would eliminate the problem of where to put them as well as the clutter and them ending up all over the house  (I found one balanced inside a lamp shade once...I kid you not)

Homemade Bagel Recipe 

This is an easy and delicious way to make your own bagels. I tried this one out last week and I can't tell you how delicious it was to pull bagels fresh from the oven for breakfast.  Easy and fairly quick!

Make Your Own Mineral Veil by Chisel Beauty

I love my Bare Minerals BUT since I am much more budget conscious now as a married chick it's not always that budget friendly. I like many others who use Bare Minerals tend to go through the Mineral Veil quickest of all...So now problem solved, make your own mineral veil for like 5 cents instead of 20 bucks!!

Knock Your Socks of Brownies by Moore or Less Cooking

These look chocolatey and delicious.  Nuff said.

So there you have it folks my favorite pins for this week! I think I was hungry this week, can you tell?! Check these great ideas and recipes out and I know they will be some of your faves too!

XOXO,

Cinnamon and Salt Face Mask

This mask generally improves the look and feel of my skin.  It's like an at home micro-dermabrasion and the ingredients are found in your own pantry!  I use the face mask once a week or at least every two weeks.

Ingredients:
1/2 TBS fine salt
1/2 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
gel face wash

Instructions:
Mix the dry ingredients together.

Squirt gel face wash in the dry ingredients and mix to make a paste.

Dampen face with warm water, place a towel over your face just to open up your pores.

Apply paste to damp face and leave for 5 minutes (It will tingle and burn a little)

Wash off of your face with lukewarm water and apply lotion to your face.

Enjoy your soft skin and smaller pores!

*P.S.  Don't scrub your face with this mask

XOXO,

Re-Covered Pillows

I was in Goodwill about a month ago  (You are all REALLY surprised aren't you ;) )  and I found this super cute Waverly fabric just discarded and thrown away...and ready for me to make something awesome! 

So cute and modern right?!

Anyways I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it yet. I thought about a skirt or a shirt or a bag...But I have so many skirts, shirts and bags...I wanted this fabric to be on display every day!!!


So I finally decided that some accent pillows for our couch would be perfect.  I'd been meaning to cover up my ugly old orange ones.  They had gotten a lot of use and had even gotten bleached out by the sun.

Old

So I  covered them up.  I first measured my pillows. Added an inch to the measurements and cut out squares.  Then I sewed them into a square inside out, put the pillow in it and sewed up the bottom.

And there you have it folks. My cute new couch pillows for $1.00

New

XOXO,

Michelle's Musings: Birdy Pin Cushion

So..........everyone who sews needs a pin cushion. I found myself needing a new one. I really love those awesome tomato ones, but when I was at the store, I could not help but think about how I could make one. So I decided to try it! I started thinking of what shapes and designs I could make my pin cushion to be. After much deliberation (and by deliberation, I mean with me, myself, and I), I decided to make my favorite animal - a bird!

Here is how you can make one just like mine (or learn from my mistakes to make an even better one!)...

Materials:
- small amount of fabric (I used one of those cheap fabric blocks from JoAnn's)
- scissors
- thread/needle
- batting
- 2 small beads, pearls, or sequins for eyes
- small amount of excess scrap fabric for the bird's beak and wings

Begin by using a piece of cardboard or cardstock (I used the cardboard that came with my fabric, just to be resourceful) to create a "pattern" for your bird. Be sure to make it big enough for pins to be safely contained.

 Cut your pattern from your fabric, making the cut a little bit bigger than the pattern to give it some hemming room. Make a second patterned cut, this time with the pattern facing the opposite direction, so that the patterned side of the fabric shows on both sides of the bird (or, you could fold your fabric and make both cuts at the same time). Pin these two pieces together, with the patterned sides of the fabric facing one another.

Sew (I hand-sewed..if you are amazing and want to use your machine, go for it!) a hem around the edges, beginning either at the top or bottom, where the head joins the rest of the body. This is so that the stuffing area can be left at the head to maximize pin-holding capacity and so you can flip the body inside-out for stuffing.

Once the body (minus head) has been stitched, pull the body of the bird inside-out and begin stuffing a little bit at a time. Then sew the head together, and you've got the body of your bird!

Carefully hand-sew one bead, pearl, or sequin onto each side of the face of your bird for the bird's eyes. I used small pearl-like beads I found at a craft store.

Use some scrap fabric that is in a color and/or pattern that goes well with the fabric of your bird, and cut out a small beak and two small wings. Sew these on appropriately.

Voila! You have a new bird pin cushion!

Please share if you make one of your very own!

Blessings,
Michelle

DIY Pumpkin Scent Lamp

 Want your house to smell like fresh baked pumpkin pie this fall?  Heck, I know I want my house to smell like pumpkin pie year round!!  As I'm writing this that yummy smell is filling my whole house...delicious. The glow is warm and inviting and it's just so cute!  This is a festive, quick, and easy way to get the most real smelling pumpkin pie scent around! Here's how you do it!

Buy a cute little pumpkin! I got mine at Wally World (Walmart) for 78 cents.

Then cut the top off. I just cut mine straight across.

Then gut it and scrape the sides well (save those seeds for some yummy pumpkin seeds!)

Then use your knife to cut shapes in the top and bottom so that the good smell can get out.  Make it a cute pattern or whatever you want to decorate!  I just did plain old polka dots on mine!

After that I sprinkled cinnamon on the inside, top and bottom and spread it around.  (I also sprinkled a little bit of pumpkin spice in it)

Finally I put two tea lights in it (I used vanilla scented), lit it up and sat back and enjoyed!

Cute, functional and cheap! I spent 78 cents on the whole thing, what a deal! Enjoy your DIY Pumpkin Scent Lamp

BOO,

This project is featured by Kathe with an E,  The Gunny Sack, and Made in a Day!

This project is linked up at Not Just a Housewife, Eye Heart, Kathe with an E, Adventures of a DIY Mom, Chef in Training, Gunny Sack, Sewing Barefoot, Success U, Made U Look Thursdays (Made in a Day), A Crafty Soiree, Naptime Crafters, Naturally Nifty and Classy Clutter.  You can find links to all of these fabulous linking parties and blogs under my page Linking Partaaays!

Easy Banana Bread

I always have eyes bigger than my stomach when it comes to bananas for some reason.  We never seem to eat all of them before they get all brown and squishy.  I always loved my mom's banana bread but it was much more complicated than this recipe and it gets about the same result.

I found this recipe on Pinterest from Artsy-Fartsy Mama(where else) and use it all the time.  It's great for breakfast and even a little snack throughout the day!

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

2-4 very ripe bananas (I've used from 2-4 of them and it turns out great every time.)

1 package of yellow cake mix (I've also done it with chocolate...which was phenomenal)

1/2-1 cup of chocolate chips (Dark, white, milk...all good!)

2 eggs

Nuts optional

Preheat to 350 degrees. Smash bananas first. Mix ingredients together in a bowl and pour into greased loaf pans.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and done on inside. 

This recipe is soo good and so effortless. Plus it makes two loaves so that means you can give one away...or pop it in the freezer and bring it out a week later once your other loaf is gone!!

XOXO,

This post is linked up to Not Just a Housewife, Kathe with an E, Adventures of a DIY Mom, Chef in Training, Gunny Sack, Sewing Barefoot, Success U, Eye Heart, and Crafty Soiree.  You can find links to these awesome blogs on the page Linking Partaaays!  Go visit and share the love!

Top Pins of the Week #4

Here they are! My favorite pins of this week!  I absolutely love the creativity of these people on Pinterest! So inspiring. So check these links out and let them know you love 'em!

Mini Clutch Tutorial by Our Busy Little Bunch

I don't think I could hav enough of these cute little clutches. Perfect for a purse, backpack or even diaper bag!  The tutorial is great and you could use some cute leftover fabric. The more vibrant the pattern, the better!!

Double Pumpkin Kissed Cookies by Picky Palate

These look absolutely scrumptious! AND this recipe uses those delicious Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses! Sooooo good....

Pot Lid Organizer by Instructables

Great idea! I hate having those pot lids crashing around when you are trying to get a pot out!

Cream of Anything Soup by A Heart-ful Home

This is ingenious! It always seems like the best recipes call for cream  of something and this may be a healthier answer. Great mix!

Homemade Febreze by Life. Family. Love.

This stuff is so good but so expensive.  This recipe is great for making your own! So great!!

Some really good finds on Pinterest this week! Keep on pinning!

XOXO,