Halloween Hop

Do you love Halloween? Be sure to link up to your Halloween decorating/crafting/cooking posts at the Halloween Hop!

A simple fall project.

Way back in 2005, we needed a fun project to keep our minds off of the fact that our little dog was having her spay surgery (waiting is the worst). It was fall, and there was an abundance of dried leaves in the yard. So of course I knew that we needed to make a fun fall "lamp"!
Using cream tissue paper, leaves, and ModPoge (plus a string of white twinkle lights), the fun fall lamp was created. In the daytime when the lights aren't on, it just looks like a jar covered in paper, it isn't until you turn the lights on that the leaves really show up. That is exactly how I wanted it. If you made one, you could cover the entire outside with just leaves, or maybe leave some of the glass open and not covered. The possibilities are many!
I'm thinking of making another fun jar like this for Christmas, and Valentine's Day. There are so many ways that this could be done, and it's a nice way to reuse old jars that you would otherwise throw out!

Fun new uses for old things.

Here are some creative ways to use everyday items in new ways:


Clear lightbulbs become hanging vases. CD envelops make wonderful cookie sleeves.
Mason jars become magical snowglobes!
And last, but certainly not least, cookie sheets become wonderful magnet boards!

Mummy Candle Holders

A fun and simple craft for Halloween! Simply take glass vases (you can find amazing deals on these at thrift shops, so many people get rid of them), gauze, googly eyes, and ModPodge or other adhesive (spray adhesive would work great) to create a fun mummy candle holder!

First, put the eyes on the vase. I used double stick tape to attach the eyes, knowing that the gauze would be going over parts of it to help hold them on. Also, since the vase wasn't flat, there was only a small part of the eye that could be attached to the vase. Tape was the simplest solution, though glue would be stronger if you plan to move them around a lot.

Next, start the gauze by attaching it to the vase with double stick tape on just one end. I started at the top of the vase and worked down to the bottom. With one end of gauze attached, start painting on the ModPodge, putting the gauze on top of it as you go. I like the look of some gauze over the eyes, but of course, this is your mummy! Make it how you like it!

Allow to dry completely, and then add a candle to the inside. I used LED candles inside of my mummys, which is really handy because you don't have to light them. You can find programmable LED candles that turn on at the same time each day (we got ours from Enjoy Lighting). I also tried a floating candle, which was really neat because you can create a different glow depending on how much water you add to each mummy.

Here is the finished product all lit up and looking spooky!

Giveaway Announcement

I have a wonderful giveaway on our animal blog right now. If you are looking for some new bedding, this giveaway is one you need to check out. Sleep Number is giving away one of their amazing True Silver blankets, valued at $169! We were able to try it out ourselves and love it. So soft, and the True Silver is great for keeping allergens at bay naturally. Visit 4 The Love of Animals to see full details and to enter to win.

Halloween Countdown!

One of my favorite holidays is Halloween. This year I have been counting down even more than other years because of all the amazing Halloween ideas that have been on Pinterest. Here are some of my favorites:

Source: marthastewart.com via Aimee on Pinterest

Source: lhj.com via Aimee on Pinterest

Source: livingbettertogether.blogspot.com via Aimee on Pinterest

Source: onecharmingparty.com via Aimee on Pinterest

Source: everycreativeendeavor.com via Aimee on Pinterest

Where you work.

Do you have a home office? A craft room? A dedicated space to work in? Or do you carve out any little space you can find?

In our home my husband and I both have offices, which is wonderful because we both do a lot of work from home. We had to share a space when we were first married, and it is much better that we now have our own spaces! I also have a laptop and can work from just about anywhere. My office space is also shared with our bird, so in reality, it's more her space than mine.

How do you work in your home? I have found that what I need most, and don't have, are long areas of desk space for doing things off of the computer. I have daydreams about configuring a future office to work much better. Here is an inspiration of how I would love my office to look:

Source: houzz.com via Aimee on Pinterest

How do you work in your home?

Strut Your Mutt

We share the nest with our pets, and of course, one of our passions is seeing that all homeless pets find homes. It's a cause near and dear to our hearts, and that is why I am writing about the Strut Your Mutt event!

If you haven't heard of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, I hope you will take a moment to visit their site and learn more. They are a truly wonderful animal group that helps take care of abused, abandoned, pets including many of the dogs from the Michael Vick case (the "Vicktory Dogs"). They hold an annual event to raise money for their cause, and this year they have extended the event to allow for people to "Strut Your Mutt" all over the country through virtual events.

I am participating and will be "strutting" my mutt! If you love animals and have the heart to do so, please support me in my fundraising goal for Best Friends. You can donate through my fundraising page. I would be so grateful for donations of any amount, even $5.00 goes a long way to helping homeless pets.

Thank you!

Do It Yourself Books

Two really fun Do It Youself books came out recently from the popular magazine, Do It Yourself. So many fun ideas, and all for the person who loves to tackle the project themselves! First up, Do It Yourself: Kitchens (Better Homes & Gardens Decorating).
Full of inspiring kitchen makeovers for $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. Loads of great before-and-after photos, complete with budget breakdowns, which is really helpful for planning your own makeover. I also loved that the book has space planning tips, and of course, a lot of smaller projects that anyone can do to make their home more personal.

By far my favorite, likely because our kitchen is all made over, is the next book, Do It Yourself: 100+ Paint Projects (Better Homes & Gardens Decorating)!

Talk about tons of fun ideas! I am planning to do some of them very soon. The book has great photos of projects, how to tips on how to choose the right paintbrush for the project, and tips for painting on all kinds of different surfaces. I loved that there were even design templates included in the book. If you are ready to get some creative juices flowing, both of these books will help you do just that!  




*We received copies of both books for this review. As always, my opinion is my own.*

Never forgotten.

Owl Cupcake Kit

Owls remind me of fall, but then again, cupcakes that look like owls would be amazing any time of the year. So of course I just had to share this adorable owl cupcake kit with you!

Very cute, right? The kit is on sale right now at 50% off and will make 12 cupcakes, but I was kind of disappointed to see that it really just included the decorative elements and cupcake cups, and wasn't a full kit with cupcake mix and frosting.

I think I am going to have to try to recreate these sometime for our Harry Potter movie marathon!

Welcome September

The days are getting shorter, the weather cooler, and fall veggies will soon be planted in the garden. It's hard to imagine that fall is just around the corner, on September 23rd to be exact. Here at the nest summer has just barely arrived, and already we have to start letting go of it. Perhaps we will have a warmer than usual fall and winter this year to make up for the cooler, rainy summer we had.

Even with the change of seasons my thoughts still turn towards the garden (after all, it is still in the 90s out there)! I found this amazing fairy garden, and have been thinking about making something like it ever since. What is it about miniatures that are so fascinating and lovely?

Source: theburghbaby.com via HeidiAphrodite on Pinterest