The Etsy Store is back and will continue to post new items this month. Editable instant download for some fun and unusual paper goods and gifts.
Check out the site HERE
Thing 1 and 2 have been musing about creating an etsy store to sell some of our family creations. Now we've finally done it. Check out our very first item for sale: a printable, customized letterhead from my original watercolor. View it in our store HERE.
All proceeds from this store benefit Thing 1 and Thing 2's college savings fund.
With all the snow storms we've had so far this year, this Halloween will probably be simple. So I thought it might be fun to revisit our last two Halloween parties.
Last year we visited Neverland.
Invitation in a bottle.
I designed these little invitations and the map with Illustrator and printed them off on our ink jet printer.
Hook's Helm, overlooking the great room.
The treasure map. Each area was represented somewhere in our house. I used Kathie's teepee; Eric built a makeshift flying boat on the catwalk; Last year's tree became Pan's hideout; a pretend fishing pond (where you could fish for treats with poles was the mermaid lagoon,etc. At each place there were hidden toys and candy.
Adults without costumes got to wear these lovely planks.
Hook's flying ship.
Our 11 foot tall London tower - Big Ben. This was lots of fun in the dark with our fog machine.
Materials: papier mache, wardrobe boxes, clear acrylic sheet (protector for a cheap poster frame), floorlamp (inside), handcut paper roman numerals and clock hands
Wendy, S'mee, and Tink
Captain Hook and Wendy
She's got Tink attitude down, don't you think?
Wendy takes flight.
Before her class party
Halloween 2 years ago: Woodland Forest. I can't seem to find any pictures of the girls from this year, although they made cute woodland fairies. I know they're around here somewhere....
For this party, invitees received a little black box with a raven's black claw in it (on a bed of moss) that I cast. Around one claw was tied a red ribbon with a note that said, "Don't forget... Party in the Forbidden Forest."
I was a wood nymph.
Eric was a satyr. I sewed these shaggy pants and we put foam inside to make the shape of satyr legs. We papier mache'ed this tree over garden wire. My man rigged red LED lights inside the tree's knothole to look like eyes. So fun!
Got these great little handmade horns on ebay!
We had so much fun both years. Everyone was an excellent sport and wore awesome costumes. Kids had a delightful time. A word of caution to anyone attempting these parties: you'll most certainly be shampooing blood and chocolate out of your carpet. Whether its fake or real blood has yet to be determined.....muahahaha!!!!
Oh, my! I have let time fly since my last post. I think I win loser blogger of the year award. Lets see if I can condense and highlight.
Girls Birthday Parties: They were lots of fun this year! One girl wanted an outdoor party.
One girl wanted a dog party at her Grandma Kathie's this year.
Goofy kids as the pinata gets lowered.
The kids love to play in our pond.
Hurry and blow out those candles before the icecream cake melts!
Bounce castle!
I'm not fantastic at making pretty cakes like my mom was, but hopefully I get an A for effort.
Yep, she got them all in one puff.
Pets: Remember the post on our hamster? I'm sad to say she died this year, as is the short life of a hamster. But she is featured in the 2010 calendar of Cute Overload. The girls are tickled pink. We got our first family dog. The girls named her Cocoa. She's a long-haired chihuahua. Ever since our youngest daughter was just barely old enough to talk, she toted around a stuffed chihuahua she named "wa-wa." Cocoa is a funny dog who sometimes acts more like a cat, but we definitely love her.
She can totally sleep like this.
The girls love to put her in pink. Yes, we're some of "those" people. Actually chihuahuas get cold easily and we live in Colorado, so you can imagine that a little something on her back now and then helps out.
I think my shoes were bigger than she was when we brought her home.
These are inspiration rooms for Alyssa's main digs. Can I capture this feel on a beer budget? I'm not sure. A girl can dream.
Since we are splitting the girls into their own bedrooms, that means nixing the playroom, which is really an eyesore anyway. This is the room I'm tackling first. Its been fun working with Eric and my mom on design ideas. I will post inspiration shots for the room next. There are a few challenges; first, the room is really small so I'm trying to tackle storage issues and making the room feel bigger. The plan is to install mirrored closet doors which are opposite the window to make the room feel more open. We will install a removable ballet bar in front of the mirrored doors and cap them with crystal knobs, so Alyssa has a place to practice. I have chosen a pale blue with a slightly lighter, reflective ceiling which should make the ceiling feel taller. (crosses fingers) Also one accent wall will get a lightly reflective wallpaper with a stripe design incorporated which should continue to bounce light around and make the room feel taller. We will raise her low bed to make room for more storage underneath. I could go on, but I'll leave the final pictures when we're finished do the talking. It's not much to look at now, but we're getting closer. Frustratingly, the wallpaper has been ordered nearly 3 weeks ago and still hasn't arrived.
Before shot: playroom mayhem
Day 1 : Toys organized, furniture removed, room emptied, carpet shampooed
A couple weeks into project: Ceiling and walls painted. Ceiling painted with candlelight topcoat, which gives it a slightly reflective and glittery look in light. Beds stripped and sanded, awaiting fresh paint and some minor alterations. Wishing wallpaper would arrive faster.
Bargain shopping: found these 5 yard remnants on clearance with an additional 50% off. Heavyweight, extra wide jacquard like this usually runs between $25-35 a yard. Got a total of 10 yards for only $4 each.
I love craigslist! One of the problems I have is finding furniture for Alyssa. I want her to be comfortable, but since she's already almost 7, I don't want to buy her "kiddie" chairs that she will outgrow in a blink. Found these vintage chairs on craigslist for a steal. Since they were made in the 60's, they fit an adult comfortably, but they are smaller than today's chairs and sit a little lower. Down filled and sturdy. The fabric is a severely faded blue velvet, but works with what I'm trying to achieve. Plus its amazing what a good shampoo and brushing can do.
Cute little matching table mimics the curve in the chair. I can't wait to put these in the room!
The winds today were unbelievable! I was worried the roof of my house might get ripped to shreds. This sounds like an exaggeration, but I assure you it's not. Winds reached up to 80 mph today and overturned a semi-truck on I-25. (The driver was uninjured, in case you're wondering.) Where many people had damage to cars, etc, we fared alright. Once we get our neighbors' trampolines and outdoor furniture out of our yard and track down the strangest incident of our uprooted tree that has just gone missing, everything should be back to normal. Heavens knows our fence didn't make it. But that's a whole new tale of woe. (This picture is one of many like it from the Denver Post.)