Flashback Friday: Whimsical Pumpkin Topiaries

This is my favorite project from last year.  I'll be putting these out again this year. (Is Monday too early??)  They're fun, and they really stand out.  If you're working on Halloween crafts this weekend, this one isn't too hard to make.   Here is my tutorial from last year.  

Have a great weekend!

Sharing with:

Pintastic Monday

Poe-inspired Halloween Wreath

If you follow me on Facebook, you know I love wreaths.  I'm always sharing fabulous and different wreaths I find around the 'net there.  This one, from Create.Craft.Love particularly stood out to me because it's eerie and pretty at the same time.  And when you read her post that includes the verse from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" it becomes even more eerie! The wreath is spooky enough for your front door, but pretty enough for a sophisticated black and white Halloween spooktacular!  Find the full tutorial here.

DIY Paper Spiderwebs

This is one of those "why didn't I think of this" ideas.  These fun spiderwebs made from paper are made very much the way you make snowflakes.  Great for kids to make as a classroom activity, or just as inexpensive party decor.

Created by Studio DIY for This Heart of Mine, you can find the full tutorial here.

Cute Pumpkin Crafts

This trio of pumpkins made me giggle!  So cute.  The magazine All You has a gallery of cute, easy, pumpkin crafts, including this one, for Halloween.  Check it out here.

Free Halloween Craft Party Invitation

I have been going back and forth with my husband about having a Halloween party (we've been having this conversation for the last 2 or 3 Halloween seasons), but the usual concerns come up: How do we limit the guest list, how much is it going to cost, etc... To make a long story short, I've unhappily accepted that I'm not going to be able to have one.  So, I've been trying to think of some other Halloween get-together I can have to compensate.  How about a night of witchCRAFT with the ladies??  We get together, decorate something cute for Halloween, have some witch's brew--that sort of thing.  I was tooling with the idea all weekend to the point that I designed an invite for such an occasion!  (I found the free art via a post on Becoming Martha here.)  I'm not 100% if I'm going to move forward with the idea, but wanted to throw the seed out there to you.  I know many of you are so very crafty, so maybe one of you would like to throw such a party with your friends! And this invite will help you get started.

This is the first time I'm attempting to share an editable PDF file.  I've tested it a few times, and it seems to work.  If you open it in Acrobat Reader Pro, you use the Typewriter Tool to add in your text, such as place and time.  If you do use it, I would love to know!

You can download the editable invite here.

Sharing with:
Lil' Luna Link Party
Bloom Link Party

Friday Flashback: Fall Fun List

Tomorrow is the first official day of Fall! However you feel about this day, you can't deny that there is so much fun stuff to do during the Fall: harvest festivals, pumpkin picking, and more!  Last year I put together this Fun Fall List tree idea and it was a success with my girls.  Our little tree will be going up again tomorrow.  What is on your Fall to-do??  I hope you can make use of this idea.  I provide sources for a downloadable tree and leaf templates, with activity ideas, in the original post here.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Edible Bread Spoons

I'm always looking for small, easy ideas that create a little bit of a wow factor.  These edible bread spoons from Scissors.Paper.Wok, do just that! And they seem so perfect for fall entertaining! Top them with olive tapenade or a tomato bruschetta -- YUM!  Find the full tutorial here.

Addison in Wonderland

Having had a Queen of Hearts party for my girls' 5th birthday (that you can see here) I am a bit biased to Alice in Wonderland-inspired parties. So, I immediately jumped to get this beautiful party posted that Renee Marie Photography sent me.  Her client, Danielle, did not miss a beat in preparing this amazing party for her daughter, Addison.  From the Alice-inspired color pallette, whimsical decor and even an appearance from Alice herself, no doubt all the little guests felt WONDER-ful! Renee Marie does such a great job in capturing all the beautiful details.  Make sure to look at the flowers closely... they might actually be looking back at you!

 

 

 

Additional Vendors:
Printables: The TomKat Studio
Cake Designer: Lollipop Cake Shop
Caterer: Disneyland Theme Park

Halloween Glass Block Decor

I say it every year--I'm not into the bloody, scary Halloween decor.  I'm kind of more into the softer side of Halloween. This glass block decor from Alderberry Hill is right up my alley.  Use an orange or purple ribbon, a witch silhouette maybe.  However you tailor it, it makes a great addition to a mantle or table.  You can find these glass blocks in craft stores, and I believe I've even seen them in places like Lowe's.  Find the full tutorial here.

This Week's Tip-off: Box Lid Photo Booth Opp

Photo booth areas and prop ideas have been floating around for a while.  Understandbly so–they're fun for guests and provide a great memory from the party.  But sometimes, finding props for your photo booth area can be an additional expense.  I love this idea from Partycraft Secrets to use a cardboard box lid as a picture frame prop.  So easy. Decorate the lid as fancy as you want it.  Find the full original post here.

This Week's Takeaway: Suspended Dessert Display

The weeks are just flying by! I thought with the kids back at school, life would get a little easier, but I'm trying to learn how to plan the days right.  How do you get dinner ready when you're with one child at gymnastics until 5:45? I think I need to learn to use my crockpot more often.  But of course, that takes a little advance planning too.  I'm so glad the weekend is here!  Before the week's over though, I want to leave you with this stunning dessert display using suspended trays and ribbon streamers.  Heavenly!  I think this would be a great idea to use for a Halloween party, with cobwebs stretching over and around the floating trays.

From a wedding posted on Green Wedding Shoes, you can see the full event here.

Have a great and relaxing weekend!

Pine Cone Embellished Mason Jars

One of the things I love about Fall decorating is being able to use natural items you can probably find in your backyard to decorate.  Some favorites I've previously posted are these framed branches and my biggest pin–this beautiful branch and rosette centerpiece.  Here, Crafts Unleashed shows us how to use pine cones to beautify mason jars.  Use this technique on jars, candles and vases.  So pretty and totally inexpensive!  Find the full tutorial here.

Glitter Slime Monsters

Have you been following September Spooktacular on eighteen25??  If not, you must!  They feature a fun Halloween idea every day in September!  It has some of the best Halloween ideas from various crafty bloggers.  This cute one, Glitter Slime Monsters from The 36th Avenue, is my favorite so far.  A cute gift for classmates or some special neighbor friends.  Find the full tutorial here.

Summer Party Dessert Table

When I saw this sweet summer dessert party from Jennifer Fujikawa Photography in my inbox I was immediately enchanted.  Jennifer did all the decor herself with a very limited budget.  Goes to show you don't need to go crazy to create a very pretty, sophisticated tablescape.  And although this was done for a summer party, it works perfectly for a girl baby shower or Valentine's Day. The hanging fans and poms are reminiscent of snowflakes... so maybe swap out the pink for blue and you can create an equally enchanting winter table scheme.

 

 

Pinata Garland

How fun would it be to have a line of children pull their own personal pinata at the same time?  If you've got the time to put this together, I think the smiles would bring big rewards! Or use this as a favor idea, where each guest pulls his own parting goodies before leaving.

Originally spotted on Studio DIY, you can find the full tutorial at Love + Cupcakes.

Fortune Cupcakes

I'm sure you've each enjoyed a fortune cookie–but how about a fortune cupcake??  A fun little surprise for guests to find after they've enjoyed a sweet treat!  Lovely Indeed created this cute idea for Oh, Hello Friend.  She even provided free fortune printables.

Find the full tutorial and downloads here.

This Week's Takeaway: Illustration Flower Art

I totally love the combination of the illustrated vase with real flowers made for this placecard table, shown on WeddingWire.  I was thrown into a brainstorm when I saw this!  How cute would it be to have a drawing of a big clown face with a real big red nose?! Or an illustration of a princess face (like Rapunzel from Tangled) with "real" long yellow yarn hair. Or an illustration in a real frame.  It's such a great concept and can be executed in so many different ways.  How would you use it??

Fairy Tale Tangled Party

This was certainly a fairy tale come true for birthday girl Isabella!  Her super DIY mom summoned everyone to 'Let down their hair' as she transformed their home into Rapunzel's Tangled wonderland. With the help of her siser and the birthday girl's aunt, Isabella's mom created and styled each amazing detail. From sunshine cookies to pretzel rod paintbrushes, the sweet treats were fit for a princess! The incredible donut and cupcake tower was the perfect centerpiece that ended in a 6 foot trail of "golden locks!" The party guests each arrived in princess attire and were entertained by Rapunzel herself who led them in story telling, singing and face painting. Guests were given their own special paint sets packaged in handmade bags with separate designs for boys and girls.  Delight in the details as captured by Renee Marie Photography.

 

 

 

 

Additional Vendors:

Handcrafted Favor Bags: Etsy Designer, Bellisima Sofia

Fall Wreaths

Hello!  I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend--especially if you had Monday off. Labor Day weekend is always so bittersweet. It pretty much marks the end of Summer, but yet there is SO much to look forward to in the Fall: apple picking, all the rustic colors, Halloween, Fall entertaining...  One thing I look forward to is seeing all the new Fall wreath ideas.  Last year I posted a Fall wreath each day in September on Facebook, not sure if I can manage that again this year, but here are three favorites I've recently seen.  Each offers something a little different than what I've seen done in the past.

Celebrate the colorful Fall leaves with this wreath from Nest of Posies

How cute are these houndstooth pumpkins in this wreath from Tatertots and Jello?

And I love all the different rosette variations in this wreath from Quiver Full of Blessings

Are you planning on making a Fall wreath this year?  Do you make a new one every year?  I'd love for you to share!