Tag Archives: DIY

DIY Haunted House

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I’ll be honest, I love me some halloween decorations, but I’m not a fan of the gore. And to find simple halloween decorations, that also don’t lean toward cutesie is hard. So sometimes one must come up with their own and DIY it. I made this haunted house last year and I think I must have spied something similar, but didn’t want to fork over the large sum of money it cost. I have my limits on how much I want to spend on seasonal decor.

While I was at the craft store, I spied some unfinished bird houses and the idea popped in my head to come up with my own low cost version and I quite love it. And it’s super simple…like I would do anything that wasn’t 😉 So without further ado, here is what you need:

Supplies:

  • Unfinished wood bird house from local craft store
  • Black acrylic paint
  • Black glitter
  • Paint brush
  • Sponge brush
  • Clear household glue (like this one)
  • Cookie tray with low sides to catch the glitter and lined with wax paper (or any kind of paper to protect your cookie sheet from paint)

How To:

  1. Place the bird house in the cookie sheet and paint it black with the paint brush.
  2. Once paint is dry, cover the house with clear glue all over with sponge brush.
  3. Before glue dries, add the black glitter. Voila! You have a sparkly haunted house!

 

 

 

Natural Food Facials: Simple, Natural and Costs Pennies

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IMG_4218Last Friday, I had a rare morning with just my oldest daughter while she was off school for the day and my youngest was at her school for a few hours. I wanted to do something special with her and since she’s seven now, I thought trying facials together would be a fun way to spend it. And it was!!

I was about to go buy a facial mask from the store, but then remembered that I have always wanted to try using ingredients we have in the kitchen for an all natural approach. After we dropped little sis’ off, we looked online for some inspiration and then we proceeded to rummaged through the kitchen. Low and behold, I had everything we needed and didn’t need to make a trip to the store…another rare moment 😉 Amen to that!!

You don’t really need to follow any hard and fast recipe for the amounts, but we used 1/3 cup oatmeal soaked in hot water for a few minutes, two tablespoons greek yogurt, a mashed banana, a few tablespoons of honey, an egg white and of course some cucumbers for our eyes. My daughter thought this part was a crack-up!! After a little bit of mixing and then putting it on our faces, we were good-to-go and relaxed by the fireplace for 15 minutes while our faces soaked up all the goodness we put on our faces.

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I feel like our lives are so rushed and going here and there, that there are so few moments for us to relax and enjoy each other’s company. I’m so happy she chose to do at home facials instead of a bike ride (would have meant me chasing after her!). My younger one is far more needy of my time, so to have the chance to try something new with my oldest, uninterrupted, low-key, fun and silly, was a joy.

Thanksgiving Table Setting Inspiration: DIY Kraft Table Runner

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ThanksgivingTableI got a jump start on my Thanksgiving table setting this afternoon and pulled together all of the bits and pieces I had posted about earlier. I love the softness of the white pumpkins, touches of the gold wishbones and acorns, and then a little depth of color from the figs I pillaged from our sleepy garden. Of course I had to add a few printable items in there too. Gratitude and name cards are all the occasion calls for. Hopefully writing down what we are thankful for ahead of time instead of on the spot, we will be more creative. Of course we are all thankful for loved ones and health – that goes without saying – but cozy slippers and that perfect cup of coffee in the morning are not to be forgotten!

I’m all about an elegant table, but I don’t like things to get too fussy either, so the addition of the kraft table runner with the hand drawn white marker “chargers” finished everything off perfectly. After everyone is seated I will let the kiddos have fun and draw all over the table…the distraction gives us big people a little more time to enjoy the annual feast!