Monday, October 13, 2014

Burlap & BOO Halloween Wreath

Close your eyes. Just for a moment. Take a deep breath. And ask yourself:

"What's hanging on my front door right now?!"

It's usually crickets in my head after I ask this question. I'm not awesome at updating my front door wreath...But not this month! I've seen so many pretty FALL wreaths on front doors in my neighborhood - I wanted IN on the festive fun. I whipped out my Burlap Wreath {easiest wreath EVER! and super easy to switch up for different holidays - >here's my POST< on that baby} and made it into a Burlap & BOO Halloween Wreath.



I used my burlap wreath (which is adorable just on its own) and made a second wreath to go in the middle. I thought it added unique dimension to the usual holiday wreath. The inner wreath is a foam wreath form wrapped in my favorite black & white polka dot fabric (hot glued into place). Then, I used a mustard yellow wired twine to wrap it around the burlap wreath and hang my BOO banner. Mustard yellow is a MUST for this fall {see more mustard yellow inspiration HERE}.

The BOO banner was inspired by A Beautiful Mess and their BOO Banner. Adorable, right? Their tutorial is pretty simple, but I simplified it even MORE by making a mini version - skipping the sewing {cause y'all know girl can't sew} - and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut it out of fabric. If it was any easier - a cave man could do it. And they should. Cause you can't tell me their caves couldn't use a Burlap & BOO Halloween Wreath.

This month, I'm taking part in a Silhouette Challenge, along with the bloggers of "The Silhouette Challenge" group on Facebook. If you have a Silhouette, you should totally join this group! This is the first monthly challenge I'm part of, but I enjoy being part of the group every day. Ask questions - show off your projects - learn about Silhouette promos - and get mad inspired. For this challenge, I'm going to share the tutorial for making your own Mini BOO Banner with a Silhouette cutting machine! I used the Cameo, but you can totally use a Portrait. In fact - I used the Portrait cutting mat in my Cameo for this very banner. {remember - so easy - the cavemen - cool}

How to Make a Mini BOO Banner with your Silhouette Cutting Machine

Supplies
  • Black fabric {I bought 1/4 yard of broadcloth and had TONS left over}
  • No-sew fabric interfacing {I bought Heat 'n Bond, but Silhouette sells a great one, too}
  • Iron & Ironing board
  • Very thin wooden dowel {29cents at Hobby Lobby}
  • Black yarn | twine | pipe cleaner
  • Scissors
  • Glue gun
  • Silhouette Cameo or Portrait
  • Silhouette cutting mat
**I have an awesome, FULL tutorial with photos for how to cut fabric with your Silhouette machine. You can view it by clicking > HERE < -- it is very detailed, so I'll just give the brief version here.**

Step 1 || Prep fabric for cutting
  • Cut fabric to size and iron interfacing to fabric.
  • Remove back of interfacing and cut down to size to fit on cutting mat. *I used the Portrait mat in the Cameo*

  • Place fabric on cutting mat. Load into Silhouette machine. Send your "BOO Banner" design in Silhouette Studio to CUT {the fun part!}.
  • Peel off & discard excess fabric. Cut your wooden dowel down to size, leaving an inch or so on each side. Line up the dowel on the top back of your BOO banner, with enough fabric to wrap over the dowel to cover it. Place a line of hot glue along the dowel, wrap the fabric over and glue into place.
  • Admire your adorable BOO you made! 
  • Cut your twine or yarn to size {if you use a pipe cleaner, it's already the perfect size} and tie each end onto one end of the dowel. You're done! Congrats! You just made a mini BOO banner -- perfect for attaching to a halloween wreath.


Since you can never have enough inspiration {hello, that's what keeps Pinterest in business!}, here are the links to my Silhouette friends' posts -- all projects made with a Silhouette machine -- all having to do with this month's theme: FALL! I recommend pinning these projects, or at least this post, so you have all the links. Serious PINspiration going on here! Enjoy!


Paper Rosette Fall Wreath Hello Fall Sign Halloween Paper Bag Luminaries Spooky Mantle Ghost Town Dollar Store Placemat Jack O' Lantern Copper and Paper Embellished Pumpkins Ugly Sweater Wineglass Charms DIY Fall Leave Paper Wreath Starry Pumpkin Burlap & BOO Halloween Wreath Fall Paper Petals Fall Leaves Favor Tags 15 Minute Customized Halloween Buckets Gravestone Treat Bags with Free Cut File Beware of Zombies Halloween Shadow Box Welcome Sign Vampire Bat Specimen Boo-tiful Halloween Treats Little Turkey No Sew Thanksgiving Onesie Frozen Halloween Treats & Free Printable Fall Leaf Keychain Fall Lovin October Silhouette Challenge Punny #Hashtag Halloween Costume Still Falling For You Card DIY Etched Leaf Coasters
1. Create & Babble // 2. Lil Mrs. Tori // 3. unOriginal Mom // 4. Zanaree // 5. The Kim Six Fix // 6. One Dog Woof // 7. Cupcakes & Crowbars // 8. Living My Given Life // 9. Architecture of a Mom // 10. Put A Bird On It // 11. Just Add Paper // 12. Weekend Craft // 13. Silhouette School // 14. Minted Strawberry // 15. My Paper Craze // 16. McCall Manor // 17. Chicken Scratch NY // 18. Mama Sonshine // 19. Creative Ramblings // 20. From Wine to Whine // 21. Please Excuse My Craftermath... // 22. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 23. The Thinking Closet // 24. Simply Kelly Designs // 25. Sandpaper & Glue //

xo


Here is more Silhouette inspiration from my blog! Grab some cider, put on your cardi, turn on some Hilary Duff and kick it here for a bit...








Friday, October 3, 2014

Happy October || Fall Family Photos Outfit Inspiration

I am completely in love with FALL. Pretty original, right? Oh, well. I'm on the FALL train with the rest of Instagram. I love it. And I love this quote:


This weekend, my amazing sister is taking family & maternity photos of my little fam. I am really excited, because FALL is finally here {it's been in the 80's up until last weekend!}. The leaves are changing to burnt orange, everything smells of pumpkin, and there's a cool bite to the air. I am 30 weeks along and am excited to document this baby boy bump!

I've been turning to Pinterest for all my fall photo color & fashion inspiration. Here are some pins that inspired the color scheme I chose for our family photos. I am loving these colors for fall 2014. You'll notice that MUSTARD YELLOW is at the heart of my fall color love. It's just yummy and cozy and I love it. If you know where I can get a mustard yellow throw - you'll be my best friend.











And here is my outfit mood board I created for what I plan to have my family wear! I've already changed it in my head a few times - I can't decide juuuuuuuuust how I want our outfits to go - so we will see this weekend what I actually decide on. I've never planned out a photo shoot like this, but it's been fun.




What do you think? Does it scream "FALL" enough? Did I pull from my inspiration photos? I can't decide if the coral cardigan (for Ava) should be mint, instead of coral...and if there should be more pops of color. I'm pulling from that pattern in the bottom left, which is a headband I ordered for Ava from Lemons and Lace. Let me know - I need all the help I can get before Sunday!

xo


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More things that are yummy:









Friday, September 26, 2014

DIY Family Willy Wonka Costumes for Halloween

Hello everyone! I'm excited today to be part of a GINORMOUS Halloween costumes roundup! I'm getting my DIY on with Jamie Dorobek and her handmade Halloween costume site, Really Awesome Costumes, to share a one-stop-shop-of-ideas for DIY Halloween costumes for you, your family, your pets and even a Trunk or Treat idea! It's spooky good! This is THE PLACE to find your family's next Halloween costume idea for this year {and years to come!}. I highly recommend pinning this post to your Halloween Pinterest board - you'll definitely need it in the future!


101+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things


Last year, my family and I were all characters from the Willy Wonka movies. It was CHEAP and EASY! I even DIY'd a Baby Wonka Bar Costume for my little Ava. She was the CUTEST chocolate bar you'll ever see - I just wanted to munch those little wonka cheeks! I even tried RIT Dye for the first time! {see how to dye fabric with your washing machine HERE!}For the full tutorial on how to make your own Baby Wonka Bar Costume - click HERE


Here's how each costume breaks down:

DAD - "Willy Wonka"
  • Brown Top Hat
  • Flower Vest
    • I found a woman's denim flower shirt from a thrift store (Deseret Industries) - it totally worked as a "vest" {yes, it's a woman's shirt, but it doesn't look like it when Mr. Wonka is rockin' it!}
  • Purple Jacket
    • I gotta say - I totally lucked out on this one! I found a purple jacket {again - a woman's!} at a thrift store. It was a purple blazer and it worked perfectly! Just look around thrift stores and you are bound to find one that will work!
  • Bow Tie
    • My husband just used a regular brown tie of his and tied it in a bow. Perfect!
  • Cane
    • This is the crowning part of Mr. Wonka's costume. Ask a parent or grandparent if they have an old cane you can borrow. Chances are - they will say YES! And if your husband is anything like mine, he will get WAY too into playing the part once he has that cane in his hand. 
That's all you need to be Willy Wonka! Don't go out and spend a fortune on any of these costumes. You can seriously find almost everything at a local thrift store!

MOM - "Oompa Loompa"
  • Brown long-sleeved shirt
    • I had one at home, but thrift store-it up, if you don't!
  • White "puffy" pants
    • You can use white capris/pants, if you have them, or go thrifting! {are you seeing how most items are being thrifted??} I found some white baggy sweat pants that worked perfectly!
  • White suspenders
    • I bought a pair like this from Amazon {super cheap!}
  • Green hair
    • I was miss boring head and didn't color my hair green. Next time, I probably will! You can get an "oompa loompa" wig off Amazon for $15, or use green hair spray to color your hair. Even without the green hair, everyone knew what I was!
There you have it! Congrats! You're an oompa loompa now. I recommend learning the songs, so you can break into song and dance randomly {and whip out those killer midget dance moves you've been hiding!}.

BABY - "Wonka Bar"
  • Wonka Bar Outfit
    • Click HERE to view how I made my Wonka outfit for Ava! You could use a baby onesie, instead of the sleeper like I used, and paint the Wonka logo or use heat transfer. In my DIY tutorial, I dyed a sleeper brown and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut vinyl for a Wonka stencil, then used fabric paint to color it in. Check it out!

That's all there is to it! With just a little thrift store shopping and some scrumpdiddlyumptious imagining, your family can get Wonky with it this Halloween. I can't wait to see how YOU customize your Wonka costumes! Link back here - I'd love to see photos!

Now - get in on the 88+ action by clicking on the links below to see how my fellow bloggers DIY'd their own super creative Halloween costumes! Holy cow - I basically have to PIN them all! Be sure to follow the Handmade Halloween Costumes Pinterest Board for lots more Halloween inspiration.

88+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things

14. DIY Mermaid For Less Than $20 (No-Sew Option) 15. Easy Tinker Bell Costume 16. Mario and Luigi Go Kart Costumes 17. Dog The Bounty Hunter and Beth 18. Family Monsters University Costumes 19. Scooby Doo family costumes 20. DIY Storm Cloud Costume

  88+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things

21. Cheap and Easy DIY Spider Costume 22. Easy Tin Man Costume 23. No Sew Bee Costume 24. Planet Halloween Costumes 25. DIY Cheshire Cat Costume 26. DIY Instagram Board 27. Elsa crown 28. Dog Collar Ruffles 29. DIY Pineapple Baby Costume 30. DIY Lego Movie Costume 31. Weeping Angel Costume 32. Disney Planes Costume: Dipper 33. Easy Pirate Costume 34. Easy Costume Idea - Renaissance Girl 35. 10 Minute Homemade Jellyfish Costume 36. DIY Cat Costume 37. Lucy And Ricky Costumes 38. Easy Frozen Costumes 39. Easy Greek Goddess Costume 40. DIY Family Willy Wonka Costumes

101+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things

41. DIY No Sew Maleficent Costume 42. No Sew Pineapple Halloween Costume 43. Graveyard Bean Bag Toss: Trunk or Treat Car Costume 44. DIY Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Costumes 45. DIY Raccoon Costume with Printable Mask 46. Easy WildStyle Lego Movie Costume 47. Simple Hello Kitty Costume 48. No Sew Minnie Mouse Costume 49. DIY Inspector Gadget and Penny Costumes 50. DIY Frozen Elsa Dress Baby Edition 51. Fairy Princess Dog Costume 52. DIY Hashtag Halloween Costume 53. Toddler or Baby Egg Costume 54. Easy No Sew Olaf Costume 55. DIY Baymax Costume 56. DIY Tooth Fairy Costume 57. Baby Short Stack Pancake Costume 58. Elephant and Piggie Halloween Costumes 59. Instagram Halloween Costume 60. Peter Pan & Mr. Smee Halloween Costume

     88+ Handmade Halloween costumes at ReallyAwesomeCostumes.com

61. Wildstyle Costume from the Lego Movie 62. Fred and Wilma Couples Costume 63. Viking Family Costumes 64. DIY Cruella de Vil Costume for a child 65. Disney Frozen Olaf Halloween Treat Bucket 66. How to Make a Minecraft Steve Head 67. DIY Harry Potter Costume 68. DIY Duck Dynasty Costumes 69. No Sew Cupcake Baker Halloween Costume 70. DIY Skunk Mask 71. Ghostbusters Proton Pack DIY 72. Frozen Anna Costume Tutorial 73. Candy Corn Costume 74. Paw Patrol Halloween Costume 75. No Sew Toothless Dragon Costume 76. DIY Robot Costume 77. Wonder Woman Costume 78. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Costume 79. Thrifted Gentleman Spy DIY Halloween Costume 80. DIY Boy Garden Gnome Costume 81. Group Costume: Bob Ross, Happy Tree, & Squirrel 82. DIY Blues Brothers Costumes 83. Snow White Costume 84. Peacock Princess Costume 85. Scarecrow Costume 86. Easy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Costume 87. Handmade Teddy Bear Costume 88. Princess Elsa and the Spy Kid 89. DIY Baby Koala costume

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU CREATE!


xo

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Here are more ghoulish delights from me!












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Expecting a little boo soon? Buy a Maternity Countdown Shirt HERE!




Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Link'n Blogs #29


Welcome to Link'n Blogs {#29} !
A place to link up your projects and make new friends. We are all about visiting links and following new bloggers here at Link'n Blogs. Remember to leave comments and PIN PIN PIN!
Cause sharing is caring. 

**Your links will show up on ALL blogs hosting the link party!**


Grab our party button! 
 




*Feel free to post our party button on your blog and say you linked up here!*



I am sharing a summer roundup of yummy lemonade recipes!


10 Yummy Lemonade Recipes for Summer





CO-HOST:

Katelyn from Learning, Creating, Living


Katelyn is sharing another awesome roundup. This time, it's metal wall sconces. LOVE #3!





CO-HOST:


Sonnet has a fun patriotic blog hop going on and an awesome giveaway. Be sure to check it out!




CO-HOST:


Kristi is sharing some fabulous inspiration for making over her outdoor space. I love this inspiration board!





GUEST HOST:



Tori is sharing some adorable nursery printables for your little one. There are more on her blog, so click through to see them all!





Here are this week's features:

Friday, June 6, 2014

10 Yummy Lemonade Recipes for Summer

Mmmmmmmmm. I've kind of been obsessed with LEMONADE lately. Chick-Fil-A has the BEST lemonade - and it comes in a yummy diet version, too. I started looking up yummy homemade lemonades on Pinterest and found some that look A-MA-ZING. Here in Utah, the weather is warm, the outdoors are calling my name, and you'll definitely be able to find me mixing up some of these yummy summer lemonades in the next few months. Do you have a favorite lemonade recipe or restaurant that serves your fave lemonade? Let me know in the comments! Enjoy this sweet roundup!





Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Link'n Blogs #28 *Let's Welcome Our Final Co-Host!*

This week is super exciting, because we are welcoming our final permanent co-host of Link'n Blogs! Keep reading to see who it is!


Welcome to Link'n Blogs {#28} !
A place to link up your projects and make new friends. We are all about visiting links and following new bloggers here at Link'n Blogs. Remember to leave comments and PIN PIN PIN!
Cause sharing is caring. 

**Your links will show up on ALL blogs hosting the link party!**


Grab our party button! 
 




*Feel free to post our party button on your blog and say you linked up here!*



I am sharing a simple & easy picture frame makeover that shows you how you can take any color shadow box frame and turn it into your own style of interchangeable picture frame!


DIY Shadow Box Frame Makeover




CO-HOST:

Katelyn from Learning, Creating, Living


Katelyn is sharing a round up of one of my current obsessions: metal lamps! I can't wait to have a house again, so I can decorate an office or nightstand with one of these!





CO-HOST:


Sonnet is sharing some adorable free nursery printables. Sonnet is an amazing designer - I this these would be so sweet in any little one's room!



CO-HOST:


EEEEEEK! YOU GUYS! I am SO excited to complete our link party with Kristi as our final co-host. Kristi's blog is SO inspirational. We are really lucky to have her! Be sure to stop by her blog to see the fab projects she has for you.

This week, Kristi is sharing a vintage take on modern letters. This is a fun DIY you have to check out!





GUEST HOST:



Leelee is sharing such a cute way to take a one photo and turn it into two even more adorable photo displays! This is brilliant.





Here are this week's features: