THIRD POST TODAY - MY HALLOWEEN FEATHER TREE

I use the same white feather tree for everyday. I love the size and I like how it works for Halloween. The owl topper and bat garland are from Martha Stewart Crafts at Michaels.

For every holdiay I try to embellish the stand a bit. Here I used cooregated border (like the teachers use on their bulletin boards, I just cut off the scallops) and created a crepe paper rossette. I love how it sparkles against my mercury glass cake stand.

Back to work...

Best wishes,

Tammy

SECOND POST TODAY - PUMPKIN BASKET TUTORIAL

PUMPKIN TREAT BASKETS

You will need:

- Plastic trick or treat buckets

- Orange & black crepe paper

- Mod Podge or other favorite white glue that dries clear

- Paper towel core

- Wire for handle

- Black glitter

- Small piece of thin cardboard

Step 1. Remove plastic handle from pumpkin

Step 2. Cut strips of orange crepe paper that cover height of pumpkin plus a little extra to tuck inside and the bottom.

Step 3. Cover pumpkin with glue and gently press crepe strip covering entire pumpkin. Make sure to push the paper into the grooves and face, it may tear but it will be covered. You can do more than one layer. I like Mod Podge because it gives a nice finish.

Step 4. Add your wire handle, it is much easier to do at this stage.

Step 5. If you are good and have the patience to paper mache the inside of your pumpkin, great! I did not. I used a paper towel core covered in black crepe paper and inserted it into the pumpkin giving it a nice finished look. The core may be too wide for your pumpkin, simply cut down the length and overlap if needed.

Step 6. Using a small paint brush fill the indentations of face with glue and sprinkle with black glitter. If you have a glue pen it works great. Be sure your pumpkin is completely dry! A dry q-tip works great for cleaning up excess glitter. I also added a glitter around the opening of the pumpkin and the edge of the paper. After all you can never add enough glitter...

Step7. Cut small circle from the card board the same size as the bottom of the pumpkin. Cover with black crepe and form a ruffle collar around the circle. Adhere to the bottom of your pumpkin and you are done!

Lots of steps but very easy to do and it goes really fast if you are making a bunch at a time. I wrote this very quick if you have any questions let me know.

Have more fun stuff to show you later!

Best wishes,

Tammy

MY NEW FAVORITE THING!

It is the day before Halloween and I have lots to share today. Rather than do one GIGANTIC post I will be adding new things throughout the day. First up my new VERY FAVORITE decoration.

While we were pulling out our outdoor Halloween decorations the other night I found this wooden cat that sits on a pumpkin ball. LOVE IT! I got it a few years ago at Michaels or Joann's on a super after Halloween sale and paid a couple of dollars. It was missing it's stake or something but no big deal, easy fix. Needless to say it sat in the garage for 5 years...

This is also a favorite thing that I got at Target a few years back on clearance. I LOVE it, works great inside and out. I was thinking that I would work it in somewhere for Halloween. Hubby saw the two on the step and had the same thought I did. Wouldn't it be cool if they fit together (yes, we both said/thought "cool"). They didn't but he got the drill and presto-change-o!

5 Years later the best front porch decoration ever!
(At least that is my opinion...)

(Yikes - we need a new doorbell! Funny how you don't notice little things like that...)

Back to work I go, be back later with some more Halloween ideas and show and tell!

Best wishes,
Tammy

LOOKS A BIT LIKE FALL...

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend. A bit disappointing, the pumpkins were rotting, probably due to the HOT weather we have had. Even though it was 87 degrees we dressed a little fall-ish to get in the mood...

Logan just loved this yellow pumpkin!

Emma showing her "favorite" pumpkin
Love the rosettes on their dresses, new at Target
If you have little girls they have some REALLY
cute things right now.


She ran around with it almost the
whole45 minutes we were there...



Kate liked the small pumpkins.
In her words:"S0 cuuute"

I think Kate rolled this pumpkin 15 feet,
it was SO HEAVY!

Logan had the most fun playing with the hay.
I guess if you have never seen hay before...

An accidental close pic. Logan explaining the pumpkin patch to me. I included it because he looks SO BIG!!! Check out last year by clicking here.

Despite the lack of good pumpkins they had a great time. Their costumes are ready, the party menu is set, the decorations are almost up (I am sure I will tweak them until the doorbell rings...). All I have left to do is prepare the food and straighten the house. I am impressed with myself!

Hope you are having a good week. What are your Halloween plans?

Best wishes,
Tammy

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN...

Costumes for the kids - DONE (almost)

Photo from One Step Ahead

Kate (not pictured) wants to be a kitty cat. I am not a big fan to store bought costumes but this I couldn't resist! Yes, another black cat... It needs a little something, I can't leave well enough alone... It arrived today and it is ADORABLE!

Photo from Pottery Barn Kids

Logan wants to be "Chillsy". Chillsy is his tiny little Beanie Baby Bear and looks just like the Pottery Barn Kids costume. When he saw it he was thrilled. Honestly this wasn't my first choice for him but the costumes for toddler boys stink and this is probably the last time he will want a "cute" costume. It's on sale so we will check it out this weekend, if not he will be a "friendly, not scary ghost" (his words). I think he makes a great ghost, but Chillsy is cute too.

Emma, who when asked in September "What do you want to be for Halloween?" replied "a butterfly". She has stuck with it ever since and I found the cutest butterly/fairy costume on eBay.

Photo courtesy of lilofthisandthat

How cute is this?! If you have little girls or know any little girls be sure to check out lilofthisand that on eBay for the cutest Fairy costumes, heabands, clips, and coming soon pettiskirts! Her prices are fair and her feedback is fantastic. Perfect for dress up and Halloween! I found black and white stripe leggings at Target and a black t-shirt for the top. This will be the first time that the girls have not had matching outfits, we will see how it goes over when they see each other...if one has to change because they are dirty the other does too...oh the joy of twin girls...

We have a busy weekend planned. Pumpkin patch tomorrow, decorate the outside of the house for Halloween, go to the mall to check out Logan's costume, and have everything in order for next weekends Halloween Party. If we succeed it will be the first time EVER that I am ready for an event ahead of time. For example, the night before my wedding I got an idea for elaborate programs and spent the night at the hotel binding books...


Have a great weekend!

Best wishes,
Tammy

grandinroad HALLOWEEN CAT

It was mentioned before how much I LOVE black cats for Halloween. grandinroad has the best cat ever! The head moves from side to side and there are lights inside.

Photo from grandinroad

I am not a fan of inflatable yard decorations but when I saw this I just had to have it. She arrived yesterday and the kids had a blast! Emma and Kate just couldn't get enough and Logan wouldn't go near the cat...

The girls are feeding the cat...

Have a great Thursday!

Best wishes,
Tammy

FALL DECORATING - PART ONE

After a busy weekend and some procrastinating on my part I have finally gotten around to showing off some of my Halloween decorating. Before I start my show and tell be sure to check out OVER THE TOP STUDIOS for a giveaway and to see her amazing Halloween creations. You will not be disappointed!

Let the show and tell begin...

The main focal point is this wire shelf in my dining room.
It is not my favorite piece but I do LOVE it for Halloween.
With 3 little ones running around I found that grouping everything
together in the dining room was the best way to keep my sanity and
not spend the day saying "DON'T TOUCH"!

I have said it before I LOVE this guy. I used a big birch bark candle as a riser.

I just like this angle so I had to show it...



A couple of pieces by Greg Guedel - so festive!
The black cat in the back is by Dan DiPaolo. I love
his grin. He looks like Chandler from "Friends" the
episode where he and Monica take their engagement
pictures. Hubby is the one who noticed that so we
affectionately call him "Chandler"

Wendy Addison Black Cat Moon

I bought this rattle a couple years ago and it never seemed
to work anywhere but I think I like it wired to the shelf.

I am a sucker for a cute black cat!



Probably my favorite cat, a Christopher Radko ornament.
Too big for my feather tree so I wired her to the shelf.

Not sure how I feel about the mask, but I do love
my candleabra!

TIP: Cheap frames from Walmart a couple years ago.
I painted them black, sanded the edges and covered the inside
with glitter. The pictures were cards from HomeGoods that I plan
to accent with glitter...sometime..

Fun project I made using those plastic treat pumpkins,
crepe paper and glitter. Maybe I will do a tutorial if I have time
before Halloween. Very easy to do!

Pumpkins and leaves above the doors that lead to the pool.

Halloween pillows on my bench. I need more pillows!

Not the best picure, I hope to get a better one.
A black crow is perched in my leaf covered chandelier.

I just love Bethany Lowe's postcard inspired
figures. Here they are grouped together on a
mercury glass cake stand with Halloween bottlebrush trees.

I started decorating August 1st and I still am not quite finished. With the kids, the opening of the store and my just not knowing where to put things in my new house it has taken forever. Right now I am over it and ready for Christmas... But as Halloween approaches and the weather is finally starting to cool down I am getting in the mood again.

Have a great week!

Best wishes,
Tammy

NEW THANKSGIVING & HARVEST ITEMS!

Thansgiving & Harvest items have finally been added to the shop! Hubby hasn't quite handed the website over to me yet... It's like his baby!

ACORN BEAD GARLAND WITH
GLITTER ACORN & OAK LEAF
Turkey, Squirrel, & Maple Leaf Glitter Ornaments
are also available.



THANKSGIVING JOYS PILGRIM COUPLE

THANKSGIVING JOYS TURKEY

He is the cutest turkey I have ever seen!

GIVE THANKS GARLAND
The picture does not do this justice!
Perfect draped on your china cabinet or mantle.

THANKSGIVING PINS

These are so much fun! Great hostess gift or favor
for your Thanksgiving guests. Pin to a napkin, create an ornament
(I did that with the Patriotic pins for my Americana feather tree).
Looks great on a jean jacket!

There are more items to be added to the shop weekly so be sure to check back often!

On another note. Thanks for all of the feedback from my last post. I am now a bit more confused. I was leaning towards C because I can use the mirrors on another wall in that room but A was the clear winner. I won't be doing this wall until the weekend so if you haven't put your two cents in I am open to your opinion!

Have a great Wednesday!

click here to visit tinselshop.com

Best wishes,
Tammy

I NEED YOUR HELP!

I can't stand it any longer and I have to do something with the room that will some day become our office.

This was the former owners dining room (which explains the light that just HAS to go). It has become a catch-all room and I am going to attempt to make it into a sitting room for the holidays and a place for my formal tree. My only kid-free zone! The first project is the big wall. I can't wait to paint but we are enclosing the room and I just don't have the time to do it right now.

Here is my dilema. I can't decide which arrangement I like the best.

A.

B.

C.

D.


I would love your comments and suggestions. Let me know if you like A, B, C or D or think I should scrap it all and start over...

Best wishes,
Tammy