October's The Beginning of DIY Overload - Starting with Halloween

It's just occured to me that I haven't shared the first Halloween thing this year.

So this week I'll share a few DIY blasts from the past.  With owls as popular today as they were two years ago lets take a look at my Hooty Owl Platters. You can see how I made them here:
Hooty Hoo - I've Got a Fall Makeover Treat For You

Happy Fall Y'all...

A First Trick-or-Treating with Grand Kids

As long as you live you'll get to experience new things and last night was a new one for me.  After all these years with the grand kids living in New York, We finally got to trick-or-treat with them.  They make lovely column statues don't you think?

First let me introduce you to Jason aka...Zach.  Our 12 year old menacing grandson.

Next is our fiery little devil aka...Ki'a.  At the last minute she changed her mind and went from pirate to devil.  Good thing the cute tulle skirt her mother made worked out perfect.

The houses were all decked out with their creepiest finery.

The neighborhood is full of beautiful old homes and by dark the streets were taken over with princess', superheros, monsters and ghouls.  It's  a shame my night time photos didn't come out.

Zach was full of optimism.  He said no little Halloween bag would be enough for his haul.  lol.  He took a KING size pillowcase.

These kids made out.  Full size chocolate candy bars and m&m's were some of the nights favorites. 

Do you see those gigantic ghosts?  They were huge!!   We saw some great decorations  and had so much fun laughing and watching all the fun.

We saw lots of adults dressed up and having as much fun as the kids.

I really enjoyed seeing the older folks taking time out to talk to the children.  They seemed to be enjoying the nights visitors.

Most of all I just enjoyed watching my family on this special night.  Knowing that we made memories together.  Ahhh....It really is a good life.

A Table Set For the Diva in Any Witch

I like to see what I can come up with at home, without going to the store or at the very least spending a lot of money.  And this table setting was just that.  A budget project anyone could do.

For the new generation of witches, black shoes just won't do.  So I've created something more to their liking.  

These party favors were simple to make.  I used what I had, which was a pack of really nice textured card stock, which is only $5 for a big pack at Walmart.  The packs have 30 12 x 12 pages in each one, with 10 different colors.  That makes the paper only 17 cents each!!!  Woo-Hoo!  Adding the glitter myself  is a cheap, fun and creative way to dress it up.

  

Plates to recall memories of the witches favorite poison apple movie.  Snow White of course!  And yes, I made candy apples and have so far eaten every one but these myself.  Bad Tracy, very bad!

Thin twigs bundled up, then wrapped with a homemade card.  Download vintage postcards and cut out with decorative scissors.  Rather than use my expensive printer ink, I take my downloads to our near by Staples and print a whole page of color copies for $1.00.  They even size them for me.  A little strip of muslin ties it around.  For the other, I just cut a piece of scrapbook paper with decorative scissors, made hole punches and wove a ribbon through and tied it in the back.

Designer shoes so shiny it looks as if the glitter is on the plate.  Pink for that witch who's just a little too cute.  Eat your heart out Jimmy Choo. 

Apple Green anyone?

What witch doesn't covet a purple and orange heel?  No fancy cellophane bags for the treats here?  No problem.  Use what you have, like I did.  I used little snack baggies tied with ribbon.  

Another good tip!  Head to the stores for the after season sales.  It saves to stock up on holiday patterned ribbon.  You'll be thanking yourself next year. 

I love this hurricane lantern that I won from Heidi @ Show Some Decor this summer.  This is from her Willow House collection.  Thanks Heidi, I'm enjoying it so much!!!  I filled it with apples because that's what I had on hand.  I would have loved to filled it with miniature orange and white pumpkins.  

The table runner is another no cost project since I already had the fabric and paint.  Simple as can be and even if you buy the fabric, you could do this for about $2.00 or less.

I made the 2 owl pedestal plates last month and they were cheap, cheap, cheap. Okay so an owl wouldn't say cheap, he'd say Hoo. ha-ha.  But that project was about $5.00.  And the little ceramic pumpkins were from the Dollar Tree last year?  What else but $1.00.

If you would like to see some of the projects post and even a template for the shoes, you'll find them here:
Raven Table Runner
Table Runner Tutorial
Owl Candlestick Plates
Witches Shoe Favor Tutorial - This was from Skip to my Lou
Paper Shoe Template
Paper Shoe Lining Template

I hope this encourages you to create something with what you have.

Be blessed in what surrounds you friends.

Hugs...Tracy :)

P.S.  I'll be announcing the winner of my Freschette giveaway this afternoon.  Keep watching for a new giveaway to start tonight or tomorrow.  

And don't forget about my

I'm linking up to these parties this week.

Hooty Hoo - I've Got a Fall Makeover Treat For You

I found these adorable owl Halloween Plates at the thrift store for .75 each.  I couldn't pass them up.  Next step find the right size candle holders to make a couple of easy treat plates.  Only .50 each for a total of $2.50.

Without before pictures ya'll must be thinking I'm making  things up but let me tell you what happened.  We're still using an older digital camera.  How old?  It uses a floppy disk, that's how old.  Don't judge.  It gets the job done except when you have taken a bunch of pictures (like all my befores) and it suddenly decides that that's the disk it my computer wants to eat.  I got a frustrating message - disc is not formatted.  Yep, a whole disk full of befores - gone.  Uuuuggghhh!!!

Take my word for it these were clear glass candle sticks.  I wanted them in two different sizes and in general style but not matchy-matchy.

I didn't have a spray paint color that I liked so I thought I would prep them with this brown primer.  Guess what?  I loved it!  That's right it's just plain ole' rusty metal primer from Rust-Oleum.

Didn't it come out a perfect rustic color for fall?  I even like the flat look instead of shiny.  I added a little ribbon, some jute twine.  Picked up a few acorns and got Martha Stewart to help me glitter them (I love her glitter) and glued them own with some little foam leaves.  Easy- Peasy.  Fill with goodies and enjoy.  The only problem  - I can't see my cute little owls.

I hope you enjoyed my fast and easy makeover for fall.

BEFORE ~ AFTER AND NOT QUITE THERE

Do you have an attic, a storage room or a shed?  I went up to my attic a couple of days ago.  Wow, you miss one year of decorating and the cobwebs claimed it their home.

Wild witches, spirit balls, fall florals....check, check, check.  Yep, it's all still there.  Why does it seem to have grown though?  You just never know with wicked things.  I probably should have pulled that Gypsy spirit ball down.  I could use a reading right now.

Body parts everywhere.  I do believe that's  a wooden leg sticking out.  Boy wouldn't you hate to have to crawl in that attic on a dark night.  It would be fun to find a stash like this in 40 years.

My son hasn't lived in Jacksonville in 8 years yet I still have his military duffel bag in my attic......and those bags and boxes  behind it....all his and his wife's.  Can you believe it, I'm still storing her wedding gown from her first marriage (before my son).

Tombstones lying in wait.  Hey, those red poinsettias aren't suppose to be mixed in with my Halloween.

Opening  boxes to see what's what.  Take another year off Freddy, you look like you can use it.

Bats and bones.  Sounds like one the potion's from Broomhilda's Magical Spells book.

Time to leave.  Even in October it's too hot to be in a Florida attic.

Are you ready to see the after?  

 

Well that was an ugly trick.  This is actually the before.  As in -  this was Halloween decorating for 2008.  Last year I really didn't decorate at all, I don't think.

We had dead pirate bones, witches, skeletons, skulls boiling, black cats, gypsy's, pumpkins, the grim reaper, grave yards, scary ghost and friendly ghosts, vampire bats and even a scare crow.

Even the dead were rising.  No not the photo below, the one above.

This was the year that my son and his family came home to visit.  Back row from left is my daughter-in-law Christal, me, my son Ty, MIL - Nadine, Neil,  and in front my beautiful Granddaughter Ki'a and adorable Grandson Zack.  Zack is holding my baby Mattie who is 10 now.

These ghost are the happiest ghost I know, singing and dancing all the way to All Hallows Eve.

 

Well I did take a few things out of the attic but most stayed.  No mechanical scary's brought down.  I'm going back to simplicity.  If the kids were here I would happily do it all over again.  Our neighborhood kids have grown up too.  Last year we got a couple of teens and that was it.  So I've hung a fall wreath and a friendly witch plaque.  Maybe I'll even get a picture.  

So, what about you.  Simple or all out wicked?  Leave me a comment.  I LOVE - LOVE - LOVE COMMENTS!!!! Tell me about yours so I can drop over for a visit.