A Last Minute All Hallows Eve How-To

Happy Halloween!!!!  My favorite night is upon us.  We plan to spend the evening with our friends, A and L, handing out candy, watching scary movies and eating spooky treats. 

As the Halloween season is coming to a close, I thought I would go over a couple of quick DIYs in case you want to enhance your Halloween experience in easy and cheap ways.

First of all, I dress up like a witch every year to hand out candy.  I dress up the outside of my house to look like a witch may live there and then I answer the door in full character.  Some kids love it, some don’t.  Some parents love it, some don’t.  Last year, right before I opened the door, I heard little boy on the other side ask his mom, “Does a real witch live here?”  Love it.  The perfect mix of spooky and fun, as opposed to the year I forced my husband to answer the door with a hockey mask on, just one time…..based on the reaction of the kids, we will NOT be doing that again!  Let's just say there were tears...mostly from the kids.  Too much scary and not enough fun.  My bad.

Back to the task…..the witch’s hat is of course the best part of the witch costume.  I wanted to update my hat this year so I purchased this fancy one with a veil from Spirit Halloween for only $10!!!

 

Isn’t it fun for ten bucks?  The only problem is...it looks a little flat.  All the black makes it hard to see the detail. I have heard Nina Garcia say it a million times on Project Runway and let me tell you…she is right.

So, with the help of a few little ingredients...

 

I brewed up a new and improved witch’s hat.

 

For a grand total of less than $15 (already had the glue gun and glue sticks)

The next little tip is making bloody candles for your candle sticks.

Easiest thing on Earth.  I had four plain white candles bought cheap at Wal-Mart.  So I went back to Wal-Mart and bought a red candle for 46 cents.  Then all you do is hold a lighter to the red candle and let it drip onto the white.

 

It makes a quick, cheap and creepy effect for your Halloween display. I have them throughout my witch’s den among my ingredients for potions and the like...

Don't you love my hand in the mirror reflection? Amateur hour at its best.

 

 

I hope this has given you a little inspiration to “liven” up your all hallows eve….

Tonight's menu includes some of our favorite concoctions like Mini Mummies, Graveyard Dip, Bat Wings, Devil’s eggs and of course...Witches Brew.

How are you spending the evening?   

Have a spellbinding night,

tbg

A girl and her patio, a makeover story

Don’t you just love a good makeover story??

I know I do. The ugly duckling turned swan story is an aged one. It has been told time and time again.

 

 

That is what we have here today, a story of transformation from rough around the edges to shiny, bright and beautiful!

But what do Eliza Doolittle, Laney Boggs and Gracie Lou Freebush not have in common with the ugly duckling in this story?

They aren’t furniture.

That is right.  This is your standard girl sees chairs on the side of the road, said girl then manages to cram all six chairs into her tiny hatchback while wearing a suit and heels in the rain type of story. 

A tale as old as time, if you will.
 

 

I found six of these beauts on the side of the road one rainy, morning in May. This is not Spain, and the rain does not stay mainly on the plain. (Cheers to whoever got that lame joke.)

I decided to use these chairs in our backyard patio space.  So actually, this is a story about the makeover of an entire space....not just 6 free, lovely brown chairs. 

Moving on, I wanted to pair the chairs with this table....

 

The full makeover story of this table can be read here. 

I bought the outdoor rug at Wal-Mart for $25 at the beginning of the summer. I figured I would just roll with the whole southwestern, hacienda vibe of the rug for the entire outdoor space.

This is what that area looked like on the realtor listing when we bought the house.

And here it is right after we moved in, at my first little dinner party, before I had done anything to the table or chairs.

 

(Let me preface the run-down of this makeover story by saying that I do things, for my own home, the easy way.  I cut corners and I don’t stress out over things being perfect.  For example, I didn’t bother to sand or prime theses chairs before painting them.  They were free.  They are old and beat-up and would continue to get beat up outside.  They don’t need to be the most perfect things on Earth. NOBODY will notice one way or another.  That being said, when I do things for the homes of others, I am much more particular.)

Ok, I decided to go with this bright orange color for the chairs.

 

(Just realized, that is my bra, inside my purse, underneath the can, on top of my leg...awesome picture.  I am so good at picture taking.)

I then sprayed each chair with two coats.  Each chair took about a can and a half, total.  it probably would have taken less if I had primed them, but I then would have had to pay for the primer and I just didn’t feel like messing with it.

 

The above picture was after the first coat. I didn’t bother taking the chair seats off because I knew I would be recovering those. 

After the second coat dried, I then painted the chairs with a coat of this stuff I got a Home Depot...

 

This is the same stuff I used to coat the outdoor table and the beer pong table.  It is water and weather resistant and has a great gloss finish.

That being said, it is somewhat pricey and can ruin fabric and paintbrushes. But a little bit goes a long way and the finish is worth the price and the mess.

 

See how the table and chair shine?

Once I was done painting the chairs, I turned my attention to the seats. I had decided to just paint the existing fabric with this tutorial, and then add a coat of the Minwax for durability against the elements. I had no idea if it would work or not but I didn’t really feel like paying for a bunch of expensive outdoor fabric.  I figured it was worth a shot to see if they would last a while with just painted seats.

On a whim, however,I decided to go and see what Joann’s had to offer in the outdoor fabric department before I gave the fabric painting tutorial a go.  I unscrewed one of the chair seats and took it with me for measuring purposes.  Luckily, because I waited so long in the summer to get around to the seats, the outdoor fabric at Joanne’s had gone on super clearance and I got enough fabric to cover all six chairs for $20!

Totally worth it.

I made a few little boards like this.....

To help me compare all the different fabrics with the rug.  I went with the fabric you see above.

The Fella unscrewed the rest of the seats for me.  We then measured six sections of the fabric out evenly to make sure we cut the fabric to correctly cover each chair.

My mother then helped me recover the chairs.  I did not take any pictures of this, which was so stupid of me, but it was soooooooooooooooooooooo simple.  All you need is a staple gun.  We just stretched the new fabric over the old fabric, tucking in the corners like you would while wrapping a present.  We then stapled the fabric down, underneath the seat.

There is a pretty good tutorial, here.  If these chairs were going to be used inside my home, I probably would have done all of the steps in this tutorial mentions.  However, because the chairs are being used outdoors and were not a big (any) investment, I didn’t go to all the trouble.

And voila!

 

I love the way they turned out.  Seriously easy, cheap and fun. (Please excuse all the leaves laying around, my mother would kill me if she knew I didn't sweep before showing y'all this.  Sorry Mama.)

 

Here is the area as a whole.

 

I don’t keep all six chairs out all of the time. I only bust those out when we have guests. Also, I left the other two chairs brown, just for fun.  I did cover those in the Minswax as well though.

The light fixture was given to me by an Aunt who bought a great midcentury to renovate. It is a swag light that just plugs in and has a little switch on the cord. I wound the chain and cord across and down the pergola to an outlet.  It took about five minutes.  It may or may not stay long term, but for now, I love it over this table.

So cute.

Down to the nitty, gritty......here is the cost breakdown:

Table = $5 at a garage sale

Hand sander for table make-over = already had

Outdoor Rug = $25 at Wal-Mart

6 chairs = free

Spray paint = about $16 for 6 cans

Fabric = about $20 here

Light fixture = free

Minswax = already had (but I think it was like $35 at Home Depot)

Staple gun and staples = already had

Table top accessories = already had this stuff around the house and these change weekly

Total for this project = about $60 for a complete outdoor space make-over

I hope this will inspire you to look at objects that may not necessarily strike your fancy, in a whole new light.  Before you go out and buy new look and see what do you have lying around the house, or find on the side of the road, that can be transformed with a coat of paint.  There is something so special about seeing the potential in a discarded item and being the one to bring that potential out for the world to see. You feel a sense of connection to it, to your home and to your surroundings.  

Create the home you want,

tbg

Outdoor Chandelier Tutorial

I feel as though the baby shower was a success.

The last guests left close to 3am, so I think everyone had a good time.

I had a great time, once all the prep was done and I could relax a little. Luckily the other two girls throwing the shower with me took over in the kitchen once guests arrived. I am not an asset in the kitchen, let me tell you. My skills lie more in the area of greeting when it comes to party throwing. So that is what I did after I finished the decorating.

I am waiting for the pics from the photographer so it may be a week or so before I can get them on here for your viewing pleasure.

In the meantime, I mentioned here, that I would give a little rundown on how I made this baby...

 

I have also had a lot, and by a lot I mean like 10, of requests for this so I thought I would jump right to it this wonderful Monday!

First of all, get yourself some lamp shade bones. And by that I mean the frame sans fabric.

 

I have had this HUGE, old one just hanging around (get it?) for years. I always meant to turn it into a chandelier, complete with hanging crystals and everything.  One day I am sure I will get around to it but for now I am going to enjoy it in its current state.

Along with the bones you need these things....

 

Christmas lights and a swag lighting chain. Electrical tape is optional, as you will see later on in the post.  I had all of these laying around the house.

Second step is to wrap the Christmas tree lights around the bones in a pattern that makes sense to the shape of your lamp shade.  I used two strands because the lamp shade is really large.

The first time I used electrical tape to just tape the lights as I went along and had this....

Not too bad, but I wasn't loving the tape.  I decided to be lazy and leave the tape but then fate stepped in......

TIP #1: Check to make sure all the lights on your strand light up before you take the time to carefully tape off the pattern!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I plugged it in, half the lights no longer worked and I also got an electrical shock. Awesome.  I then had to take them all off and start over with a new strand.  Double awesome.

The second time I just wrapped and weaved the lights around the bones in no particular order....much easier and looked even better.  Didn't even need the tape.

Then, I attached one end of the swag chain the top of the frame using pliers.  I then threw the chain over a branch of a tree and then attached the other end of the chain to the frame.  Of course, for this part, baby giraffes don’t have to be bothered with pesky ladders...

Photo found here

However, the more vertically challenged among you may have to use a ladder or step stool. 

That was it! So cheap and easy and was a big hit!

TIP #2: If you want a white strand of lights, the cord that is, look in the wedding section of the craft store. (I got mine at Michael's a while back)  Regular Christmas lights are green most times.

Well there she is in a nutshell.  Any questions?

Love,

tbg

Party Decor Tutorial: Yarn Tassle Garland

My laid back approach to fashion lately is starting to get ridiculous.  I am not even bothering to accessorize, which is like my favorite, as evidenced on this page here. (Click your cursor where it sayshere)  (Some people don’t know to click here when it says here)



The Gap top, BR crops, Target shoes

I will try and step up my fashion game soon…promise. 

But as for today, today I am lazy.  I am lazy because I am feeling happy and content, thanks to some lady dinner time with these baby giraffes last night….



You are looking at four women, in four very different stages of their lives.  There is a mother of two who is currently a stay at home mom, a married attorney trying to start a family, a woman living with her boyfriend and is at the cusp of starting her own business and a very focused career woman looking for someone to share her life with.

There is so much to be learned from one another.  I love getting so many different perspectives on the world.

The margaritas weren’t the only things flowing and the fajitas weren’t the only things sizzling.  The conversation was lively and fluid and varied from career plans, motherhood/future motherhood, family updates, marriage, singlehood, trying to conceive, dating, food, fashion, babies, loss, love and the big "S" word. Santa.  jk.

Miley Cyrus was not mentioned, not even once!!! 

Moving on.  Time for a little party décor tutorial!  Remember this picture?

……that I posted last week on this post here  (I did it again, see!?), as a little sneak peak of the baby shower party décor?

Well here is the rest of the reveal.

Yeah I sucked at this tutorial.  I followed the tutorial on this great blog here.

You should too.

Cute or what?

Obvi this is not the full extent of the décor.  I will be adding many more things up there with the yarn tassle garland.

I found some more inspiration here, and I may have to give it a woo.  Fingers crossed I pull off all the decor and it looks good on the day of...

As for that ladder you see in the picture, I found that on the side of the road while walking our dogs the other night.  More on that later.

Have a grand one!

 

tbg

 

 



COME AND TAKE IT! Beer Pong Table Tutorial

Ok, I was supposed to finish up the outdoor chairs this week and reveal the finished effect, however, I have been lazy and haven't finished them. 

But all is not lost! The Fella and I finally finished our much anticipated (at least by us) homemade beer pong table that was first mentioned here.  Time for the reveal!

Here she blows!

 

It is regulation size and everything.  We built it for an upcoming party we are having but the two of us broke it in last Saturday night all by our lonesome.  There is something that sounds very sad about a husband and wife being at their home, only the two of them, and having an impromptu beer pong and swim party. But really it was awesome.

 

And Mr. Man is looking super classy in his cut off Dukes of Hazzard tee shirt left over from college. 

Ok so here is the rundown.

We bought the wood at home depot.  We were originally going to have two pieces of plywood cut down to size and then screw them together to get a little more sturdiness and thickness.  We would then have to sand, prime, paint and seal the wood.

But once inside Home Depot we found this piece of whatever it is….not wood I don’t think…but maybe.  It is the stuff you use to build closet shelves out of and stuff.  And it came already cut down to perfect regulation beer pong table size!  Pre-sanded, painted and sealed!  Amaze balls!

We then bought a table leg kit, also at Home Depot. 

 

We got home and the Fella did all the measuring and planning.  I then held the table for him whilst he screwed in the legs and stuff.  Harder than it sounds.

We then lightly sanded the top so that I could paint some on designs.

 

First we measured the triangles out to regulation size.  These are where the cups go. 

 

I then painted the triangles, canon and star on and the Fella stenciled on the words.  This was brutal because he had to wait for each one to completely dry before he could do the next letter.

 

The slogan we painted on was first used in the American Revolution but for you non-Texans, this slogan was made most famous for being used on the flag that was flown at the Battle of the Gonzales.  My husband and I are HUGE fans of the story of  the Texas Revolution and it's battles.  We realy love the folklore behind the individuals that fought at the Alamo.

It is so random that this is something we both had in common that started at an early age for us both.  Davey Crockett was my hero big time when I was little.  All those guys had some serious guts.  Myth or not, the well-known story around these parts is truly inspiring.

Anywho that is the background on the design.  We then sealed the paint with a clear, weather-proof sealant.

 

That's all it took.  Hopefully the table will be a big hit at our up and coming parties.  We shall see.  I WILL finish those darn chairs this week.  I promise to myself! In the meantime, I leave you with this little dandy of a shot of us at the Alamo a few years ago.

Davey Crockett is my boyfriend,

tbg