Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a great day filled with lots of treats!  We certainly did. 

Today quite possibly was the greatest day of my 2 year old's little life.  He learned all he had to do to end up with a bucket full of candy was ring doorbells. 

I have a feeling I may be spending a lot of time over the next few weeks explaining to him that we can't trick or treat every day...

And to the sugar-crazed kid who ignored my note and made off with all of our candy...could I at least have my basket back??

I don't know why this is still bothering me, but I've never had a problem with the honor system before.  Ugh.  Oh well.  Tomorrow's November and that means starting on Christmas crafts.  Yippee!

Halloween Eve...

'Twas the night before Christmas and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care Halloween and the pumpkins were set on the kitchen counter with care. 

We're all anxiously awaiting the Great Pumpkin...Happy Halloween everyone!

Last minute Halloween craft: pumpkin crayons

I found this baking sheet in my cabinet (and just in the nick of time, too!)

So I decided to make these.

Cute.  Fun.  Festive.  Just what I wanted!

It's starting to look a whole lot like Halloween around here!

All we have left to do is carve these beauties...

Chocolate Rice Krispie treats: Halloween style

We have way more Halloween treats than tricks around here.  My latest treat?  Chocolate Rice Krispie treats. 

I used my usual Rice Krispie treat recipe, only substituting chocolate marshmallows for regular white ones.  As I was spreading the warm, gooey mixture into a dish, I sprinkled in orange and white Halloween marshmallows that I cut up. 

Extra marshmallows and extra festive?  Can't beat it.

Since I am not a big chocolate fan, I slightly prefer the regular Rice Krispie treats to these, but they're so stinkin' cute, I can't help but love them!  (And the discerning taste of the resident 2 year old thinks they are just delicious!)

Polka dot birthday invitations

It's hard to believe, but I'm already planning the big 1st/3rd birthday party we're throwing for our boys.  (The perk of having birthdays 4 days apart is mom only has to plan one party!)  Although it's all very exciting and I love party planning, it breaks my heart how fast the time flies. 

Anywho, I finished the invitations tonight.  I don't like cheesy themes like Disney characters or the typical boy stuff like trucks or bugs, so I decided it's going to be a polka dot theme.  It might lean towards girly, but I'm limiting myself to primary colors, so I think it will be a perfect fit. 

I found supplies at (where else?) Michael's, by (who else?) Martha.  I think they are just adorable.

The front:

The back:

This is the first time I've made invitations like this.  I used scrapbooking supplies to make one and now I'm going to take it to the printer to have it made into a double sided 5x7 cards.  Hopefully they turn out just right and I can stick them in envelopes and send them out.  Otherwise, back to the drawing board.  I don't have it in me to make 30 invitations!

And...ugh.  This is what happens when you have a million projects going at once and don't clean your work space!

Odds and ends: pretty jars

I'll admit it, I judge books by their covers.  Well, at least food by their jars.  I've purchased various jams and jellies, spices and spreads just because I like the jar and see myself using it again as a vase or something else.

By far my favorite is the itty bitty baby food jars.  I have dozens of them saved, and today I thought I'd pretty some of them up. 

I absolutely adore this paper I have!  It's so sweet and vintage-y, I wish I had more!  I cut circles of it with my 3 inch punch.  For baby food jars, it is the perfect size.

Spread ModPodge over the top of the lid and glue the paper down.

Snip the excess paper, right up to the edge of the lid, about every half inch.

Spread more ModPodge on the side of the lid and fold up the slits of paper.

Apply a few more coats of Mod Podge, let it dry, and that's it!

Not only are these pretty for little bits and pieces around the house, but I think they would also make a sweet little container for gifts.  (Or even as a little gift themselves!)

Candy corn button card for Halloween

What better way to work my way through my button collection than making a few Halloween cards?  I'll stick a few pictures of the boys at the pumpkin patch in it...their grandmas and grandpas love those!

Halloween may not be a card-sending holiday, but who doesn't love receiving a little something special in the mail?

Done! Recycled tshirt hoodie

Remember last week when I said I'd be testing Ashley's newest pattern?  Well, it's done and I love it! 

Ashley's patterns are seriously awesome!  They're super clear and easy to follow.  When even a girl like me (meaning someone who usually wings it when it comes to patterns) can end up with such a great finished product, you know it's good.

If you'd like one for yourself, you can get the pattern here.

The beauty that is the pumpkin farm

Autumn would not be complete to me without a trip to the pumpkin farm.  I love the beauty. I love the simplicity.  I am not an outdoorsy girl in the least, but I could spend hours out in those fields, admiring. 

Each dimple, groove, imperfection...I loved it all!

Is it any wonder that I came home to upload my pictures and I had a whopping 118?!  (Yes, many, many of them were of my boys.)

And while we may not have come home with any of those beautiful pumpkins, I did manage one tiny momento...

Why, that certainly is a pink Hello Kitty Band-Aid.  I live in a house full of boys...I'm allowed a girly little thing once in a while!