I love decorating for Halloween and since I recently moved I decided to skip Fall decorating and go straight to Halloween. I was so happy when I was finally able to locate my Halloween totes. This mantel is very different from the one in my old home, but I’m just happy to have one to decorate. I like to go with a loose theme when decorating my mantel so this Halloween I decided on an Orange & Black Halloween Mantel.
There’s nothing wrong with using things over again, just use them in a different way and in different areas of your home. I bought this glittery haunted house at Michael’s a few years ago.
I found this candelabra at a thrift store years ago and spray painted it black. I use it a lot in my Halloween decorating. The framed Trick or Treat was printed off from The Graphs Fairy a few years ago. I layered mats to give it more dimension.
Simple things from around your home can be put together to fit your theme. You just need to use your imagination, like a doily as a spider web.
I’m not allowed to put any holes in the walls of my rental. What? I’ll still be able to hang things (we’ll get more into that later), I hung these light plates and frame above the mantel shelf using sticky tack. You can see how I made the Spooky word art in a previous post.
Here’s a close up of that owl plate. I like when things are subtle and you have to take a closer look.
The banner adds a little more color and gives balance to the mantel.
Have you decorated a mantel or faux mantel for Fall or Halloween yet?
Every year when I start noticing the store shelves stocked with bags of candy corn I get a craving for my favorite sweet and salty treat. Have you tried it? It’s super yummy and a bit addicting.
Take 32 ounces of salted peanuts and 24-30 ounces of candy corn, mix together and enjoy. I made this today and the family has eaten almost half of it already. It tastes like a Salted Nut Roll, one of my favorite candy bars.
Ammon helped me name our treat, so in honor of Halloween we named it Pumpkin Teeth and Goblin Toes. Try it! I think you’ll love it!
It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for another contributor post. Whitney is here to share with us how to make these awesome headwraps. I think I might be a little old to wear these but I can’t wait to make some for my 15 year old daughter. I love that you can wear them 2 ways and they all look so different depending on the fabric you choose.
Hi All, it’s Whitney and you know what that means, its time for us to talk fashion. I hope I was able to help you out a little last month with the fashion staple pieces for fall, if nothing else go get yourself a Chambray shirt, You will not regret it!!!
Now for today, I am going to be talking a little hair fashion accessory. If you follow me on Instagram you would see my love affair for headwraps! I am a bit obsessed, they are cute, give you a little pattern and sassy in your style, and are perfect for lazy hair days. I also love these because they can be a fashion piece but also just as effective while you workout. You can be as crazy with the patterns as you want to be or you can tone it down a notch and just do some really cute solid colors, or even blacks, whites and greys.
Now that we have my introduction of headwrap love out of the way, lets talk how you can make your own, fairly quickly and much cheaper. And these ones are extra special because one headwrap can be worn two different ways, as a turban or the wide band style.
{Supplies Needed}
-1/4 yard knit or jersey fabric {you want these to be stretchy and comfortable} You can get these types of fabric from Hobby lobby, your local fabric stores {I have a list in Utah if you would like it let me know}, and one of my very favorites fabric.com
-Rotary Cutter and/or fabric scissors
-Measuring tape
-pins
-sewing machine or needle and thread
-thread I just used regular thread but you could use the stretchy kind if you wish
{What I did}
A quarter yard will make two headbands {so one for you and one for a friend or your daughter} so first things first cut your piece to the right length. You will cut your knit 19-21 inches long depending on how stretchy your fabric is. Knit you usually need to do a little longer and Jersey a little shorter. If you aren’t sure measure your head and cut it to that length. Then your width will be the quarter yard about 9-10 inches depending on how they cut it at the store. And there you have your headwrap piece.
Then you will fold your piece of fabric in half {hot dog style if you don’t know what that is long ways like the picture above} with the right sides of the fabric touching each other and on the inside.
Pin it in place I just use two to three pins depending on how much it tries to roll.
Next take it over to your sewing machine for if you don’t have a machine you can hand stitch this {I did one by hand and it wasn’t too bad of course it took longer but it is doable}. Just do a straight stitch on the opposite side of the fold leaving the top and bottom un-stitched. Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and end so it is nice and secure. Also when you are sewing knit or jersey it likes to get stuck in your machine because it is so stretchy so you can put it on a different stitch setting on your machine. It is still the straight stitch but it will do two stitches forward one stitch back. I believe it is just called the stretch stitch and looks like a lightning bolt. You could also use a zig zag and it should do the trick as well.
Once your straight stitch line is complete it will look like a tube with the long side secure and the short top and bottom free. You will then turn your fabric right side out.
Here comes the part that is a little tricky but if you follow the steps it isn’t too bad. First lay your tube with the seam facing down.
Pick it up with one hand holding each side so it is in the shape of a U
Next turn your left wrist just a quarter turn so that the seam is facing away from you like the picture above but just on the left side.
Now you are ready for the fold that makes one side a turban knot.
1. bring your left hand that you have turned a quarter turn so it is touching your right side
2. Then sandwich that left piece over the right piece
3. meeting in the middle of that right piece
4. Then you will take the extra flap and fold it over either the top of bottom making it an S with the pieces sandwiched in each other.
Then it will look like this kinda jumbled mess. Take this over to your sewing machine and sew a straight stitch right along that little S we just made. This can also be hand sewn if needs to be. And don’t forget your back stitching.
Next cut off the extra so that it is really close to your seam. This is to get rid of that extra bulk that we do not want.
Lastly you will turn it right side out and you have your headwrap/Turban wrap in one. All done. Not too bad right? Once you make one you will have the hang of it and will want one in every color. This should only take you 15-20 minutes {maybe longer the first time} and only costs about $1.50-$3 per headwrap depending on how much your fabric is {don’t forget to use your coupons}.
One headwrap two different styles.
So so fun and so many different styles. These would also be such a great gift and I believe Christmas is coming up really quickly.
This is too prove I was not lying when I said I wear them all the time! You will be in love and can spend more time on others things rather than your hair. You can thank me later lol. But really, try one out and let me know what you think. They are fun to just change it up every once in a while. They go great with the fall and winter fashion coming up. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I am exited to be back next month with some more style goodness!
With Halloween approaching I thought it would be fun to make a countdown for my kids. Everyone loves a countdown, right?
The kids can’t wait for the month of October to get here so we can get started on the fun activities hanging from the rack. I know what’s in each envelope but the kids don’t.
Here’s what I gathered together for the project. I had to buy the little bats and the orange bags but I had everything else. I like using thing already in my stash when I can, even if they aren’t exactly what I had in mind. It tends to turn out really cute anyway.
I thought of fun activities for each day of October then wrote them on craft paper tags and slid them into the envelopes. I wrote the activities for each day on my calendar so I won’t be surprised by what we’re doing each day and I like that I was able to plan them out to make it easier on me.
I started at the bottom and tied the envelopes on the rack with orange bakers twine.
I left a space at the top for a countdown sign.
I just made a simple one using a small banner on scrapbook paper.
Here’s how it looks from the back. I think it turned out really cute. I’m thinking of using the rack for a Christmas countdown and maybe even a Summer Fun List next Summer.
I love quick crafts, don’t you? The craft needed to be under 15 minutes and Halloween related. My kind of craft!
You know the best thing about quick crafts? You usually have everything you need in your craft stash. Here’s the supplies I used for my project.
I painted the frame using the metallic paint I used on the coffin treat boxes in the last post. You can see a bit of the glitter on the edges.
While the frame is drying pick the decorative paper to use for the back. Trace the cardboard on the back of the frame for the correct size.
I used various scrapbook letters to spell out SPOOKY and then added the 31 for Halloween and of course a glitter spider. All of my embellishments had sticky backs but if they don’t you can just use glue dots to secure them to the frame back.
There you have it! A super quick and easy Halloween decoration that will look perfect anywhere in your home. You might even have everything you need to make it now. Thanks for letting me play along Angie and Carolina. Make sure you visit their blogs so you can check out the other quick crafts featured.
I love Halloween! The decorations, the treats, the craft projects, the costumes, the excitement of the season. Here are 13 creative Halloween ideas to help get you excited and ready for the upcoming holiday.
Are you starting to feel that urge to decorate for Halloween? I haven’t started yet, but it seems like the first place I always start is the mantel. Even though my mantel is different this year and I”m still not sure how I’m decorating it, I can’t wait to start pulling the Halloween stuff out of the totes. I was looking back on my previous Halloween mantels to give me some ideas so I thought I’d share them with you.
Black and White Mantel
I love decorating with black and white and what better time than at Halloween? Check out how I made the spooky photos and other details in the link.
Black and Bright Mantel
This year I decided to make the mantel a little less scary and a lot more colorful. The theme ended up being things that fly in the night and I love the bright colors I added. Check out how to make the silhouettes and other details in the link. This mantel was on BHG.com.
Enter if You Dare Mantel
It’s amazing what a $1 sticker can add to the whole look of a decorated mantel. I also added a black ribbon around the top and love the contrast. I also love displaying pumpkins on candlesticks. The curly wreath looks just a touch spooky. I just noticed that the thrifted and spray painted black candelabra has been on my mantel for 3 years now. I guess it’s perfect for Halloween. This mantel was also on BHG.com.
I love trays and I love colorful bowls, so why not use those pieces to set up a charging station? We have a rule in our house that the kids phones and tablets must be left in a central area when they go to bed at night. The kitchen seemed like the logical place in our new home so we set up an area on the counter.
I use the tray to help control the cords and hold the tablet and the bowls hold the phones. I like how the bowls add color to that area of the counter too. I like using things I already have in new ways. Look around your home and see what you can use for a charging station.
Have you noticed all the different colors and patterns Duck Tape® has to offer? It’s so easy to personalize all your school supplies using Duck Tape® and a little creativity. Check out all the colors and patterns and find the ones that fit your kid’s individual personalities. You can even color code the binders for different classes or use the school colors to show your school spirit.
Here’s a fun project for their school locker to hold notes, reminders, or even lunch money. This project was found on Duck Tape Club.
Place one sheet of 10 in. by 10 in. Duck® brand dry erase board liner on your foam core board. Using a craft knife cut off the excess foam core board.
Make a piece of Duck Tape® fabric that is 15 in. long and 1 strip wide. Cut two ½ in. wide strips out of this piece of fabric.
Make a pieceof Duck Tape® fabric that is 10 in. long and 1 strip wide. Cut 4 half inch wide strips out of this piece of fabric.
Tape the pieces from step 2 in an “X” shape across your board. Use small pieces of Duck Tape® in the corners to hold the strips in place.
Using small pieces of tape, tape the 4 strips from step 3 in a diamond shape on your board.
Cut a 11 in. long piece of Duck Tape®. Fold it over the edge of your board then trim excess tape. Repeat for the 3 remaining sides.
Add embellishments to your border if desired or add a fun Duck Tape® print to the sides.
Push a brad through where each of the strips of tape intersects.
Follow @TheDuckBrand for tons of creative inspiration. What are you going to create this school year?
I love decorating bedrooms. It’s the perfect place to let your personality shine through. I took these pictures at the Utah Valley Parade of Homes this year. I have a thing for cozy bedrooms.
Unique Headboards – Try using unusual pieces to make a headboard or cut it in an unusual way. I have a great idea for a headboard for my daughter. I’ll be working on it in the next few weeks. I can’t wait to show you.
Interesting Walls – Exposed brick, wood planks, or beautifully patterned wallpaper all add that special something to a bedroom.
Comfortable Headboards – Whether it’s tufted, tall, or trimmed with nailheads a fabric covered headboard is the ultimate in comfort.
Colorful Walls – Paint one wall, half the walls, or the whole room. Don’t shy away from color in the bedroom.
Colorful Bedding – If you’re renting and can’t add color to the walls, the perfect way to add color to your room is through the bedding and other accessories.
Which bedroom is your favorite? What’s your favorite part of your bedroom?
