Spooky Glow in the Dark Eyes

Spooky Glow in the Dark Eyes

This year, I’m putting a spooky spin on my Halloween décor. With a three-year old who loves all things spooky, I needed to make sure everything was festive but not scary. Here’s one of the projects I created to bring the season to life.

Materials:

1. Small wood slats.  I bought a pack of craft wood slats at Michael’s for about 2.99.  I am sure you can use any scraps you fin around the house.
2. Black paint
3. Glow in the dark paint
4. Contact Paper
5. Carbon or Transfer paper if you are not a great free hand artist like me.
6. Ball point pen
7. Xacto knife
8. Drill (optional)
9. Zip ties (optional)

Tutorial:

Spread out the wood slats on a protected area and paint them black. (I did both sides…because I am super anal.)

 

I went onto Google images and printed out some spooky and funny shaped eyes.

I laid down the contact paper with the carbon paper and the paper with the eyes on top.  I traced all the eyes onto the contact paper with the ball point pen. 

                                               

 

I cut out the eyes with my knife and carefully paced them on the wood slats to use as stencils. 

*If your contact paper is too sticky and will remove the paint from your circle stick it to a piece of wax paper and remove it a few times, it’ll become a little less sticky and easier to work with.*

 

 Stencil in the eyes first with green paint, then  with glow in the dark paint.  Make sure you do two or more coats before you remove the stencils. 

Now this next part is optional…but I drilled a small hole in the top of each wood slat and when I took them outside I slide a zip tie through and zip tied them into the bushes.  I just didn’t want them all flying out when the wind blew.

 

Overall, I created 12 sets of eyes and placed them all in the bushes in the front of my house.  Now when it gets dark all of these eyes are glowing out of the shrubs; really kinda cool!!!!

 

What would you give to go back to a time where accessorizing with fairy wings is completely normal. 

All Small Things Blog

If you want to learn some easy ways to style your hair with step by step detailed instructions Kate is your girl.  She also talks about fashion and make up.  She is very rateable and down to earth.

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/ 

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Randy Pausch Last Lecture

Randy Pausch Last Lecture

I saw this for the first time several years ago.  I could be really corny and say it changed my life, but what it really did was give me some perspective.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about something in this lecture and use it to make a difference in my own life, the life of my children or my students.  His book permanently sits on my nightstand. 

 

 

 

 

 

Bleach & Water in a Bissell

I owe this post to my Mom. Thanks, Mom!!! With two little ones and a very messy Basset Hound, you can imagine that my off-white berber carpets struggle to keep their pristine color. My lightweight Bissell carpet cleaner definitely helps with the battle, especially when I pre-treat any stains. But Mom figured out a way to use the Bissell to really get stains and stink out of the carpets.

1. Pre-treat the stain. I apply my homemade stain lifter (click here for that post). Next, I scrub the stain and blot it with a damp white towel.
2. Then, I use my Bissell with the regular Bissell carpet shampoo for pet stains.
3. After, I go over everything again once with clear water in the carpet cleaner.
4. Next, I fill the carpet cleaners tank with ½ of Clorox bleach and fill it the rest of the way with hot water. I go over all the carpets again.
5. I finally rinse the tank and fill it with plain water one more time. I go over the carpets one last time.

If this isn’t enough to get the stains up, I repeat the entire process one more time. There are some stains that seem to“resurface”. For those bad boys, I just keep cleaning it every few days ‘til it’s gone for good.

*Disclaimer*

I’ve only tried this on off white rugs. I am going to try it on a dark color rug I have that is pretty much ruined already. Stay tuned for those results.

And remember : ALWAYS test an inconspicuous area with whatever you are using to clean your carpets to avoid any carpet disaster!

Maskcara

Love Love Love Cara's tutorials on Maskcara below.  I think she is amazing and I use all her make up tips.  I actually sometimes stand in my bathroom mirror, ipad on the counter following her video tutorials step-by-step.

http://www.maskcara.com/

Meredith's Last Day on Today

Meredith's Last Day on Today


I just love this.  It's such a heartwarming farewell.

Your in So Much Trouble!!!

Your in So Much Trouble!!! 

I saw this featured on the Today show.  I laughed so hard I cried, I think because I'm just suprised it hasn't happened in my house yet.

Bread & Chocolate Blog

I may be a little biased but below is the blog of a very close friend of mine.  She is super sophisticated and cultured.  I love her posts!

Bread & Chocolate

your daily dose of sustenance, style, sights, sounds and savvy

http://bread-n-chocolate.blogspot.com/

Michelle Obama and the Evolution of Mom Dancing on Jimmy Fallon

Michelle Obama and the Evolution of Mom Dancing on Jimmy Fallon

How cool is Michelle Obama?!?!?  Can you picture Nancy Reagan doing this?

One Part Dawn 2 Parts Hydrogen Peroxide

I am a Mom of 2, a 3 year-old little girl and a 1 year-old little boy.  My husband like me, is a PE teacher, he also coaches college baseball.  We also have they messiest most mischievous Basset Hound on the planet.  Stains are a part of life in our house.  We are on a tight budget though, so wrecked clothes do to stains are not and option. 

This is the best, of the best, of the best stain removers I have ever tried.  It works on everything, even that super yucky newborn poop that stains all your onesies that beautiful gold color!     Even the stuff that Shout can’t get out, and you probably have the ingredients in your house already.  Whip a batch of this stuff up and next time there is a stain catastrophe, give it a whirl.  

Ingredients:

1 part Liquid Dawn

2 Parts Hydrogen Peroxide

THAT’S IT!!!!

I never measure it exactly I just eyeball it and pour it into a spray bottle that I leave by the washer.

For the beset results as soon as a stain occurs rinse it under cold water.  Then spay the magic mixture on and give it a little scrub.  Let it sit for a minute or two and throw it into the wash.  Pull it out and VOILA!  Stain Gone!!!

*Disclaimer*

I’m not a professional.  I’m just trying to get by like everyone else.  I would not try this on a very fragile fabric.  You may want to test it in an inconspicuous part of your clothing first.  I’ve never had a problem with it, and I’ve used it on a multitude of fabrics…but hey you never know.

My Desperate Mosquito Solution 

Thanks to the world of Pinterest and mommy blogs, there are a ton of life hack suggestions floating around the internet. But how many of these problem solvers really offer a solid solution? In late July, as pesky mosquitoes were attacking my family, I decided to try a remedy I’d read about: dryer sheets. 

Apparently I’m blessed with very special skin or blood or a scent that is overly attractive to any bug that bites; especially mosquitoes.  Sitting outside over the summer, it was hard to enjoy those beautiful summer nights while being swarmed by a bug army. When I couldn’t find bug spray in the house, a little tip popped into my mind. Go grab dryer sheets! Well I have to say that instead of one, I used two dryer sheets in my belt loops.  While the mosquitoes did not completely vanish, they left me alone enough that I could continue enjoying my evening outside.

Moral of the story: If you’re desperate, rock the dryer sheet.  You won’t be sorry. Take that, bugs!

My Shower Miracle

I hate cleaning the tub and shower walls. No, really. I mean HATE it. However, I’ve found a way to make it seem bearable.  You take 1 part hot vinegar (I put mine in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave for 3 minutes) 1 part Dawn dish soap and fill a dish washing wand with it.  Then, I leave it in the shower.  Everyday while I am showering, I scrub down a wall or the tub. I let it sit for a minute then rinse really quickly with the shower head.  It literally takes 1 minute to do every day and it has never been cleaner. 

The mixture works better than any store bought cleaner I have ever tried.  It gets rid of soap scum and dissolves any mineral build up you may have. But, there’s more! As a bonus, it will also get your faucets to sparkle. The only down side is that your bathroom will smell like vinegar for a little while afterward. However, compared to that funky chemical odor that comes with many store bought cleaners, it’s pretty tolerable.  So give it a try. Now if I could only figure out a quick way to clean up after a dog bath!

Best Tomato Sauce Out There (In my humble opinion)

Okay, picture this. Long day at work, afterschool activities, collecting the kids from daycare. By dinner you might feel spent, and a good go-to is pasta. I’m not a big fan of cooking, and with my Irish heritage I don’t have any secret family sauce recipes at my fingertips. However, I have discovered a way to make store bought sauce my own

I am shocked to announce that my family and I have found a brand that we love.  It’s equal to, or better, than what you’ll find at your favorite Italian restaurant. Ok, brace yourself: it is the special edition Shop rite brand. Yup, you heard me right. Can you believe it? SHOP RITE BRAND.

My family loves both the Marinara Sauce and the Fra Diavolo.  There are a few other flavors on our “must try” list. The Marinara is a great mix of chunky tomatoes and flavorful sauce.  The Fra Diavolo has a kick without being over the top. Even my three-year old happily cleans her plate! 

Now flavor is one thing, but best of all it’s only $2.99 a jar! Bring it home and try it yourself.  You won’t be disappointed. Mangia!

 

Robin Thicke and The Roots on Jimmy Fallon

You have to love Jimmy Fallon.  I think he is awesome and adorable!!!!  In this video he has Robin Thicke and The Roots playing Blurred Lines all on toy instruments. I can't imagine the work that went into this.  Love the guy on the bottom right corner playing the banana.

Crow Wreath

Crow Wreath

This is a super easy, inexpensive wreath to make for Halloween.  The materials I used to make it only cost about $10, and I got most of them at The Dollar Store. 

Materials:

1. A grapevine wreath
2. Faux black flowers (The Dollar Store)
3. Black Crows (The Dollar Store)
4. Metallic paint
5. Hot glue gun

Tutorial:

1. Plug in your glue gun to warm in up.
2. Use metallic paint (I used a silver Martha Stewart Acrylic paint I had on hand.) Paint some of the tips of the flower petals.
   
3. Hot glue the flowers to the grapevine wreath where you like them.
    
   
   
4. Place the crows on the wreath as well, and hot glue them on.
   
5. I thought at this point I would be done, but I didn’t think it had quite the finished look I was going for.  Therefore, I decided to add on a black and white bow and a couple of spiders.  
   
6. Done!!!!!  So, so, so easy!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   
   
   
   
   

Dinosaur Dress-Up Quicky, Easy, Upcycled No-Sew

Dinosaur Dress-Up

Quicky, Easy, Upcycled No-Sew

Last month I made the ridiculous rookie mistake of telling my daughter that Halloween was two months away and we needed to think about costume ideas. MY BAD!!!!!  For seven non-stop days, all I heard from her little mouth was, “Mommy, I want to dress up like a dinosaur!”  This kid was stuck on it like Rain Man and I had to do something about it to preserve my own sanity.  I didn’t want to make her actual Halloween costume in August because I knew there was no chance it would make it ‘til Halloween.  Instead, I came up with an easy alternative that took an hour to create but has kept her happy since.

Materials:

1. Old hoodie
2. Felt: black, white and any other colors you choose.
3. Hot glue gun
4. Two different sized circles to trace.  I used a solo cup and spray bottle.

1. Cut all the pieces of felt you’ll need first.

The dino eyes are first.  Use the solo cup (bigger circle) to trace 2 circles on the white felt, and cut them out.  Then use the spray bottle or smaller circle to trace on the black felt cut those out.

 

Dino spikes are next.  I had a bunch of 81/2 X 11 sheets of felt in the house, so I just grabbed a few sheets of matching color to make the spikes.  I held the felt long ways and folded the corners in to make two triangles.  Then I cut them out.  It left me with two diamond shaped pieces of each color. 

         

Then cut out all the teeth.  I cut all different sized white triangles out.  I just lined them up against the hood to make sure I had enough.

Finally cut out the belly.  I just cut the corners off an 81/2 X 11 piece of felt and shaped it into a huge oval. 

    

               Now all the pieces are cut and ready to go!!!

***Remember:  When you are making play costumes for you kids they don’t have to be perfect.  If you let them be part of the process of making it with you, they will love it no matter what.

2. Plug in your hot glue gun.

Position the dino’s eyes where you want them and hot glue them on.

Position the dino’s belly over the zipper of the hoodie and cut in half.  Now, glue each half in the poison you set up.

   

Glue on all the teeth around the hood.  I lined them all up in no particular size order and hot glued them onto the inside hem of the sweat shirt.

3. Let all that gluing you did have a few minutes to dry.

4. Find the center of the back of the hood and back of the sweatshirt.

I ironed mine down the center to make a line so I didn’t have to mark it out with any dress making pencils.

Once you have the center ready start gluing on the dino’s spikes by placing a line of hot glue down the center line of the Hoodie.  Start on the hood and work your way down.  Lay the diamond shape you cut out. Press it down on just that one line of glue and move onto I did mine one spike at a time. 

After all the spikes are glued onto the sweatshirt, glue them together so they stand up like dinosaur spikes.

          

5. Finally touch up any places that could use a little more glue to support it.
6. Give the hoodie to your littlesaurasrex!!!!