Halloween Decorations

Halloween is basically awesome. It makes me ridiculously happy. I usually try to hold off till 
October 1st till I start decorating, so far I have never made it ha ha.  This year was no exception. I was especially excited this year, because last year, I did very little because I was pregnant. So I put extra effort into it this year to make up for it. I just wanted to show off my apartment. Hopefully it will inspire you and get you pumped for the season.

September Decor

September is one of the few months of the years where nothing really exciting happens. So coming up with decorating ideas is tough. But nothing screams September like apples and sunflowers. This year I didn't do any sunflowers, but I did do apples. I just wanted to show you my burlap apple banner. Enjoy

Cupcakes

I made these for the teachers at the jr. high for a welcome back to school treat.  They are easy, but time consuming if you do different flavors.  I would stick with on or two if you are doing a large group.

1 step:  Make cupcakes.  If you would like some recipes you can check out Charissa's blog little delights cafe

2 step: Unwrap your cupcakes and place into a 9 oz cup

3 step: Frost cupcakes, it is easier to pipe the frosting on when they are in the cups.

4 step: Slide cup into a cellophane bag.

5 step: Tie with bakers string or a cute ribbon, and tie on the spoon.

Refinished Stool

My neighbor recently moved to Texas. She was unable to fit everything,so I got lucky and she gave me this awesome stool. I thought it would be perfect for my sister in law. She just moved into her first apartment and her room needed some color. 

In this tutorial I will be giving tips on refinishing furniture. My husband has been working in carpentry for  years. It's nice having a professional hanging around the house when doing this stuff :) 

I used two colors of paint. It adds more definition when you go to do a rub thru. I used spray paint for the first color and chalk paint for the top color. I will include a reciepe for chalk paint.

Step One

Scuff your project.

Tips

Scuffing is vital. It opens up the wood to receive the paint. Without scuffing your paint will peel off! Scuffing can only be done 24 hours before painting, otherwise the wood will close. 

For scuffing you can use steel wool, a scotch brite pad, or sandpaper.. I prefer sandpaper. Use a grit of 180. 

Step Two

Wipe off any debris that accumulated while scuffing.

Step Three

Apply first color of paint.

 

Tips

I used spray paint for this.  If you spray paint, start spraying off to the side of your project then spray in a linear motion (do not do circles)  across your project. Every time you cross your project stop spraying. Repeat this process till project is covered.

 This is my favorite spray paint:

Step Four

Let paint dry for hours.

Step Five

Buff your paint till smooth.

Tips

Use a scotch pad or 220 grit sandpaper. The sandpaper works better if attached to the sander and if your project is mostly flat surfaces. The stool had more rounded edges, so I used a scotch brite pad.

Step  Six

Wipe off any debris from buffing.

Step Seven

Apply second color.

Tips

You can use spray paint, chalk paint, or lacquer based paint.  Do not use latex paint unless you make it into chalk paint.  I used chalk paint.  The reciepe is below. I applied it using a bristle brush.

Plaster of Paris Recipe

3 parts Paint

1 part Plaster of Paris

Water to mix

Step Eight

Buff second color.

Step Nine

Antique your project.

Tips

This can be accomplished with sanding and using an antiquing glaze. I like Valspar Antiquing Glaze. If you over do the glaze (been there done that) you can use a spong brush and lightly brush your second color to cover up your mistakes.

Step Ten

Spray on top coat to protect your paint. I used :

Step Eleven 

Measure and cut your fabric.

Step Twelve

Fold and staple fabric to cushion.

Yeah you're done !!

Ranch Popcorn

4 Quarts Popped Popcorn

4-6 tbs. melted butter

1-1   ½ tbs of Ranch Dressing Mix

1/4c Parmesan Cheese

Pour melted butter over popcorn then mix, add seasoning and cheese and toss again.

Strawberry and Banana Kabobs

Kabobs

Strawberries(2 Large per Kabob)

Bananas (1/3 per Kabob)

Cut Strawberries and Bananas in slices.  Slide fruit on a skewer alternating strawberry and then banana.  It looks better if you keep the slices of the same strawberry together.

Dip.

¼ c Strawberry Flavored cream cheese

1-6oz strawberry greek yogurt

¼ c Low fat or fat free sour cream

Mix all ingredients together.

Carrot Door Hanger

Supplies

Carrot (purchased at The Wood Connection)

Orange Paint

Green Paint

Brown Paint

Sandpaper (just in case)

Painter's Tape

Embellishments of your choice

Step 1

Tape off the carrot from the stem.

Step2

Paint carrot orange. I used three different colors and used the "dry brush technique" to create more "definition." Let it dry thoroughly. 

The colors I used are pictured below.

Step 3 

Tape the stem off from the carrot

Step 4

Paint the stem green. Use different colors to create "definition."

Step 5 (optional)

 "Highlight" the stem by using  a lighter green. Do this all around the edges of the stem. 

Step 6

Contour the carrot by using brown paint. This is very important. It just adds a ton to the finished product.

Step 7

After everything has dried add your embellishments. You can do whatever makes you happy. I used white tulle, green  polka dot ribbon, and rusty wire (you can find it at any craft store.) You could also modge podge glitter around the border of the carrot. I was going to do this, but i liked it with out it.

Step 8

Display your cuteness.