Found Treasure

Saturday was spent scouring flea markets, thrift stores, etc. in search of tea cups, saucers, and so forth for the macabre tea party mentioned in the previous post. This treasure was unearthed in the process. I immediately saw pendant potential in this wonderful medal. I don’t know anything about the medal itself, but it did make a lovely necklace.

Isn’t it Boo-tiful?

Halloween is in the air as evidenced by my home decor. Hubby and I love Halloween and each year we host a party. This year’s theme is Alice in Wonderland with a dark twist. Hubby is planning the outside decor with the help of a friend. They have plans to set up a macabre tea party, a skeletal croquet game, headless playing cards, and of course the feel-good catepillar will be there. The indoor decorations are left in my hands. I am quite pleased with how everything looks this year. Not all of the decor is Alice themed, but it is quite festive and eerie.

This banner is new this year. I found it at Target and just loved the script!

We’ve had the tree and tombstones for a few years now. The spiders are candles that were purchased at the Spirit Halloween store. The candlesticks are new this year. On the night of the party, we will spread a deck of cards out on the table as well.

I am very proud of this flea market find. Aren’t these great!?

I wanted to tell you about the tablecloth as well. I bought an orange fall cloth tablecloth and simply covered it with a few yards of spiderweb fabric. It looks wonderful and I’m sure you could use other sheer or lacy fabric. The best part about this is after Halloween I simply remove the spider web fabric and add a fall centerpiece. I am now ready for Thanksgiving.

I am very pleased with the mantel this year. I found the LED candlesticks at the Spirit store, the globes and flowers have been around for a spell, and the raven is a handmade silhouette on black cardstock. It was placed under a plastic dome purchased at a thrift store. The sticker on the orange jar candle can be found on Martha Stewart’s website. Finally, the bat & pumpkin lights were purchased a couple of years ago at Target.

These aren’t really a part of the decor just yet. We plan to place the bottle on a round marble-topped table with a tag that says “drink me” and the candelabrum has a twin that will join it on another table with a chess set. Right now, they are merely props waiting for their place and a really awesome picture. By the way, does anyone know where I can find tiny tapered candles?

We purchased this CD to play the night of the party. Nox Arcana has several other CDs. If interested you can visit the Spirit store or check out theNox Arcana website.

These are neither eerie nor do they have anything to do with Alice in Wonderland, however, they are from my childhood. My mom used to pull these out every year and my little sis and I had the honor of hanging them. They still bring back warm, happy memories and will continue to be a part of my Halloween decorations for many years to come. That about wraps things up for now. I hope to have more pics as my hubby starts work on the outside and more halloween ideas throughout the month. Do any of you have thoughts or ideas on Halloween? Please share. I’d love to hear from you.

Even Audrey Hepburn’s getting in on the fun of Halloween!

Website of the Week – Things I Want

I recently added a Leisure Arts book, Stitchin Retro, to my wishlist at thethingsIwant.com. This is a really cool website that can be very handy with the coming holidays. Once you sign up, you will be given directions for placing an “add to the things I want” button to your web browser. All that’s left is to start shopping. Anytime you find anything you want to add to your wishlist, just hit the button. A window pops up and you are given an opportunity to make notes such as size and color. A picture of the item and price will already be listed (prices in pounds may have to be put in manually). Your friends and family can visit the website, search for your name, click on the item of their choosing, and purchase. It’s that simple. Some of you may be thinking, “I don’t shop on the internet. How can this be useful to me?” Most stores also have a website, so it isn’t hard to find the item in the store on the internet as well. I first saw the book, Stitchin Retro, at an Alco in Wilburton, Oklahoma last weekend. At home, I did a quick search on Amazon and now the book can be found on my wish list.

Family Reunion 2008

Every year in September my family descends upon Robber’s Cave State Park in Wilburton, Oklahoma. We eat, visit, eat, tell stories, eat, and enjoy one another’s company. We step away from jobs and the busyness of life on Friday and after one last meal on Sunday morning, we climb into our cars and return to our homes, taking with us the sweet memories and laughter newly created. Here are few pics from this year’s festivities.



This little critter was found sleeping in the dumpster.

We visited this little shop downtown. My mom and Aunt Judy (pics below) found the smileys here.



The kids had a blast on the playground!





Each year these pieces of comical headwear are passed from one family member to another. It all started years ago when one of my mom’s sisters thought it would be funny to give the black and red hat to my mom. One year the hat was accidently left at home. Fortunately, my husband and I had the court jester’s hat in the truck. It had been purchased to cheer up my nephew while he was ill, and somehow had never found its way in the house. Now, both hats are in circulation and create much fun for the family. There you have folks! My family reunion in a nutshell!

Website of the Week – Folding Trees

I would like to share with all of you loyal readers a wonderful blog/website called Folding Trees. The good folks at Folding Trees scour the web in search of all sorts of papercrafts and share them in a blog format. It is an incredible site with many, many inspiring ideas. Please check it out for yourself. Below you will find a sampling of the kinds of things Folding Trees offers.

Family Reunion Time!

It is time once again for our annual family reunion. I’m looking forward to seeing all my aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We’ll be leaving Friday and returning home on Sunday.  Here are a few shots from reunions past.

Hurricane Ike

We are quite blessed! Our hearts and prayers go out to those living along the coast that have suffered so much at the hands of Hurricane Ike. As for us, Ike had become a tropical storm by the time it hit Northeast Texas. We got alot of rain and much wind. Some trees came down and the little church at the end of our road lost its steeple. Many in our area, including us, were without electricity for two days. Some are still waiting for the lights to come on. It has made life quite interesting, but our lights are on, the washer and dryer are running, and things are returning to normal. My husband’s aunt had every light in her house on, the TV turned on, the dishwasher and washing machine running within the first hour after the electricity came back. One doesn’t think much about the luxury of running water until the electricity is gone and the well pump has stopped. Suddenly, washing machines, dishwashers, and flushing toilets become the finest luxury items one can buy. Here are a few pics taken along our road after the storm.

It’s Not Easy Being Green

Hubby found this little fellow on our kitchen window tonight.

Postcards from the Heart

“Miracles happen only to those who believe in them.” French Proverb

Cupcake Stand

Isn’t this cupcake stand beautiful? It is made out of terra cotta pots, a little paint, ribbon, and decorative scrapbooking paper. There so many ways one could personalize these and make something unique and different. You can find the tutorial on Once Wed.