Halloween Weekend Recap

What a busy and fun Halloween weekend!

Friday night I stayed in with my tiny animal farm and watched The Third Man and The Man Who Knew Too Much. I was looking for some good, creepy classics and those were just two of the options I found through Netflix Instant Streaming (which is a godsend in case you are not in the know).

Saturday evening I went with my family and a few friends to a local dive bar to watch a Beatles cover band we are especially fond of.

The Group

  

We were kind of a trio as Harley Quinn, Batman, and Poison Ivy. I may do a post just for my Halloween costume later...

These two look awful cozy for enemies...

 Italian Spiderman made an appearance. Go here if you don't know who he is!

 Mom and Dad as a flower child and pirate cut a rug to some Beatles' tunes.

 At one point we were all out there to dance to Twist and Shout. I promise, the dancing was much more innocent than it looks!

 There was a costume competition and I won for the singles category! This is who Batman and Poison Ivy were up against. The high class call girl and Mickey Mouse club guy won. Your guess is as good as mine...

 

The girls!

Sunday afternoon was time for my friend Tabitha's bridal shower! It was football themed, so we had tailgate appropriate snacks and all suited up in our favorite teams' gear. There are so many fun pictures, I think I'll create a separate post for it too!

When I came home from the shower, I pretty much immediately started preparing for the trick-or-treaters. I suited up in my Harley Quinn gear and my mom and I handed out a TON of candy to neighborhood kids. I had originally planned to hand out candy at someone else's house, but that plan fell through. Next year I'll be sure to decorate my house some more, although I did get plenty of compliments on my garage bats. :o)

 

This year's wreath

 Garage bats!

And now it's time to take the garage bats down, box up the potion bottles, and lay all the witch-y decor to rest. See you next year Halloween; You will be missed!

Halloween is in the House!

It literally is in my house (she says in her best Rachel Zoe voice).

It's the first time I've decorated my mantle for something besides Christmas and I love it! I probably went a tad overboard but I tend to not show restraint when it comes to seasonal decor and since the mantle is the only place my dog and cats can't get to, I went all out. **giggles**

The best part was, I already owned close to everything I used on the mantle so it wasn't an expensive project.

I got the sparkly leaves on clearance at WalMart last year and the pine cones from Target's Dollar Spot this year.


I had the frame from TJ Maxx and the Halloween pin-up by Gil Elvgren was from an old calendar.


I made a few potion bottles too! Empty containers of salsa, trail mix, and liquor never looked so cute.

You can't see them, but the Petrified Butterflies jar has little feather butterflies in it.

The peacock feathered butterflies were a old purchase from Pier 1 and the big purple witch hat on the end was from an old costume (but I couldn't get a good photo of the hat).
It was really fun to do!

Credit given where credit is due: The print out labels I used for the potion jars are from Love Manor. You will find so many great Halloween ideas there and they have a ton of labels posted on Flickr for free! I also used A Fanciful Twist's art and decor as inspiration, her potion post in particular. Check them out!

Linked up to:
Finding Fabulous' Frugalicious Friday Party
Just A Girl's Show and Share Day
     

Stella and Dot Giveaway

Go to Fabulous K's blog to enter her giveaway for a $50 Stella and Dot credit!

Crafty Giveaway!

Tatertots and Jello is having a giveaway for a free Silhouette Craft Cutter.

Go here to enter!

Guest Bedroom Reveal, Finally!

Well, I've been a terrible blogger. :o/ You would think in the ample amount of free time I have while I revel in unemployment that I would be blogging up a storm. Hmph.

I believe I left off by sharing my ideas for my guest bedroom with you, and today I can show you photos of my finished-ish product.

(FYI- For some reasons my photos seem grainy and blurred and there are quite a few orbs floating around. I'm wondering if my camera is sick...)

Here is the view of the bed upon entering the room. I made the headboard myself by stapling batting and a khaki sailcloth fabric (that I salvaged from some old curtains) over a piece of MDF. I planned on adding some nailhead trim to add some interest, but I'm saving it for later. I got the anchor wall hanging from Hobby Lobby (50% off!). It still looks to me like it could use a frame around it, but we'll see.


One of my favorite purchases were these two white pillows (clearance at Marshall's!) to add to the oblong pillow I already had (a Pier 1 thrift store find). I love that the khaki dots mimic sand while the ruffle pillow looks like rolls of waves. Coastal without being too literal.


Here is the gallery wall off to one side of the room. I printed a bunch of my photography (amateur, but I love it nonetheless) to frame and arrange. I put our engagement photo in the center and then focused on arranging the frames by size because my idea was at first to paint ALL the frames white. I thought that would make it harmonious and would lend the coastal feel I wanted.


I asked the hubby for his thoughts on the arrangement and he, in his decorating wisdom, pointed out how much he liked the eclectic colors. After waiting a day to let it grow on me, I'm glad I didn't paint them! All frames are from the Dollar Tree except the orange center one and blue one (75% off at Target), one found in the garage, and the large beautiful white one I painted that cost a quarter at a yard sale. The prints cost more than the frames!


For the other blank wall, I really wanted some shelving as we are lacking that in our home. I got these three book cases and Walmart for I think $20 each. They fit the wall perfectly, and for being so inexpensive, I think they look pretty nice. One day I would like to add some beadboard and trim to make it look more like a custom unit, but for now this is good.


I used some glass insulators I got dirt cheap at a thrift store, and all other things I didn't already own were purchased from Ross or Marshall's. There is still plenty of space for photos and decor available.


There is still one totally blank wall that I would love to have a desk or dresser for, but that's another "eventually" project. Oh, and nightstands, too! A girl's work is never done... I wish I had the "before" photos just to show how far it's come since its builder-beige prison days, but you'll just have to use your imagination. I challenged myself to keep the budget low, and I think including paint, shelving, art, bedding, and accessories, it came up to about $200 I actually spent. Pretty good, right?!

Linked up to Tatertots and Jello's Weekend Wrap Up Party

A Coastal Giveaway

If you are enjoying coastal decor as much as I am right now, go to Completely Coastal's blog to enter a giveaway for a $40 gift certificate from Beach Grass Cottage's Etsy shop.

I have my eye on this in particular...
Go HERE to see how to enter. Giveaway ends February 17th!

How Now Brown... Guest Room!

Ah, the painting is complete. I love it!

Chocolate Coco. Not a black-brown, not a red-brown. Juuuuuust right. At Home Depot, I became overwhelmed with the brown paint swatches. So I found a name I liked and went with it. It was a very scientific process, I tell you. It was difficult for me to get a picture of the shade accurately, but you get it. :o)

What's next? Filling the room with furniture. I originally wanted a dresser but thought, would that be a waste of furniture in here? Most people won't unpack their suitcases into it since they won't be staying TOO long. So would a desk and some bookshelves be a more appropriate use of the space? A reading chair? Josh and I both have rooms designated for our hobby-ness, but of course those rooms have no furniture in them either. Any ideas on what to fill the rest of the space with?

No matter what, there will definitely need to be a headboard. Right now I'm thinking nail head trimmed... with burlap fabric...


And I'll leave you with this: another coastal inspiration pic I came across at House of Turquoise yesterday. Look at that pretty blue glass...


Linked up to Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special and