Last month I received the most amazing surprise on my doorstep! It was from Martha Stewart Crafts and it was filled with the most inspiring paints, stencils, tools and ideas.
Opening this box felt like Christmas morning! Thanks, Martha!
I just couldn’t wait to dive in. Limiting myself to one project was nearly impossible, especially when the theme for this project was Halloween. This is what I came up with– I hope you love my Halloween Inspired Chalkboard using only Martha Stewart Crafts!
This was my first project using Martha Stewart Crafts Chalkboard Paint in the fabulous shade of grey. I wanted to create a spooky entryway and I loved the idea of writing a Halloween message for all my fall guests to see. I also loved the idea of a grey chalkboard rather than the typical black. I already had two thrift store art frames in my basement that I wanted to re-purpose, so I was off to a quick start.
These frames were pretty old, so I did have to cover them with black spray paint prior to adding the chalk paint. I used spray paint designed for trucks (called Bed Liner). I think that stuff is amazing. You don’t have to sand or worry about imperfections as the thick adhesive coating covers every little scratch, ding and chip. I love that it has a hint of sparkle and adds a ton of texture to the frame. It was the perfect fix to this imperfect frame.
Adding the Martha Stewart Crafts Chalk Paint was simple. This particular frame had plastic, rather than glass, and it was a bit dusty from being the basement. I simply cleaned the plastic with a glass cleaner. Once dry, I evenly applied the chalk paint with one of the brushes Martha Stewart Crafts provided. It took 3 coats, but I love the result and the color.
Once painted, I was ready to add a spooky verse or poem. I have the WORST handwriting, so I knew I could not do this part of the project freehand. I was grateful to find some transfer paper in the wonderful box of Martha goodies. I already had a Halloween sign, and I personally love the font styling so I felt it would be perfect to copy onto my new chalkboard. My kids also love this sign as it tells you to “smell my feet.”
What little boy would not giggle over that kind of talk?
Transfer Paper allows you to copy images and fonts perfectly from one sign onto another.
I have never used transfer paper before and I am sad to say I have wasted countless hours erasing, re-writing and erasing. Martha Stewart Crafts Transfer Paper is amazing!! It made this part of the project so quick, easy and stress free. I didn’t have to worry about my atrocious hand writing as I could simply copy and paste.
You can see how the transfer paper left faint markings on the board, now all I have to do is go back and fill it in with chalk.
I love the wording on the frame, but it only took up a small portion and didn’t look like I wanted it to. I needed to come up with a plan “B” and fast. Back to the box of goodies Martha sent me. What would fill up the frame without taking away from the wording? Check out this great rick-rack/chevron stencil I found:
Here is the final product. I embellished the board with a handmade burlap flag banner and some creepy spiders, and I LOVE the end result.
I have to point out those bat stenciled goblets and gold pumpkins at the bottom of my photo. I told you that I would not be able to stop at one project:). I absolutely loved working with the Martha Stewart Crafts and the Sticker Stencils were no exception.
The sticker stencils are AMAZING~
These goblets and bottle took me less than 30 minutes to create and it cost me less than $6.00. Each glass cost $1.00 at my local dollar store. That cool bottle was store bought sparkling lemonade that I found at HomeGoods for approximately $2.00. I served the lemonade at my fabulous 30-Something Fashionista Party (check it out here) and saved the bottle because of that super cool top. I think the goblets and bottle combined would make a fantastic hostess gift set. Maybe include a cool Halloween inspired cocktail recipe like my Spooky Orange Creamsicle Cocktail.
{Click HERE for printable recipe}
Lastly, I painted some small pumpkins using Martha Stewart Crafts Gilding Paint in silver and gold. I have to say, that stuff is powerful and gives you a lot of bang for your buck. I barely used anything and covered 6 small pumpkins. I also love the metallic colors which will carry over to my fall dining room tablescape this Thanksgiving.
Look for these on my Thanksgiving tablescape!
I hope you enjoyed seeing all the wonderful things that Martha Stewart Crafts made possible for me this Halloween. Please note that I received these products via The Blueprint Social (www.theblueprintsocial.com) for this post, however, the opinions are 100% my own, please find my post disclosure HERE. I sure enjoyed this campaign and want to thank Plaid, Blueprint Social and Martha Stewart Crafts for this opportunity.
For more great projects please visit Martha Stewart Crafts on FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND PINTEREST.
Amy will be back tonight to announce the winner of the Organizing Giveaway!
sharing at~
Oh Yum!!! If you need anything more to like about Fall, here is the perfect drink to toast the season. In my house, as soon as the apple cider hits the stores this drink becomes a one of our favorite adult treats.
I have mentioned my husband’s talent for bartending previously, he concocted this drink with the fixings from an ‘Apple Cider Bar’ we had at an Engagement Party we hosted last year. The couple liked it so much they served it as their “Signature Cocktail” at the wedding! It’s always a hit.
You can tweak this to your liking, and I apologize to those who don’t drink alcohol, you could obviously play around with whipped cream and apple cider but using the flavors in the alcohol really is what gives this drink its fun flavor.
You need apple cider (obviously), I typically use Trader Joe’s but any kind is fine, and “Whipped Cream” Vodka and “Buttershots” Liquor.
You also need ice, a shaker with a strainer, and ice cold martini glasses, something we seem to always have on hand in our freezer! I coated the rim of this glass with a sugar/cinnamon mix to make them a little more festive.
To make the drinks: Mix 2 parts vodka to 1 part buttershots in the shaker (with some ice) to your liking, then pour in the apple cider and shake well–very well–you want the ice to break up a bit and chill the drink. I would recommend 2:1 on the liquors then at least 2 parts cider–but that still may be too strong for some, so adjust accordingly. Be warned: these are strong drinks–just like a classic martini. This drink is also a great after dinner/dessert drink because they are on the sweet side.
And, if you are hosting a Halloween Party, you might notice these drinks coordinate perfectly! 
Hope you enjoy a perfect Fall weekend!
Cheers!
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Are you still trying to figure out invitations for your Halloween party? Look no further–I’ve got you covered! Check out these darling mini-apothecary jars (they used to be spice containers) that have been turned into frightfully fabulous invitation holders, courtesy of a little imagination and Aleene’s glues and adhesives.
I find these little jars at yard sales and thrift shops for just a few cents each. I use them to hold beads and other craft supplies, and, of course, spices. But when I recently found myself with a surplus of them, I started to think about the fact that they look just like tiny apothecary jars. Wouldn’t they look cute~and slightly poisonous~holding Halloween invitations?
The nice folks at Aleene’s recently sent me a big old box of love–bunches of their products to try. Look what was in my box:
So fun! I immediately used the Jewelry & Metal Glue to fix a pair of earrings that had broken (thanks, guys!), but that’s beside the point. I then gathered the supplies for my project:
Next, I typed up an invitation on the computer. I used the font “Chiller,” but I’ve seen tons of other free fonts that would work well for a Halloween party, too. Knowing that the invitation would be rolled up message-in-a-bottle style, I printed it longer and shorter. I cut the cobweb scrapbook paper slightly larger, and used the Repositionable Tacky Spray to stick the invitation on the cobweb paper. (**As a random aside, we use this tacky spray every year when my kids are doing their science fair projects. It’s the best way to stick paper and photos to the tri-fold presentation boards that we use!**)
The spider looks cute there, but he doesn’t get to stay, or the paper will never roll up!
I tied my rolled-up invitation with a tiny piece of raffia, although I don’t think this is an essential step.
After tying raffia and black ribbon around the neck of the bottle, I used a drop of to hold my scary spider in place. And yes, this is a paid review (the disclaimer is at the bottom), but I can easily and truthfully say that I use Tacky Glue all the time! I used FOUR bottles of it to build my daughter’s dollhouse three years ago (read about that post HERE), which is the biggest project I’ve accomplished with it, but there’s always a bottle in my craft supplies.
So, why not whip up a batch of these and get ready for a thrilling and chilling Halloween celebration?
If you want to learn more about Aleene’s products or their I Love to Create program, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!
Disclaimer: I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Aleene’s Glues and Adhesives and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.
Thanks for stopping by!
October is finally here! My boys and I have been decorating the house all week as we all get very excited for Halloween. My children really want to make the house as spooky as possible for Hallows Eve this year. My oldest son Gavin has been placing spider webs around the perimeter of my house and my youngest son, Lincoln, is enamored with my Frankenstein nutcracker. Needless to say, they are having a blast! My focus has been the dinning room. I wanted to create a spooky tablescape without spending a lot. I also wanted to utilize some of my existing decor like my black and white chargers and my polka dot table runner. My goal was simply to add to what was already in place and incorporate some spooky fall elements. I think I captured the essence of the holiday. What do you think?
Happy Halloween!
Check out those burlap flags I made. I love that burlap is taking off and my local fabric store is now carrying printed burlap. Aren’t those keys adorable?
This photo will become its own post as I created that cool Halloween bottle and matching glasses. This was a fun and easy craft project and it would be the perfect hostess gift if you have any fall parties to attend.
Despite careful forethought and planning, I have run out of Halloween candy three out of the last four years. (NO, it was not because I bought the candy prior to October 30th and ate it all–I would never do that!) The good news is that I ran out closer to the end of trick-or-treating than the beginning, but I figured I’d better A) buy more candy this year and B) come up with a contingency plan just in case. I decided to make a sign to hang on the door when the candy’s all gone–that way I won’t have to look the sad munchkins in the eye and tell them I’m a loser.
I copied the idea from my “We Can/Can’t Play” sign that I made this summer. You can read about it {here}–if you’re a mom whose doorbell rings frequently, this will change your life! You can thank me later…
We Can/ Can’t Play Door Sign–A Summer Necessity!
This was a cheap project because I already had what I needed. I assembled my materials: a wooden plaque/sign from the craft store ($0.80 full price, but I used a coupon!), orange and black ribbon, eye hooks, black paint, and glitter (just in case–I wound up not using it). Also used, but not shown was black paint, glue (duh), white vinyl and my Silhouette Cameo.
I sanded the rough spots on the sign (sometimes I skip that part) and painted it black with acrylic craft paint. Once it dried, I screwed the eye hook into the top–no drill needed, just use your fingers to screw it in–and printed out the frame and the letters on my Silhouette. I used the free font Boyz R Gross. Wait? You don’t have a vinyl cutter? Don’t despair! Paint your wooden sign with black chalkboard paint, and then just use a white chalk pen for all of this–they sell them at craft stores.
Here’s the white frame:
And now here’s the sign with the words in place:
I debated a bit on which ribbon to use, and finally just used orange and white striped ribbon (I think it was 2″):
We’re not really into “scary” Halloween stuff here, so I debated on whether or not to glue a black plastic spider on the bow. Here it is without the spider:
And with the spider:
Do you have a preference? Let me know!
So this will go up when the candy’s gone at my house. Well, perhaps I will fib a bit and hang this up on my door around 8:30pm, when all the cute little Jedi knights and princesses go home to sort their candy and watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” That’s when the teenagers come around to ring the bell, wearing a costume consisting of sagging blue jeans and a sweatshirt (how creative!), holding an empty pillowcase, and managing to NOT SAY A WORD TO ME as they hold their open pillowcases under my nose, expecting that I will just dump candy in there. Can you tell that I think there should be an age cut-off for trick or treating? I already warned my 11-year-old son that this is his last year! So the sign will either go up at 8:30, or I will hand out tofu and spinach to the surly teens!
Or if I get into the candy stash, the sign might have to go out much earlier!
Thanks for stopping by!
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I’m really looking forward to Christmas, but I like to give Thanksgiving its due. That can be hard, sometimes, when the Christmas stuff is in the stores in AUGUST, but I love Thanksgiving, and I think it’s one of our country’s most meaningful holidays.
My Halloween decor isn’t very different from my Thanksgiving decor, because we don’t do the whole cobwebs-and-spiders thing for Halloween. We do carve pumpkins, and I put out luminarias (just white tealights in Ball mason jars) to line the sidewalk and the steps for the trick-or-treaters, but other than that, things don’t change very much at our house from October 31st to November 1st. No wonder, then, that I felt the need to jazz things up a bit today. Here’s how the front porch looks after I tweaked it a bit…
Can’t see anything from this far away? Don’t worry, the close ups are next!
My seating area is shown below. I have a glider, two chairs, and a little table. The glider is from Walmart (about 15 years ago) and the chairs were $5–for both–at a yard sale. I have to give them a coat of spray paint every spring. We love to sit on the front porch in the evenings with a glass of wine and watch the kids playing. My son and his buddies are usually throwing the football in the front yard, though, so one of us might have to jump in as referee.
I change the colored cushions out a couple of times a year. Obviously, the orange ones are in rotation right now, but the red ones will have their turn beginning the weekend after Thanksgiving. As we were sitting on the porch on Halloween, passing out candy, my husband asked me why we had so many cushions! Sometimes I’m not sure that he “gets” my vision! As an aside, I buy the cushions from a great Ebay seller (click here for a pillow giveaway), and they are pretty reasonably priced, as well as being completely weatherproof.
Below you’ll see my “window to nowhere” on the porch wall, and the hanging candle-lier (is that a word?). I usually light the candles when we’re sitting on the porch, and they get a color change to match the season, too. The white ones I had out this summer kept melting and wilting off sideways–we had a HOT summer in Nashville! The metal “B” is from an online store, and I added vinyl polka dots to match the cushions.
I have two of these pumpkin topiaries flanking either side of the front door. Usually, I buy the real Cinderella pumpkins and stack those as topiaries, but in this house there’s enough of an overhang that these faux ones won’t get wet. The black planters are filled with petunias or impatiens all summer
To the left of the front door, I have a basket filled with extra pillows (take that, honey! and the watering can. I’m not watering much of anything right now, so I filled it up with some sprigs from this cool bush with purple berries in our backyard. We back up to woods, and there’s a lot of interesting greenery back there.
By the way, I think I stole the pillows in the basket idea from Amy’s porch post. Even though she’s in Virginia and I’m in Tennessee, we decorate our homes in a shockingly similar manner, and if wasn’t for this blog, no one would notice!
I didn’t want to leave the mailbox out of the fun, so I put up a couple of grapevine wreaths and wove some of the unknown purple berry plant into them. My vinca died last week when we had a hard freeze, so I yanked them out and put a few mini pumpkins in the empty space until I find some pansies.
I think my next post will show the screened porch, but let me leave you with this picture as a sneak peak–I am so pleased with the very cool live decor I’m finding right in my own backyard!
Can you even believe those hedgeapples (aka osage oranges)? I just love them–and they smell so good!
Happy Fall, Y’all! Thanks for stopping by.
**Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a pair of red and green polka dot pillows–perfect for decorating for Christmas!! Giveaway runs 11/21-11/27. (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)**
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I just wanted to share some photo’s from my 2010 Halloween Party… It was such a fun event for adults and kids alike. I am not hosting a party this year which I am bittersweet about. I had such a busy October and November is jam packed with weddings and holiday events, that it just wasn’t in the cards for 2011.
On the bright side (or the dark side- whoooooo haahahhaaa!!!) Amy is coming back here to Trick-or-Treat with us!!! It is such a “treat” to get to spend some time with her and enjoy a spooky night together with our children. Whether you’re having a party, or just Trick-or Treating with friends, I hope this post inspires you to have a Spooktacular Hallows Eve!!!
The Girls (Check out Amy as a beautiful mermaid and me as a saloon Girl)
Spooktacular Alcoholic Potions!!
Appetizers Anyone?
Hooooo Goes there?
This Mummy actually belongs to my friend Trinity. The head is hollow and you fill it with Candy by the door for Trick-or-Treaters. IT is sooooo spooky facing out the window, it scares me every time.
Dessert: Ina Gartens Pumpkin Parfaits– To Die For!!!
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