Have You Been Naughty Or Nice?

This cute little naughty or nice checklist is a quick project that can be used as an ornament, gift card holder, or gift tag.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas....

Can you believe that Christmas is only 13 days away? Crazy! 

We are keeping things pretty simple this year.

Eggnog Fudge

Two of my favorite holiday treats - eggnog and fudge - together in one recipe?! Shut the front door! This fudge is definitely one of my new Christmas favorites. I hope you like it too.

Shoe Organizer Advent Calendar

Yes, today is the last day of November and I just now finished our advent calendar. Any other procrastinators out there or is it just me? :) If you waited until the last minute like I did, the idea behind this advent is super easy - just roll out one of those 24-pocket over the door shoe organizers, fill it up with something fun, and you're good to go!

The To-Do List Revisited

Do you like making lists? I make one every single morning so that I remember all of the things that absolutely have to get done that day. I also love the feeling of accomplishment when I get to cross something off of the list. :) About six months ago I shared some photos of our new house in the form of a massive home improvement to-do list and I thought it was time to do a little revisit and check out the progress that we have made.

These home improvement projects are the most annoying because they take up a lot of time but the finished project is never interesting enough to share with anyone! This post will still probably bore most of you but this is MONTHS of work that I have condensed into one single post that you have to suffer through scroll past read.

  

1. Hang Blinds - DONE! Those trash bag and duct tape curtains were pretty spectacular but it is nice to have real blinds now.

Polaroid Frame Ornament

Alright, Thanksgiving is over which means that it is officially acceptable to share Christmas projects, right? :) 

I love the retro look of Polaroids (remember my Polaroid Pendant?) so I thought that it would be fun to make a Polaroid ornament! I decided to make it a frame so that I could slip in a different picture each year. If you wanted to make this project even easier though, you could just crop a photo to a square, print it out, and cut it out with a thicker border on the bottom. If you like the frame idea though, scroll down for the details...

No-Sew Ruffled Christmas Tree Skirt

Okay, I know we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet but Jer decided to break out the Christmas movies over the weekend and it put me in the mood to decorate. :) 

Pom Pom Flowers

Our living room was in need of a little pop of color so I made some cute little pom pom flowers! Much better than real flowers because they won't die and I don't have to worry about it getting knocked over and dumping water everywhere. With a rambunctious little boy and a large dog around, you have to consider these things! They were really easy to put together and didn't take long at all which brings up my new series:  Quick Crafting.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal raisin cookies are one of my husband's favorites but I have to admit that in our eight years together this is the first time that I have ever made him any. I never really liked them because I prefer super soft cookies and it seemed like they were always kind of crunchy. So I decided that it was time to look for a new recipe. I did a search for *chewy* oatmeal cookies and saw one that caught my eye. It was from The Girl Who Ate Everything and I have tried a few of her recipes before that they were all amazing! This recipe is no different. They are large, chewy, bakery-quality cookies. I think I have eaten more of them that my husband has!

5 Minute No-Slip Dish Towel

I saw Cute As A Fox's idea for this no-fall dishtowel over on Curbly a few months ago and thought that it was a brilliant idea! Every fracking time I open the oven, my dish towel falls on the floor. Not cool. 

I changed the tutorial up a bit to make this project even easier and give it cleaner lines because those ruffles/pleats/whatchamacallits just aren't my thing. This modification made this a super quick and easy 5-minute-project! Seriously, it took me five times longer to edit the photos and write this post than it did to make the dish towel itself.

Warm Broccoli Cheese Dip

This broccoli cheese dip is surprisingly full of flavor thanks to some Italian seasoning. Even people who hate eating their veggies will love this one! Great for any occasion - you can throw it together  for a quiet movie night at home or take it to a holiday party. 

No-Sew Tooth Fairy Bag

We have BIG news!

This little guy lost his first tooth! It is adorable how exciting this is for a kid. :) 

Instead of putting the tooth under his pillow, we decided to make a special tooth fairy bag to hang on his door knob. Our new carpet is much thicker than what was here originally and we haven't cut down the doors yet so they are a bit tough to open. Although Jer can usually sleep through anything we were worried that this would be the one time that he woke up and it would ruin everything. Since our dog sleeps with him, we just told him that she might scare off the tooth fairy so it would be better to use the bag. He agreed and said that it was also a good idea because his head might be too heavy for her to lift up. Lol!

Happy Halloween!

I hope you all are having a delightfully spooky Halloween! I had big plans for Halloween this year with lots of new and intricate props....then life and work got in the way and all of that went out the window. I was able to finish a handful of projects that I was pretty happy with but most of this month you could hear crickets here at the ol' blog. It seems to have been a common thing in the Halloween Blogging World this year so at least I'm not the only one who slacked off. I didn't even remember to get pictures of my costume before my makeup started rubbing off. :( Oh well! I am already planning for next year and hope to get things done way in advance. 

Anyway, I don't have any new tutorials to share today but I thought that I would show off some pics of our Halloween decor all put together in the new house. 

Spider Nest

I saw the idea for this spider nest over on Instructables and knew that it had to be part of our Halloween decor this year. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't find it last year though. One of our friends in Minnesota is an arachnophobe and it would have been fun to torment him with this. ;)

Hocus Pocus Spell Book Tutorial

Show of hands: Who has seen Hocus Pocus? If you haven't - go watch it now! It is my all-time favorite Halloween movie. Sure, it is kind of cheesy but the set and the costumes are AMAZING! Plus Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy did a great job portraying the Sanderson sisters. 

Creepy Cake Ball Lab Rats

I was playing around with an idea for some Halloween party food yesterday...

Cake ball lab rats that have escaped from a mad scientist's laboratory! Or mice. Whichever you want to call them. 

Halloween Kids Crafts

Jer had Monday off from school so I thought it would be fun to work on some Halloween crafts to decorate his room! He had a lot of fun and was really proud of his decorations. :) There are so many ideas out there but here are the four that we tried out:

Pumpkin Spice Werewolf Kibble

The traditional version of this is often called puppy chow or muddy buddies. Since Halloween is approaching I am calling this awesome pumpkin spice version werewolf kibble. You could also go with graveyard gravel or something like that. Whatever you want to call it, this stuff is highly addictive. I am going to be really disappointed when the pumpkin spice kisses are no longer available.

Printable Dracula's Pub Sign

I saw a Dracula's Pub light sign at the store the other day and decided to make a sign of my own. At our Halloween party this sign will probably go on the fridge since that is where the beer will be kept but the suction cups that I had on hand stink and won't stick to anything so I will have to pick up some new ones.

Sally's Worm's Wart Soup

Any Nightmare Before Christmas fan should recognize this one. :) For those who aren't familiar with the movie: During one scene, Sally the ragdoll makes a Worm's Wart Soup that will make her captor, Dr. Finklestein, fall asleep so that she can escape. She pours in some Deadly Night Shade to poison it and a bit of Frog's Breath to cover the smell. When he makes her taste it first to confirm that it isn't poisoned, she uses a spoon with holes drilled into it so that she doesn't actually drink any of her own poison.

Hot Glue Spiderwebs and Paper Roses

If you want a spiderweb that is more realistic than those bags of fuzz that you get at the store, you can pay about $50 for a special webcasting gun or you can use your regular old hot glue gun! Just keep in mind that it may be difficult to get off of some items so you should only use it on your Halloween props. 

Ghost of Halloween Past

To welcome new followers who love the haunting season I have put together a collection of my previous  Halloween posts. Each year as we gain more experience, our Halloween props get even better and I am really excited about some of the new items we are going to add this year!

PARTY THEMES:

150+ Halloween Ideas

It is October 1st which means the haunting season has officially begun! It is also time to start our third annual Halloween Link Party! This is my favorite party of the year and I can't wait to see what spooky projects you guys come up with. 

This party is a one stop spot for Halloween inspiration so you are welcome to link up as many Halloween projects as you want as long as it isn't one that you linked at one of my previous Halloween parties. This collection will run all month long so keep stopping back in.

Time to get started! Lets kick it off with a few of my favorite projects that have been shared this last week:

Rubik's Cube Tissue Box Cover

I've got a secret...

...."I'm Batman! Shhh!"

If you are a fan of Big Bang Theory, I'm sure you have already noticed the awesome Rubik's Cube tissue box that Sheldon and Leonard have in their apartment. Well, I decided that we had to have one for our new 80's Geek Living Room! 

Super Mario Coasters

Continuing with the 80's geek theme that we have going in our living room, I decided that we needed some 8-Bit Super Mario Coasters!

Orange Creamsicle Fudge

This awesome fudge tastes just like a creamsicle! The orange and white marbled color makes it great for a Halloween treat too. The original recipe said to put it in a 13 x 9" pan but I thought it came out a little thin so next time I will probably use the 9 x 9" pan that I usually put fudge in. Other than that, I love this recipe!

Dexter Party Part Three

Today is the day! The final installment of my little Dexter Party. It may doesn't even compare to the awesome Amy Lau Dexter Dining Room but I also didn't have a very big space or budget to work with. Most of this was put together using things that I had around the house! I have a few ideas that you could use to make it even better if you have the extra cash though and hopefully this post will be a starting point to inspire you to come up with even more party ideas.

Dexter Party Part Two

Welcome to part two of my three part Dexter Party! Today I am talking about a few of the decor items that I put together. Check back tomorrow to see all of the finishing touches and ideas for even more possible additions that you could use at your own party.

Dexter Party Part One: Blood Splatter Cupcakes

I'm sure all of the Dexter fans out there are excited about the Season 7 premiere coming up in less than two weeks! Unfortunately we don't get Showtime so we only get to watch it if we buy in on dvd or wait for it to come on instant Netflix. As a result we haven't even seen seasons 5 and 6 yet. :( We love what we have seen so far though!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This loaded baked potato soup is really easy to throw together and is great on a chilly fall evening. You can make it without the toppings for a great basic potato soup too!

Ruby Red Slippers

I have glittered some chucks before - in green and black - but I have wanted a red pair for awhile now. Kind of a punk version of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. This year for my birthday Shelby surprised me with a pair and I was finally able to get started on my ruby red slippers! I mean chucks. :)

Baked Apples

Once September rolls around, I have to break out the apple recipes. It just isn't fall without them. First up were some baked apples on pancakes since that is my favorite thing to order from Cracker Barrel. It took three tries but I finally came up with a recipe that I really like! These would also be awesome on some vanilla ice cream or you can just eat them with a fork. YUM!

Nintendo Controller Coffee Table

We're rockin' it old school today! Those new gaming systems are nice with their crazy clear graphics but I enjoy the nostalgia from the old 8-bit games and I can never figure out all of those buttons on the new controllers anyway.

Shattered Mirror Art

If you are the superstitious type, you might want to click away now and come back tomorrow. Seriously. Look away! For the rest of you, I have a fun project to share!

Salsa Corn Chowder

It is still suffocatingly hot and humid around here but crisp, cool weather is just around the corner. In preparation of those gorgeous fall days, I am sharing this delicious recipe that is sure to keep you warm. This corn chowder gets a new twist with salsa and spices. It is full of flavor without being too spicy.

Squeaky Clean

Last week I showed off my new Ducky Bathroom makeover and there was just one blank wall left to decorate. I thought about it for a while but inspiration evaded me so I asked for suggestions and my amazing readers friends totally came through for me! I used a combination of your ideas and I LOVE how it turned out. The room is complete now:

Enchilada Pasta

I kind of have a thing for enchiladas. I have already posted about my regular Chicken Enchiladas as well as Enchiladas Verdes and I have a few others that I haven't even shared yet. I just love Mexican food and I like having different versions of dishes so that I can mix things up. This enchilada pasta was easy and full of flavor. It is definitely going to become a regular around here.

Mags' Apple Pie "Moonshine"

Does anyone else around here watch Justified? If so, you should already know about Mags' famous apple pie moonshine. If you haven't seen it, you should! I wasn't too impressed by the third season but the first two were awesome. Anyway, this recipe is in honor of Mags and her crazy family. Technically this one can't really be called moonshine because it uses Everclear which is the legal version of moonshine. It's the closest you can get to the real stuff without breaking the law though.

Just Ducky

I gave you all a glimpse of the bathroom makeover in my Fresh Start post but I just finished up a few more things in there and decided it was time that it got a post of it's own! It's fun and colorful like the rest of our house has been so far. Why? Because being a "grownup" is way overrated and I would much rather walk into a room and see something silly that makes me smile instead of a room that is stuffy sophisticated. :)

Hash Brown Skillet

This hearty breakfast is tasty and goes together quickly. Great for everyday or as a special treat for overnight guests. My husband calls this kind of dish "camp eggs" because whenever he goes camping he throws some eggs and whatever else he has on hand in a skillet for breakfast. Call it whatever you want, it's yummy either way. :)

Dry Erase Notebook Page

If you need a dry erase board for your grocery list (or a menu, to-do list, etc.) why not make one that looks like a page from a notebook? It's easy to put together and looks really cute. Added bonus: it's just as cheap as the plain, boring ones!

Rootbeer Pulled Pork

These slow cooker bbq pulled pork sandwiches are super fast and easy. Perfect for a busy night like when you are getting used to being back to school. The root beer keeps the meat really moist and tender. It also adds a delightful, slightly sweet flavor.

My New Craft Room

My new craft room is complete! It isn't as fancy as some other craft rooms that I have seen but it is functional and has everything that I need. As you have seen over the last few days, I have also added a couple of cute and colorful touches.

Cake Batter Truffles

Fellow cake batter lovers - rejoice! It is time for another batter infused recipe and this one is even better than the last. These little truffles are easy to put together and highly addictive. Next time I make them I am going to have to send most of them to the office with Shelby because I couldn't stop eating them. They have all the flavor of cake batter with the texture and richness of sugar cookie dough. Delish.

Pinwheel Garland

Awhile back I saw this picture of a wall full of pinwheels and instantly fell in love with it. Sadly, it is another one of those Pinterest casualties where the original source wasn't linked correctly so I have no idea where it really came from. Anyway, when trying to come up with a way to fill this large blank piece of wall in the craft room, I thought of that photo. I didn't want over twenty holes in my wall though so instead of nailing in each one, I made it into a garland so it only required a few holes.

I love how it turned out. It's colorful and whimsical and it makes me smile. :) This would also be a fun addition to a kid's room!

Messy String Art

The practical parts of my craft room are done which means that it is time to start decorating! I started with this fun "CREATE" sign. I started with a basic retro string letters and added some loose strings here and there because creativity can get messy. :) 

Crock Pot Pizza

Over the years Shelby has introduced me to some...interesting recipes. Some are a little too redneck unusual for my tastes (think: peanut butter and mustard sandwiches or deep fried dandelions) but there are a few that are actually pretty good! This crock pot pizza is one of them. :)

Photography Light Box

When planning the layout for my new craft room, one of my priorities was having a designated photography spot. It stinks when I finish a meal, craft project or shop item and then have to put a bunch of time into finding a clean, well-lit area to take photos of the finished product.