Halloween + Simplicity

I love celebrating All Hallow's Eve! We have been so busy that we didn't make our costumes until last night. Luckily it only took like 20 minutes to create our bandit attire. We made our masks out of black felt and ribbon. We also used the black felt to cut out the shape of the dollar sign and simply glued it to a canvas tote bag.

This was one of the first holiday decorations we ever bought together. It was three years ago and we got it at a dollar store. I'll keep it forever.

I love little pumpkins. This one caught my eye at Trader Joe's. Next year I think I might buy a bunch of different kinds and put them all around our home.

These boo glasses are so dear to me. I have had these since I was little. The eyes glow red when you turn it on. It's hard to believe that after 20 years I haven't had to replace the batteries. I hope I didn't just jinx it.

This gargoyle is another dollar store gem. It reminds me of our honeymoon oddly enough. There were gargoyles on almost every cathedral we saw in Europe.

Come little children

I'll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children

The time's come to play

Here in my garden of magic

I hardly ever wear red lipstick, but for some reason it seems fitting. I can't wait to see my little niece on her very first Halloween, stop by a cute neighborhood haunted house, sip a PSL, and watch a scary movie with my guy. 

♥ What are your plans for tonight? Are you dressing up?

Butterfly Mobile + Do It Yourself

I made this butterfly mobile for my sweet, little niece Leona. It was a lot simpler than I thought. I forgot to take the photos at home, so my parent's bathroom did the trick.

what you need:

white cardstock

Martha Stewart butterfly punch

10" embroidery hoop

thin fishing line

what to do:

+tie a string across the embroidery hoop making an "X", use those strings the attach the butterfly strands

+punch out a bunch of butterflies, fold the wings, and poke a hole in the middle

+take a length of fishing line, tie a knot at the bottom, thread on your first butterfly, then tie a second knot about 2" above the butterfly and thread on the next one, repeat as necessary

♥ What do you think? Have you made a mobile?

Pipe Cleaner Crown + Portrait Setting

I have always loved this little pipe cleaner crown idea, so I thought I would try it. I just bought a pack of 25 gold pipe cleaners from Michael's. 

I made the bottom of the crown into a band so it would stay together better. This would also be cute if the triangles were a little shorter. 

Today was my first time using a tripod, ever. This is my little outtake because I wasn't ready for the timer to go off yet. Candid moments should be shown, in my opinion.

So, I have a Canon Rebel T3i. I love it, and I'm starting to play with the settings and see all it can do. This was just on the no flash setting. In the fall/winter months I don't get the best lighting so I decided to try the portrait setting to see what it could do.

I didn't retouch either of the pictures so you could see the difference. On the portrait setting it turned out so much brighter, and my skin looks more glowy. It has been fun taking more pictures and doing more little crafty projects.

♥ What type of camera do you use? What settings do you prefer indoors?

Monstera + Copper Elbow Necklace

On our walk last night I saw this beautiful leafy plant called Monstera. It's fun having leaves (or a leaf) in a vase instead of flowers. Lately I have been trying new things, and finding more time for little creative projects. I saw this copper elbow necklace on Yesterday's Sweetheart, and I thought I would give it a go. It took five minutes, three dollars, and a trip to Home Depot and Michael's. I bought a copper elbow from the plumbing section of Home Depot, and a rose gold chain from Michael's. It was a three-pack of chains, and I just added a half of one chain to a full one to make it a little longer. 

Fellow bloggers, I was wondering if anyone had any tips on taking photographs indoors? In autumn and winter months I don't get as much light in my living room as I'd like. I have a Canon Rebel T3i.

♥ Do you like to make your own jewelry?

Mason Jars + Do It Yourself

Mason jars are so versatile! I love using them as vases, and a cute way to hold different odds and ends. Both of these jars took between five and ten minutes each. I also have some helpful hints!

I bought these two jars from Michael's for $1.50 each. Honestly, you can do anything and everything with mason jars. They could be drinking glasses, a holder for makeup brushes, or a vase. 

All you need is a little tube of white paint. You pour some into the bottom of the jar and swirl it around, slowly adding more as needed. I left my jar upside down overnight, but I would suggest flipping it over after a half hour or so. Next time I will wipe off the excess paint around the brim to get a nice, clean finish.

For the glitter jar, I just used masking tape to create a barrier. All you have to do is use a foam brush to paint on a layer of Mod Podge and then sprinkle some glitter on.

A helpful hint: take the tape off before the Mod Podge dries. I wait over night and had to use a box cutter to cut the area between the tape and the glitter. 

I picked some bougainvillea today and these little flowers found a happy home in my new mason jar. The painted one is where I now keep my buttons. Let me know if you try this so I can see all of your lovely creations.

♥ Do you like to do little DIY projects over the weekend?

Phoenix Swap Meet + Locals Only

I have fallen in love with Downtown Phoenix. I never realized how many fun things there are to do in the city. Jason and I went to the Phoenix Swap Meet to scout out some cow skulls to put in our living room. It's sounds kind of funny to incorporate something so "Southwest" into our contemporary home, but I think they can look pretty cool. We went just to look, and I think we've found the right place to go when we are ready to purchase one. I did however find this cute pink belt for $4! I always love a good deal.

It was cool to talk to the guy who actually digs up these beautiful rocks. Overall it was a really fun way to spend the afternoon. We also visited a few local vintage stores and some of the cutest coffee shops I've ever been to. I can't wait to try some new places this upcoming weekend.

♥ What's your favorite local place to go?

Wildflowers + City & Colour

Last week I went to Anthropologie and picked up an old copy of Darling magazine for half the original price! It is Issue No.3/Spring 2013, in case you were wondering it's still on sale. In one of the articles it mentions picking wildflowers to put in your home. On our nightly walk with Joker, I brought my gardening shears and took one branch of every flowering bush (and a few fun leafy branches) to add to our wildflower bouquet. Jason said how nice it was to have a representation of our walk in our home. 

I love that if someone else were to do this all of their flowers would be different. I would love to see what native botanicals people see everyday. 

I have a feeling that I'm going to be doing this more often. I didn't realize how colorful my neighborhood was until now.

It is so peaceful to take a break from schoolwork and read my new favorite magazine with a cup of green tea. Also, I'm loving the little bunting banner we put in with our potted succulent. This particular succulent is called "Ghostly" which is perfect for October.

Last Friday we went to the City & Colour concert. When I was in high school I was a big fan of Alexisonfire, but now I've fallen deeply in love with this album. Jason and I opened it up and thought it was the coolest thing that it was a clear record. I have a feeling that this is going to stay right where it is: on repeat, and making us oh so happy.

♥ Do you like to pick wildflowers? Have you heard the new City & Colour album?

Glitter Pumpkin + Do It Yourself

About two weeks ago I bought these cute little pumpkins. Remember from this post? Well, I decided to give the white one some sparkle.

Jason and I spent some time picking out craft supplies this weekend. Our schedules can get so busy, so it's nice to have a quick project to work on in the evening. I thought it might be fun to dress up our little white pumpkin. All you need to do is use a foam brush (right now they are 14 for $1 at Michael's) and paint the Mod Podge where you want the glitter to go. I used Martha Stewart's "Smoky Quartz". Honestly, I haven't used glitter since I was little at summer camp. It was a lot of fun and this only took a half hour. If you try this, send me a link so I can see all your cute pumpkin creations!

♥ Do you have a quick, fun DIY ideas to share?