Fall Mantles

I don't have a fireplace. (moment of silence)  It's tragic really.  It's this time of year that I really wish I had one so I could decorate my mantle.  Since I'm pining away for a fireplace, I'd thought I'd show some drool worthy fall and Halloween mantles.

The Polka Dot Chair

boopsie daisy

A Soft Place to Land

Southern Living

m+m=l

(thou shall not covet, thou shall not covet, thou shall not covet.....)
Sigh...... someday right?!?

Inspiration File

Just a few things to share with you this week. 

First off Crafty Sisters made the cutest Halloween topiaries with candy.  These are seriously adorable and would be so fun for a party or just to decorate a table scape or mantle with.  LOVE this idea!

Next, Naptime Crafters showed us how to make a korker bow.  I've always thought korker bows were particularly cute and wondered how they were made.  I'm really excite about this tutorial and you can bet there will be some new bows in my daughter's future! (Isn't her baby too cute for words?!?)


And finally I cried a little when Jen at Tatertots and Jello revealed her laundry room redo.  Our laundry room is the most neglected room in our house... which wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to walk through it to get to our garage, like ALL THE TIME.  I am SO jealous of this space.  But seeing the fabulousness has inspired me to add decorating the laundry room to "the list."
(Can you believe blogger is trying to tell me that fabulousness isn't a word?)

Well, that's it for now but I can't wait to show you what I have been working on this week.  It turned out way cute if I do say so myself!  Plus I have a fun Scrumptious Sunday scheduled so be sure to check back.  See you next week!

If you were featured on this blog feel free to grab a featured button over there. -->

Inspiration File

Once again we will kick off this weeks inspiration file with a couple Halloween related posts.  I'm sure everyone is familiar with Layla Grace and their to-die-for furniture and accessories.  Well they have some new customizable Halloween art available, and the table scape they set up for the photo shoot is insane.  This look screams for a knock off.  I really want to recreate this wall in my home, (and think I could pull it off)  but unfortunately I don't have the time, space or money.  Maybe next year.

Of course if I did try to recreate that table scape, I'd only try to knock off the main painting and would switch out the two smaller ones with these...

This awesome idea is brought to you by Tatertots and Jello.   The Halloween Specimen Art is SO fun and seems like a really simple project. Plus this idea can be taken in a million different ways.  I could totally see little hearts for Valentines. Too cute!

Now on a completely different note, I came across this adorable card on Just Jingle.  Card making is a craft I've yet to take up, but would really like to.  I can't tell you how many time I had to run to Walgreens on the way to a wedding or shower for a card.  It would be super fun to make a stock pile for different occasions when I'm board someday.  (I know, I know... when does any of us have time to be board!)  I thought this card was particularly funny, the inside reads "Thought you could use a pick me up."

This week Design Sponge posted their list of 20 top fabric resources.  I live in a small town with very limited shopping choices.  I was excited to have a reference for when I venture to larger cities or am shopping online.  Especially since my brain works backwards.  Instead of letting a fabric inspire a project, I usually start a project with a specific look in mind.  Finding what matches the image in my head can be quite challenging!

And all this talk of fabric makes me want to make a quilt.  I love quilts. I really want to be a quilter but lack the patience.  I'm convinced that I'm going to master my impatience one day and when that happens I will make beautifully intricate quilts.  And thanks to Creations by Kara I can now tie it without the annoying ties on one side.  Its not often that you learn a new technique that you never knew was possible.  Love how much cleaner this looks!

And this last one is for my Mom.  She has a thing for cruises, but really she just goes on vacation for the molten lava cake and the casino. So when TomKat Studio posted a couple different lava cake recipes, I knew I had to share them for her.  I will be expecting to see these this Thanksgiving Mom, so get cracking!

Have a great weekend!

If you were featured and would like one, there is a featured button on my sidebar.

Inspiration File

As I mentioned before, I decided I would start doing a weekly "Inspiration File" post.  This way I can show you all the things I find that are totally awesome, and I can have a place where all these projects are documented for a rainy day.  There has been too many times I have thought, "I'm totally doing that" only to forget about it once the next new idea comes into my brain.  (Apparently I have a strict "one thing in, one thing out" rule when it comes to thoughts... if only I could apply that same rule to the clutter in our garage! )

This week my thoughts have been all about Halloween.  I LOVE Halloween!  I'm not sure what it is about it but I think Halloween is so much fun to decorate for and the kids just love it.  I guess I'm not the only one turning their thoughts to Halloween because Halloween projects are all over the blog world right now.

First off, eighteen25.  They are hosting a "Spooktacular September" event where everyday they feature a new crafter with a Halloween related tutorial.  So far it has been A.W.E.S.O.M.E!  My jaw has dropped on a daily basis, and a lot of the crafts are super easy and stuff you could get your kids involved with.  Be sure to check them out.  Here is just a sample of the goodies you'll find over there.


(be sure to click "older posts" so you don't miss anything!)

Next up, I found the cutest, easy, inexpensive idea for a holiday wreath over at A Little Bit of Everything (found via Remodelaholic).  You'll have to check them out for the full tutorial, but all you need to make this cutie is a couple of pieces of holiday fabric, a metal hanger, and some time.  I love this idea because it could be used in so many ways, for any holiday of the year. (Can you imagine a 4th of July wreath with red, while and blue fabrics... to die for cute!)

Then when I came across this candelabra by Saw Dust and Paper Scraps who was guest posting at Tatertots and Jello and I literally couldn't believe it.  She MADE it.  I'm not kidding.  She MADE it!  I know, unbelievable.  You'll have to check it out to see what she did, but her total cost was around $26.  Really, too cute for words!

Now onto a great, none Halloween, idea.  The clever lady at The Bird's Papaya made this adorable book sling for her daughters room.  Isn't that the best idea ever?!?  It would be so easy to make and would keep all your kids books in easy reach, easy to put away, and visible to encourage reading.  My kids are SO getting some of these!

Now, I have a confession to make... I have never made Hawaiian Haystacks.  I have had them a church events, and once at my In-law's, and I loved them...but I've never made them.  Well that is soon to change thanks to Creations by Kara.  Don't they look so yummy!?  Her recipe is actually made from scratch, rather then canned soup base, to make it a healthier (and tastier) option. YUM!

And last, but not least, here is a tutorial for homemade sushi, brought to you by my awesome cousin at Create-A-Torium Crafts.  They turned out so good too! I would never have been brave enough to try sushi at home but she makes it sound rather easy.  How fun (and impressive) would it be to have a few friends over for a dinner party and serve them this?!? Or just get all the ingredients ready and let everyone experiment with and make their own roll.  Too much fun! Great idea Jessica!

Aren't all these projects great?  I'm always amazed at the creativity and sheer genius that is floating around the blog world. 

I'm going to work on creating a "Featured" button, so if I have featured one of your projects you can come back in a few days to collect a button for your blog.

Have a great weekend!

EDIT: You can now find a featured button on my sidebar.