Did you know that a group of crows is called a murder? Truth. And boy do I have a murder of crows in my dining room. I couldn’t be happier. I’m loving my Murder of Crows Halloween Table!

It all started when I was setting my table  for Halloween.

I put down a black polk a dot table runner, added a mercury glass  pumpkin.

Next, the spooky place setting.

The orange placemat reflects the orange dots in the table runner.

Purple glitter chargers were added for a little bling.

You all know I love me some white plates!

To top off my plate stack I added 4 different lacy black and white Halloween plates.

The finishing touch was the napkin and spider napkin ring!

At this point, I knew something was missing.

It needed just a little more fun added!

Adding vintage looking crows for place cards seemed to be just what my table needed.

Using white cupcake stands for my  base, I added cut up cupcake liners to the flat top.

Then it was time to dress up my crow.

For his neck ruffle, again I used cupcake liners as well as coffee filters.

I simply cut them down to the width I wanted, and using a needle and thread, sewed a  running stitch close to one edge.

After gathering the stitched ruffle, simply put it around the crows neck and sew the ends together.

Now, my crow needed a few embellishments.

I added hats, rhinestones, stickers, wooden tags, and crowns.

Anything that looked like it belonged on my crows.

Then, at the base of the cupcake stand I added preprinted cut out names.

The perfect place card  holders for my Halloween table!

Not only were the crows fun to make, but I think that my Halloween table turned out pretty cute too.

I also added a few blingy spiders and glittery decorations to the chandelier.

As well as a few scary things to  my buffet as well.

My murder of crows Halloween table couldn’t be more fun.

Let the Halloween celebration begin!

Until next time….

                                                        Remember, if you love it, be sure to PIN it!

Welcome to October’s DIY Challenge.  If you are coming here, from  Corine’s Junk to Gems, I’m so happy that you are here! This month Terrie of Decorate and More With Tip asked us to give all of you lots of pumpkin inspiration. So that’s just what we did! Today I’m sharing  how to make a Faux Sweater Pumpkin.

I’m sure all of you have seen those gorgeous  sweater covered pumpkins.

So pretty.

All you have to do is cut up an old sweater and cover the pumpkin.

But what if you don’t have an old sweater?

Well, you create a pumpkin out of yarn!

Here is how you turn a plain little Dollar tree pumpkin into a beautiful faux sweater pumpkin.

Step 1:

Remove the pumpkin stem.

Which is super easy as it is only attached with a toothpick.

Step 2:

Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin.

Step 3:

Paint the Pumpkin.

I recommend painting the pumpkin a color close to the yarn you will be using.

Your yarn will leave “holes” where the pumpkins color can peek through.

Step 4:

Braid the yarn.

I started off by cutting 9 – 26′ pieces of yarn for each braid.

Gather the 9 strands at the top and tie them off.

Then divide the 9 strands into 3 groups.

Keeping the yarn flat braid the 3 groups together.

Tie off the bottom of the braid just like you did the top.

You will need approximately 10 – 12 braids per pumpkin, depending upon the yarn you use.

Step 5:

Apply the braids to the the pumpkin.

Put one end of the braid into the hole of the pumpkin, then wrap around the pumpkin and place the tail of the braid into the hole.

Keep doing this until the pumpkin is completely covered in braids.

Step 6:

Give the pumpkin a stem.

Add a wine cork or tree branch to the top of the pumpkin.

Just stick it into the hole, the braids will hold the stem in place.

Step 7:

Add leaves to the pumpkin.

I chose to add these felt leaves, but really any leaf would do.

To attach them I cut out the felt, gathered the end and hot glued it to a piece of wire.

Once dry, I stuck the wire into the pumpkin hole.

As with the stem, the braids will hold the leaves in place.

I made a couple of the faux sweater pumpkins.

One with a variegated yarn and another with a chenille yarn.

Both are cute, but the variegated is my favorite!

It really does look like a cable knit sweater.

I’m a big fan of the faux sweater pumpkin.

No more looking for sweaters to cut up and it’s fun and easy to make!

Now, I hope that you will join me and visit Carol at Bluesky at Home.

I can’t wait to see what pumpkin inspo she’s cooked up!

                                                    Remember, If you love it, be sure to Pin it!

Can you believe that October is only days away? Some days this year seems to be flying by and on others it seems to crawl. Luckily I’ve been able to keep busy with lots of crafts, reading and decorating the past few months. One of the crafts I worked on was this Spooky Halloween sign. It is so easy, fun and versatile that I just had to share it with you!

I found this super cute sign at Hobby Lobby.

Did I know what I was going to do with it?

No, but it was so cute I couldn’t resist!

The ribbon is from Hob Lob also, but the cute metal Spooky cutout and the sweet little wooden cutouts came from the Dollar Tree.

Step 1:

Take the sign apart.

That’s right, I removed the sweet little wooden beads so that I could paint them.

The wooden signs tray would need a little paint too.

Step 2:

Painting the beads.

To paint the beads I put them on a wooden skewer like I did  when I made these mini signs.

If you missed it, you can see how I made them here.

Putting the beads on a skewer is a game changer.

Step 3:

Before I painted the sign, I cut the ribbon to fit the tray.

Then painted the sign black and added purple glitter to the frame.

Step 5:

Once both the sign and the beads were dry, I reattached the beads to the sign using new twine.

Step 6:

Next, I glued the ribbon that I pre-cut earlier onto the the sign.

Step 7:

Now, paint the witch hat and ghost cutouts.

If you aren’t comfortable painting the cutouts, I think that they  would be super cute covered in Halloween themed scrapbook paper.

Step 8:

Glue the painted wooden and metal cutouts onto the sign.

Add a cute, simple bow made from Halloween ribbon and your Spooky Halloween sign is finished!

I added my sign to my coffee bar for some much needed Halloween decor.

So cute!

I love how easy, inexpensive and fun this project was.

It was a quick afternoon project that cost me under $8.00!

My kind of craft!

Until next time…

Welcome to 10 on the 10th!  This month’s theme is all things Fall.  Which I love because it’s all things fall here at the Castle. This month I’m sharing a blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin.

I don’t know about you , but I’m always on the hunt for smaller items to add to my seasonal two tiered tray. All those smaller knick knacks can get a little pricey.

So on a recent trip to the Dollar Tree I spied a few items, that with a little make over, would be perfect for my tray.

Of course, my blue and white pumpkin didn’t start out that way.

This is what it looked like when I bought it.

Well, without the white paint splotches.

(Note to self: Take the before picture before you start painting!)

Cute, but not my style.

So, I flipped it over and on the back side gave it  a couple of coats of white paint.

Originally, I was going to replace the stem with something a little more rustic.

However, I decided  to take a craft knife and mess this one up.

Effectively making this one very rustic.

Once the stem was done, I took some scrap material from my new kitchen valance and used Mod Podge to attach it to the pumpkin.

While that was drying, I painted a dollar tree leaf in a fall design.

After that,  I attached the leaf to the pumpkin using velcro.

A little raffia added to the stem and my blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin is finished.

Cost for my pumpkin?

Pumpkin: $1.00

Leaf:  There were 5 leaves in a package for a $1.00, .20 per leaf.

Fabric : free

Raffia: free

Mod Podge: free

All free products were already in my studio!

Not only was my blue and white Dollar Tree pumpkin easy to make, but it looks so cute on my fall two tiered tray!

Now I hope that you will join me in visiting the rest of the 10 on the 10th participants to see what Fall things they’ve come up with.

Pandora’s Box

Decorate and More With Tip

The Applestreet Cottage

Cloches and Lavender

French Ethereal

Can you believe that September is just around the corner? With September comes all things fall. Pumpkins, sweatshirts,  leaves, Candy Corn and pumpkin spice everything! On a recent trip to Hob Lob I came across a few things in the Spring section that I thought would make great inexpensive fall decor. That’s right, I said things from the Spring section would make great inexpensive fall decor!

I found these cute little signs.

They had me at wooden beads.

However, as much as I love the beads, the artwork just wasn’t my style!

We all know that I love a good sale.

The Spring shop is now 90% off.

That’s not a good sale, it’s a great one!

It made these cute little signs .69 cents!

So, yes, I loaded them up and they went home with me.

Steps 1 – 4:

I knew that if I fixed them up a little bit, they would be perfect little signs to go on my two tiered tray in my kitchen.

Step 1:

Paint the entire surface with Mod Podge.

Step 2:

Lay pre-cut scrapbook paper on top of the  Mod Podge.

Be sure to gently rub out any air bubbles that you might have.

I use an old credit card to smooth mine out.

Step 3:

Put a coat of Mod Podge on top of your scrapbook paper.

Step 4:

After the paper had dried thoroughly, choose a wooden cut out to put on top of your sign.

What to do with your wooden beads

Step 1:

Flip your sign over and cut the knot holding the wooden beads to the sign.

I wanted to paint my wooden beads to match each sign that I was making.

To paint the beads, I load them onto a wooden stick and then paint them.

This makes it super easy to paint with little to no mess!

Step 2:

Once the beads are painted and dried, re-string them onto a piece of twine.

Step 3:

Take both ends of the twine and re-thread them into the hole at the top of the sign.

Step 4:

Tie the ends of the twine securely into a knot.

Your beads are finished!

Now for the fun part, decorating your wooden cut outs.

This is the time for you to get creative!

Add burlap, lettering, rhinestones, metal, paint, bows, raffia, paper or metallic paint.

Really, the only limitations are your imagination.

I made 4 signs in all.

This cute little fall sign cost less than $2.00 to create.

The leaf came from the Dollar Tree, 5 for a $1.00.

Everything else was leftover from another project.

Once again, my sweet little ghost was a 5 for a $1.00 Dollar Tree find.

Everything else I had on hand.

I bought this turkey cutout last year.

I’ve just been patiently waiting for the right time to use it.

Again, I think he cost less than $1.00.

The Christmas sign definitely cost me more than the other three signs.

I’ve had this Christmas tree in my stash and the sticker said that the tree was $2.00.

Right about now, I’m feeling like a big spender!

You know that you are making super cute, inexpensive fall decor when you can make all 4 signs for under $10.00!

That’s a bargain!

But how do they look on my two tiered stand?

I think they look pretty darn cute!

My head is spinning with all the possible decor that I can add to them.

Did I tell you that I love a good sale?

Until next time….

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Can you believe that it’s August already? In fact, it’s $10 on the 10th! Our theme this End of Summer. Gardening, home decor and back to school. Blogger’s choice. This month I chose  back to school organization.

Whether you are home schooling or actually going back to school this year, the one thing that we all need to start the year off right is a little organization.

Today I’m sharing a few things to help you get started.

Before I start, I just want to say that organizational items for school have come a long way from Trapper keepers.

So many things that are super cute and are functional as well!

Back to School Organization

Let’s start with a few things that you’ve may, or may not, have seen before.

However, by adding some personalization they become one of a kind.

A. Crayon Box Super Stacker -This may just be my new favorite! Add a vinyl decal and you have the cutest way to keep track of your crayons ever. And it’s only .99!

B. Glitter Pencil Box – I know these have been around forever, but there’s a reason for that. Super functional. Again add some vinyl to it and you have yourself a pretty cute box. Also .99!

C. Glam Pencil Bag –This one’s for the not so little kid in your life! What girly teen wouldn’t love her own personalized bag? The monogram is a vinyl heat transfer. Super easy to iron on! The bag was 50% off at $5.00, the matching pencils, also 50% off, came in right at $4.50.

 D. Art Box – This one may be more for homeschooling, but it’s also my favorite! What better way to coral your art supplies? I think it would also be great for a nail polish tote! This one is above my $10.00 limit at $11.99. However, if you use a 40% off coupon it  comes in at $7.20.  Can you say personalize it? Paint pens, stickers, and vinyl are all perfect choices.

E. Stackable Lap Trays – again this might be better suited to the homeschooler, but I’ve always thought these were fun. $7.49.

F. 6 Cup Crayon Caddy – These 6 cup caddies would be perfect for holding tons of things besides crayons. They are a steal at $3.99 and they had me at all the bright colors!

P.S. I found all of these at Michaels!

I saved the best for last.

A personalized memory box.

I was gifted one a few years ago and keep all sorts of fun mementos in mine.

What better way than to remember your school year than by making one of these to hold all your treasures?

Supplies:

1 photo box – $2.99

Scrapbook paper – I had on hand

Mod Podge- on hand also

Peel and Stick letters

Step 1:

Cut your scrapbook paper to fit three sides of your box and lid, leaving 1/4 inch border all the way around.

The front of the box has a metal slot for you to label. I left that one bare.

Also, for the top of the box, I cut two pieces of  co-ordinating paper for embellishment.

1 – 9″ x 2 1/4″

1 – 10″ x 3 1/2″

Step 2:

Next, apply the paper to all sides and top of the box using Mod Podge.

Once those papers have dried, add your two co-ordinating papers to the center of your lid, starting with the larger paper, then add  the smallest.

Step 3:

Once the paper has completely dried, it is time to add your embellishments.

I added my name and of course a few crowns here and there.

Tip: Don’t be like me and spill the glitter on top of the box!

Not a good look.

But it is original.

Here are just a few of the projects I made to make back to school organization just a little easier and a whole lot more fun!

And all were well under $10.00.

Now, it’s time to visit all the other bloggers in this hop.

I can’t wait to see what subjects, and projects, they chose!

Patti – Pandora’s Box

Anne – The Apple Street Cottage

Barbara – French Ethereal

Beth – Creatively Beth

Don’t you love finding something on sale? Then adding one or two little tweaks to your find to make it look super cute? That’s what happen to me recently. I found these super cute beach bags for $4.00! Each bag came with the cutest tassel on it. Cute, but by adding one tiny thing I turned them into totes adorbs swag bags.

I know “totes adores” is so last year, but I just couldn’t help myself!

So what did I do that made the swag bags totally adorable?

I did what any southern girl would do, I monogramed them.

Here’s how you can monogram you beach bag too.

Step 1:

Cut out your monogram on a digital cutting machine.

Don’t have one?

No worries!

I wanted to use a single initial on my bags, so I didn’t need anything fancy.

You could use a stencil,  hand draw your letter or use a pre-cut scrapbook letter.

I sprayed the back of my card stock letter with spray adhesive to ensure that it would stick to my bag.

Step 2:

Next, simply place your letter on your bag.

Make sure to press down firmly to make sure that it adheres well.

Step 3:

Using a pencil, lightly trace around your letter.

This is what your design should look like after removing the card stock.

Honestly, you could skip the spray adhesive if you want, it just helps keep the letter in place.

Step 4:

Paint your letter.

I used an acrylic multi-surface paint and a small paintbrush.

I matched the color of paint that I used to the colors in the tassels for a more custom look.

You may find that you need a couple of coats of paint to achieve full coverage.

Once mine had fully dried, I added a few tiny white accents to give it a little dimension.

That’s it!

Your bag is done.

Such a small thing that creates a lot of bang for your buck!

I did four of these bags for my sisters and nieces, painting each one a different color.

Once the bags were done, I filled them with all sorts of fun goodies.

I do believe that these are totes adorbs swag bags!

Last time I say that…

Promise!

Until next time…

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Welcome to August’s DIY Challenge! This month our challenge was to make something out of dowel rods. That’s right, you read that right. Dowel rods! After much thought I knew that I wanted to add to my gallery wall letters. There are a few spaces that still need a little letter here and there. Thanks to Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip for being our fearless leader! I just love her monthly challenges. Also, if you are coming here from Michelle, Blessings by Me, I am so glad that you are here. Now, let’s get down to business!   Our media room is really a bonus room above our garage. When we moved in last year, a lot of the old house’s decor landed here. So there is a lot of color. I decided to just go with it. This throw is one of my all time favorites and it matches all of the color in the room I used it as my inspiration for my letter. I found this letter at Hobby Lobby, as well as the small dowel rods. The plan was to cover the entire letter with different colors of dowels.

Step 1:

I measured and marked each dowel that I was placing on the letter.

Step 2:

Once I had each dowel marked, I cut them using my mini miter saw. I just love this thing for cutting small pieces of wood! It may just be my favorite tool!

Step 3:

After cutting the dowels, I gave them a light sanding on the ends to knock off any rough edges.

Step 4:

After each of my dowels were cut it was time to paint them. For this next step, I highly recommend wearing gloves! I was going for a distressed, worn look to match the other letters on my gallery wall. With that in mind, I watered down the paint slightly. After giving each dowel a coat of paint, I then wiped them off with a paper towel.

Step 5:

Paint the letter black. My dowels are going to cover most of the letter, however there were a few spots here and there that would show. The black just gave it a more cohesive look and did not compete with the other colors.

Step 6:

Glue the dowels to the letter. I worked in 1 to 2 inch sections. Put on a little glue, place the dowel rod. I continued doing this until all of my dowels were in place. Make sure that you have  plenty of glue to ensure that the dowels adhere well. So how did my dowel rod letter turn out? I love it! It fits right in with the rest of my gallery wall letters. And matches my inspiration pillow and throw perfectly! Plus who doesn’t love an easy, budget friendly project that adds so much to a space? Now it’s time to visit Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip ( you are not going to believe what she made!)  and all of my other DIY Challenge friends.

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Merry Christmas in July!

Honestly, I can’t even believe I’m even thinking about Christmas as it’s hotter than the devil’s back porch here in North Texas! Seriously, while I’m not excited about the heat and humidity, I am excited to be a part of the Christmas in July blog hop!

Thank you Terrie from Decorate and More with Tip for bringing us all together for a little Christmas fun!

If you are visiting from Carol’s Blue Sky at Home, welcome! Yay, you’re here!!!

Did you know that it is only 151 days til Christmas?

Probably didn’t need to hear that.

However, with a lot of us still staying home due to THE COVID, this is the perfect time to break out all of the Christmas projects.

You know, the ones we promise ourselves that we will get done, but never do?

My poject starts with these Mosaic Wooden Plaques from Michaels.

Today I’m sharing how to make a Christmas tree plaque.

Supplies:

Mod Podge

sponge brush

Ribbon

Scrapbook paper

Hot Glue and Glue Gun

Step 1:

First, paint your plaque the color of your choice.

I painted mine black.

Step 2:

Now it’s time to cut out your Christmas trees.

I used my Silhouette cutting machine to do mine.

Don’t have a cutting machine?

No worries, there are a ton of templates online.

Step 3:

Next, make a background for your design using scrapbook paper.

Step 4:

Paint the back of your wooden plaque with Mod Podge.

( I swear I’ve Mod Podged more things since the pandemic started than I have my entire life!)

Step 5:

Lay your background paper on top of the glue,

Tip: I like to use a clean brush to smooth out all of the wrinkles and air bubbles.

Once your paper is smooth, paint a coat of Mod Podge on top.

Step 6:

Place your Christmas trees on your paper where you want them, making sure to smooth out any air bubbles.

Once you have the trees where you want them, give them a coat of Mod Podge.

Step 7:

While my design was drying, I made a bow to go on top of my plaque.

However, you won’t need a lot of ribbon for this.

In fact, I used a lot of scrap ribbon that I had in my craft closet.

Once your plaque is dry, hot glue the ribbon to the top of the plaque.

Your Christmas plaque is complete and more importantly it’s ready to decorate with.

As far as projects go this one is pretty simple and a lot of fun!

So much fun that I made several for gifts!

Now, it’s time to hop over to visit Chloe at Celebrate and Decorate. I can’t wait to see what she has featured.

After that, be sure and check out all of the other wonderful ideas.

 
Decorate and More with Tip | Sew Sassy by Paula | DIY Vibes | Pretty DIY Home

Bluesky at Home | Patina and Paint | Celebrate and Decorate | B4 and Afters
 
A Vintage Flare Farmhouse | LeCultivateur | Country Road 407 | The House House\

Jessica B Simmons | Living Little John

It’s 10 on the 10th! Every month on the 10th, a group of lifestyle bloggers get together and share ideas for under $10.00. This month’s theme is Summer Party! While there haven’t been a ton of parties going on here at the Castle, there have been a few small gatherings. And one thing that always makes me crazy is that the solo cups get knocked over and you can never find where someone left the Shapie marker. So I’m taking matters into my own hands and making a Solo cup holder!

Normally I would have The Hubs make a box for me, however I found this box at Hobby Lobby.

With my 40% off coupon it cost $4.79!

Before painting the box, I filled the staple holes with wood filler.

I added feet to the bottom of the box by gluing on 4 wooden beads.

Don’t you just love E6000 glue?

It works on almost everything!

Next, I attached a metal clip to the outside of the box to hold my Sharpie.

No more excuses as to where the elusive marker went!

Once the glue and the wood filler was dry, I gave it a light sanding.

Then it was time to paint.

At this point I could have called it good and been done.

However, I saw that there was room in the back of the box for straws.

I cut a dowel rod the width of the box interior.

Once the dowel rod was in place, I painted it white to match the box.

This solo cup holder is finished and ready to party!

I’m thrilled that the glasses have a home and hopefully we won’t be on a constant hunt for a marker!

Please join me in visiting the rest of this months bloggers!

Decorate And More With Tip

Pandora’s Box

French Ethereal

The Apple Street Cottage

I don’t know about where you are, but here in Texas it’s hot! I’m talking hotter than the devil’s basement hot. I’ve been inside a lot more trying out a few new artistic projects. Today, I’m sharing hand painted oyster shells.

Before I could start my project, I had to first find some clean, sanitized oyster shells.

Who knew that you could find them on Amazon?

I found some great tutorials on how to use a napkin to decoupage oyster shells.

However, I found that it was hard to find patterned tissue, or napkins, with a small enough pattern to fit the shells.

You can even purchase downloadable chinoiserie patterns here.

Simply, purchase, download and print them off.

Which was fantastic.

However, my printer did not print them in the vibrant blue tones that I wanted.

So, I decided to hand paint them instead of decoupaging them.

After removing any dust from the shells, I painted the insides of each shell white.

Painting the inside of the shell white covers up any dark spots or irregularities.

This may require a couple of coats.

Once the white paint was dried, I painted all sorts of fun designs!

Since I was putting these in my living room, I decided to paint a few chinoiserie designs.

I also decided to paint a few free form designs.

Really, design wise, you are only limited by your imagination.

Since my living room colors are blues and whites I used those colors to paint my shells.

When the designs were dry, I gave them a couple of coats of glossy Mod Podge to protect them.

The finishing touch was painting the edges of my shells with a metallic gold paint to give the them a finished, upscale look.

These shells vary in size from 3 to 4 inches each.

Which would also make them perfect to place them in a bathroom or on a dresser to hold jewelry.

I’ve also seen them used as three dimensional art.

Simply glue your shell to the inside of a deep frame.

Ta-daaaa! Instant art.

I chose to put my hand painted oyster shells in a pretty bowl in my living room on a shelf.

I love all of the color and texture that they add visually.

Even though I hand painted most of mine, I still plan on keeping my eye out for some pretty napkins and tissue paper to decoupage a few more shells.

Maybe even making a few of these for fun gifties!

Until next time…

This months theme on Ten on the 10th is Pumpkins. Which I love! I mean who doesn’t love pumpkins, fall leaves, and cooler weather? Today I’m sharing an easy, low cost way to make a Buffalo Check Pumpkin.

A great big shout out to this months hostess Anne from The Apple Street Cottage. She rocks!

I found this pumpkin and these metal words at the Dollar Tree awhile back.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, but I picked them up anyway!

The pumpkin was cute, but not quite the look I was going for.

I removed the raffia and the silver leaf.

Once that was done, I flipped it over.

Then I gave it two coats of white acrylic paint.

When the white paint had dried really well, I created vertical stripes using blue tape.

Then, I applied 1 coat of black acrylic paint.

Before the paint completely dried, I gently remove the blue tape.

Once the vertical stripes had dried, it was time to create the horizontal stripes.

Tape off the stripes , then paint.

Ta Da!

Full disclosure, I had planned on covering the pumpkin with buffalo check scrapbook paper.

However, I ran short on time and decided to paint instead of going shopping.

Scrapbook paper would be a great alternative to painting!

Now I wanted a little more definition, so I dry brushed every other square using white acrylic paint.

Next, paint the stem.

I had to do a couple of coats to get great coverage.

To give it a little pop I added a little gold to the stem once it was dry.

Sorry, I thought I had a picture but no!

Once the pumpkin was painted, I added a cute bow and glued the tin “welcome” onto the bottom!

So what did my Buffalo Check pumpkin cost?

Pumpkin $1.00

Welcome sign $.33 ( it was a set of 3 for $1.00)

Paint and ribbon – free! I already had them in my stash.

Total cost: $1.33

Now please join me in visiting my fellow Ten on the 10th bloggers. They are so talented and I can’t wait to see all of their fabulous ideas!

Ann – The Apple Street Cottage
Patti – Pandora’s Box
Terrie – Decorate & More With Tip
Carol – Bluesky at Home
Kathy – Up To Date Interiors

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A few weeks ago, my friend Shelli sent out a shout out on Facebook. Who would like to go to a goat milk soap class with her?

I told her that I would love to take the class with her, but wondered why would you want to use Goat Milk Soap over other soaps?

There are suppose to be many benefits of Goat Milk Soap for skin.

Goat Milk has many essential nutrients and has deep moisturizing properties. ( Which as I get older this girl needs!)

It provides a deep yet gentle cleanse, while providing anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties.

Uh, hello? Who doesn’t need that?

Along with containing anti-bacterial properties, it also protects your skin from the sun.

The people teaching the class were Stone City Farm from Tenino, Washington.

Super helpful and friendly!

They also provided soap and soap holders for sale at the end of the class.

I couldn’t resist buying a few!

When we arrived, the instructors had everything ready for us.

We started by putting on protective eye wear, aprons and glasses.

Next, we were asked to choose an essential oil and an exfoliant to add to our soap.

I chose lavender essential oil and oatmeal.

The first thing we did after donning our aprons, gloves and protective eye wear, was mix the frozen goat milk with lye.

I won’t bore you with all the details but I will say that we spent most of our time mixing and mixing and mixing.

Once the lye and goat milk was mixed.

We took our oil and added essential oil and exfoliant.

Then we mixed the goat milk mixture with the oil mixture.

And mixed, and mixed…..

Once we had it mixed properly, we poured our soap into a mold that they provided.

Ta Da! The finished product.

Now, we wait for 2 days before taking the soap from the mold to cut it into bars.

I have to say that it was a fun class!

It helped that the class was held at a local brewery and there were libations to sample, even though I am not much of a beer drinker.

This is what the soap looked like after 2 days.

I carefully removed it from the mold.

At this point, it is still not totally set.

Then sliced it into bars, using a non-serrated knife.

Now, my soap has to sit for 6 weeks!

I’m not sure I can wait that long!

Until, next time…

It’s Ten on the 10th! I look forward to this day every month because we usually have ten or more super talented women get together and share super cute ideas for under $10.00! This month we are shy of ten because #life. Since September is the beginning of the fall season, I decided to share fall in a jar with you.

Before I go any further, I want to thank Patti from Pandora’s Box for hosting this month!

Our theme this month is upcyled or recycled.

So many things came to mind, however my procrastination reared it’s ugly head and eliminated a lot of things due to time.

I have a closet full of things that I have rescued, pulled out of the trash, or bought at a garage sale.

When I began sorting through my junk I found a ton of Ball mason jars.

Clearly they needed to be used!

I decided to make cute little peek-a-boo jars to give out as happy fall gifts to a few neighbors and friends!

These are super easy to make.

Cut out a vinyl maple leaf, then placed it onto the jar.

Then tape off the areas that you do not want to paint.

Step 2:

Next, spray paint your jar.

Make sure to do two or three light coats in order to avoid having runs.

Step 3:

Once the paint has thoroughly dried, remove the tape and vinyl from the jar.

This is what your peek-a- boo jar should look like at this point.

Step 4:

The plain silver lid looked a little too plain for me.

I cut out a circle from some burlap ribbon I had on hand and mounted it onto the lid using spray adhesive.

Step 5:

Add cute ribbon and your peek-a-boo jar is finished!

Now the the jars are finished you must be wondering what I plan to put in the jars.

Well, I have to admit I had several things in mind.

Maybe a small flicker votive in one to create a nice warm fall look?

However, I went in a different direction.

I mixed half cashews and half candy corn for a wonderful treat that tastes like a Payday candy bar!

Most people use peanuts, but we like the taste of cashews better here at the castle.

I think these jars filled with a sweet fall treat would be a perfect gift to welcome in fall!

How much did these jars cost?

The jars, ribbon, spray paint, vinyl and tape were all things that I had in my stash.

The candy and nuts cost $1.66 per jar.

Fall in a jar y’all!

Now please join me in visiting my fellow Ten on the 10th ladies!

Blue Sky at Home

The Apple Street Cottage

Pandora’s Box

Decorate and More with Tip

Hello! Can you believe that we are days away from September? I know not all of you are football fans, but I can’t wait for football season to start. When it’s football season it’s time to decorate for fall. At least it is here at the Castle! Going through my fall stuff I realized that my pumpkins had lost a little of their orange luster and needed an update. I decided to paint some buffalo check pumpkins!

I’ll be honest, I found this idea on one of my binge sessions on Pinterest.

Jennifer from Dimples and Tangles blog shared the cutest hot pink buffalo check pumpkins ever! She calls hers gingham check. So cute!

Step 1: Paint the pumpkins white!

To get great coverage, I did 3 light even coats of Martha Stewarts Multi-surface paint.

I loved Jennifers hot pink pumpkins, but decided that I wanted to go with blue ones.

I love how navy looks with orange!

Since you need two different colors of blue, I simply mixed white and navy together to get a lighter blue.

Step 2: Paint vertical stripes.

I would love to tell you that I mathematically figured out spacing, but we all know that my math skills are severely lacking.

Using a blue pencil, I light marked off where I thought my stripes should be, then started painting.

Once my vertical stripes had dried, I then marked where my horizontal stripes should go.

This time I did want my stripes to be the same size.

It’s hard to see, but I marked the width on a piece of plastic and used that as a guide for my spacing.

Yes, a ruler would have been my first choice, however mine seems to have gone missing!

A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

This is what my pumpkin looked like when I was done painting both the horizontal and the vertical stripes.

Time for step 4!

Using the navy paint, I painted the square where the horizontal and vertical lines meet.

Ta Da!!!!

My Buffalo check pumpkin was done.

Time to decorate the front porch.

I love how the navy pumpkin matches the blue of my front door.

It was so much fun painting the buffalo check that I decided to paint another one.

This time with orange polk-a-dots.

Hello pumpkin!

Now to decorate the rest of the porchlette!

On a side note, I am wondering why I always work on the porchlette after the sprinklers have run and the mortar is still wet making it look like icky mold?

I’m filing that under things to improve on!

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend.

Until next time….

Hey y’all! I have to say that it’s hot. I mean really, really hot. Like 111 degrees hot. Hotter than Hell’s basement hot. It’s so hot here at The Castle we’ve got a whole lot of nothin’ goin’ on! It’s even too hot to get in the pool.

Seriously, I’m so over this heat, I’m ready for fall to hurry it’s self up and get here!

Between the heat and our house being back on the market, yes, I said back on, we are hard pressed to do much of anything.

We did take a few days and head to Oklahoma for my niece, Beep’s, second birthday!

I can not believe that she’s already 2!

She loves flamingos, so that was the theme for her party.

As my Granny used to say, She’s so cute I just want to pinch her!

With the house on the market, I can’t do a whole lot of projects.

Especially those that take any amount of time, you never know when you’ll get a call to show the house.

So, I’ve been doing a little shopping.

I found these sweet Halloween pillows.

Y’all know I have an addiction!

However, the skeleton will be going to my youngest’s house, so I’m not feeling too guilty.

The skeleton came from Home Goods and the Witch Is In came from Sam’s!

My house shoes bit the dust, so I was on the hunt for something cute, light weight, with a hard sole for summer.

Tall order.

Until I found these!

I know, just what you wanted to see, pictures of my feet!

These sweet things came from Amazon!

Totally impractical, but a girls gotta have some glam once in awhile.

Did you know that Bath and Body has been having sales on their Fall products?

Last week if you ordered $25.00 worth of product, you were gifted this pumpkin wall plug in with fragrance refill!

I’m on the fence about the gold leaves, but over all it’s cute .

And the smell is divine!

So what did I order?

Bath and Body Works hand soap!

Next, this may be my favorite thing I’ve purchased this month.

This adorable Fall sign!

Not only is it cute, but….

It is reversible!

One minute it’s Fall, then it’s Boo to you!

So stinkin’ cute.

Too bad it’s not nearly time to put it out.

However, until it is time I’ll be sitting here at The Castle where we’ve got a whole lot of nothin’ goin’ on!

Until next time…

Hey all! I’m back with more of my Dollar Tree haul. Today I’m sharing a Dollar Tree pumpkin makeover! As you can see they have a ton of baby pumpkins, but some are not in the colors that most of us decorate with.

Over the years, I’ve decorated, carved and painted a lot of pumpkins, but I’ve never given a makeover to a Dollar Tree pumpkin.

Shocking, I know!

However, don’t pass those deals by just because they aren’t perfect.

It’s so easy to custom make them to fit your home!

Using chalk paint, I gave my baby boos 2 coats of chalk paint.

I left those bright green stems on to have a handle while I painted.

Trust me, those will be removed later.

Once I had two good coats of paint, I removed the green stems and added a stick from my yard.

Using a craft knife, I cut a hole out of the top of my pumpkin slightly smaller than the circumference of my stick.

Once, my stick was in the pumpkin, I added a little bit of hot glue to hold it in place.

While I was waiting on the pumpkins to dry, I made a few bows to go on the top of my pumpkins.

Each is different, as I made them to go in my sisters homes as well as mine.

One sister has more of a glam style, while the other is more stream lined.

Of course, mine is somewhere in between.

This pumpkin will go in my sisters home that loves a more stream lined look.

She lives in a craftsman bungalow and all of her colors are warm earth tones.

Sister #2 likes lots of girly glam with turquoise!

I knew she would love this ribbon and for a little added glam, I added a fun old ear ring as an embellishment.

And last, but not least, my baby boos!

I wanted a more traditional, shabby chic look.

I have to admit that this Dollar Tree pumpkin makeover was super fun, easy, and took very little time.

My kind of project!

Until next time…..

Remember last week when I shared my Dollar Tree haul? I found so many good things, I couldn’t wait to get started using them. Today I’m sharing how I made a happy harvest wreath. It’s super easy, took less than 1 hour and cost under $20.00.

Here is a list of the supplies you will need:

One 18″ wire wreath – WalMart $2.77

1 1/2 rolls Burlap ribbon – Hobby Lobby $9.99 on sale 1/2 price.

Wire – free as I already had it in my studio

Ribbon for a bow – about 3.00. I bought 2 rolls of ribbon and made 3 bows.

Happy Harvest truck sign – Dollar Tree $1.00

This burlap ribbon is perfect for my wreath for a couple of reasons.

It’s a wire ribbon, which means that it will be easy to use and keep it’s shape.

Any pesky loops going the wrong way?

Simply twist it around to where you want it!

Also, I liked the lighter, more bleached out color of this ribbon.

I won’t bore you with the actual how to on this one.

However, in case you want to know how to make one, there are a ton of how to make a burlap wreath video’s on Youtube!

I found one to refresh my memory and I was surprised to see that the lady giving the tutorial said that it took about 10 minutes to make one of these wreaths.

She must be a ton speedier than I am for sure!

Honestly, I’d estimate it took me about 25 – 30 minutes to make this wreath.

While not hard to make, it is a little time consuming.

Once my wreath was made, it was time to add the embellishments.

This Happy Harvest truck sign from the Dollar Tree is definitely the star of this wreath.

I love everything about this sign with one exception.

The super shiny silver leaf that came on it.

However, that was a super easy fix.

I simply added a few coats of Martha Stewarts Multi-Purpose metallic gold paint.

To hang my sign onto my wreath I used about 12″ of light weight wire.

To give my wreath a little more color, I added this bow that has a ton of fall color.

Honestly, I love my happy harvest wreath.

I can’t wait to hang it!

Now, if it would ever get cool enough here in North Texas to feel like fall that would be awesome.

Right now it’s 105 with no end in sight.

Come on fall!

Until next time….

It’s Ten on the 10th and this months theme is Garage Sale. Which really could mean several things. For me, I’m sharing a garage sale find that I’ve had for awhile. I bought this and quickly added it to my stash of things to do. Only problem was I never got around to doing anything with it. Until this week!

Before I go any further I want to thank Carol from Blue Sky at Home for being our fearless hostess today. When you are done here, be sure and check out her site, along with all of the other fun and talented bloggers.

Now down to business!

At first, when I spotted this silver tray I had hopes that it could be cleaned and restored back to it’s pristine finish.

But, no.

Once I knew that it couldn’t be cleaned, my plan was to make it into a seasonal display.

Step 1: paint the bottom of the tray black.

This is a metal tray, so not all paints will work.

Be sure to use a multi-surface paint, like Martha Stewart’s, to make sure the paint will adhere.

While the tray was drying, I painted these wooden cut outs that I found at Michael’s.

I plan on painting different cut outs for different seasons and holidays!

Since Fall is just around the corner I went with a fall theme today.

Once the black paint had dried, I glued a fall bow in the upper corner with a tiny bit of glue.

This can easily be removed to put co-ordinating bows that match each seasonal cut out.

At first, I thought that I would attach the wooden cut outs to the center of the tray using velcro.

However, if I put velcro in the center of the tray, I wouldn’t be able to use a cut out with an open center.

Command Strips to the rescue!

Total cost for this project: $3.00!

Not too bad for a garage sale find.

Now please join me in checking out all of my fellow Ten on the 10th bloggers!

Carol at Bluesky at Home

Ann at Apple Street College

Kim at Exquisitely Unremarkable

Patti at Pandora’s Box

Susan at Homeroad

Katie at Let’s Add Sprinkles

Terri at Decorate and More with Tip

It’s Ten on the 10th where ten fun and talented bloggers share fun ideas and projects for under $10.00. This months theme is BBQ. We love BBQ here at the castle so this was right up my alley! I saw this pail and knew it would be the perfect thing to bring in some flamingos at the BBQ.

Before I go any further, I want to give a great big shout out to our hostess Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip. Some days I think hosting must be like herding cats! Thank you Terrie.

When we BBQ I love to set a fun table.

Even more than that, I love having everything contained and in easy reach.

This cute little pail fit the bill for both of those things.

Even better – it was 75% off!

This sweet pale cost me $6.25. Woo Hoo!

My theme for my BBQ is pink flamingos with lots of navy.

First step, cutting out a stencil on my Silhouette from scraps of vinyl I had in my studio.

Once the stencil was cut, I simply applied it to the pail.

Then using pink acrylic paint, I stippled the paint onto the pail.

Once the paint dried, I peeled off the stencil and painted a pink band on a raised area on the pail.

Once the paint dried, a few painted details made my flamingos come to life!

Since I used multi-surface paints, no sealing was required.

After adding a few bows, my pail was ready for the BBQ.

This sweet pail was the perfect size for keeping the napkins, straws, and utensils all together, nice and tidy!

As an added bonus, the pail makes a perfect centerpiece!

It also matches my pink flamingo plates from the Target dollar spot that I purchased last year.

I had all supplies other than the pail in my stash. Which helped bring this project in easily under $10.00.

Yep, there are definitely pink flamingos at the BBQ!

Please join me now in checking out all of the other wonderful ideas at my fellow blogger’s sites:

Laura with Decor to Adore

Terrie with Decorate and More with Tip

Patti with Pandora’s Box

Kim with Exquisitely Unremarkable

Katie with Let’s Add Sprinkles

Ann with Apple Street Cottage

Carol with Bluesky at Home 

Susan with homeroad

I’ve been working on a little project that reminds me of fireworks on the 4th of July. Honestly, it’s so easy to make that it’s almost embarrassing. In other words, it’s my kind of project!

Supply list

Fence post

wirecutters

Rust-Oleum spray paint in red, white and blue

4th of July floral pick

Hammer

Nail

I had a few feet of fence post left over from when I made these garden poles. If you missed that you can see those here.

I had The Hubs cut me three pieces out of the post measuring 7.5″, 6″ and 4.5″.

Once they were cut and lightly sanded, I used my Rust-Oleum spray paint in Red, Ink Blue and White.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, Rust-Oleum is hands down my favorite spray paint. EVER.

It has great coverage and goes on easy.

No, I am not being paid to say that, however I should be taking out stock in the company!

Once the paint was dry, it was time to add a small hole in the center of the block to hold my “sparkler”.

I’m ashamed to admit that I broke my small drill bit a few months ago, so I went old school.

I used a hammer and a nail!

Just hammer the nail into the center, then remove it.

TIP: make sure that your nail is similar in diameter to that of what you are planning to insert into the hole.

Once you have your hole in the center of the post, it’s time to add your “sparkler” to the post.

I used wire cutters to cut the wire the desired length on each pick.

Before inserting the sparkler picks, I decorated each post with patriotic Washi tape.

Insert your sparkler picks into the holes and you have fireworks on the 4th of July!

Honestly, it couldn’t be easier.

I’m planning on using mine as part of my table centerpiece.

Or, maybe on my outdoor coffee table?

No, wait, maybe on the front porch….

The possibilities are endless!

Until next time…..

A few weeks ago, I featured a children’s hooded towel on the Ten+ on the 10th. I promised that I would share how to make a hooded towel with you soon.

Well, today is that day! It really is super simple to make. Plus, your kids will love them.

All you need is a bath towel, a hand towel, a sewing machine, scissors, ribbon and if you wish, embellishments.

Step 1

Once you have gathered your supplies, find the center of your towel.

Cut the towel in half.

Honestly, if I were to do this again, I would cut it at the 3/4 mark. Cutting it at the 1/2 mark is plenty big enough, however I like a hood that has a little more room.

Step 2

Next, fold the cut end of the towel up and pin. ( The wrong side will be folded up.)

To hide the edge, lay a ribbon across raw edge, pin, then sew it to the towel.

Sew your seams on each edge of the ribbon.

Step 3

Fold the towel, right sides together, and sew the finished ends together. (opposite of the ribbon edge)

This is what the hood part of your towel will look like when you are done.

Step 4

Lay the hood part of your towel aside and grab your bath towel.

Find it’s center. I marked mine with a pin.

With right sides together, match the bottom, center of your hood to the center of your towel.

Next, pin the hood to the towel.

Once you have it pinned in place, sew your hood to the bath towel.

TIP: depending on your towels, both layers can be quite thick. I usually use a heavy duty needle to keep from breaking my needle when sewing.

Once sewn, trim any loose ends or excess ribbon from the seam.

That’s it. This is what your hooded towel will look like when completed.

You could leave it as it is, or you could add embellishments.

Ribbon on the bottom, a cut monogram on the corner or even add a pocket using the other half of the hand towel would all be great embellishments.

That’s how to make a hooded towel. It really couldn’t be easier! Trust me, your littles will LOVE them.

Until next time…

Hi Friends! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. Temps were mild here, but it finally feels like Spring is on it’s way! Which means that it’s time to break out the spring decor and make a few new items for Spring. Today I’m sharing how to make an Easter Bunny wreath!

Have you seen all of the cute bunny wreaths that are on Pinterest right now?

One of my favorite was one made using pom poms!

So cute.

However, in full disclosure, I’ll admit that there was no way that my attention span would allow me to make that many pom poms.

So this girl decided to go in a different direction.

Supplies for your Easter Bunny Wreath :

One styrofoam wreath

2 feather boas

yarn

felt

1 sheet of white foam

The first step is to wrap your two boas around the wreath, making sure to evenly space them.

The first step is to wrap your boas around the styrofoam wreath, making sure to evenly space them.

I like to reuse this wreath on occasion, so I used pins to attach the boas to the wreath.

Once your wreath is covered evenly, set the wreath aside.

On a separate sheet of paper, I made patterns for the bunnies feet and ears.

If you don’t want to do this, there are ton’s of clip art out there to help with this step.

Once you have them drawn, trace the feet and ears onto the white foam and cut them out.

Next, I drew small ovals, 3 for each foot, and two larger circles onto a piece of pink felt.

Once this is done, cut them out.

Then, glue the felt onto the bunny feet.

This is what my bunny feet looked like when I was finished.

Now, it’s time to make a bunny tail.

I used a pom pom maker and some variegated yarn.

Don’t have a pom pom maker? Now worries!

There are a ton of how to tutorials out there and they are super easy to make.

Last step, using pins attach all of the bunny parts to the wreath!

The pins work great, however if you are wanting a more permanent wreath you could always use hot glue.

That’s it for my how to make an Easter Bunny wreath!

I love it when a project turns out exactly how I imagined it.

This one was super easy, fun and fast.

My kind of project!

Until next time….

It’s funny how a project can take on a life of its own. We recently started a mini makeover in a guest bathroom. Everything was rocking right along until I pulled a muscle in my hip. Now everything, including cleaning up after Christmas, has come to a slow crawl.

After a few days on the couch, I was determined ( and bored out of my mind!) to get a few things done.

Things that I don’t have to bend over, twist, or lift to do.

The first of which is getting my Happy Planner decorated for February.

I always try to keep my planner ready a least a month or two in advance.

I haven’t put everything back together since I took down all of the Christmas decor.

So this was the perfect time to put out a few gifts that I received for Christmas.

I love my new cookie jar!

During Christmas this corner sports a cute platter.

The rest of the year I have it decorated with this ceiling tin.

It’s perfect for displaying family photos, invitations et.

After putting it out this year, it felt a little too cluttered.

Trading the ceiling tin for this cute platter was the answer!

I love how bright and clean it looks.

I’ve also been working on gathering a few things for my Valentine’s table.

A few Valentine’s Day crafts have kept me busy too.

I promise to share them with you soon!

One last thing, I was on my friend Stacey’s FaceBook site, Poofing the Pillows and Friends, and they were discussing what everyone was putting on their front door after Christmas.

I went blank. For the life of me I couldn’t remember what I put on my door after Christmas!

Then, I saw a FB post from our friends in Biloxi, MS on how they were decorating for Mardi Gras and it hit me.

I usually put out a Mardi Gras wreath!

Some days I seriously need a keeper….

That’s it for my cleaning up after Christmas post.

Hopefully, things will be getting back to normal soon.

Whatever that is.

Until next time….