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…..

Here at the castle, the stockings are hung. The tree is up and the elves have finished sprinkling Christmas decor through out the castle. So, what’s a girl to do? Why break out the Christmas crafts at the castle, of course!

For the first time in many years, I have almost all of my Christmas stuff done! I’d love to pat myself on the back, however it’s mostly due to my car being in the shop off and on for the last month! Certainly not because this girl is rocking it! When you are forced to stay home it’s amazing how much you get done. Who knew?

What happens at the Christmas party, stays at the Christmas party. Especially the Queen’s Christmas party!

When the Queens get together it’s always fun, this year was no exception. We ate, laughed, cried, told crazy stories, made a craft and had a cookie exchange.  In other words, a normal night with the Queens!

I’ll have a blue Christmas with a big splash of hot pink, please!  My dining room colors are blue and hot pink, which just happen to be my favorite colors. So naturally, when it came time to decorate the dining room I couldn’t help but think that they would also be perfect Christmas colors.

And boy, did I find some hot pink! It’s so hot that it was truly hard to get pictures that didn’t hurt my eyes. But, I love it!

The elves have been busy decorating here at the castle. Of course, they always start in the heart of the home, the kitchen. This years theme is simple, less fuss and not as over the top as in years past. It’s a black, white and red Christmas kitchen!

I don’t buy all new stuff from year to year, instead I like to mix and match a few new things with old things from years past. Don’t get me wrong. It’s tempting, however every time I consider it I hear my sweet Granny’s sarcastic voice saying “Well, aren’t we Miss Aster!” For those of you that are younger than dirt, that was her way of saying that we aren’t made of money. And even if we were, money doesn’t grow on trees! Thrifty was her middle name.

I can’t believe the holidays are just around the corner!  With that in mind, I’m trying to stay ahead of the game by getting as many of the little things done as possible. Although, I’m pretty sure I’ll forget something! While at my grocery store today, I found some really cute items that would not only be great gifts, but wonderful hostess gifts for the holidays! So I thought that I would share them with you.

Some of the items are a little more expensive, like these reindeer, however most are so reasonable priced you’ll be tempted to buy quite a few of them to gift to your favorite people.

I know that we haven’t even celebrated Halloween, but the big holidays are just around the corner. Yikes! If you are like me, I like to plan ahead of time so that my holidays are a little less stressful. Today I’m sharing a few things to do  for the holidays now.

You know, things that will leave you feeling a little more like wonder woman and a little less stressed out!

I’ve got bats and brooms on the front porch! Well, I’ve got a few other things too. Like pumpkins, cats and spooky lights!

I always love decorating for Halloween. It’s such a fun time of the year. For the first time, in a long time, I changed up the front porch decor. Come on in and see!

Last week I made the cutest broom parking sign. However, it’s been raining too much to even think of putting it out, until today. With a brief window of time before the next round of rain, I knew it was time to put out this sweet sign. Now that the broom parking sign is hung, all that is missing are a few witch’s brooms to park! Today I’m sharing how to make a witch’s broom.

Much to my surprise, making a witch’s broom was super easy and a lot of fun!

It’s raining here. Again. Or should I say still. Today was the day to decorate my Halloween front porch, however since it’s so wet I thought my time would be better spent in the craft room. No, I’m not building an arc, although I should probably consider it. Today I’m painting a Broom Parking sign.

I had this crazy idea that all of the witches here at the castle might need a designated spot to park their brooms.  Who wants to be constantly be tripping over that mess, right?

A few weeks ago, I shared my Halloween Table with you.  I’m always on the look out for fun, inexpensive ways to present my place cards. This year, I found what I think are some really fun and easy Halloween Place cards.

They light up and are super easy to make! Oh, and did I mention that it’s also Ten on the 10th? If you are new here, that’s where Ten fun bloggers share fun ideas, under $10.00 on the 10th of the month!

After a fun filled weekend in Oklahoma, I came home with a bug. Needless to say, It’s been a bad week here at the castle.

The only thing I’ve gotten done is the beginnings of getting the partio spruced up for fall! In all fairness, I started a lot of projects, but none are finished.

When you enter the castle, one of the first things that you see is the dining room. It’s also one of the first places that I start decorating for holidays. Since it’s October, it’s time to set my Halloween table. This year’s theme is a witchy Halloween dining table.

There are some constants on my Halloween dining table. The first being a witches hat. Each year I pull out my witch’s hat and give it new ribbons and decor.

I can’t believe that October is just around the corner. I feel like I just got my pumpkins out and cooler temperatures have barely begun. A few days ago, I pulled out the Halloween decor and started planning where it all would go. All was well, until I got to the kitchen. My pretty little buffalo plaid and orange striped pumpkins make me so happy that the thought of putting them away made me sad. So, I began planning how to keep them. Why couldn’t my kitchen Halloween decor be more fall, less Halloween. Cute not creepy!

Don’t worry, I’ll still keep it a wee bit wicked! Here at the castle we do love our traditional Halloween decor.

It’s officially fall. Finally! I’ve been waiting awhile for it. Here at the castle, we start off with a small amount of fall decor, swing into October with an overload of Halloween, and finally settle in for  a more traditional fall decor for Thanksgiving. Since it’s almost October, I guess it’s time to rip off the band-aid and start the Halloween extravaganza. I’m starting with a simple Halloween Mantle.

Over the years, I’ve gone from a heavily decorated mantle to a more simple understated one. I’ve come to believe that you don’t have to spend a fortune or put everything in the Halloween closet on the mantle!  This philosophy could be because I’ve grown lazy in my old age and don’t want to dust. Nah! I’m going with the simple and understated theory .

I hope that you had a wonderful  4th of July weekend. We sure did!  We started the Friday before the 4th and celebrated all weekend into the week. Now that it is all over, I’m learning how to deal with a holiday hangover. No! Not that kind of hangover. More the I’ve worn myself plumb smooth,gained ten pounds, had so much fun kind.

I’m certainly not complaining though. I would do it again in a heartbeat! So what did we do? Quite a lot!

I am always so excited when it’s time to decorate my St. Patrick’s Day table. Due to the weather the past few weeks, I haven’t gotten much painting done, so I’ve been looking for fun indoor projects to do. This was the perfect project for me.

My centerpiece is always an Oxalis plant, which has the sweetest leaves that remind me of four leaf clovers. You can’t see them now, but this plant has the tiniest white blooms on it. So sweet. Whenever I see an oxalis plant, I know that Spring is on it’s way!

Happy New Year!  I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, we certainly did here at the castle! It’s that time of year where everyone is starting their New Years resolutions and I am too.

My resolutions are a little different this year. Usually, my resolutions tend to be the same every year. Lose weight, exercise and eat healthy. Well, not this year! This year I’m running with scissors!

Merry Christmas! I’m a little last posting today. It’s cold and wet outside. As I write this, I’m sitting by the Christmas tree in my comfy clothes, there is a fire in the fireplace and hot tea at my elbow. What more could a girl ask for?

Normally, three days before Christmas I would be in a mad rush buying last minute gifts, baking, and wrapping presents. You know the drill. Actually, I have to admit that, for the first time in as long as I can remember – which admittedly isn’t all that long – I’m ready for Christmas!

The Queen’s Christmas party always kicks off my holiday season.  It is fun, crazy, loud, and full of all things merry!

I honestly cannot imagine the holidays without these seven crazy women! So how did we celebrate this year? I’m glad you asked. We did a lot!

Welcome to Day 3 of the Cozy at Christmas Holiday Tour 2017.  Thanks to Katie at Let’s Add Sprinkles for hosting. I am so honored to be included this year! Once you’ve finished here, I hope that you’ll take a few more minutes and visit the rest of my friends on the tour!

Decorating for Christmas in the kitchen is always one of my favorite things to do. It’s where my family and I spend a lot of time, so what better place to have a little decorating fun?

Setting my Christmas dining rooming table had me scratching my head on what to use for  place card holders. I couldn’t find anything to match, so I decided to make my own. Being the friend that I am, I decided to show you how to make a Christmas place card holder too!

Trust me, this one is so easy that I’m almost embarrassed to share it with you – almost! Not only were they easy to make, I made 8 for under $10.00!

Christmas in the family room is pretty traditional here at the castle.  Well, there may be a bit of whimsy here and there just for a little fun! The elves have been busy flinging tinsel, wrapping presents and decorating. So come on in for a peek.

My favorite thing in the family room is the Christmas tree. I love to light a fire at night and sit by the tree reading a book.

It is officially time to start planning the Queen’s Christmas party! The past few years, we have been trying to mix things up a bit by starting new a fun things to do. We’ve been together so long that it was time to change things up a bit. A week or so ago, Queen Siana sent me a picture on Facebook, suggesting a Christmas sock exchange!

My first response was “A what?” However, after looking at the photo from Thinkerete Lifestyle on Facebook, I was hooked.