The work of Alberto Pinto in the Designer Spotlight over at Life in a Venti Cup.
Tons of recipes for spooky Halloween cupcakes collected by Buzz Feed.
Williams Sonoma Home does the basswood stag head. $598. Not sure if that includes the wreath.
Refresh Your Wood Furniture
If your wood furniture has scratches or dings, don’t despair! Frugal Upstate has the solution:
Enter the Minwax stain pen. These puppies only cost around $5 (the one
I bought at Wally World was $5.43-I think they were a tiny bit cheaper
at Lowes) , last quite a long time, and are WAY easier than opening up
a can of stain and worrying about drips etc. I had originally thought
that I might have to sand down and restain certain sections of the
woodwork, but lucky for me and thanks to this gizmo, that is no longer
necessary! Take a look at the difference in this windowsill after I
used the pen:
You’ll have to go over there to see the difference. It’s amazing!
Haunted House Party
There a little over a week left to get ready for Halloween. If you’re looking to put together a last-minute get together, Martha Stewart has instructions for an entire haunted house themed party up on her site.
From moth-eaten curtains to devilish drinks, the instructions are all there. And if you don’t have time this year, it’s never to late to start planning for next year.
Cutting The Christmas Clutter
Stephanie at Stop The Ride is thinking about something I have been thinking about lately: keeping the clutter out of Christmas. She has lots of great advice, including this:
2. Start by limiting yourself.
Set yourself a limit, either in
dollars or quantity of toys, you will buy for your children. To see the
system we use please refer to Four for Christmas.
I had been thinking about three toys per kid for Christmas, but four is a nice, round number, too. Stephanie’s advice about keeping the relatives from giving your kids hordes of toys is great, too. I have already talked to my mom- the person most likely to add to the toy mountain- and she agrees that this Christmas should be simpler than in the past.
What are you doing to limit the Christmas toy mountain? Or are you?
The Importance Of Teaching Your Kids To Clean
It’s important to teach your kids how to clean, if for no other reason that they will need to know how to clean when they are on their own. One thing my mother would never let me do is laundry, because she was afraid I would somehow ruin her washing machine, so when I moved out on my own I had to call my grandma and ask her how to do laundry.
This article in the LA Times agrees with me, and I’m glad to see some validation. All my kids have chores and I have taught them how to do everything age-appropriate that they are able to do. By the time a kid of mine reaches 18, they will be little Suzy or Sam Homemakers, if I have anything to do with it.
For a long time, I was afraid I was perhaps too strict by making my kids do chores- many of my friends didn’t have their kids do any chores around the house and I was worried about whether I was too strict. However, as time has gone by and I see my 13 year old is capable of cooking a simple meal while his friends are still clueless about how to use the microwave, I feel like I have been doing the right thing.
Shak-ers, am I right here or am I right?
HT: Strollerderby
Colonial Style DIY
Colonial is the most traditional of American styles, but it’s making a comeback. With simple lines, muted colors, a reverence for wood and other natural materials and an emphasis on handcrafted details, why wouldn’t it?
Better Homes & Gardens has a fabulous online piece about updating colonial style. And it includes some simple, amazing DIY ideas.
Some of my favorites:
Using ready-made ceiling rosettes as wall art (above).
Colonial reproduction furniture in bold colors.
A lamp shade accented with yarn.
Simply framed crewelwork.
The Cleaning Your House Soundtrack
Maire Kaye is talking about her favorite tunes to clean by over at the Clutter Control Freak blog. She makes a mix CD and listens to it while she cleans. I have one, too, it’s called the "Clean House Mix". Here’s my playlist:
1. Somewhere Over The Rainbow Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole
2. Copa Cabana Barry Manilow
3. Like A Rolling Stone Bob Dylan
4. Coconut Harry Nilsson
5. Walk Of Life Dire Straits
6. Battle Of Who Could Care Less Ben Folds Five
7. Lonely Ol’ Night John Mellencamp
8. She Drives Me Crazy Fine Young Cannibals
9. Sundown Gordon Lightfoot
10. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover Paul Simon*
11. Friends In Low Places Garth Brooks
12. Johnny Jump Up Minstrels Of Mayhem
13. Wonderwall Oasis
14. Gin And Juice The Gourds**
15. Devil Inside INXS
So that’s my cleaning playlist. Tell me all about what you’re listening to!
*This song is helpful when you’re cleaning your tuckus off and your husband is lazing on your couch. Sing along loudly.
**Not to be played around small kids. Also, this is a cover of the Snoop Dogg song Gin and Juice.
Curb Appeal
If you are selling your house remember that first impressions are lasting impressions. Your front yard
is the first and last thing a prospective buyer sees. Make sure they
arrive and leave with a positive view.
This is also important to consider when you are buying a house, don’t let the beautiful grounds distract you from the house’s foundation.
If you are looking for a great tip for enhancing your home’s curb appeal, drop by Shak In Style and read the article on Fabulous Fall Foliage.
Getting Your House Ready For Winter
If you’re not regularly reading Amy at MomAdvice, you should be. Today she has a great post about readying your house for winter. She links to a video she did for her local news station. There are lots of great money saving tips there, like buying a programmable thermostat to save money on your heating bills. Go on over and check it out for yourself!
Jewel Case Photo Holders
Casa Sugar links to this awesome idea for displaying photos on the wall by using CD jewel cases. This is a good way to recycle your old CD jewel cases, and makes for a very pretty display. It’s also not a hard project, so you can whip this out in an afternoon. What a great idea!
[photo credit: photojojo.com]