Halloween Raven Porch

 This last weekend, I worked on my Halloween decor for my front porch. It's funny, a few years ago before blogs and Facebook, I was perfectly content using the same decor year after year, adding a few pieces every now and then. Since I have been exposed to SO many amazing ideas from you amazing people who are so generous to share your ideas, I am FORCED to come up with new decor that is also easy on my wallet. :) So this year's theme is Edgar Allen Poe/The Raven theme.

 Last month for my beach theme, you may recognize the white frame. I swapped the burlap subway sign for a home made chalkboard and added a quote from the famous poem.

 I made the raven wreaths from some fabric I found at WalMart. I made the rosettes from scrap fabrics and the black eyelash yarn and feathers are from JoAnn's and the ravens were 50% off at Rite Aid so they were only $1.50 each.

 The flower on the checked pillow is made from book pages that I got at The Dollar Tree. I punched the pages with a 2" scalloped punch, aged the edges with scrapbook ink and then glued it to a circle of cardboard. Another blog idea.

 Since I cut the chalkboard wood a tiny bit smaller than the frame opening, I added gingham piping to the edges. Of course, I learned how to use my piping sewing attachment from a blog...thank you!

My doorbell is a bit hard to find since it is tucked behind the bench a little bit so I made a sign for people to find it easier. I got the plain wood frame from the Dollar Tree and painted it with Krylon Glitter Blast paint...so cool! Yes, I found out about it from several blogs. Again, thank you! I used my Cricut and Storybook cartridge to cut the letters and swirl.
I made the bench dust ruffle from and old sheet and I have a few more things to add but I needed instant gratification in posting it now. Check back for some new additions next week!

Star Wars Party

 I hosted a Star Wars party for a wonderful 6 year boy and 7 of his energetic friends on Saturday. The weather threatened to rain and even hail was reported in some areas, so we held the party inside.

 I used the weather to my advantage by telling the boys the menacing weather was brought about by Dark forces and that we needed to train very hard to defeat the Dark side.

 As the guests gathered, we painted Rock Buddies. This is always a hit with the kids. I love to see their creativity come out! We balanced balloons on our light sabers to have control and patience. We played Jedi Bingo and I asked to boys to concentrate on the figures on their cards to conjure them up. They would bow their heads and close their eyes tightly to make their cards come up. I gave them Pop Rocks for each Jedi Bingo they got. Also part of their Jedi trianing was to play Pin the light saber on the Jedi. The blindfold is a Darth Vader mask blacked out so they can't see and they needed to use the force to guide the saber to the correct position.

 The highlight of their training was to defeat Darth Vader. 2 boys weren't quite sure about their Jedi skills and hid behind the others. After the other Jedis had their turn at Vader, I told the 2 that we really needed their help to defeat him. It was so cute to see them muster up the courage to face the Dark Lord. They were so proud of themselves and what they had accomplished. When we were packing up, the weather had cleared and the Jedi training was a success! The Force was very strong with these young Jedis!

The Star Wars Deluxe party includes table decor, Jedi training by Jedi Master Donna, a visit from Darth Vader, invitations, Jedi robes to wear during training, favors that include a light saber, photo with Darth Vader, custom chocolate C3PO lollipop, rock buddy, etc and birthday boy/girl gets a custom Star Wars t-shirt.

Disneyland 5K

 On January 2, I signed my family up for our 1st Disneyland Star Tours 5K. It took place on Saturday and we all had so much fun! We only live about 70 minutes from the Happiest Place on Earth but we stayed in a hotel because we had to be at the start line at 6:00am.

Hubby and I trained using the Couch to 5K program and it really helped. There were about 5000 racers for this fun run so it was slow going. It wasn't a timed race so people were taking their time. It took us about 6 minutes to cross the START line after the race started.

 We ran though Disneyland and California Adventure as well as the back lots. They had characters that you could pose for pictures with along the route.

 Some runners even dressed up in costume...LOVE Tink and Capt. Hook!

It was so much fun to train with our kids. They ran circles around us but they were very supportive. Now we are ready to run our city's 5K in November together.

Mary Poppins Down Under

 Absolutely **swooning** over this Mary Poppins party in Australia found at My Life My Loves via Amy Atlas.

Here is MY Party Wishes Mary Poppins party available for rent in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. Also, I am able to ship certain items anywhere! Leave a comment for more info.

Check out my party website for more information.



Beach Subway Art

 I was inspired to make this subway art for my front porch by Gallamore West. I had a frame that wasn't in the best of shape so I spray painted it white and cut some 1/4" plywood for the base of the art. I bought 1 yard of burlap from WalMart for 2.97 but didn't use all of it since the frame area was 26X20. I attached the fabric to the plywood with spray adhesive then I used freezer paper with 3 different cartridges for my Cricut. I used different font sizes and placed them on the board and then ironed the paper on. I used acrylic paint (the blue was brighter than I thought it would dry). I painted a couple of phrases and then peeled off the paper before it dried.

 I put the names of beaches on it that the whole family visited. There were a couple that I couldn't fit but that's ok.

 Then I made 2 little buntings out of the same fabrics that I used for the pillows and wreaths. This little project cost less than $5 so the TOTAL for the porch re-do was $22.

I just laid the second bunting across the linen pillow. I'm sure I will attach it later ;)

Good thing I got it done this week...school starts next Wednesday.

Budget Beach Decor

 I love changing out my decor with the seasons and holidays. After the 4th of July, my porch becomes beachy until September. I like the soft beige, whites and blues of the ocean but I also have to take into account my awesome red doors!

 I made 2 wreaths out of foam cores that I got at JoAnns for $8 each. I wrapped them in burlap from a left over project from last year as well as scrap fabric that I had on hand. The starfish are from Pier 1 that I bought many moons ago. I used my ruffler to make the ruffles for the back of the wreath and hot glued everything on.

 Trying to be as cost conscience as possible, I used a pair of my hubby's old jeans that happened to have a few holes in some inappropriate spots. I used them to cover the little pillow, make rosettes and the hanger for my bell sign.

 No one can seem to find my doorbell since it is hidden behind my bench, so I made a little sign out of a plain wooden frame from the Dollar Tree. I spray painted it white with paint I already had and used left over ruffles from the wreaths and hot glued it on the back. To make my fabric go even further, I color copied the floral fabric and hubby's jeans then cut the paper with my Cricut for the wording.

 The small floral pillow is made out of a Ralph Lauren cloth napkin that I have had for years as well as the blue check, linen and blue stripe fabric. I have quite the fabric stash.

 Total out of pocket for the front porch was $17.

 My table when you enter the front door is also decorated in the beach theme. All of the shells, driftwood, and rocks were collected at our local Southern California beaches. The beach glass, coral and buoy are from ebay.

 I love this picture of my youngest son when he was 2 being a sailor.

 I made the runner with Cath Kidston fabric I already had as well as the red check. To keep with the relaxed feel of the beach, I used raw edges on the ruffle.

Hope you enjoyed my beachy makeover!