Three Thoughts for October

Well hello October!

I know a lot of you are excited that this month has arrived, perhaps it's your birthday month or because of Halloween.

Maybe October is a month of rituals like apple picking or choosing the perfect pumpkin in the patch.  

via Terrain 

Maybe October encourages you to slow down for activities like decorating pumpkins with paint or gluing on pressed flowers.

October also means dressing up for Halloween. I really love this costume of Goldilocks with the Three Bears in her apron, easy enough to replicate using items in our closet.

Wherever your adventures take you, I hope your October will transform from blah to TADA!

Five Things for October

Autumn rites and spooky vibes...that's one way to define October energy!

Plan a trip to the farm to pick some apples or pumpkins.

Then paint the pumpkins and make them part of your Halloween decor...TADA!

How cute is this Goldilocks and the Three Bears costume for a little girl? No need to buy...you can D.I.Y.! Find something similar in your girl's closet, make an easy apron, and add three teddy bears...TADA!

Halloween candy isn't just for kids! Which one is your favorite? I'd pick Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and KitKats first...TADA!

Before October ends, I'll definitely spend time outdoors to marvel at the colorful autumn leaves. The way Mari Andrew describes fall is true poetry!

May October bring you lots of treats!

Halloween Stickers

Hey guys! 

In a previous post, I made my own stickers:

Adhesive paper, rubber stamps, and ink are all I needed to create them.

I had some adhesive paper left over and I thought seasonal stickers sounded like a good idea.

And because Halloween is just around the corner, I brought out the creepy rubber stamps. 

I took out the watercolors, too, because the adhesive paper was looking very blah.

I randomly painted the adhesive paper, let it dry for several minutes, and this is what it looks like now...TADA!

Apply some ink to the rubber stamp, find a spot on the paper, and stamp away! 

Hmmm...I don't have a lot of Halloween-themed rubber stamps. 

Just a few spiders:

And here is an autumn stamp:

It's a pumpkin but you can, with a marker, add triangle eyes and a jagged mouth to make a Jack O' Lantern. 

Now, it's time to cut the stickers.

Trim the edges for an even square.

I like the two-toned colors in the background.

Here are my handmade stickers ready to be given away...TADA!  This would be a fun activity for a play date, too.

That is how I turned some plain sticker paper from blah to TADA!

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Happy Thanksgiving

I am so grateful for family, friends, food, and Thanksgiving traditions. I wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

The Rituals of Fall

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fun weekend. Here are some of the things making me happy these days:

 The vibrant colors of nature.

Pumpkins ready to be decorated.

A comforting cup of chai latte.

Freshly made apple cider doughnuts.

Anticipating the chilly weather with cozy scarves and sweaters.

Don't you just love this time of year?

Jack O' Lantern

Happy Friday!

Today, I have another

blah to TADA! transformation

for Halloween.

At this time of year, pumpkin carving

is a favorite activity.

But if you don't have the time,

you can still play with pumpkins

without all the work.

blah: an orange plastic bag

{tissue for gift wrap can also be used}

Stuff it with scrap paper, gather

the ends and tie them together.

Then give him a face using a

permanent marker.

TADA! A fun & festive tabletop decoration.

I wish you all a nice weekend!

Meeting Miss Bakerella

Thanks for stopping by! Because it's a new year, I have a list of new books to read and projects to try. Here is my book of the day:

It's written by one of my favorite bloggers, Bakerella.

She makes the cutest treats, throws really fun contests

and is such a nice gal -- no wonder she's gaining

all this success! Clap, clap, clap!

Here she is, Angie Dudley, also known as Bakerella.

I met her at her book signing event in New York City.

She makes these adorable cake pops:

And without sticks, they're called cake balls.

These were served at the event {take note of

the edible silver & gold paint}:

One is chocolate and the other, red velvet.

Yummy bites of joy!

I had to make these myself!

I used a boxed cake mix & ready-to-spread frosting

{No shame in that! Bakerella even encourages it},

plus some dark and white chocolate chips hanging

out in the pantry.

TADA! My black & white cake bites!

Scrumptious vanilla cake inside a chocolate shell.

I can't wait to make the character cake pops!

Oh la la!

Happy Halloween!

I figure you're busy putting the finishing

touches on your Halloween costume or decor and

buying your tricks & treats to give away.

Don't forget the candy bucket for the kids

the haul in the loot!

Today, let's revisit some of my blah-to-Tada!

crafts from last year:

A bucket made from an empty yogurt tub.

Here's another version made from a cleaned out

ice cream container.

And this bag is made from an old tank top.

Blah to Tada!

Have a fantastic weekend and a

Happy Halloween everyone!

Halloween Treats

This week, we're gearing up for Halloween and

re-visiting a few blahs for a new set of Tadas!

Remember what I made out of toilet paper rolls?

Let's make something timely for fright night.

Blah: empty toilet paper rolls

Tada!: Halloween treat containers!

The paper rolls are wrapped in black & white (or orange)

paper, tied at the top with thread & decorated with

a scary sticker. These are filled with treats:

Tiny pumpkin erasers

Small Dracula erasers

Candy

And lots of stickers!

I can't wait to hand these out on Halloween!