Coffeecake

Happy Halloween!

Wishing everyone a Halloween full of treats!

How to Make: Halloween Paper Bunting

I finished this Halloween bunting in the nick of time for the holiday.   To make this, I  used pre-cut flat A4 cardstock in Poppy and Black from Paper Source, ribbon in Poppy and Black from Paper Source, K&Company patterned paper purchased from Michaels, and Marcella by K glitter chipboard letters from Target.  I used a paper bunch by Martha Stewart Crafts for Michaels that is specially designed to punch holes to thread ribbon through.

To make a similar banner, cut rectangles out of the patterned paper and glue to A4 cardstock.  Glue chipboard letters onto patterned paper. Punch holes along top and thread ribbon.  You can also punch ribbon holes in the bottom and add a tied ribbon at the bottom for decoration. You can add additional embellishments as desired, sequins, decorative gems, brads, etc. I opted to keep mine simple due to my limited time.  You can also spell out a shorter phrase if you are short of time.

Note: depending on what phrase you are spelling, you may need additional packages of the chipboard letters. The package has 2 of some letters and 1 of others. I needed a second package because one of the "p"s was damaged.

Quick Halloween Card

I have been wanting to send out Halloween cards with my son's picture inside for weeks, and finally got a chance to sit down and make some. Because I had limited time and wanted to make about 10 cards, I decided to keep the design simple.  I'm not much into card-making or stamping (I prefer scrapbooking), so that's another reason to keep it simple.  For this card, I used A4 cardstock (with matching envelopes) in Poppy from Paper Source one of my favorite sources for paper supplies.  You can buy the cards and envelopes separately and get exactly what you need (they come in a nice variety of sizes and colors). 

The spider stamp is by Impress Rubber Stamps, and I used a black stamp pad and black glitter by Martha Stewart Crafts for Michaels.   The pumpkin design edge punch used to create the edge is also by Martha Stewart for Michaels. I also used Martha's fine tip glitter glue to apply the glitter.  For the inside of the card, I attached a photo of my son in his vampire costume, mounted on Martha Stewart halloween cardstock (pictured in my previous blog entry on Michael's halloween supplies).

I'm happy with how the card came out, and it didn't take too long to make a bunch of them. 

If you don't know etsy...

If you don't know Etsy, you should. 

Etsy.com is a wonderful website--sort of ebay meets your local craft fair meets the most unique shop in town.  What is it?  It is a website that enables artisans of all types to sell their wares online.  The site itself is beautiful to look out. Every day there is a completely unique home page featuring the editor's hand picked items for the day. I'm not sure how the items are selected, but the photo thumbnails make for a unique monochromatic palette.  The front page also profiles a featured seller, and links to additional articles on the site. 

Etsy sellers sell through their own storefronts.  You can search for items in a variety of ways, including by color. You can also browse through Etsy's gift guides. Currently, the home page features links to the Autumn showcase and Halloween shopping guide.

You can find a wide variety of items for sale, everything from  jewelry, artwork, photography, needlecrafts, stationery and beyond.  The common denominator is that all items are handmade by the seller.  Prices range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars.  As with eBay, you can look up seller profiles and read feedback from buyers and sellers who have transacted with a given seller.  In order to purchase on Etsy, you have to create an account on the site. 

Etsy is great for gifts shopping, holiday and party items, and has wonderful baby and kids items.  You will find unique items, at prices that are very reasonable, often well below store prices for mass-produced goods. 

Vintage items and craft supplies are also for sale on Etsy.

From time to time I will be posting about some of my favorite Etsy "stores".

SALE: Pottery Barn Kids--Halloween on sale--20% off!

Pottery Barn Kids now has Halloween on sale! 20% OFF all Halloween items.  Free shipping on costumes and treat bags. 

Time to order your kids' Halloween costumes!

Lots of websites have some really cute Halloween costumes for kids.

For kids costumes, some great sources are:  PotteryBarn Kids, One Step Ahead (currently has a discount on costumes), Target and Gymboree. 

Good sites for party favors, craft items, and accessories include Lillian Vernon, for personalized items, The Container Store for great wrapping ideas, Oriental Trading Company, and Target.

Halo Sleepsack on sale at Babies "R" Us

UPDATE SEPT 22:  UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SALE IS NO LONGER GOING ON, BUT ONE STEP AHEAD HAS 15% HALO SLEEPSACKS WHEN YOU BUY 2 OR MORE.

The Halo Sleepsack, which I have previously blogged about, is now on sale in store and online at Babies "R" Us.  For a limited time, if you buy one Halo Sleepsack, you can buy a second one at 1/2 off.  The Halo Sleepsack is a "wearable blanket" that comes in a range of sizes, from newborn on up, colors and fabrics, including cotton and fleece. Read more about the product at Halo.

Also on sale at Babies "R" Us for buy-one-get-one 50% off are all Carter's and Gerber bedding basics.

Get started on your Halloween crafts!

 

Fall is here and if Halloween is at the top of your list of autumn favorites, it's time to get started on your Halloween craft projects.

I recently popped into Michaels, the arts and crafts store and found a great selection of Halloween craft supplies and decorations from Martha Stewart.  Since I am planning to have a little party, I stocked up on favors, including paper bats that sit on top of a goodie bag, and stickers.  There was also a great selection of decorations including banners and retro accordian-style table decorations.  For papercrafters, there are Halloween-inspired paper punches (see my black cat and jack-o-lantern), glitter and decorative paper.  Check out the selection of items at your local Michaels store (they do not sell these items online) and at Martha Stewart Crafts

Great ribbon and labels on sale at Namemaker.com

The website www.namemaker.com now has 20% off on its entire site for a limited time only. Namemaker has a great selection of personalized ribbon and clothing labels. The website has been featured both in Oprah's magazine and on the Martha Stewart show--so you know is has to be good!  Get beautiful ribbon for holiday or school crafts or personalized labels to sew into kids' clothing or add a personalized touch to craft projects.  I personally have ordered labels to put into knitting and sewing projects.  (Note-- the ribbon featured in the picture above is from my own collection and is not available on the website). 

September 11

In honor of those lost on September 11, here are some pictures taken by me near Ground Zero in the fall of 2001.

Great Fall Colors at Ann Taylor Loft--including Maternity items

I recently stopped into Ann Taylor Loft to check out their fall maternity items (yes, select AT Loft stores carry maternity!)  They had some very cute items, and in great colors--rich reds, turquoise, gray and black and white prints.  I got a long gray sweater jacket and a top with a black and red floral print.  The regular line also had great colors--including a rich mustard yellow that I loved.  I also loved the crinkle patent tote for only $49(!), which came in a variety of fall colors.  There seems to be a better selection in the stores, so check it out at your local Loft. 

Get your home office organized--Step one: recycle old diskettes

(Stock Photo)

I am trying desperately to get my home office organized.  Since we moved recently, my desk is now out in the open in the kitchen/breakfast room area and it is a MESS. My desk has to handle everything, from my consulting work, to household papers and craft projects.  As of right now, the top of my desk is covered with papers because I am way behind on filing.  To combat my feelings or being overwhelmed, I am going to try to take things one step at a time.  Hopefully you will find some useful tips. 

One of the goals I would like to achieve while cleaning out my office is to recycle where possible, while keeping my personal information private. To that end, I am going to start by finding out how I can recycle my "technotrash."  Technotrash consists of electronic waste including diskettes, rechargeable batteries, cell phones,computers and peripherals as well as other items.  It is imporant to dispose of this in a safe manner because some of the materials contained in these products are hazardous to the enviroment.  Further, many of these items can be recycled into usable products, reducing overall waste.

I have already recycled many of my larger outdated or broken peripherals such as printers, by bringing them to my local Staples.  Check the Staples website for detailed information and note that Staples does charge to recycle larger items (they also provide a credit for recycling ink cartridges).

My current goal is to get rid of the many 5 1/4 diskettes I have lying around collecting dust.  I have decided to use GreenDisk as my recycling service and will detail my efforts in the days to follow.