Halloween "Hike"

I took these photos this morning during C's and my weekly "hike" at Descanso Gardens. It is such a beautiful, clear fall day - it would be perfect if it wasn't so dang hot. It's been in the 90s for the last week and it was getting rather toasty by the time my cousin "C" and I had finished our hike/walk at 11:30. They were filming something there today and using a smoke machine which was nasty-smelling, but the effect it had on the rays of sunlight coming through the trees was spectacular! Lyrics from "Stairway to Heaven" came to mind ("..Rings of smoke through the trees..."). The trees look so pretty as their leaves are changing to their fall colors. I love this time of year.

They had decorated one of the trails with homemade Halloween decorations that were really clever using rakes, brooms and pumpkins. Toward the end of our hike we came upon the set that they were filming with the smoke machine - it was marked "Hunting". We could see some of the actors taking a break - they were dressed as cavemen! It reminded us of those silly Geico commercials. We came upon the other set marked "Garden of Eden" but couldn't get close enough to see what they were doing. Living so close to "Hollyweird" (as we call it), we see film sets quite often.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Decorations

Here are a few of the Halloween decorations that I have put out this year. The little "ghost" candy container (that's what I call it - I'm not really sure what it is!) was one I got at Michaels last year that was on clearance right before Halloween. I thought it could use a little sprucing up, so I covered it with glow-in-the-dark glitter. You can't really see it in the photo, but the glitter makes such a difference!

I found the spider with the party hat and treat bag at my local Hallmark Store. I just cracks me up, even though I hate spiders. I have lots more decorations, but these are just a few of my favorites.

Bats, Ghosts and Glitter, Oh My!

I love glitter. I love glitter despite the fact that I find it on myself and on the table days later, no matter how careful I am.

I bought this Debbie Mumm "BOO" sign at JoAnns on Friday. I thought it was really cute and it was even 40% off! I thought that it could use a little sprucing up though, so I got out my glitter, glue, and paint brush, and went to work. I absolutely love Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter - it is the most beautiful glitter, the colors are just gorgeous, and there are a lot to choose from. (Martha Stewart's Glitter is a pretty close second though and you can find it at Michaels.) For the letters in BOO I used Art Glitter #156 Chartreuse Ultrafine Opaque. For the purple background I used #203 Eggplant Ultrafine Transparent, which has little flecks of green in it. For the ghost I used Martha Stewart Crafts Crystal Fine Glitter. It's hard to get the full effect of the glitter due to the fact that the lighting isn't the best and I had to use the flash on my camera, but I think you get the idea. Just know that it is much "prettier" in person, which I think is usually the case (at least with my photos!).

I love the added sparkle. I had glittered a plain wood BOO sign last year that I bought at Michaels and really liked how it turned out, so I wanted to do some more this year. I will be getting my Halloween decorations out and putting them up this week and I will share some of my favorites with you later this week.

What fun Halloween crafting projects have you done or have planned?

Halloween in July!

It all started with a trip to the quilt shop for some Sulky Water Soluble Stabilizer, which I got, but when I saw these Halloween fabrics they had just gotten in, I had to have some. I love the graphics on these fabrics. The fabric in the bottom photo reminds me of vintage Halloween decorations from the 50s and 60s! I am going to cut out the motifs to sew onto the orange plastic mesh "fabric" to make a tote bag. I got the idea from one they had made up as a beach tote. I bought the novelty yarns to crochet a fun border along the top. The fact that most everything in the store is 40% off was just an added bonus! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the fabric in the middle photo yet. I may make up some cute little fabric thumbtacks or magnets that are made with those little clear glass pebbles. I just couldn't pass it up - I especially love the little skulls! Have I mentioned that I am partial to skulls - that may seem creepy to some people, but I've always loved Day of the Dead sugar skulls and the skeletons that are dressed-up (I can't remember what they are called).

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. For those of us that live in the U.S., I can't believe the Fourth of July is this Friday already, can you?! We usually have a BBQ with my brother, sister-in-law and my two adorable nephews and then watch the fireworks from our neighbor's yard that our high school has every year. We have a great view. It's the perfect ending to a fun day spent with family.

What plans do you have to celebrate this Fourth? Whatever you do, have a safe and wonderful Fourth!