Sunday, October 11, 2009

Enter if you dare ...

Create these dastardly delightful doorway wreaths for your eerie holiday entry!


A Halloween silk flower wreath from Martha Stewart
Silk Flower Wreath


Halloween Wreath from KI Memories
Halloween Wreath
(scroll down through their other cute Halloween crafts, the wreath is the last project)


From The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
Halloween hand and footprint wreath




Halloween Head Wreath from Womans Day
Halloween Head Wreath

Friday, October 9, 2009

... a graveyard smash

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"

They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash

~ from "Monster Mash"
by Bobby "Boris" Pickett



Tombstone pumpkin carving pattern
Tombstone Pattern



Play graveyard Old Maid with these Halloween printable cards from Thirteen for Halloween
Printable graveyard cards


Graveyard Ghouls table decoration from Family Corner
Graveyard Ghouls Instructions



Decorative paper tombstone tutorial from cheeky magpie
Decorative Tombstone Tutorial


Make a graveyard cake from Taste of Home
Graveyard Cake recipe

Skeleton yummies


Skeleton cookies from How Stuff Works


Gingerbread skeleton cookies from Baking Bites


Chocolate skeleton cookies


Gingerbread Skeletons at Epicurious


Day of the Dead Cookie Jar on Etsy for your skelly cookies
Buy this charming cookie jar for your halloween treats from Etsy seller, zephyrsart

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

mmmmm ... pumpkin time

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal from good life eats
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Pumpkin French Toast from recipe girl
Pumpkin French Toast


Pumpkin Spice Latte ala Starbucks from Gimme Some Oven, adapted from The Kitchen recipe
Pumpkin Spice Latte


Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Brownies from Beantown Baker, adapted from Cara's Cravings recipe
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Brownies


Pumpkin pie bars from Joy the Baker
Pumpkin Pie Bars

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Along came a spider


Dangly Spider Stitchery from Stitcher Scribbler
Dangly Spider Stitchery Tutorial


Make spider toothpicks from Martha Stewart
Spider Toothpick Tutorial



Make glittered spider webs at Eddie Ross.
Glittered Spider Web Tutorial


Make an easy Halloween Spidey from Games Crafts Coloring
Spidey Tutorial


Be inspired by this darling Halloween Doily
Halloween Doily Flickr image



Stitch a spidey Halloween card from Make and Takes
Stitched Spider Halloween Card Tutorial

Monday, October 5, 2009

Hoot hoot


Make this darling owl embroidery, free from Andrea Zuill
Owl Pattern


Make a Halloween Owl banner from Moonstitches (hers was made for the Christmas holidays but would be so darling adapted for Halloween)
Owl banner tutorial



Be inspired to make an Owl notebook like Jak Heaths of Crafters Kitchen.
Owl Notebook



Make an owl mask from Martha Stewart.
Owl Mask



Owl Cookies from Sunset magazine
Owl cookie recipe
If you don't have an owl cutter, here's Sunset's Owl cookie template.
Owl Cookie Template



Owl softie from Womans Day.
Owl Softie

Monday blog love

Au fil de ... jardine aussi
B Comme Bon
Brin par Brin
casa cuori colori
casa dulce hogar
concrete and honey
contemporary embroidery
Crafters Kitchen
Creative Kismet
El Milagro Studio
Giver's Log
Guilty Kitchen
Journ'obs
Junker Jane
la porte rouge
Les passions de Lorena
Magpie Ethel
Miller Campbell Designs
On My Way
Passion Bonheur
Passionate About Baking
Poppy Pop Corn
Rick Rack Ruby
Softie Making
Spagat
sweetina
Tart'in & Chocolat
Twice Remembered
Wlydhare's Hollow

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around

Last night we went out to dinner at the lovely Cafe Pinot. When we arrived it was still sunshine-y and warm and we ate on the patio. It was lovely as day turned into night with the candle glow and tiny lights.


(top photo - Cafe Pinot, bottom photo - google. ay yi yi I thought I could center this caption WAH!)

Then ... so very cool! We went to the Aratani Japan America Theatre and attended a panel presentation and discussion about making Los Angeles more bike friendly. The panel included the wonderful David Byrne, the hubs absolute favorite musician. (I'll have to ask him which is his ultimate favorite thing in the whole wide world, Star Trek or David Byrne?!) The panel also included a city official, an urban planner and a bike advocate.

They began the evening with a video of clips from movies of people on bikes. These are the ones I remember from last night ... Wizard of Oz, I Love Lucy, Life is Beautiful, Andy Griffith Show, Butch Cassidy, Cinema Paradiso, The Bicycle Thief, Il Postino, ET, The Muppet Movie ... my memory is failing me but it was so much fun! You could hear people smile and giggle with recognition as the images came on screen.

The traffic is so horrific and unpredictable in Los Angeles. It's having an impact on the way we live and our choices. We've begun to not go to some places and do things we used to do because we can't cope with the traffic anymore. (plus we're also old and crotchety now teehee!)

Time to get a bike again!

And it was so great at the event, they had bicycle valets for the people that rode their bikes there. They asked for a show of hands and many people had ridden their bikes to the event.

There were bike clubs and bike activists there with all sorts of ideas and it was exciting and so very encouraging to listen to a grass roots movement that's coming alive.








Friday, October 2, 2009

Name your poison

Or your potion ...

More labels available from beady eyed brat at
Beady eyed brat labels


Get these and other labels from Phee McFaddell
Phee's Wondrous Potions


Link to labels

Link to labels
Labels from scry found via the Halloween Forum



Get great labels (this is only one of many) for your Halloween potions at Love Manor's flickr set
Love Manor flickr set of labels
Love Manor Blog




warpaint labels
labels from warpaint found via Halloween Forum, scroll down to find labels.



Labels from Hermans secret found via Halloween Forum


Vintage poison labels from spookshow - there are alot more than these two to choose from.
Spookshow labels

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Haunted Real Estate

Milk carton haunted house from Today's Parent
Milk carton haunted house


The stitcher of this darling embroidery was inspired by a bit of clip art to make this haunted house.
Flickr image


Edible Haunted house from BHG
Haunted House


Martha's at it again! Look at this chocolate cookie haunted house on top of a monster of a chocolate cake! Please note there are additionally patterns for tombstones, bats, a man, cats, a coffin, and a tree. (Sorry, I'm not sure where the cake recipe is???)
Chocolate Haunted House Cookies


Haunted house decorations from Making Memories
Haunted House decoration
Free counted cross stitch Haunted House pattern from Kreinik
Haunted House pattern


Make a spooky haunted house from All You
Haunted House