Subway Art

The hubster and I recently (and finally!) finished decorating our entry way (well, almost finished).

Some call it nesting. I'll take it, whatever the motivation was!

I originally wanted a large sunburst mirror but also realized that we had a lot of fun pictures from our travels and around Colorado that we didn't have a space for in our house. I like the idea of a gallery wall but I don't like the commitment (that's a LOT of holes in the wall) and the tedious job of measuring where they should all go, etc.

I was inspired by this picture from Pinterest and went to town! Well, Ikea actually. I went to Ikea. Which is basically like its own town.



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Ikea has these great shelves that I hung for books in Charlotte's room. They come in black, tan or white and would be super easy to paint if you were wanting another color. They also come in the length we used in the entry way, 45 1/4" or, what we used in Charlotte's room, 21 3/4".

 

They are so easy to install and only cost $9.99 each! Deal!

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I also loaded up on Ikea frames while I was there and I think the most expensive one was $4.99. I only prefer the finer things in life, obviously.

 

So this is turning into a much longer story than I first anticipated.

 

I knew that besides pictures of our great friends, families and travels, I wanted to do a seasonal subway art 8x10, as well. I found this jackpot of a link on Pinterest to FREE Subway Art printables! I simply followed their great instructions and uploaded the months that I wanted to Picasa and ordered them from the Walgreens down the street. One hour later and my frame was all ready for Halloween! And Thanksgiving! And Christmas! You get the idea. I didn't print them all but instead printed a few holiday pieces and a neutral, year-round print for the other months.

 



 

I am so excited about this and that it is DONE! Well, we still have a few empty frames but we also have a baby on the way who I am sure will have a few pictures taken of her. Just a few. I stored the rest of the prints in the frame, behind the current month. How simple is that?

 

Click here for all the free Subway Art printables and get to holiday decorating!

 

I think this would make an awesome Christmas gift, too! A frame with all the months printed out- so simple and fun!

 

I should go ahead and switch to the Thanksgiving print now, huh?

Laura



Leftover Halloween Candy Bark

Some of the first things kindergartners want to know about you is what your favorite color is and what kind of candy you like.

These are very important things to get out on the table when you're five years old.

This also meant that every November 1st, I received armfuls and armfuls (granted, they were little five year old armfuls) of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, my favorite candy.

Each student would walk in, smiling so huge, with a bag of candy specifically for me. They each had obviously gone through their candy the second they were done trick-or-treating just to sort out the Reese's. (Great kinder activity too, by the way- sorting anything!).

Melt my heart...and expand my waistline.

Last year, I found this brilliant idea on one of my fav blogs, Brown Eyed Baker, and it was the perfect way to use up my jackpot of Reese's candy.

Leftover Halloween Candy Bark!

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What is so perfect about this idea is that you can use any candy you have on hand, whether left over from trick or treating or getting trick or treaters! Also, while people start to turn away from candy on November 1st saying things like, "If I see one more piece of Halloween candy, I'm going to explode!" or other dramatic statements, they see this candy bark and say, "Oh that looks delicious, what a nice change from all the Halloween candy!"

 

It's as if Halloween candy waits until November 1st to don its costume. Clever little guys.

 

When I made this last year, I used my stash of Reese's, chopped peanuts and drizzled white chocolate and a sprinkle of salt over the top. But like I said, you can't go wrong with any combination of chocolate candy here.

 

Click here for the original recipe on Brown Eyed Baker's blog but don't be afraid to change it up with what you have on hand! Twix, Milky Way, Snickers, Butterfinger- all sound good to me!

 

Then bag it up, pass it out to neighbors and co-workers! Your pants will thank you when they still fit.

 

Oh, and my favorite color? Purple.

Laura

Happy Halloween!

I have such great memories of this holiday from growing up! It is my dad's birthday (click here to read how awesome he is) and so we always had a haunted house for all the trick or treaters that was legitimately scary and took a while to set up but was so worth it. We ended the night with all my parent's friends coming over for pumpkin pie and a birthday celebration. Who wouldn't love that as a kid? Some of my favorite memories are from this day!

Enjoy this Halloween round-up!

A great Halloween video...

(when she is carrying her...hilarious!)

 

A yummy Halloween snack...



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A creepy yet humorous Halloween costume...

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A gorgeous Halloween porch...

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A stunning Halloween tablescape...

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Possibly the most beautiful carved pumpkin I've ever seen...

 

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And the best Halloween movie ever...





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Does anyone NOT like the movie Hocus Pocus?

Laura

 

P.S. Today is also my due date! 







Last Minute Halloween Costume

In case you're looking for something inexpensive (in this case, pretty much free) and last minute for Halloween this year, I have your answer!

Last year, the hubster and I went to a casual costume dinner at a friend's house and dressed as a team on the Amazing Race. Simple, cheap and super comfortable. Perfect combination!



We wore black workout pants, matching blue shirts and black jackets. We stuffed our hiking backpacks with pillows (lightest pack ever!) but you could just use a normal backpack if you don't have a full hiking kind.

After a quick google image search for Amazing Race, I printed off the logo and attached it to a manila envelope. To take it one step further, I printed off "Road Blocks" and "Mission" cards that went inside the envelope- both are aspects of the show! I attached these to our backpacks with carabiners and a rubber band.

Simple doesn't describe how easy this costume was to create and we got to wear workout clothes all night which was basically like wearing classy pajamas.

Hope this helps any last minute costume binds!
Laura

Halloween Dinner

I love these cute ideas for a pre trick or treating (or waiting for trick or treaters at your house!) dinner! So festive, easy and a great memory maker!

Ghost Pizza


Halloween Stuffed Peppers


Mummy Dogs


Jack O Lantern Quesadillas


Boo-ghetti

 

Happy Halloween Eating!

Laura