Costumes of Halloween Past

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I was going to post a crafty item on here today but then realized I should just go with the holiday spirit. So instead I'm going to show you a glimpse into our Halloween past.

(I couldn't find any pictures of my hubby & I pre-pregnancy.)

Check it out:

2008: 50's couple. I was 4 months pregnant with my 1st baby.

2009: Our son's first Halloween! Since our last name is Pepper, we thought this costume was appropriate. I'm supposed to be a Mexican senorita and my hubby is a cowboy:

2010: I was pregnant with our 2nd baby here. Our little Superman!

2011: Our daughter's first Halloween! She's a ballerina & my son is Larry Boy:

2012...Woody & Jessie!:

Be safe tonight if you're going Trick-or-Treating and if not enjoy your time with your loved ones!!

Sharing here: Southern Lovely, Rae Gun Ramblings, DIY Dreamer,  

Destination: Cutesy Monday (#37) & A Giveaway!!

Hello!!

Are ready for Halloween night?!

I'm so ready to take my little kiddos out. It's just too fun. In honor of Halloween week I have 2 surprises:

1. A GIVEAWAY!!! Renae from hillmade is giving 3 Destination: Craft readers a pair of earrings from her Etsy shop!

Here's a small sample of the earrings she has:

Aren't they super cute?!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2. I'm doing a Halloween edition of the features! If you can't do any of these ideas for this year, pin them for the future!

1.  A Witch in the Fireplace by Crafty in Crosby

2. Halloween Paper Cartons & Bottles by Alderberry Hill

3. DIY Cat Ear Headband by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

4. Minnie Mouse Miracle by Sew Fantastic

5. DIY Dino Hoodie by See Vanessa Craft

6. Little Red Riding Hood by Bless My Nest

 Let's see what you've been up to!

Caramel and Apple Neighbor Gift

Who doesn't love caramel? Pair some delicious caramel with a nice, tart Granny Smith apple and you have a delicious fall treat!

I used these for my visiting teaching ladies but you could also make these for a neighbor or a friend.

Oh, and this caramel is no ordinary caramel. It's Salted Caramel sauce. (Recipe here.) It is SO good! I kept a jar for myself :)

Offset all the Halloween candy with a treat that includes fruit! Your friends/neighbors/visiting teaching ladies will appreciate it! Oh, and those itty bitty Mason canning jars? I got a set of 4 of them for around $3-4 at Wal-Mart. It doesn't get better than that

Enjoy!! 

Sharing here: See Vanessa Craft, Whipperberry, 30 Handmade Days, Tatertots & Jello, Six Sisters' Stuff, Homemade Ginger,     

Guest Host for Weekend Wonders link party

I volunteered to guest host the link party over at Love and Laundry. I love Shatzi's blog and I'm so excited to be part of her link party! Now, I'll let Shatzi take it away!

One of my *favorite* parts about blogging is all of the amazing creativity out there in blogland! I'm so excited to see what everyone shares! Plus, since I'm co-hosting this link party, everything you share here will also be shared over at The Thriftiness Miss plus our weekly guest host. So, three blogs equals three times the exposure for your awesomeness!

This party has been so fun and has grown so fast, that we wanted to share the party every week with a guest host! This week's guest host is Kathryn from Destination:Craft - a blog chalk full of crafty goodness.

Now...on to the party. The party will be open until Wednesday at midnight and we'll both be sharing our features at the party next week. Be sure and come back then to find out if you were featured. Plus, we'll both be sharing other favorites throughout the week on our facebook pages, so if you're not already a fan, you can find me here. We'll also be pinning the features to our Weekend Wonders Pinterest Board


Weekend Wonders Guidelines...

1. Follow your hosts: Destination: Craft, Love and Laundry and The Thriftiness Miss via GFC, bloglovin, RSS or Linky Followers. If you are a new follower, leave a comment and let us know how you follow and we will return the favor.
   
2. Link to a specific post, not your homepage.
   
3. Show us your crafts, recipes, shopping hauls, photos, stories, really whatever you're proud of!
4. Please do not link up Etsy shops, parties, and/or giveaways.
5. Visit some other links and let them know how wonderful they are! We all love some positive feedback. 

<center> <a href=" http://www.loveandlaundry.com/ " target="_blank"><img alt="Love and Laundry" src="http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh577/ThriftyMissSmith/PartyButton.jpg"/></a></center>

Now lets party! 

Jessie the Cowgirl Costume

Ahh! Our trunk or treat is coming up on Friday and I JUST finished my daughter's costume. I hate when I procrastinate.

At least the kids' costumes are ALL done. Hallellujah.

Last week I shared my son's Woody costume. Well...surprise surprise, my daughter is going to be Jessie the Cowgirl! 

I didn't want the traditional outfit with jeans because I like my baby girls frilly. (And this picture really accentuates her unibrow!)

Alrighty, let me break it down, because that's what I do.

1. Her hat I bought from The Dollar Store. I used my scissors to cut holes and then white yarn to thread through those holes. 

2. I know it's hard to see through the tutu, but I bought some white tights and drew cow print on them. I just put a piece of cow print fabric in the middle of the tights as an outline.

3. For her shirt I bought the plain white button-up shirt from a thrift store. I then free-handed a design in felt and sewed it onto the shirt. Then I got red paint and made a design and shook some red glitter on top of the paint. Magical.

4. This may be my favorite part! She has a red braid attached to the back of her hat! It's almost too cute for words!

She's ready to charm the people for their candy!

Sharing here: Lil Luna, Ginger Snap Crafts, DIY Dreamer, Southern Lovely, Rae Gun Ramblings, Winthrop Chronicles, 36th Ave, 52 Mantels, Seven Alive,        

Destination: Craft (#36)

Oh my goodness, Halloween time is upon us! We have a Trunk or Treat on Wednesday and I'm pretty excited to see my babies get all dressed up. 

I can't decide if I want to do something for me and my husband. Last year we went as BYU fans. Kind of a lame costume, creativity wise. Oh well.

I have some really random projects coming up for you... several baby projects. I guess it's baby season here in North Carolina!!

Here are some of the bomb diggety projects from last week:

1. Burlap Autumn Pillow by Love Grows Wild

2. Different Ways to Wear a Scarf by Decorated Choas

3. Hipster Bag by Hill Yeah

4. DIY Spiderweb Plate by Creatively Living

5. DIY Quoted Canvas by Sip-n-Wear

6. Repurposed Kitchen Stools by A Lo and Behold Life

Awesome job! You guys (ALL of you!) are the best!!

Woody the Cowboy Costume (On the Cheap!)

Hello friends!

Okay, I know there are a lot of people out there that don't do the Halloween thing. I get it. I don't particularly love buying candy for other people's kids. 

However, I DO love dressing my babies up because they're adorable in little costumes. 

So that being said, one of the worst things about Halloween is the prices of the costumes. They can be SO expensive! 

I set about to make costumes this year ON THE CHEAP. I'm boycotting expensive costumes. 

Here's my son's cheap but cute Woody the Cowboy (from Toy Story, fyi) costume:

What do you think? Looks pretty close, right? Let me break down my expenditures for you.

1. That sheriff badge I got from the dollar store. It was in a pack of 6 for a buck. Doesn't get better than that. (The hat was a dollar store find also).

2. These boots were a little more challenging. I just went to my favorite kids consignment store over and over again until I found some. They really complete the outfit.

3. This holster and belt were the most expensive part of the outfit. We found this at the Halloween Store (I think that's what it's called). It was 8 bucks and it came with a little gun, too. 

4. The vest was given to me by a friend (but would be easy to duplicate) and the neckerchief was just two triangular pieces of hankerchief-looking fabric sewn together. The shirt I found at a thrift store.

Total cost: Around $15! 

I love using things I already have combined with awesome finds! It makes me feel better about myself and my budget.

Cutest. Cowboy. Ever.

SHaring here: See Vanessa Craft, One Artsy Mama, 30 Handmade Days, Love & Laundry, Tatertots & Jello,     

Fluffiest Cowgirl Tutu

I'm excited for Halloween! I love getting my kids dressed up because what little kid doesn't love dressing up?!

My first costume post is for my 18-month daughter. She's going to be Jessie from Toy Story and instead of the traditional look I decided to go for a way more girly approach... a tutu!

I know, I know...there's a million tutu tutorials out there. But I'm going to add to the bunch and hopefully it'll help someone.

I started out with buying a TON of red tulle and 1/4 yard of cow print fabric. I looked for cow print ribbon but couldn't find it so I had to make it up and it ended up so cute!

Here is my supply list. I wasn't sure how I was going to do the waistband so ignore the elastic.

Cut long strips of the tulle. And there's another typo! Grrr. These are 5 inches by the length of the tulle (which I bought from the bolt). They are NOT 8 inches long.

Okay, for the waistband my mom and I had to find a different solution than the usual ribbon. We folded the fabric and cut with the fold on one side. Make it very long so you have enough to tie a bow around the waist.

Sew along the side where you just cut, not on the folded side.

Next, turn the tube inside out to reveal the right side of the fabric. That's all we did for the waistband.

Here's how we put the tulle on the waistband:

1. Make a loop on the top with a tail on the bottom.

2. Put the tail through the loop.

3. Make sure it's in the spot you want and tighten.

The key to making it super fluffy is to make sure you really jam those pieces of tulle close together. That way you can add more to it and it makes it fuller. 

And there you have it! A super fluffy tutu!

Sharing here: Ginger Snap Crafts, Lil Luna, Rae Gun Ramblings, Southern Lovely, DIY Dreamer, The NY Melrose Family, 36th Ave, Tatertots & Jello,        

Destination: Cutesy Monday (#35)

Hi guys! 

I'm back from Washington and ready to jump back into blogging! It was a fun 3 weeks & a wonderful vacation!

This week I'm going to share some costumes... I'm so excited to show you!

Here are some features from last week (I'm loving all the Halloween projects, by the way!):

1. Spray Painted Pumpkins by Made in a Day

2. Flounced-Hem Leggings by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

3. Upcycled Free Dresser by Todd & Lindsey

4. Candy Corn Pillowcase Dresses by Crafty Biggers

5. Halloween Subway Art by Smile Like You Mean It

6. Kreepy Halloween Wreath by Navy Wifey Peters

In the meantime, I'd love to see what you've been up to!!

Candy Corn Candy Jars

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a Halloween series hosted by Katie{did}it. I shared my Candy Corn Jars and today I wanted to share them with you! I hope you love them as much as I do!!

I bought these adorable jars at a shop called Christmas Tree Shops but I'm sure you could find similar ones at a dollar store. They kind of reminded me of little candy corns.

Then I found these M & M's at Wal-Mart and I was so thrilled! I thought they'd look adorable in my jars. PLUS they're delicious :)

I just layered the Candy Corn M&Ms into the jars to mimic a real candy corn, added BOO with the help of my Cricut, and glued some ribbon around the top. 

And now I have adorable candy jars on my shelves reminding me it's Halloween time!!

Sharing here: Lil Luna, Ginger Snap Crafts, Winthrop Chronicles, Rae Gun Ramblings, Southern Lovely, 36th Ave,      

Destination: Cutesy Monday (#34)

Hello again! 

I have one more week in Washington and then I'll be on my way back to North Carolina.

It has been SO fun to be here! But I have definitely been slacking on my posting. I promise to make up for it!

Here are the features from last week's party:

1. Chocolate Pumpkin Spider Donuts by Inside BruCrew Life

2. Pumpkin Candle Holders by Creating in Glass Slippers

3. Fall Mantel by Chase the Star

4. Baby Toms by Fancy That Notion

5. Free Halloween Printable by Pitter and Glink

6. Aviator Caps by Crafty Meggy

Now show me what you have been up to!! I love checking out all your awesome projects!!

How to Grow Your Blog: See Vanessa Craft

Oh my goodness, I'm such a goof. Serisously, I made a BIG mistake. In all the craziness of going on this mega trip I took with my kids, I messed up on the scheduling of my How to Grow Your Blog series and I left out one of my favorite girls: Vanessa from See Vanessa Craft!!!

Yikes.

I'll let her take it away & hopes she forgives me! :)

*******************

Hi guys! I'm Vanessa from See Vanessa Craft, where you can find my crafty ramblings (among other things). I'm usually working on at least 20 projects all at once and my craft room typically looks like a tornado blew through it. When I'm not crafting, you can usually find me chasing after my 2 year old dinosaur-addict son. I'm super excited to be posting at Destination Craft Today, thanks so much for the invite Kathryn! I started blogging back in 2008, basically before it was cool to blog, and have learned a lot of lessons along the way. My favorite thing about blogging has been the people I have met through it and the connections I have made. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would meet some of my favorite friends online, I would have thought you were nuts. But these ladies get me and I'm so grateful to have them in my life, some even in my real non-computer life now. At least once a week, I get an email from a reader asking how to grow their blog. I'll let you in on a little secret, make internet friends. Sure, they can help bring in the numbers, but more importantly they will be the reason why you continue blogging years down the road when you feel like you just want to quit. And there will be days when you feel like you want to quit the blogging world. Your friends will keep you inspired and maybe they'll even help pick up the slack a little with a guest post or two. You'll do the same for them. So, how do you make these awesome blog buddies you ask? Here are some of the ways I've found my internet BFFs:  
1. Guest Blogging. Do what Kathryn is doing here. Start up a series and connect with bloggers who's blogs you've personally enjoyed reading. I also try to rarely say no to writing a guest post for someone else. This is a great way to start building your network and who knows, you might just find a good friend or two in the mix. 
2. Unplug. That's right, turn off that computer and start networking in person! Whether it's at a giant blog conference or a small meetup for local bloggers, it's important to get your face out there. Plus, you might just find yourself in a room full of other blogging nerds who are just like you and carry on an hour long conversation about instagram without getting bored. 
3. Instagram (and Twitter too). I feel like you get to see a more personal side to bloggers through instagram and twitter, allowing you to get to know someone better. I've connected with more people through these venues than anywhere else.  
4. Facebook Pages. I've met so many awesome blogging friends through private blogging-related facebook pages. If you haven't been invited to one yet, start your own private facebook page and start inviting your favorite bloggers! You can usually find a local blogging page on facebook, so don't forget to request to join!  
5. Visit Other Blogs. Don't let your friendship be one sided. Give as much as you receive. I'm making more of an effort to try and comment on someone's blog when they've commented on mine. 

At SNAP with Poofy Cheeks & C. Jane Create