Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Posted: December 24th, 2011 | Filed under: Just for fun | Tags: Holidays | 3 Comments »

The big fat man is coming…..

Holiday Disco Redux

Posted: December 10th, 2011 | Filed under: Just for fun | Tags: gold disco ball ornaments, holiday decor | 5 Comments »

The holiday disco balls are back, and I’m feeling the need for a little extra sumtin’. Last year, I went for the bare and spare look, letting the sparklys take center stage, but for 2011, I’m wanting a more cozy feel. Previous posts on the disco balls are here and here.

This year’s version looks more Charlie Brown than ever.

Holiday Insta-dump

Posted: December 6th, 2011 | Filed under: Avian Obsession, Fawn Love, Just for fun, Puppy Love | Tags: holiday decor, vintage flocked bird ornaments, vintage flocked deer | 2 Comments »

Fun with photography apps!

A few favorite ornaments seemed to be a good place to play around…..

These first two are from my childhood….my parents picked them up for me on their travels in the 70′s.

A family favorite was “Pancho Claus” picked up south of the border. He was a candle in the form of Santa wearing a sombrero….the wick came out of the top of his hat. One brutally hot summer he melted in the attic and we mourned his loss, not unlike a pet. What?! It was the 70′s and Pancho Claus was cool I tell you….Trust.

These glittery little beauties were found at estate sales in my 20′s….from someone elses childhood.

Um…all birds. Sorry.

The red flocked deer below belonged to my parents, and I adored them growing up. They used to be on our dining room table every year, in front of a silver punchbowl full of poinsettias. Sometime in my 20′s or early 30′s, I begged for them, and they were kind enough to oblige. The vintage brass deer candle holders are a recent Etsy purchase.

Felt circles bought from Fred Flare a few years ago are sill holding strong….

On the puppy front, Otto is growing very fast and into everything…..he even tried to chew the lights!

He is Ottofabulous the LoveShark. Sometimes he’s Pushkin (the CC wanted to name him that at one point, so it’s one of his bazillion nicknames.)

What are some of your favorite holiday decorations? Hannukah, Chinese New Year, etc.. Is there a piece from your childhood that you cherish, or have you gotten something new that will be a keeper for years?

Photos brought to you by Diptic, Hipstamatic, Big Lens and Instagram. I found a plug- in that imports the Instagram photos to the right sidebar, so the latest snaps will be there. I swear, I will pick up the SLR again at some point.

Always Late to the Party

Posted: November 8th, 2011 | Filed under: Just for fun | Tags: halloween photos, instagram | 6 Comments »

I waited nearly 5 years to join the party. I’m a second generation adopter of any new gadget; I prefer they get the bugs out and lower the price before I jump in. That said, I was all ready to go iPhone a few years back, but then we moved into what my friends call “the crater”. Verizon coverage only, and we still need a booster to be able to talk without losing the call. Once they finally got in cahoots with Verizon, you KNOW I had to wait for the 4S, second generation and all…I’d waited years, so what was another few months?

I’m still learning how to work this newfangled thing with the help of Thing One, who has an iPod touch, so he’s way ahead of me. YES, I still have the clickwheel “classic” version. I’m old. When your kids start teaching you technology, it’s the beginning of a slippery slope down to grannyhood.

While cleaning up the last bits of Halloween around the house, I took my first attempt at Hipstamatic/Instagram usage and posted to my Twitter feed. This could be fun!

Haunted Forest Recap

Posted: October 31st, 2011 | Filed under: Just for fun | Tags: DIY Halloween Outdoor Decor, halloween, haunted forest, holiday decor | 8 Comments »

It’s a mixed bag, my friends. Some might say, I failed you big time. Others might recognize that I did way better with photos than last year, so let’s focus on progress and development….mmmkay? Glass half full people.

Weather was our main foe this round. Last year, it was nice and dry all week, this time, we had rain Thursday AND Friday. So? This means the bulk of our forest adornments must be put in all at once….on the day of the party..in the mud. We had a dry party, so there’s that…not cashing in on your rain date is definitely a win.

We used a Paperless Post invite which I have edited for public viewing…

We had about 95 peeps this year, and some of these snaps were taken before and after the party, and some were taken the next day. Again…just not a lot of time for photos during the party.

As guests arrived up the driveway, there is a table at the entrance to the forest with treat bags.

We pulled out the tombstones we made last year….

And hung the moon…..

For those worried I might expose children to Gnarls Barkley, rest easy…we went with the spooky sounds instead, which I think scared the kids a lot more than the Boogie Monster ever could have, so they were potentially ruined either way.

For safety reasons, the treehouse was off limits, but we styled it up super spooky.

We created a little scene underneath the treehouse with our new gifted butler from our good friend…she loves Halloween as much as we do and I hope we did her proud with him!

I decided to put more than just skelebirds in the cages…this one has ghost bats…..

The other practice moons ended up adorning the bar area.

I’m pretty bummed I never got a single photo of the table spread. It looked pretty good too…it was heaving with yummy stuff….

Now nothing…no bloody cranberry grape juice with brain ice, no hot spiced apple cider, kettle corn, mini pizzas, mini bagel dogs, carrots, sugar snaps, sun sugar tomatoes, hummus, grapes, manadarins, chips, pumpkin cakes, oreo tower, cheese plate, paté, garlic toasts, and of course… dem bones! Photo FAIL!!!!

The Tattoo Station was back again this year…..

….as was a pinata. We didn’t make it ourselves this year…not enough time.

There’s really no better reminder of our savage animal insticts than watching the melee after a successful hit on a pinata. That’s SCARY.

So this is one of those funny little things you discover after a party….who took the teeth? Did they wear them, and did they taste like raw pumpkin? Who knows.

This year’s movie feature was a series of old Scooby Doo episodes from 1969-1971. Here’s a theater before and aftermath……

The next night, we had a fire, leftovers and popcorn and the Things choice movie. Heh. Ven. New tradition for sure. After the Things went to sleep, the CC and I watched the 39 Steps.

My favorite photo: The CC and Thing Two kept me company after the party while I was snapping away in the forest, and I got lucky……

Happy Halloween everyone.

Halloween Playlist

Posted: October 27th, 2011 | Filed under: Just for fun | Tags: Halloween Playlist, haunted forest | 3 Comments »

Looks like Goop and I have something in common this week! I’ve been putting together a playlist for the Haunted Forest that adults can listen to without having to grit their teeth. For me, that means no Monster Mash, Dead Man’s Party, or Thriller. All great choices, but I’m so tired of them this time of year. I did throw in a couple of other tried and true givens, but they raise my hackles a bit less than the others. We plan to have the music playing from the treehouse while they make their way on the trail through the forest.

I might have to get rid of The Gnarls Barkley song since at the VERY end there’s a brief mention of head…sigh.