Category: Just for fun

Haunted Forest Recap

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

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.


This is one of my favorites on here…I’m a Siouxsie Sioux fan from waaay back and I miss my old cassettes.

 

And finally, the song in question…..

 

UPDATE:  We ended up using a mix of spooky sounds (wolves howling, door creaks etc…) for the forest and played the music mix inside the house.

To Do: Chickens?

I know….some of you can excuse yourselves to go throw up while I discuss my metamorphosis into a Trendy Mindy.  Don’t forget to brush your teeth.

Still here?  OK, well last year’s CSA gave us fresh eggs on a weekly basis, and we desperately miss them.  We opted against the CSA this year after our 9th week in a row of zucchini exclusive boxes brought the entire family to tears.  The Things were begging for it to STOP.  “Can’t we just compost them?  I can’t eat them anymore!!!  I’m even sick of the fritters!!”  I digress….

Eggs. We can go to the farmers market and get them, but some weeks I just can’t get there.  We’ve got a few friends who have been keeping them and we are fascinated.  Replacing our beloved pooch doesn’t seem likely, and a pet with such a tasty habit might be nice?

My Pinterest followers will recognize some of these images from my growing collection of coop inspiration.

 

So many beautifully designed coops out there!  If money were no object and we weren’t planning to build it ourselves…then these might dot our landscape.

Via Dwell

via Nogg.co

This is one of my faves…and we could probably make something similar, but I think we might like a walk-in coop?  Dunno..details, details.

via gastronomista

So, if we are to build said structure, would it look more like these?

via my pet chickens

via star apple

via backyard poulty mag

And we have all loved and admired this couple’s super coop….

via Dwell

So why am I talking about chickens anyway?!  Don’t I have the interior of a treehouse to paint now that the temps are cooling?  Why, yes.  But finishing up pesky details isn’t nearly as much fun as planning something new, that may, or may not, ever happen.

 

August 24 UPDATE:  Oh my GAWD..I just saw Karen’s coop over at The Art of Doing Stuff…and that is the mac damn daddy of all coops…..go check it here!

Rainy Days and Beds

The monsoon has arrived, so we are stuck inside again on another wet and grey day.

I’ve been wanting to revisit the bedroom linens, and this is what I always thought I wanted…but alas, too $$$$….

Image via Wallter/Fold Bedding site

Plus, I can’t abide wool next to my skin..it makes me itch and tweak like a junkie.  So this is horrendously impractical for me on all fronts.  I still want it to appear in my life for $100 made of cotton or linen though. I love the simplicity and clean lines. Girl’s gotta dream….

I’m really gravitating toward the old style bedmaking where the bedspread covers up all your pillows and box springs neatly…like my bed growing up actually.

Let’s revisit some popular beds and drool together, whatcha say?  OK then…..

Image via Marie Claire Maison

and of course….

Same room, new treatment…..

Both images via erin martin design

Washed linen coverlet over the duvet?

image of Ace Hotel via Commune Design

Being one of the only people who have yet to be hip and hang at this joint….I never noticed (in the photos) the grommets on the bedspread edge.  I could just get a giant canvas dropcloth and get the same budget friendly feel…

Let’s look again….

While this looks like cotton canvas, their linens and their throw are “painters linen” with a little style sewn on…  I could buy painters linen here or here, although not as inexpensively as cotton canvas.  Ace patrons, feel free to chime in your tactile textile experience here.

That brings us to patterns.  Where are the patterns? I kinda liked the trends of the suzani coverlet, and the Morrocan wedding blanket, but I need practical applications, and most of the color I see that I like isn’t durable/washable/affordable/whateverable enough for me.

Maybe I could conjure a Pucci coverlet….something like this?  If only…

Image via Yanamish Style

What about using this Marimekko Koski fabric to make a coverlet?

Image via Finnish Gifts

And this is silk…and completely impractical.

image via interiors magazine via Coco and Kelley

I feel certain if I went that busy on my bed, I’d become a jittery crankenstein within a few weeks.  If I go with a pattern, maybe it would be best to design my own?

Besides…as fall approaches, I’ll go back to wanting furry goodness…like Rachel.

photo via Apartment Therapy/ Rachel Zoe’s house

And those Missoni sheets too…I still really love it.

More pillow/boxspring covering…..

Image via Design Crisis

 

Image via Nuevo Estilo

More tidy pillow hiding….with fur.

Last winter, I tried to find a faux furry throw matching my existing one so I could sew them together to recreate the above looks, but I never found it.

I am starting to think I should just head to Lowe’s/Home Depot and pick up a dropcloth or two and hide my pillows and box springs without breaking the bank.  I need mulch anyway.

Hmmmm….I’ll rearrange some furniture and mull this over…..

Summer

Just a photo dump of what we’ve been up to when I’m (clearly) not here.  Sadly it’s almost over…school starts back next week…WAY too soon.

We’re trying to make the most of our last 9 days of freedom…long walks in the woods, Shark Week, lounging at the pool and not getting out of pajamas on rainy days…they grow up too fast to consider otherwise….