The Bat Tree (DIY)

Fall is certainly in the air and on the ground.  The two huge trees in our front yard have shed their bright yellow leaves, and I think it is far too pretty to rake them up right now.  I could easily say that fall is my favorite season, like ever.  Actually I should probably clarify that.  There is a 3-4 week window when the temperatures are warm enough to stand, and cool enough to pull out your favorite sweater(s) and riding boots.  Once I see snowflakes, I'm outtie.  I've also had the good fortune of coming up with some of the most kick-ass costume ideas ever.  Usually couple costumes with my hubs and sister is the route I prefer to take.  Here are some of my favorites if you are looking for a little inspiration yourself.

Black Swan/White Swan

Dia De Los Muertos

Wayne's World

Effie Trinket

There's Something About Mary

Enough about awesome costumes, let's get down to brass tacks.  About a month ago I started pulling out Halloween decorations only to find that my Edgar Allan Poe snow-globe didn't make it through the winter, turning all of my decorations into moldy swamp monsters.  Sad story.  Needless to say I took this as a learning opportunity to make my decorations instead of trusting big box stores... bastards.

List of Materials:

A stick with branches (free)

A spool of black ribbon ($2.99)

Foam ($3.19)

White or yellow Puffy Paint ($1.99)

Vase/Lantern (free because I had one)

Vase filler (I used some free rocks)

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Total Cost: $8.00 and some odd cents

The first step was finding a stick.  Me and Shane came across a brush pile while walking our pup last night.  It was a handsome stick, but Shane was convinced there were bugs on it.  Gretzky was a fan of it too.  Every time I turned my back he munched on it a little. 

I grabbed an amber colored lantern thingy I had laying around the house and cut the foam block down to size to fit into the lantern. Then I shoved my stick into the foam, pressing down firmly.  I placed a few rocks on top of the foam to hold the stick in place.

Next came the fun part.  I loosely tied black ribbons to different branches to give the illusion of bats, and cut the ends of the ribbon at a sharp angle.  Once I was satisfied with the amount of bats I had on my branches, I applied two white puffy paint eyes to each ribbon.  I think you could have a lot of fun with the eye color.  Even green would be kinda spooky!

So there you have it.  A project that costs under $10.00 that I feel adds a lot of pizzazz to your holiday decor, while still being subtle and classy!  Now, go make yourself a bat tree, ghouls.

Nooks and Crannies

So, this little post may not necessarily warrant a blog post, but A. I'm still happy with the outcome and wanted to share, and B. It might light a fire under you, and tackle a quick and easy project you may have not even considered.

There are areas of the house that can get overlooked.  Easy.  We have several, but yesterday I decided to take on one that I knew wouldn't turn into something much bigger... right away that is.

Ever since we put up our new light fixture, the rays have been illuminating areas of our house that we have failed to pay attention to.  Mainly the hallway closet to be exact.

Let's take a look--

So many scuffs.  I also uncovered one Pokemon card, two fairly impressive spiderwebs, one penny, and three screws.  How had I missed this?  Seven years after moving in, this stuff was making our closet a home.  Sadly, I didn't find the spider(s), but I am guessing they were of adequate size judging by the extent of the spiderwebs.  Eek.

More recently I've been diggin' the Benjamin Moore grey hues.  I've really been curious about Stonington Gray, and wanted to make sure it was the right choice before painting a larger room.  I'm not the only one liking this color either.  You can find this paint in the ever-creative and beautifully designed home of the bloggers from Young House Love, as well as sought-after stores like Pottery Barn.

Stonington Gray

I really like how clean this color is.  I know gray used to be "the thing" back in the late 80's, early 90's, but I can't say that this particular hue is outdated in anyway.

After some quick prepping and a hasty wipe down of the walls, my 40 minute make-over began and ended.  I used a satin finish because it's awesome for a job like this.  Reason being satin finishes deliver a shinier look which makes it easier to hide problem areas, as well as having stain and scrub resistance qualities.  This type of finish makes it ideal for living rooms, dining rooms, hallways, bedrooms, and closets.

After one coat

Although it may be tough to judge on the computer, in person the contrast between that yellowed off-white color and the cool soothing gray is night and day.

... and because people are curious, here's a couple of mandatory snap shots of the crap we have in our closet, excluding like 90% of it.  I mean, these photos are online after all.  We can't let people know we live like slobs.

So fresh and so clean, clean.

Never thought I would be so proud of the inside of a closet.  But alas, small changes can make the world of difference.  So, I guess what we are trying to say is in order to make your home feel extra special, don't forget the nooks and crannies.  Even though people won't be coming over and looking in your closets, the fact that you know it's the bomb diggity is all that matters, and that's pretty neat.

Blinded by the Light (DIY Branch Light)

Helllllllo there.  Me and Shane have been gone, but certainly aren't dead.  Yet.  The past month has been filled with every activity under the sun, and lots of Project Runway watching.  Lots.  Needless to say, something had to go.  So bu-bye blog for one month.  I've got a feeling things will start to settle down here within the next, oh, five years?  Regular blog sessions will ensue after.

One, or maybe two... probably two months ago I started another lighting project.  My favorite.  I came across this idea by checking out Home Depot's DIY section.  One of my favorite bloggers from Little Green Notebook hosted the how-to class in Tempe, AZ, and documented the process on her blog too.

Let's first begin by looking at the light we did have:

I think it was just too typical and boring for our personalities.  It isn't a bad light per-se, so if you have this light in your house and love it, good for you!  There could be worse things in life!  Hooray!

Our hallway doesn't see much for natural sunlight, and the dingy flush mount light just wasn't cutting it.  Half the time you could hardly tell it was on.

Enough is enough.  This little light of mine, I'm gonna make you shine, dammit.

First things first (I'll eat your brain then I'm gonna start rockin' gold teeth and fangs) thanks Nicki.  I started out by purchasing a very simple porcelain canopy socket for around three bucks and seven socket splinters- around $2.00 a piece.  I wanted to experiment with placement before painting the unit first.  While doing this the hubby kept looking over my shoulder.  He didn't even need to tell me what he was thinking, because I already knew, but decided to anyway.  Fire hazard.