Pumpkin images from Hungarian blog, Dekorella.
In some parts of France, we hear there’s a bit of trick-or-treating today. But in our small town, we were told it’s a no go. So instead, we’re having our own little Halloween celebration at Chez Blair. We’re pretty darn happy about it! Here’s what’s on the schedule:
- Carving jack-o-lanterns. Sometimes, I dread the mess and crave a refined, non-carved pumpkin like this and this. But today, I’m going to embrace the guts!
- A costume challenge: Each child will receive 2 large pieces of heavy paper and they need to create a costume out of it. They can use supplies we have in the art room, and grown-up assistance if needed. They are soooo excited for this.
- Baking our favorite old-fashioned pumpkin cookies.
- Watching Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin.
- Making a cozy dinner of Award Winning Chili, cornbread and apple cider. (Wish us luck finding the right ingredients!)
- If time allows, a bonus activity involving an installation of tea-lights.
Have a Happy Halloween! I hope yours is filled with school parades, fantastic costumes, trick-or-treating, and secretly raiding the candy bowl. Please eat an extra peanut-butter cup for me!
kisses,
Gabrielle
P.S. — We arrived home from Barcelona last night. I can’t wait to report on our adventures later this week.
Hello Friends! Tomorrow we’ll start the drive back to our farmhouse. We’ll be sad to leave Barcelona — our trip has been full of inspiring sights and good Spanish food. But the kids are super excited that we’ll be home for Halloween. Can you believe it’s on Monday? This month has flown right by.
While we finish up our Barcelona sight-seeing, here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:
- This art studio looks straight out of Tim Burton movie. So cool!
- Great ideas for indoor play. Bring it, snow days.
- Wow. This article will change your day.
- It’s hard to resist googly eyes.
- An (adorable) Monster Contest.
- One of the many reasons I love good design.
- Get in the picture! Go here and scroll down to read Aleida’s Challenge.
- Clever Halloween costumes — don’t miss Rosie the Riveter & the Liechtenstein Girl.
I also write for Babble.com. Here are this week’s posts:
- Amazing hand-drawn family portraits. Perfect for holiday cards.
- New homegoods at Target! (I miss Target.)
- Clever last-minute Halloween craft.
- This is the first thing I’ve added to my Christmas wishlist.
- Yay! European goodies for U.S. Shoppers.
Have a wonderful weekend! I hope it’s full of Halloween festivities and adorable costumed children. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.
kisses,
Gabrielle
Images by Tenka Gammelgaard
Do you dress up for Halloween, or are you too busy getting everyone else ready for trick-or-treating that you forget to plan something fantastic for yourself?
I saw this how-to and immediately hatched a grand plan that involves dramatic make-up, feathers, and definitely glitter. Since Halloween isn’t really the thing in France, I’ll have to save it for another year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be the Black Swan or something equally fabulous! Try it! And then be sure to send me your picture.
Photo by Mario Testino found here.
Remember Letterpress for iPad? Well the creators came out with Letterpress for Mac! Meaning, it’s ready to use on laptops and desktop computers. My favorite part? With the new version, you can create images that are print quality — even at poster size! (In tech speak, you can create up to 26″ at 300 dpi.) Here’s a little demo video. Find it on iTunes here.
I think it would be fun to use this app and design your own faux letterpress holiday cards. Or maybe a poster with your family slogan. What would you create?
It’s giveaway day! The Vintage Pearl is offering two $50 gift certificates. That means double winners!
The Vintage Pearl make such sweet pieces — and customizes them just for you. Have you seen their newest products? This golden love necklace and these custom birthstone rings? Beautiful! I think the rings would make a lovely gift for your sister’s or best friend’s birthday.
Visit The Vintage Pearl and leave a comment below to enter. The winners will be announced on Monday. Good luck!
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The lucky winners are Heidi F. and Greta. Thanks for playing!
Where’s the first place you look these days for holiday decorating ideas? I head straight to Pinterest. Just run a search for Halloween, and your inspiration file will be filled to capacity with all things creative, creepy, whimsical, delicious, smile-inducing, gross, and even grosser.
But be warned: I’ve known people who’ve disappeared for days on Pinterest! Are you nodding your head in agreement right now? I’m guilty, too.
I’m curious about how you use Pinterest. What do you pin the most: DIY, fashion, beauty, or words that make you melt? Do your pins provide clarity for your concepts, or are they frustrating in their endlessness? Confession: I seek inspiration on Pinterest all the time, but I rarely pin. I’m designmom if you want to see my (bare) pin boards. : )
P.S. Painted pumpkins at top here. If you’ve seen any other stellar Halloween pins, please share them!
Have you seen this video? It’s genius. We tried it and it worked brilliantly!
Question:
My kids really want to put up some lawn decorations for the trick-or-treaters, but I’m having trouble finding anything that isn’t expensive. Any ideas? — Cassie P.
Answer:
Thanks for your question, Cassie! The idea I bookmarked this year is from Martha Stewart. Very real-looking gravestones made from gray paper bags! The instructions look super easy and the bags are only $4 for 25.
For something slightly harder, but still very inexpensive, try these spooky scarecrows I created. They have BIG impact and you can use them year after year.
What about you, Clever Readers? Any budget-friendly ideas for outdoor Halloween decor?
We should be getting back from Spain just in time to do our pumpkin carving. I saw this idea for using Cookie Cutters and thought it looked so fun!
What sort of pumpkin carving will you be doing this year? Any preferred techniques?
