Granted it may be a little late to be thinking about making Halloween crafts, but I couldn't resist when I saw this because it's so simple. It also led me to another great blog at Skip to My Lou. These adorable pumpkin and ghost votive holders would take virtually no time at all and would be great projects to do with you kids too. They are made using baby food jars, Mod Podge, black construction paper, and crepe and tissue paper. How easy is that? If anyone tries these and wants to post pics, that would be fantastic. I can so picture these sitting along your walk or driveway to light the way for all the little ghouls and princesses coming for your treats on Halloween night!
Fall always seems to fly by so quickly, probably because it is my favorite time of year. I always want to get the decorations out just a bit earlier than I should, but thankfully my husband keeps me somewhat in check with that and I return the favor when he pushes to get out Christmas decor before Thanksgiving rolls around. Shopping for Halloween candy is always fun. We just need to place it strategically or buy it at the last minute so that we don't eat most of it ourselves. We decided we didn't want to be a one of the houses that gave out crappy candy, so we get the good stuff....chocolate! We have averaged around 40-70 trick-or-treaters in the five Halloweens that we have lived in this neighborhood. I think that it's the perfect number. I hear stories of people elsewhere that get into the hundreds and have to turn off their light when they run out of candy. Last year we actually had some left that we had to get rid of! The highlight is definitely seeing what our next door neighbors are going to dress as to go along with their 6 year old son. We've had Dad as batman (secretly my favorite year) and another year as Scooby Doo in a full-on costume. I hear this year the son will be Harry Potter and Dad will either be Hagrid or Dumbledore, but whatever he chooses, I'm sure he will go all out in the costume department!
After having my Etsy shop open since April, I have finally moved into the real world and fashioned myself an actual business card! I have not really promoted much amongst my friends and family due to the fact that I didn't feel professional enough. Well, watch out baby because here I come. I also just recently had my first request for a large order based on merchandise I had listed in my shop. And I've sold a few items within the past month. Things are definitely looking up for me. When I started out, I decided it was just for fun and if it ever turned into anything more that would be fabulous. I'm still a long way off from it turning into anything more, but it's still an exciting prospect. It'd be nice to have enough income from my craftiness to cut back my hours at my day job by one day a week. That is my ultimate goal at this time.
Meet the newest addition to the family...Charlie Murphy! Charlie just had his first birthday and is a miniature dachshund that needed to find a good home where his owners had more time to pay attention to him. Although, I worry about our other dog, Ramona's, mental health at the ripe old age of 12, I'm hoping that she and Charlie can come to some sort of agreement. Charlie kisses on the mouth, unlike Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman' as seen in the picture. Charlie likes to shower me with kisses after a long hard day at work. Ramona and Charlie have actually both sat with me on the couch on 2 separate occasions now without growls or barks. Charlie's true last name from his previous owner was Murphy, and if you have ever watched Chappelle's show, you surely understand why we will continue to call him Charlie Murphy. Murphy will just be his middle name now. Ramona will be dressing this Halloween as a "puppy hog" in a pig costume, and Charlie will be going as a vampire if he fits into the costume. I'll be sure to post pics of that for all to enjoy.
I have to say that Craftzine is the rockingest website for crafty ideas out there! I actually found it via another great blog that I read, homemade by jill. If I go for a few days without checking it out, I am absolutely flooded by awesome pictures and tons of ideas that I would love to try, like this shaped book tutorial at Cheeky Magpie. There just aren't enough hours in the day to even look at all of the cool crafty things people are doing these days, let alone actually making them! Trick or treat was okay last night. We had about 45 kids come to the house. We actually have some candy left over, which is not what I was hoping for! Ramona was a good sport and wore her pig costume for a brief period. She was a hit with the kids and their parents. She did, however, look totally and utterly humiliated! Her second picture is the most perfect "stink eye" from a dog I've ever seen! 
