I finally got around to it...

Halloween has completely taken over everything else this month. I finally got around to finishing that teaser I gave... This turned out to be a silly little project, but I love the end result.
When I got the Xterra the caps on the cigarette lighters were missing. This is a fact that I really could care less about. I don't smoke, nor do I ever intend in picking up the habit. So I didn't care if the lighter was there or not. Ronda, my dear, sweet, roommate is very particular about those things and stated that I should go buy some just so it will look complete and finished. I was just like AH, I don't want to spend money on something so unnecessary. So, what did she do? She went and got me some!! HOw funny, huh?

I put them in and here was this lit cigarette staring me in the face. I did't like that either. So, I decided to change it.... the options starting rolling around in my head... Mod Podge, Paper, a sticker, a button and then I found this...

You can never have too much * Bling * in your life
I took this Scotch Glue, put a dollop in the center, let dry and then installed!

IT is really silly, but I love the end result. It makes me smile.


So, this is really a silly little post, but I really like these little blingin' caps! Too much fun! All in the name of making the car mine without being too tacky!
It is a really subtle touch, which I like most of all.

"DId you get the MEmo?"

Funny Story... Ronda came to me this morning and said... "I got the memo!" and showed me these...

Now everyone is saving their "Unwanted treasures" and giving them to me. Someone was going to throw these beauties away and she knew that I would appreciate them. I have so many ideas already swimming around in my mind. I know what I want to do with them!
It really is true that one man's trash is another crafty gals treasure.
The memo is that you mustn't throw ANYTHING away without first consulting me. Haha The guys at the shop know that before throwing glass or wood scraps away, they must ask me to see if I have a use for it. I even salvaged an awesome cube box that would have been dumpster dust had I not saved it! So... DId yoU get the MEMO??? Do not throw it away! I can use it for something! And if I cannot use it, it will go to the recycle bin, of course!

Murder, Mystery and Intrigue!

I was so excited all day Friday. I could hardly stand it! I left work at 1:00 to finalize everything downstairs, finish cooking, and get myself all gussied up for the Par Tay! It really was so much fun! I was relieved to finally have it here. The guests finally arrived and I was so Ecstatic to see them in their costumes. It put a huge smile on my face. I love these people! Let me introduce to you...
Shaun and Bracy AKA "Donny and Flo Brooks"

Nicole AKA "Eiaguelle R. Aminmund"

Courtni and Alex AKA "Miranda T. Shetes and Roger B. Astird"

Jason AKA "Dr. Malcolm K. T. Praktiss"

Derric AKA "Prosper Alvin Bates, Esquire" He forgot his costume...

Johnathan and Kylene AKA The hosts of our game for the evening!

Last but not least.. Me AKA "Dame Allison Bigh"

Courtni during dinner. It was really fun to have a dinner party. My first and definately not the last!

Playing the game... Deep concentration! I really liked how the game was played out. It was not what I was expecting at all.


We really had a great time. We laughed a lot and It was so much Fun! It was definately worth all the work I put into it.
I must admit that I was completely lost as to whom I thought the murderer was. All hope I ever had of becoming a Detective/ PI just went right out the window. hhaaha
Life is great! It is wonderful when we can just stop for a moment and entertain the little kid in all of us.

The Decorations...

Well, The big event came and went! I hurried to snap a few photos of the decorations before the guests arrived. I am not sure where I was in all of the preparations at the point I took these pictures, but I hope you love the look/mood I hoped to create! I think one of my favorite things about the room is this....

No not me, Look closer... The Fence! Gives a creepy outdoor, cemetary vibe. The best part. Totally Free. My neighbors had this on the side of their house. They had it up and functioning at one point, but took it apart and down. So while it was sitting there I snagged it up and used it as my Halloween decor. It really brought it all together. LOVE IT! Too Bad I have to give it back and cannot use it year after year. *Sniffle Sniffle* That is me all decked out as "Dame Allison Bigh" for the party! I look like a vixen... ahhaahaha
Anyway...
Here is a look at the "treat" table... so much fun!
I didn't get a picture of the cauldron bubbling with the root beer/dry ice... and for good reason. I didn't realize that the second you add the dry ice it is going to bubble and practically explode all over the place... Of course right before the guests are about to arrive. hahaha oh man! But I got it cleaned up just fine! Do you remember this frugal find I posted about this summer? I was going to make my own "cupcake stand" for the caramel apples to sit on and then I saw the little tree thing and made my own Caramel Apple tree. It is silver and black and went perfectly with the rest of the decor. My skull cupcakes did not turn out as cutesy as I was hoping, but They tasted yummy!
The FAMILY Portrait Wall... I added a silhouette of me and my puppy Kapri.

The Table...

Mercury Star Ornaments hung from the ceiling with care!

Each person had a personalized Tombstone at their seat. I made these out of foam and spraypaint. Totally free. I got the foam scraps from work. (We use the foam to ship glass.) I just carved, painted, and affixed each name in vinyl. You can see Alex's better in the picture Below. I let each of them take their tombstones home.

The plates I got from... you guessed it, the Dollar Store. I made the placemats out of paper and spray glitter. IT really helped the plates pop off the table. Got the idea from Eddie Ross.

The fireplace... oh sweetness. It looks so warm and inviting! I love how it all turned out.

The rest are just little things that I added here and there to give it a ooky, spooky touch! ENjOY!

Every witch must have her broom and black cat! Love the framed silhouette to sit beside it.

I made the spell book from a Family Medical book. It was chock full of creepy body part pictures. I am going to jazz it up more before Halloween. I will post on that later.

THe Big Event is Tonight!

Oh mY goodness! So my Halloween Party is tonight!~ It is here, I can hardly believe it! I am so excited! It is going to be so much fun! I cannot wait! I was up til 1 AM last night doing some finishing touches on the room and getting everything presentable. I work until 3 today and then I am going to hit the pavement running!!! I have to get EVERYTHING done before my guests arrive at 6. I need dry ice and some fake lashes and then I am good.
So I procrastinated my costume and finally pulled something off at 6 AM this morning. Talk about cutting it close! I am going red!
I decided to do a glam look with makeup and hair. I am so excited. I got some inspiration and makeup tips from "The Classic Pin up Girl Makeup How to" A tutorial featured on You Tube.

So, I hope I can pull this look off and look like The "Dame Allison Bigh" herself!! Hahaha, That is the name of my character that I will play in this game "How to host a Murder" tonight. The Watersdown Affair! I didn't have to buy this thankfully! My friend owned it, so she is hosting the game portion and just letting us play. So Excited!
This is my Character Description:
Dame Allison Bigh
"A renowned author of English Mystery Novels, Dame Bigh has enjoyed great popularity and success since her best seller, "The Knife Slices Coldly," was published two years ago. Since that time, her writing has been generously praised for its lifelike characterization of the criminal mind. The Dame is a guest at Watersdown to gather material and set the mood for her new book, which is a sequel to "The Knife..." Sir Roger is a great admirer of her work. Dame Bigh is known as "Ali" to close friends."
Costume Suggestion: A long, Flowing Dress, not too low-cut, dignified but not spinsterish.
Oh man, I am so excited! I will post a ton of pics of the decor and the big Event! I will also include all my friends/guests and their costumes! Soo So much fun!

What would Fall be without a Caramel Apple?

You know me... I like things to be easy, fast and inexpensive! The less I have to measure the better!
I made caramel apples yesterday for the party tomorrow and thought I would show you how I do things. Be prepared to be amazed. No measuring or sifting or counting involved!
Ingredients:
* Apples (I made 12)
* Store bought individually wrapped caramels (I used the Kraft caramels in the yellow bag)
* craft sticks or popsicle sticks (The Kraft caramels come with 5 in each bag)
* two cans sweetened condensed milk
That is it, Seriously! You don't need anything else, I promise.

* * * * Step 1 * * * *
Remove all the wrappers from the caramels... this can be kind of tedious, but if you have little ones they will love this step.

* * * * Step 2 * * * *
Put the caramels and the sweetened condensed milk into a sauce pan and put it on low heat. Stir constantly. This is quite tedious and takes a bit of time, but it is SO worth it! IF your heat is too high, it will scorch the bottom and you will have chunks in the caramel. Believe me I know. I have tried to cheat time before!

* * * * Step 3 * * * *
Now you can take the time to peel the stickers off your apples and wash them. Dry them thoroughly so the water does not get into the caramel. insert your sticks at least half way through the apple.

* * * * Step 4 * * * *
Haha, Keep stirring... Oh look at that pretty caramel color! My mouth is salivating

* * * * Step 5 * * * *
Check to see that the caramel is done and ready to coat the apple. I do this by dropping a dab of caramel into some cold water. If it is chewy and the consistency that I want, it is done. No Candy thermometer needed!
this is the best I could do as far as a picture of this step is concerned! I was working by myself and had to juggle hot caramel and a camera.
* * * * Step 6 * * * *
The best part... DIp your apple!
I use a spoon to help coat it. Pushing the caramel up the sides.

* * * * Step 7 * * * *
Place on wax paper and let cool. I love this caramel. IT is really chewy and smellicious! It perfumes the whole house!

So there you have it, your basic Caramel Apple!
I had left over caramel, so I just cut up an apple and ate it with it. You could make more covered apples though.
Everyone have a wonderful Fall Season! I hope that you enjoy your time with family and friends!
IF you do make this recipe, please comment and share with me how things turned out. I love and appreciate all comments! They warm my heart!

Here's your Sign...

So have I mentioned lately that I LOVE Vinyl? Well I do. A Lot. I love to sit down on the computer, type in a cutesy wootsy phrase and see it come to life on a craft or in a decoration! IT is so fast and so clean. I love that it looks professional and complete.
I have gone Vinyl crazy while learning Flexisign at work. Sooo much fun! Here are some of the signs I have made... and other places I have used Vinyl...
I love this sign, It is hanging over the food table/Buffet for my party. I added the googly eyes from the dollar store. I think it gives it personality

When I envision my basement for the party, I want it to look and feel like you are walking into a witch's home and seeing some of the things she would have around. So here is a sign I made on the flexisign program. I took an iceskate and cut and stretched and rearranged to make it look like a witch's shoe. Although NOW I wish I would have made a curvy point, but this will do. It was all originally painted on white vinyl, but I needed color so I hand painted it after it was adhered to the sign. I glued on some spiders and buttons and Voila... A very cute witch's foot!

This was a two second sign. spray paint board and put on Vinyl... Yeah!

Thank you Roeshel for the phrase... I thought it was adorable so I made a small one and stuck it on with this owl. Boy was that fun to peel... Love the ribbon!

Here is my big witch's cauldron that will hold the root beer and dry ice!

And then her little baby cauldron to match. I even put this same skull and crossbones on the plastic container holding the eating utensils

This was another easy spray, dry, peel, and stick. I used this black mesh that I have had for years to make the hanging part and cuten it up. I love cutesy!

I am even putting vinyl on pumpkins... I want to make a more sophisticated looking pumpkin. My next project!!! This was a quickie I put together this morning... HEY Frank A!

Here is my Branch tree that I have seen all over blog land. I added ting tings to mine to fill it and give it some whimsy! I like how it turned out. Sorry for the blurry pic.

All of the wood for the signs I got from work... they were the scrap pieces that were just lying around. My Boss decided it would be a good idea to let me use this...

Crazy I know, Me and a Hack saw... What was he thinking? hahaha I am very careful though. For sure, I do not want to lose any fingers and have to suffer through being called nubs the rest of my life. One day I was in the back of the shop chopping some long pieces down, and both Roger and Aaron about had a heart attack. They came running worried that one of Wyatt's kids had gotten a hold of the saw. No, it was just me. I cannot help though every time I use it to just laugh with glee like a little girl. It is really fun to use, I must admit. There is definately a certain sense of satisfaction in saying "Yeah, I know how to use a hack saw..." No big deal. I am pretty versatile though. That is how mY Mama raised me. We didn't always have a man around so we would have to just fix it ourselves. I know how to use a hammer and power tools. I am glad I am so independant. That is one of my favorite things about myself. If there is a problem, I can usually come up with a solution. I can figure it out!
(Sidenote: if you look at the picture of the hack saw, there is a tube on it about to be chomped! THat is another big project I am working on. I will show it to you when I am done... Don't you love the suspense???) Mwah ha ha

A New Ride and teaser!

I got a new car on Monday October 12th. I love it! It is a 2002 Nissan Xterra Supercharged SUV. I love it!

This is what I was driving!


This is What I am rolling around town in now!!! 4X4, Moon Roof, CD Player, Working AC and Heater. Perfect body condition. Clean Title. A wonderful Car!

Take a close look at this console... I already have an idea of a small little somethin, somethin that I would like to do to change the look! I will post about it soon!

Do you have any ideas? What do you think I am going to change?
Oh and did you notice? Yes that is a 6 DISC CD CHANGER!!!! Woo hoo! I am so blessed and so spoiled! It even has the steering wheel stereo control! Holla!