Rordan is TWO!

This past Friday, October 24, 2014, our little baby boy turned two years old!  Where did the last two years go?  I guess they say, time flies when you're having fun, so that must be it.  John took a vacation day to celebrate with us, and we all went to the park to take pictures, and let Rordan play.  He had more fun playing with the balloons, and spinning around on the merry-go-round, than anything.  I think I got some fun pictures, that really capture his personality as it is now.  He's such a ham!

On Saturday, we threw a party for him.  We chose to do a Jake and the Neverland Pirates, theme this year.  Last year was Mickey Mouse.  It turned out cute, and our cake was even better than last years!  We will be returning to get his third birthday cake from Delice Chocolatier and Patisserie  as well.  We had many family and friends attend, and Rordan had the best time playing outside with his little friend.  He hasn't been around many children, since I've kept him out of daycare, and really, we haven't ever gone to any kid type play spaces, so I was happy to see him getting along, and having a good time.  John and I want to thank everyone that came out, sent a card, sent a gift, sent a well wish.  We appreciate it, and I'm sure if Rordan understood, he would too.

Here are a ton of pictures to remember the days.....

Bedroom1

Bedroom1 by irisnacoleatwh featuring textured throw pillows

Midcentury lighting
etsy.com

Sheepskin rug
pfeiferstudio.com

Blue area rug
etsy.com

Ivory throw blanket
$165 - outthereinteriors.com

Round mirror
arteriorshome.com

Color field painting
roomandboard.com

Tree home decor
dwr.com

Ivory throw pillow
laylagrayce.com

Pottery Barn textured throw pillow
potterybarn.com

CB2 textured throw pillow
cb2.com

John Lewis mantel clock
johnlewis.com

Tufted bed
arhaus.com

Stanley Furniture 3 drawer nightstand
purehome.com

20 Halloween Crafts Cipboard to be Featured in Hometalk Newsletter!

Imagine my surprise when I opened up my email account, and found a message from Liz Storch, a Community Manager for Hometalk.  She was kind enough to compliment me on my DIY Apothecary Jars, and asked if I'd be interested in curating a Clipboard, featuring Halloween crafts found on the site.  Well, of course I was interested!  Interested, and honored!  Luckily, Hometalk has so many talented members, that it wasn't hard to pull together a variety of crafts to share.  Each craft featured on the board will have a link to the original member's post, where you will find a tutorial on how to complete the craft for yourself.  While you are visiting the board, take a minute to venture out, and browse the many topics available on Hometalk.  I'm positive that once you do, you will find yourself signing up for your own account.  That is, if you haven't already done so.  Thank you again, Liz, for thinking of me for this.  I had fun pulling it all together!

Fall Porch Tour, Pt.2 (Halloween)

It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work, but I am SO happy with the outcome of our "Halloween Porch".  Since we already decorated for Fall, I didn't want to do too much to change it up, so I opted to go for a "Spooky Pumpkin Patch" theme.  I still have a few more things to do out on the lawn, but the porch is done, and ready to share.  Okay, I'll stop chattering now, and let the pictures speak for themselves.  I hope you enjoy! 

Family Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

Since Rordan was born, we've taken thousands upon thousands of pictures of him.  I mean, every parent is in love with their child, right?  I just want to capture as many moments as possible, to share with him as he gets older.  Today, John, Rordan,, Grandpa, and I, all went to our local pumpkin patch, to take pictures.  I can honestly say, this year was more fun than last year.  This year, Rordan was amazed with all of the pumpkins, and since they have a petting farm as well, he was even more excited to see the animals.  We've decided we are going to have to adopt a chicken, or some sort of bird, as that seemed to be Rordan's favorite.  Actually, it was a peacock, but I'm not so sure how well I could handle one in my backyard.  LOL!
This is going to contain a HUGE amount of photos, for family, and memory sake.  I'm so happy to have captured so many great moments.  Enjoy!

 

Kitchen/Dining Ideas

Kitchen/Dining Ideas by irisnacoleatwh featuring framed wall art

Chain lamp
arhaus.com

Handwoven rug
etsy.com

Match bar tool
gracioushome.com

Droplet Jar
lovesac.com

Rice glass dinnerware
$27 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Schott zwiesel champagne flute
didriks.com

Jonathan Adler framed wall art
jonathanadler.com

Round mirror
arteriorshome.com

Jayson Home wall art
jaysonhome.com

Framed wall art
wayfair.com

Ethan Allen dining table
ethanallen.com

West Elm wood furniture
westelm.com

Nailhead accent chair
hdbuttercup.com

Contemporary furniture
$96 - habitat.co.uk

HALLOWEEN MANTEL DECOR

Halloween is coming, and I've been decorating, decorating, decorating.  I've also been crafting a lot.  I want to save as much money as I can this year, because we have some big projects coming up here at home, so even if that means just a few dollars, I'm happy.  Because of that, I can say that I had a lot of fun this morning, cutting out paper bats, for our mantle display.  Okay, honestly, it was fun for about 10 minutes, and then I was tired of tracing, and cutting, and managing Rordan all at the same time.  I think he knows when I need to do something, because those are the exact times he decides that I'm the center of his world, and he must sit on me.  LOL!  No worries though, I love holding him, it just makes for a longer project.  Luckily, the final outcome proves to me that it was worth my time.  I'm loving the way it looks!
Also, to give credit where credit is due, about three of the bats are actually Martha Stewart paper bats, that I purchased at Michael's last year.  The package had quite a few, but I must have thrown away the ones I used last year, so I didn't have enough to complete the look I wanted for the mantle.  I ended up using the original to create a pattern, and cut the rest out of black card stock.  I used a hole punch for the eyes, and folded them according to the original pattern.  I think they came out pretty nice, so I'm patting myself of the back for that.  I hope you like the photos! 

DIY Paper Bats, Martha Stewart Paper Bats, Target Dollar Spot Halloween Banner & Trick or Treat Sign, & Jack-O-Lantern Votives, Haunted House Tour sign is from ROSS, and all other décor is from either existing items, or Hobby Lobby.

I added a throw from Target, and a pillow from Ikea to bring in the accents of black and white, I wanted.

Here is an overall look at the area, all decorated up!  The gold and black pumpkins are from Target, as well as the pumpkins in the tray.  I've had the owl for quite a few years, and think he will be keeping this spot this year. 

I'm so glad you took a moment to stop by and see the updates!  I'll have more photos to share in the near future, of our outdoor Halloween décor, so check back for those. 

DIY Outdoor Skull Garland

 

 

Thanks for joining me today for the reveal of this outdoor skull garland!  This project is so simple that it consists of  only three steps to make.  

 

 

Supplies Needed:

Rope, Drill, Scissors, Skulls  (mine are from the Dollar Tree), and not pictured, Tape

                                                     

 

First you will take your skull and drill two holes, one on each side.  Make sure that the hole is large enough to run your rope through.  I used the scissors to enlarge the hole after drilling if I ran into any problems.

 

                                                

Second, run your rope through the skull, left to right , skull facing you.  I had success getting the rope through easily by taping off the end of the rope.  It's something I discovered after taking my supplies photo so that's why you don't see it.

                                                

 

The third step is to tie a knot at each end if the skull.  Depending on the length you are going for, and how many skulls you are using, calculate the space to the next skull.  Tie another knot, and add another skull to the rope.  Repeat this process until you have reached the desired length.  

That's it!  Again, so easy, and cheap, and yet, you end up with an awesome outdoor Halloween prop.  I hope you are inspired to recreate this yourself!  If so, please share a link here with me.  I'd love to see it!