Halloween Festivities 2011

This year was no different then years past.  It seemed like October at our house was really busy, with all the Halloween/Fall parties that we attended.  Happy to see my boys get great use out of their costumes.  We certainly enjoy spending time with our family and friends!  Fall is such a beautiful time in KY, the leaves are turning, the temps outside are pleasant, and there are so many wonderful local activities in our area!
I come from a huge extended family, I have over 25 cousins that I am close to.  My mom is one of nine siblings, so all our family gatherings are chaotic and fun!  Most of my cousins have kids too, so now we continue to pass on all these fun family traditions.  My cousin Elizabeth and her husband Tom host an annual Fall Festival at their home.  They had so many wonderful activities planned for all the kids and adults.  There was face painting, a giant bounce-around, corn hole, stations to craft and make a mask, or paint a pumpkin.  And the biggest hit, was the pony rides!

Waiting for a pony ride!

My son, getting instructions....

And he is off.....

My youngest, riding the pony, and loving it!

My beautiful Goddaughter is a natural :)

Having fun jumping with cousins!

Making cotton candy, and turning into a sticky mess!

My husband and oldest son, playing some corn hole

Cutie Cousins!

Adorable!

My parents with my boys.

My lovely grandparents, they have been married for over 60 years!

My hubs and our son.  AKA his clone :)

And when night fell, the kids all roasted marshmallows, what a perfect way to end a great day!

Another Halloween tradition is our family Halloween party, which my mom hosted this year....

Some of the boy cousins, we were missing a few..

Sweet little girl cousins...

Um, this is our cousin Landon, who is the sweetest little monster ever!

Two of my three boys, the oldest is too old for trick-or-treating.

Carving pumpkins the night before with grandma...

Finally Halloween arrived, as if we already didn't have enough candy in the house from all the parties.  The kids had a ball trick-or-treating with their friends from our old neighborhood.  These truly are the moments that you want to hold on to forever. 

Hope that you had a wonderful October, filled with lovely traditions.

Until next time....

XO~Gretchen

Autumn Inspirations

So along with the changing of the leaves, comes a change in your wardrobe and your nest!  I look forward to the change in seasons, because it gives me an excuse to update the color pallet that surrounds me.  When I think of fall, I think of oranges, deep teals and navy, greens, dark linens and cream.  Here are some of the items that are inspiring me this fall.....

One of my favorite places to shop online for fashion inspiration is modcloth.com They have many lovely fashions at reasonable prices.  I typically love to window shop online, and they have some beautiful things this season.  Here's a few of my favs...

I would love to wear this with a bold chunky necklace, cardigan sweater, belt, and either a pair of boots, or heels, depending on my mood ;).

I love the modern touch of this sweater and the ruffles on the shoulders.

These shoes would be perfect with tights!

The next list of fashion items came from another one of my favorite places to shop, shopruche.com

Perfect for a date night, or Autumn wedding.

I heart these shoes......

Perfect fall colors, and of course, I love the bird detail :)

Every girl should add a signature piece of jewelry to her wardrobe each season :)

Lulubelles

So now you have some inspiration to add some Autumn colors to your wardrobe, how about adding some to your nest!

If the budget allows, why not look at getting a new sofa.  Now is a great time to add some new furniture pieces, you will be entertaining for the holidays before you know it!

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters

Here is a lovely chair option from Target.

Target

Why not add a new rug to the house?...

overstock rug

Amy Butler Rug

Or you can always add some fun velvet pillows, like these from Urban Outfitters....

Or this lovely Damask one from Overstock.com

How about some fun and bold ottomans/benches?  These both came from Target.

This beautiful teal ruffle duvet is from Urban Outfitters.

How about switching out some lamps or a lamp shade??

Overstock Lamp

Target

Owls always remind me of fall.  I love this lamp from Target...hoot, hoot.

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Target also has these lovely butterfly plates, which I treated myself too recently.  I love the colors and design of them.

And if you a looking to change a wall color, or paint your house then check out Benjamin Moore's newest line of color stories.

Hope that you are enjoying the lovely fall weather, and that you feel inspired to update your wardrobe and nest in some of the beautiful colors that Autumn has to offer.  Until next time.....

XO~Gretchen

Pumpkin Wreath

Fall is in the air, time to bring out the autumn decorations, pumpkin spice candles, refresh your planters with mums, and enjoy all the wonders that fall brings!  So after searching the web for the perfect fall wreath, I found one that I felt inspired to make.

Here is a photo of my inspiration wreath, which came from etsy.com

Inspiration

Lovely, isn't it?  I love the simplicity of it.  So, I felt inspired to make my own version.

My Version

Here is my wreath that I created using products from Michaels Craft store.  Most of the items are currently on sale, which makes this wreath very affordable and fairly easy to create.

You will need a grapevine twig wreath.  I opted for an oval shape, because I have a tall narrow door.

You will need moss, small pumpkins, green wire, a glue gun, and some burlap ribbon.  Michaels happens to have burlap ribbon right now in their Christmas section, YAY, saved me an extra trip!

Supplies

Just follow along these easy steps....

First add the moss to the wreath.  I found it to be easier to tie the moss on the wreath with the green wire, and use the glue gun sparingly.

Be prepared to make a mess, which is why I chose to tackle this project on the floor.  After I was finished I just pulled out the vacuum!

Once you finish putting on the moss, you should get something that looks similar to this...

The next step is placing the pumpkins.  I could not find the pumpkins on picks in the size that I liked, so I created my own.  Here is an easy tip, to make your own floral pick.  I used a nail, glued it into the pumpkin, and attached the green wire.

Start placing the pumpkins in the design you like best....

I use the green wire to wrap around the wreath, and stabilize the pumpkins.

Then I glued the pumpkins together as I went along.

Time to make a simple bow to place on the top of the wreath.  I found a spool of burlap ribbon to use in the Christmas isle at Michaels.

A few last minute fluffing details..

Hope you feel inspired to create something special for your nest!  Enjoy the fall season, until next time.

XO~Gretchen