The Apple Street Cottage

Halloween will be here in a couple of days and if you need a quick craft - I've got you covered! This was another of my "Spur Of The Moment" ideas.  I was working on a Christmas craft (that I'll share soon) using paint stirrers. This part of the paint stirrer was actually 'scrap' from the other project, but I hated to waste it, so, I grabbed some paint and got to work.  This shade of green wasn't my first choice, but, since this project was 'spur of the moment', and I wasn't running to the store, I couldn't be picky.   After the green paint dried, I painted some black hair and glued on two eyes.  With a sharpie, a nose, mouth, and some scars were added.  On the 'Bride' some red lips and white streaks completed her look.   So what do you do with them?  Add a magnet to the back and you have a new refrigerator magnet, or, glue a pin on the back and wear it on your jacket.   This would also be a great project to do ...

The other day it was sunny and 80 degrees.  Today it's in the upper 30's and raining.  What a difference! Fortunately, the nice weather made it easy to get the front porch decorated.  As I said in an earlier post, I don't really 'do' scary for Halloween, so here's what the front porch looks like: Here's a closer look: For more information on making the brooms, click HERE .                                                  'Broom Parking' sign, click HERE .                                                                 Black Cat, click HERE . Mother Nature has also been doing her part: I can't top that! I hope you're staying warm in your part of the wor...

October seems to be flying by and before you know it, Halloween will be here.  I had some wood scraps sitting in a pile, so I decided to make some candy corn.   I made myself a pattern in two different sizes.   This was a "spur of the moment" project, and it fought me every inch of the way.  For starters, while I was cutting one of them out, it split right down the middle.  Thanks to a little super glue, you can't tell which one, can you? Next, I started painting and didn't use a base coat/primer.  Needless to say, I needed many coats of paint.  Yes, it was my own fault!  Finally, I got the paint to cover and I used a sponge to transition one color to the next.  Out came the sander and the candy corn was distressed! Time for sealer.  While I was spraying, I ended up with a drip. Because I'm so patient - NOT - I decided to fine-sand it off and re-spray it.  Well, I made a mess of it!  Not to be out-smarted by a pie...

Even though it's October and the mums are all in bloom, my morning glories are still going strong.   What you don't know is that these beautiful flowers are camouflage for the gas meter.  Last winter, our gas meters were upgraded and place on the outside of our houses. The only place for ours was on the front corner.  Not my idea of the ideal spot, but, it had to be done. This is called, "getting creative".  I didn't want to look at it and the hydrangea I had planted was still very small, so this was my solution.  A small trellis and several morning glory vines certainly did the trick! Would you ever guess what's hiding behind this plant? In a few years, the hydrangea will be large enough to do the job, but in the meantime, I'm pretty pleased with this solution!   Have you ever had to hide anything outdoors with plants?  If so, please share, I'd love to hear how you solved your problem area. I hope you're enjoying your Colum...

Back again with the computer problems behind me...it was a little crazy, but everything seems to be settling down...Whew! Today I'm sharing the start of my Fall decorating and an update to those pallet boxes I made in July.  Click HERE for a peek at those! I chose one of them for my dining room table and as you can see, I added some lettering: Here's a closer look: On another box, I did something different: This one is currently being used in my Craft Room, but that's a story for another day! I tried a few methods to transfer the lettering.  First, the back was colored with pencil and I tried to transfer the letters - no luck.  Then I tried chalk - no luck again.  It just wouldn't transfer on the wood, so this is what I did: I partially cut out the lettering with an exacto knife and carefully painted in the partial letters, then I free-handed the rest.  It worked! If I had to make 20 of them, this may not be the most efficient method...