BirshyKat

Need a Day Brightener?

2011-12-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

This video makes me smile every time I see it. Don't you just love kittens?

Blessings, Tracy

Haunted House Silhouette

2011-10-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few quick pictures of the Haunted House silhouette that we display on our mantel every few years. I don't have it completely set up, but thought I would add some pictures while I am thinking about it. I made this 10 or more years ago and unfortunately, it is really starting to show it's age.

This is a large two piece silhouette, which was cut out of heavy duty poster board. The tree (on left), small hill (that you can barely see on the right) and small flying bats are part of the back piece; which is placed against the wall. The house, grass, gravestones and fence pillars are part of the front piece; which is placed about 5-6 inches in front of the back section. It is lit using a long light, which is sandwiched between the front and back sections.

It's been 10 years, and I still remember this silhouette being a CHALLENGE to make. The poster board was thick and really difficult to cut through. OMG, cutting out those fine details...let's just say, I remember learning several new swear words while working on it. I can't imagine having to eventually redo it. Oh, I do love it though!

Blessings, Tracy

Psycho Bunny Lives!

2011-10-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

So....(I think) this guy is pretty much done. You may remember his humble beginnings in this post. Not sure how I feel about him, but I do think he may be a little too cutesy for my taste. I guess I'll just have to see how he looks, once he is lurking out in our garden at night. I may have to go back and distress him...possibly add some dried blood and just make the poor thing look a little CrAzIeR. I would rather he looked rough, like he just spent a long night digging himself up. If I have time, I will try to get some better shots later. These pictures don't do him justice, since he really does look better in person.

All we have to do now, is find him a nice, yet creepy, spot in our garden to hang out.

Blessings, Tracy

Spooky Halloween Wreath LOVE!

2011-10-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

I recently ran across this wonderful idea for a Halloween wreath. When I first saw it, I immediately knew I had to try to make one for my very own. The original wreath idea came from the very talented Karen, over at "The Art of Doing Stuff". I found her tutorial to be very detailed and easy to follow. Oh yes, and the pictures, for those of us who are a little more visual (like me)...they are great. Can't say enough good things about this whole project. I LOVE how turned out. Go over and check out her tutorial if you have a moment.

I highly suggest using her tutorial as a guide, but here is my (quick) footnotes on this project.

Like Karen, I made my own wreath base out of three layers of glued together Styrofoam. The wreath bases I found in craft stores, were too small and really expensive. Hello...a 4x8 sheet of 1 inch Styrofoam was about $4. I have a lot of leftover Styrofoam, which is a good thing, since I will use it on some project in the future. When I finished my Styrofoam base, it measure about 21-22 inches across. After I cut out the inner circle, the ring of my wreath was about 6 inches wide.
I couldn't find the glitter skulls she used anywhere. I ended up buying 3 small Styrofoam skulls at Michaels. I think they were $1.49 each. I poked a short piece of dowel into the back of each of their heads and then painted them black. Once dry, I painted on a thin layer of glue and sprinkled with Martha Stewart's Onyx glitter. After they were covered with glitter, I gave them a light dusting of Martha Stewart's Black Licorice glitter to accent the Onyx. The black Licorice glitter has flecks of blue and green added to black, which sparkles nicely in the light.
Karen used 6 boas, I think I ended up using 8 to cover my wreath.
When it was time to attach my skulls, I cut a few triangles of tulle/netting and stapled them together a few times to form a half clown collar; similar to the ones her skulls have. And yes, I used a normal stapler. The staples won't show, since they will be buried in feathers, so no big deal. I had two different scrap pieces of tulle on hand, one fine and one regular weave, so I used a little of each to give it more interest. I also added three short pieces of ribbon to each collar. After I attached the skulls to the wreath, I grabbed a tulle and ribbon collar and pinned it just under each skull; to look like it was attached.
My finished wreath is HUGE...about 25 inches wide. LOVE IT!!

Completed Styrofoam base.

Skulls before paint.

Paint drying.

Glitter drying.

Netting that is draped on finished wreath.

One of the Tulle fabrics (fine not pictured) & ribbon that I used.

Close up shots of glitter skull on wreath. The photo makes them look silver, but they really are black.

Blessings, Tracy

Finding Treasures at Hunt & Gather!

2011-09-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

If you are ever in the Twin Cities area, you must take time to visit this store. Hunt & Gather is a wonderful flea market type store in Minneapolis, located at the intersection of 50th & Xerxes. This place is filled to the brim with eclectic antiques and the strangest, coolest, funniest and truly oddest objects that one can imagine. I could spend hours digging through this store. As I stroll through the isles, my mind is constantly spinning with ideas as I turn each and every corner. And best of all....the merchandise is generally very reasonable (a.k.a. - cheap). Their low prices keeps their inventory moving, so the store is always changing as new items are added. Yep...I am in love!

Blessings, Tracy

Here we go....

2011-08-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Davenport, over at Decorating Ideas Made Easy, has been nice enough to feature our Witch's Urn as part of her recent "Halloween Ideas" post. This post showcases the ideas of several talented folks who share our love for Halloween AND have some truly clever ideas. If you have a minute, take the time to go check it out.
Blessings, Tracy

My Nephew is a Married Man!

2011-05-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Just returned from my nephew's wedding at the Sirata Beach Resort, in St. Pete's Beach, Florida! Josh and his beautiful bride, Dawn, were married last Saturday. The wedding and reception were so beautiful & I have to say I shed a few tears. We are so happy for them both!

Blessings, Tracy

Happy Anniversary....Brother Dear!

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I finished this project very late on the night before the wedding, so the lighting for these pictures was pitiful.

My darling brother and his sweet wife are celebrating their second wedding anniversary today. Whoo Hoo!! Also....EEK, I can't believe it has been two years already!

My brother didn't find the "right" girl until he was a little older (ahem...40), so they were both pretty well established, household wise, by the time they married. Since they had no "real" need for wedding gifts, my sister's husband came up with a fun joke to play on the happy couple. He suggested that everyone go to a local thrift store and purchase a used toaster to give as a wedding gift. I decided that I wanted to add a fun personal touch to the toaster I planned to give, so I looked for one that would be easy to paint. I found the perfect $5 toaster at Goodwill. I ended up painting a cheesy tattoo-ish looking design on the side. If you were lucky enough to know my darling baby brother, who may I add has a very healthy sense of humor, you would realize this design was the perfect fit. I was even surprised, when it turned out much better than I had expected. Really cute!!

At the reception, my brother and his wife were surprised to find a stack of gifts waiting to be opened. It was funny to watch them open box after box, each containing a used toaster. As we watched them open their gifts, I realized there must have been a secondary competition going on between some of the guest as to who could find the weirdest or grossest used toaster EVER. I have to say, there was some doozies in the mix. When my brother opened ours, he said, "Please tell me this one is new?!" They liked it so much, they still display this toaster on top of their kitchen cabinets. As the night went on, all of the guest chuckled at the thought of the happy couple hauling all of these toasters back to their local Goodwill and trying to explain themselves. Oh....the memories! ;-)

Blessings, Tracy

Snowman and Snow Girl Ornaments - "How To"

2011-02-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry about these photos. I realized that I forgotten to take pictures of these guys, as we were walking out the door on Christmas morning. So I just ended up just opening the box & snapping a few quick shots.

Made this ornament for a good friend's daughter.

Here are instructions on how I made my snowman and snow girl ornaments, back in 2009. You will have to forgive my memory, since I DID make these about a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, I finding my memory is getting a bit fuzzy with age.
As I stated in a previous post -
"Last year, I decided that I should try to make Christmas ornaments each year for my family members. I was inspired by the snowman ornaments that I saw on "Michelle my Belle's" blog. This woman is SO creative! I just love her blog. Since it was my first attempt at making ornaments, I decided to follow the instructions she posted for her snowman ornaments. I thought they turned out really adorable and my family loved them."
I suggest you follow her instructions, but here are a few things that I discovered as I made my ornaments and/or ended up doing differently.

I placed a short piece of dowel inside of the snowman, to give the body extra strength. It ran from his crotch area to his head.
The dowel was wrapped with tin foil to form the main body, arms, legs and hat.
On two of the ornaments, I used a small Styrofoam ball for the heads, since I was running low on tin foil. After these were completed, I thought I should have trimmed the ball down some, since the heads turned out a little bit too big. *For the Snow girl ornament - I used a medium Styrofoam ball for the substructure.
This will be confusing, but...I would suggest embedding a separate small chuck of wood or dowel inside of the head, with an eye hook attached (for hanging). Our first piece of dowel, that ran through his body, didn't line up with the area we needed to place an eye hook for hanging. This second piece of wood would be added just under the tin foil, with the eye hook sticking out the top; taking into account that you will need the eye hook to stick out over the clay. I did not do this and found it difficult to come up with a secure way to add the hook to the top of his head. If you think about it, the top of the head really only consists of a thin layer of hardened clay with tin foil under it. You can't really screw anything securely into that?! We ended up using cotter pins that we purchased from The Home Depot. They kind of resemble a heavy duty bobby pin without the waves.

After the ornaments were completed -

We drilled a hole in the head of the snowman.
Bent the flat ends of the pin apart/out to create tension, keeping the circle at the top tight. The shape will look like a Tepee with a circle on top.
Filled the hole with glue and then gently pressed the bent out ends of the pin together. Eased the ends through the hole, continuing pressure until they were through the hole. Once the pin was in the hole the ends sprung out some to help secure them in place.

After the substructure was completed, I used Creative Paperclay to form the snowman.
I highly suggest using short pieces of (thicker type) toothpick or wooden skewers to help secure the eyes and nose on the head and to give them strength. I learned this the hard way when one or both of the eyes kept falling off my first two ornaments. From then on, I cut off a 1/2 - 1 inch piece of toothpick or skewer, placed a small dab of glue on the end and stuck it into the head; leaving some sticking out. Once they were secured, I formed the eyes and nose and pushed them on to the toothpicks/skewers. Make sure you score both sides of the clay and add a dab of moisture to help adhere the clay to the head. I'm pretty sure I actually used two short pieces of toothpick behind each eye to also help keep them from spinning. *For the skewers, I use the bamboo skewer you would use for Kabob. You can find a huge packs of them for just a few buck at places like Walmart, etc. I use them all the time when doing crafts.
I pushed a dull pencil into the clay to make the dots in the hats, the holes for the mouth and in the middle of the buttons.
Once the clay was dry, I sanded the ornament with a fine grit sand paper.
For hanging, I used a long piece of wire. I attached one end to the eye hook, then wrapped it tightly (about 5 times) around the shaft of a med sized screw driver to create the tight curl and then formed large curls at the top by hand.

For paint -

I can't remember exactly, but I imagine I used a pearlized cream colored paint for the main body.
For the eyes, I used black, white and a pearlized lime green and light blue paints.
For the buttons, I used black and a pearlized purple paint.
After I was done painting the ornaments, I didn't add the thin layer of Golden's Interference Gold that Michelle had used. My local craft store didn't have it and I didn't have time to run across town to the "big boy" art supply store to purchase it. Instead, I ended up painting on a few coats of Daler Rowney's, "FW Pearlescent Liquid Acrylics" to the main body (snow part) of the ornament. The name of the color I used was White Pearl. FYI - This stuff is very thin in consistency; just a bit heavier than water. You can't see it in the pictures, but this really gave the ornaments a beautiful shimmer. Make sure you let them dry between coats.

Here is a bad picture of my dusty, freshly shook bottle.

Here is a nicer picture of their blue color, shown on the Fine Art Store's website. See how beautiful the shimmer is?!

I antiqued the ornaments by using watered down acrylic paint (probably a raw or burnt umber). I washed the paint over them lightly and then dabbed/rubbed it off. You would continue to do this until you like the level of antiquing. I actually had to go back and dab small amounts of paint directly into the hat divots, mouth area and in the buttons, since I didn't think these areas came out dark enough. I just dipped the tip of a toothpick into paint and dabbed a small bit in each divot.
We sealed the ornaments with a few light coats of satin acrylic sealer. We found that this also brought out the shimmer of the paint.
Once they were dry, a scarf was cut out of red felt and added to the snowman ornaments. *Red and white ribbon was added to the snow girl ornaments for hanging.

Blessings, Tracy

A Stroll Down Memory Lane...Funny Commercials.

2011-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of Aaron Burr's birthday, here is another of my favorite commercials from the past. It still makes me chuckle.
Original "got milk?" commercial

Blessings, Tracy

Just part of Henry's daily routine...

2011-02-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

And, may I add, we have 3 bathrooms! So naughty!

Blessings, Tracy

Tile Art

2011-02-01T23:22:00.000-08:00

Large (49 1/2 x 16 inches) tile piece we purchased a few months ago from Kirsten Walstead, at SoMi Tileworks. I really don't think photos do her work justice. These pieces are so much more beautiful in person.

Sorry for the picture quality.
This piece was nearly impossible to photograph, since it
hangs in a dark hallway in our home and due to it's SIZE.

Blessings, Tracy

Our Beautiful Lily!

2011-01-28T02:26:00.000-08:00

Blessings, Tracy

Santa Ornaments - Part 2

2011-01-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

Quick overview of how I made these Santa Ornaments for my family this past Christmas.

1. We constructed the ornament's substructure with these items. The three items on the right, plus a short piece of dowel, are the beginning of the substructure; which is assembled on the left. A good base will give your ornament strength. I want these to last a long time, so this was important.

All supplies for this project were purchased at Michaels

I first cut a circle, the size of a quarter, in the bottom of the cardboard dish; discarding the lid.
Drilled a hole, the size of the dowel, in the smaller thicker disk.
Flipped the dish upside down, applied glue to one side of the larger disk and pushed it all the way up inside of the dish until it was firmly pressed against cardboard; it will fit snugly.
Applied glue to one side of the smaller disk. Centered the disk on top (formerly the bottom) of the cardboard dish and glued down; making sure there was enough glue in the quarter sized hole to help bond the two wooden disk together.
Placed glue around the tip of dowel and pushed through hole in small disk, until it rests against larger disk. Let all dry thoroughly.
Sealed the cardboard box with Gesso, since it will be covered with damp paper clay.
After I took this picture, I did end up trimming the bottom of this dish a little, since it was too long for the bottom of his coat. I then applied Gesso to seal the cut end.
Screwed eye hooks into the bottom of dish, to use for hanging legs in future.

2. Added Styrofoam balls to make the body and head.

I cut the bottom off of the larger Styrofoam ball and trimmed the sides, to make the body bell shaped.
Glued bottom ball onto cardboard dish and used sections of toothpicks/thin wooden skewers to secure the head, so it wouldn't spin, on to the larger ball.

3. Used short lengths of thick (12 gauge) floral aluminum wire (very easy to bend) and tin foil to form hat's substructure (sorry don't have a picture of that). The tip and ball of the hat is the most vulnerable to breakage, so a good substructure is important. Please bear with me, this explanation may be confusing.

I pushed one end of a wire into the head and bent to form the angle of hat.
I added two more wires to different areas of the head (3 total) and mimicked hat angle. I added a small piece of twisted up tin foil (in the shape of the hat) inside of the wires to add additional support.
Once the tin foil and wires were in place, I twisted and mashed the ends together tightly to form the tip of hat. The wires will kind of resembled a bent cone or tepee.
I left one wire tip a little longer and curled it tightly to form a tiny ball at end of Santa's hat.
I then covered the hat portion, not including ball at end, with a layer of foil.
Used additional small pieces of wooden skewers, that I pushed through hat into head to help secure it and keep it from spinning.

4. Once we determined the height of ornament, the top of dowel was trimmed. We then drilled a starter hole in top of dowel, added a dab of glue to end of eye hook and screwed in to hole.

5. Formed Santa's main body using "Creative Paperclay", covering the top of the dowel; only leaving the eye hook visible. **See below for tip.

Leg on left in process. Right leg completed and waiting for clay.

6. Used same 12 gauge aluminum floral wire and tin foil to make the substructure of legs. Then formed legs and boots with paper clay. Let dry completely.

7. Sanded ornament thoroughly with fine grit sand paper.

8. Sealed ornament with Gesso and let dry. This is needed, since the paper clay is very porous.

9. Painted ornament and let dry thoroughly.
10. I signed and wrote the year on the inside (were legs hang from) of each ornament.

11. Applied 3 light coats of satin acrylic protective spray finish; letting dry completely between coats.

12. Attached ribbon to the top eye hook for hanging.

** TIP - For the last three Santa ornaments, I finished the top of the Santa ornaments completely (formed body with clay, let dry, sanded, painted and signed) and then covered the whole ornament with plastic wrap; poking the leg eye hooks through the plastic. I then started the legs. Once the legs were finished (substructure built, legs formed with clay, legs dried, sanded, painted and thoroughly dried), I ripped the plastic off and sealed the ornament with acrylic spray. I learned from the first three ornaments that those darn dangling legs were impossible to work around. They REALLY got in the way while painting, scuffing and transferring paint from the legs to the main body and back. This added TONS of touch up time to each ornament and made me pull out at least a few fistfuls of hair from the utter frustration.

I originally wanted to antique these ornaments, to bring out the facial features and the creases in his hat and coat. I unfortunately ran out of time though; barely finishing them up on Christmas morning. I really wish I would have had time to antiques them, since I think it would have given them more depth and character.

Here are pictures of the last 3 Santa's I made, before I added the top ribbon.

My favorite Santa

Santa #2

Santa #3 (a.k.a. - "The Big Faced Santa") on left

I made 6 of these ornaments. You can see the first three Santa ornaments, with hanging ribbon, in this post. Sorry to say there is only 3 or 4 pictures in this post, but you can see how my technique improved as I made each one. By the time I made the last one, "my favorite Santa" (shown above), I really had the process and Santa's look down pat. It really was a learning process.

Blessings, Tracy

Those Angels are Singing Again?

2011-01-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

After digging through several of my OH SO messy drawers...just looking for 1 (frickin') item, I decided that I could not take it another day! Last Friday, I drove directly to The Container Store and purchased a boat load of "Interdesign" clear drawer organizing bins. I decided on this brand, since they had both a 2 and 3 inch deep version of these bins. From past experience, I was tired of shallow drawer organizing bins that hold maybe one brush or tube of toothpaste and leave a lot of wasted space remaining up to the top of each drawer. Since we could fit the deeper bins in our drawers, I bought these in several different sizes and shapes.
Over the weekend, I tried different bin combinations to find the best way to utilize each drawer and the items that I kept in them. I organized the top drawers in 3 bathrooms (5 drawers total) and our huge junk drawer in the kitchen.
Now that it is completed, I find myself wandering around the house randomly opening drawers...just to feel the rush of happiness when I see how tidy they look. My husband even noticed and gave me a compliment on how nicely organized everything is.
As you might see in the pictures below, I got so excited I forgot to remove the tags/packaging from a few of the bins. I will have to go back and do that. I also have to return the bins that I didn't end up using.

I AM IN LOVE!!!

Here are picture of just of few of my bathroom drawers.

And 2 pictures of my junk drawer.

Whoo Hoo!!! My drawers look amazing!

If you decide to do this, search the web for coupons before heading out. I found a 10% off coupon, just for signing up to The Container Store's website. I use a secondary email address for things like this. This way my main email mailbox doesn't get clogged up with sale ads and advertisements.

Blessings, Tracy

See...I told you!!!

2011-01-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

I knew it! I have been telling my husband for years these little devils were dangerous! ;-) EEK! They terrify me.

Blessings, Tracy

Daily Reminder!

2011-01-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased this charming print by Katie Daisy. It is bright and colorful and makes me happy when I look at it. We framed and hung it by the door we walk out each day. It's always nice to have this daily reminder to keep you in check, as you make your way out in the world.

This print hangs in a dark hallway, so these photos really don't do the artwork or beautifully ornate frame justice.

Blessings, Tracy

It's fun to be 1!!!

2011-01-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Our boy Henry (a.k.a. - The Big Galoot) turns 1 today. Henry weighs 14 pounds now, but feels and looks much heavier. He is always looking to play and his favorite thing is to chase his poor sisters; especially Lily. Our boy also gives the word "naughty" a whole new meaning.

From this, about 9 weeks old...crying for food.

To this, a month ago, "trying" to fit on my laptop briefcase to sleep.

We adore our boy.

Blessings, Tracy

Santa Ornaments with Dangling Legs...Finished!

2010-12-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of my finished Santa ornaments; waiting to go live their new lives with my family members. Each one is a little different from the next; some fatter, some have bigger beards, hands in different positions, etc. I was in such a hurry on Christmas morning, I didn't get a chance to take many pictures of them. I thought they turned out pretty cute and my family loved them. I'll try to post more on them later.

**You can see Santa's humble beings here or brief instructions for these ornaments here.

Blessings, Tracy

Is that you Mr. French???

2010-12-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

Last year, I decided that I should try to make Christmas ornaments each year for my family members. I was inspired by the snowman ornaments that I saw on "Michelle my Belle's" blog. This woman is SO creative! I just love her blog. Since it was my first attempt at making ornaments, I decided to follow the instructions she posted for her snowman ornaments. I thought they turned out really adorable and my family loved them. This year, I came up with an idea to make Santa ornaments with dangling legs . I am way behind with making these, since I just finished forming the main body of...OMG (sweating and wringing my hands)....the FIRST ornament last night. Oh yes, did I forget to mention....I have to make 6 of these guys!!! I seriously think my brain has been in denial that Christmas is only a week away! While making my first Santa last night, I thought he looked familiar, but couldn't put my finger on who I thought he looked like. The first thing this morning, I looked and him and thought, "Oh my gosh...Mr. French!" Not sure any of you are old enough to remember the television show Family Affairs; which aired possibly in the late 60's, early 70's? One of the characters was a very proper gentlemen's butler named Mr. French; played by the actor Sebastian Cabot. I faintly remember the show, since I was pretty young at the time, but I do remember the characters. Don't you agree that my Santa looks like Mr. French?

Left to right - Mr. French, Uncle Bill, Jody, Sissy, and Buffy. Not pictured, but also a popular character on the show, is Mrs. Beasley, Buffy's doll.

Here are the snowman ornaments I made last year. I will try to post more on them later.

**You can see the completed Santa Ornaments here.

Blessings, Tracy

OH, OUR ACHING BACKS!!!

2010-12-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

We had to go remove some 4+ foot snow drifts from my mom's roof yesterday. She was in the 20 inch range from the snow storm last weekend. After blowing and drifting, her house and roof were buried. The bad thing about removing snow from a roof, is that when it falls to the ground, it packs really hard. This make shoveling miserable. First, you almost have a heart attack struggling to get the snow off the roof, then shoveling the (packed) snow from the driveway and sidewalk almost killed us. It doesn't look it, but the snow bank on the right side of the sidewalk is just shy of 5 feet high, at the tallest point. I'm 5'8", so it was up to my shoulders.

I ache so badly this morning, that it almost hurts to take a deep breath. GOD FORBID I have to cough...ouch.

Blessings, Tracy

Thankful

2010-12-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

Our brother-in-law returned from his second tour in Afghanistan on Wednesday. Since his return, he has been at a base in Florida and was supposed to arrive home today. BUT, as luck would have it, we are having a good old fashioned blizzard today (ahem, 2 feet of the dreaded white stuff), so the poor guy is stuck in an airport in Florida. Even though he is safe, I know we will all feel better when he steps off his plane in Minnesota and is truly home.
He has been gone for so long and we have all been very worried about him. For me, this type of anxiety/worry almost feels, at times, like it takes my breath away. I know it is odd (and proves I need some type of therapy), but I have been almost afraid to say his name out loud while he was gone; worried it would jinx him in some strange way. If I utter his name or my worries out loud, it makes them real. Strange and dysfunctional....yep, but that's how I dealt with the craziness that swirls around in my head each day. I am now also feeling guilty for being relieved that he is home, when so many soldier remain in harms way. I know....I am a lost cause. I may as well just start blocking out weeks at a time for therapy.
After he returns home, he will have some time off then return to his other "not so safe" career doing police work.

Blessings, Tracy

Amazing Stained Glass Window!

2010-12-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I saw a story on CBS Sunday Morning, showcasing the completely refurbished Eldridge Street Synagogue and Museum. This synagogue was originally built in 1887 and is located in lower Manhattan; in the heart of New York's Chinatown. Due to a shrinking congregation, who were unable to maintain it, the worship area was closed in the 1950s and soon fell into disrepair. It has taken 20 years to refurbish the synagogue to how it looks today. As part of the renovations, they had a magnificent stained glass window designed by avant-garde artisit Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans. The story on CBS Sunday Morning, highlights the design, construction and installation of this stained glass window and how the design is carried out on to the surrounding wall. The pictures below don't really capture the true beauty of this piece, so if you have a few minutes, I highly suggest you watch this short video on the process.

The Synagogue is a National Historic Landmark and after watching this story, I understand why. So beautiful! If I ever get to visit New York, this will be a "must see" for me.

Photos via The L Magazine & CBS News

Blessings, Tracy

Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!

2010-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

I used the Picnik website to edit this photo of my mom's house. I like the Picnik site for the days I'm not into dealing with the complexities of my photo editing programs. The site is so quick and easy to use!

To edit this photo, I converted it to black and white, then popped just the colors of the house and, last but not least, added the effect of falling snow. I think it looks so pretty.

Blessings, Tracy

A Stroll Down Memory Lane...Funny Commercials.

2010-12-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen this commercial for a few years, but it still kills me.

Nissan "Doggie Mind Control" commercial (Dogs Driving SUV) w/ Clint Culp...

Blessings, Tracy

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Henry is so thankful that he picked us to go home with from the Humane Society last spring....AND (apparently) for his beautiful teeth. He is such a goof. Our boy has a can do attitude & thinks every encounter is an opportunity to play; as demonstrated in the picture below.
"One minute I'm sleeping, the next she's approaching me with a camera, so I give her this look. OK, she's smiling...now maybe I can get her to come a little closer, so I can bite her."

Blessings, Tracy

Damn You Old Man Winter!!!

2010-11-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

The old SOB arrived at our house in the middle of the night, so we woke up to THIS!

This isn't bad, but it is still snowing heavily at this point and it is going to continue until tomorrow morning!

Excuse me, while I weep gently for a moment...

We are on track to get 7 to 12 inches; most likely in the 10 inch range. It is really heavy wet snow, so the poor trees are just hanging from the weight of the snow. I love the 4 seasons and all, but I like to ease into winter gently, not be thrown in full force!

Our poor birch tree is leaning from the weight of the snow.

It is really BEAUTIFUL...

...if you don't have to DRIVE in it!

OH YES! I am one of the lucky few that has to work this weekend. The drive alone will make for an exciting day. Fingers crossed! Wish me luck!

Blessings, Tracy

Do You Hear The Angels Singing?

2010-11-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that we occasionally waste money on things that are not that important, but when it comes to the items that makes every day life easier...we are tight fisted with the cash. Not sure what that says about us, but I know it probably means we have some deep seated issues that I'm not sure I want to know about. We generally keep things FOREVER!! We have a hard time replacing something if the one we have works perfectly fine or at least is serving the purpose. So, making a new purchase is a big fat hair deal for us!
We finally got tired of playing the mismatched food storage container game. This game has two parts. The first part of this challenge is to try to get ONE food storage container out of the cupboard without every single piece popping out. Note - you can earn extra points for actually retrieving the exact size you need. The second part, is to try and find a matching lid to this container. OK, you have five minutes to complete this task...GO!
After years of discussing us getting some new food storage containers, we finally took the plunge (a.k.a. - I had an unstable moment in Target). I purchased the new Rubbermaid "Easy Find Lids" food storage system. The beauty of this set, is the lids snap on to the bottom of the container and each other, so they STACK and NEST neatly. I checked out the box sets and settled on the 20 piece set (10 containers with matching tops), which came with a bonus 11th "Produce Saver" container and lid. Be careful when purchasing box sets. Take note what size containers and how many of each size are included in the different sets. I found the larger set (at Target) just gave you additional ultra tiny containers that most people rarely use. To supplement the set I purchased, I bought a mix of 4 commonly used larger sized container (7, 9 & 14 cup). The total was about $30 for 15 pieces. You can find these cheaper if you shop around...which I did not, since I lost my ever living mind in isle 32 at Target.
I can't believe how nice our cabinet looks. It created room for us to move some items around, thus freeing up storage space in other cabinets.

Before

Believe me, the items on the bottom two shelves are CRAMMED in there tightly. One wrong move and they will all spring out of like one of those joke cans filled with snakes. You know, the ones that scare the hell out of you when you take the lid off and they all pop out! Does anyone else remember this practical joke back from days of yore?

After

Yep, I hear those angels singing too.

Blessings, Tracy

OMG!! When I say him...I nearly had an "Art Attack"!

2010-11-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

I attended the "Art Attack" open studio event at the Northrup King Building yesterday. The Northrup King Building is home to over 200 tenants including a creative center to over 190 artist as well as various small business and nonprofit organizations. I go there several times a year for their open studios events. I always walk out feeling inspired by all of the beautiful art. I also love seeing the artist's work spaces, including the tools they use and seeing the works they have in progress. Most of the artist are very nice and willing to discuss their work, their educational backgrounds and the processes they use to create their pieces. Some occasionally have demos during these open studio events and a few regularly teach classes at their studio. There are many wonderful artist in this building, but two studios that I always make a point of seeing are SoMi Tileworks and Sharra Frank Fine Art Mosaics. Kirsten Walstead is the artist behind SoMi Tileworks. She makes these beautiful, chunky tiles and tile collages, that I am in so love with. I do think her website could use some updating to show a better representation of her beautiful collages, including many of her newer pieces. I also think it is hard to grasp from the pictures how beautiful these pieces are in person. Sharra Frank's studio is like a magical wonderland for me. I swear I feel energized by her creativity. It's like a drug for me. She makes spectacular mosaic pieces and her studio is filled to the brim with beads, gems and interesting objects she uses in her art. Unlike my work space, her supplies are all artfully arranged like a Macy's Christmas display.

While nearing the end of my tour, I noticed a tall gentleman walking in front of me. He was wearing black jeans, red converse style high top tennis shoes, a black leather coat and he had a great looking dark faux hawk (not everyone can pull off this look well). As he turned his head to talk to one of his friends, I saw the side of his face and my heart nearly stopped! I remained calm, but in my head I was screaming, "OMG...is that Christopher Straub from Project Runway?!" I am a huge Project Runway fan, so this was a surreal moment for me. I am also one of those (stupid) people who always thinks I should leave celebrities alone while they are enjoying their leisure time, so I didn't say anything to him. HELLO...CHRISTOPHER STRAUB....I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking when I made that crazy decision. Yes, in the end, I left the poor man alone. But on the inside, I was seriously jumping up and down, clapping my hands and screaming, "I love you Christopher Straub!! I love you!!" We were in the last few studios together and while he was enjoying the art, I was struggling to keep myself from staring at him. I got all excited a second time when a crazy thought crossed my mind that Christopher knows Tim Gunn, one of the regulars/host on Project Runway, whom I also ADORE (cue the internal screaming and jumping up and down). I hope he didn't notice the goofy looks I was giving him. I was pitiful!

Here are a few pictures of Christopher recreating some of the looks I may have given him while we were enjoying the studio tours. OK, I may have been stalking him.

Well, I enjoyed a beautiful fall day, looked at some wonderful art and was lucky enough to run into...OMG, Christopher Straub!! Most importantly, I escaped the day without any restraining orders.

Blessings, Tracy

Now that's cute!

2010-11-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this "Perfect Roast Turkey Timer" at Patina the other day. I thought it was funny that the legs pop up when your turkey is done. It made me chuckle.

Blessings, Tracy

Oh, Dexter!!!

2010-11-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Dexter Morgan and Vince Masuka

Masuka had the best scene on Dexter last night. Love his crazy "Two Words" theory, as to what (he thinks) happened at this crime scene. The gestures of Masuka and facial expressions of Debra & Dexter are priceless. Maybe it's one of those times that you have to understand or watch the show to get the full humor it?? I don't know, I just thought it was really funny. You can see the clip from last night's Dexter here. I love this show!

**Warning - Clip NOT appropriate for children!**

Blessings, Tracy

Halloween

2010-11-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Blessings, Tracy

WE CAN SEE!!!

2010-10-31T17:54:00.000-07:00

We had 3 extra 26mm doll eyes (1 single & 1 pair) left over from other projects, so we decided to give Mr. Bones and his front porch friend some new peepers. We were also lucky to have an eye patch lying around (don't ask me why), so that made up for the missing fourth eye. We attached the eyes in the skeleton's eye sockets with poster putty, since we may eventually need to remove them to use in new projects.
Now, Mr. Bones and his front porch friend can keep a closer eye on those sneaky Trick or Treaters.

Blessings, Tracy

Love Jimmy Fallon's October Set Design!

2010-10-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

I caught a little of Jimmy Fallon's show the other night. Although I don't catch it that often, his show has really grown on me. I think he has some pretty good interviews, they have some funny regular bits/skits and I think it is funny how he always seems to be on the verge of cracking up. One criticism, I do think he does take a few of his skits a little too far at times. Overall though, I think he does a good job.
BUT, the reason I am posting is.....I really love the Halloween-ish backdrop (behind his desk) and the ripped up curtains they are using on his set this month. I'm thinking about trying to make the desk backdrop (tree with bird silhouette) for Halloween next year. Now, if I just had a window to put it in....

You can get a better or full view of this silhouette, by watching some of his recent interviews on his show's website.

Blessing, Tracy

Metal Crow

2010-10-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Blessings, Tracy

Cat Silhouette

2010-10-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Blessings, Tracy

Halloween Window Silhouettes

2010-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween Silhouettes lit up and shot from outside. You can see another close up view of these silhouettes here and here. You can also see our large "Witch on Broom" and "Fading Ghost" silhouettes here.

**See below for updates & a brief "How To".

**Update - Several people have asked me where we purchased these Halloween silhouettes & if the were vinyl. All of our silhouettes were painted on cheap white fabric.

For these silhouettes -

We cut cheap white fabric into long panels.
We traced the design onto fabric.
We painted the silhouettes using "dark gray paint" (Martha Stewart tip). The gray paint will appear black when lit. Make sure you paint the silhouette on the side of the fabric that faces towards the outside. Also, make sure you protect the surface that you are painting on, since the paint can bleed through the fabric.
We hung the silhouettes in our windows like curtains, using a small/thin peice of dowel at the top. Our windows are vinyl & just happened to have a small pocket at the top that works perfectly for hanging these. To hang, we just slightly flex the thin piece of dowel & feed the ends in these pockets.
I usually light my silhouettes with either clip on work lights or table lamps. The window silhouettes in this post were lit using table lamps. I placed the lamps on the floor & centered at the base of each silhouette. I removed the lamp shades & replaced the regular bulb with colored spotlight bulbs. You can purchase these bulbs at places like Home Depot. I use two lamps for the witch and caldron silhouette, since these windows are really large & one lamp did not light it well enough.
** Be careful that your lamps are not placed too close to curtains & that they do not get tipped over! These spotlight bulbs tend to run pretty hot. I close the bedroom doors when these silhouettes are lit. Even though I use sturdy lamps, I wouldn't want to risk our cats accidentally tipping one over or burning them selves on the open *hot* bulb.

I get a lot of people on my site looking at our Halloween window silhouettes. If you would like additional silhouette ideas, I stumbled upon a great DIY site with some awesome Haunted House Silhouette ideas. Take a minute & go check them out.

Blessings, Tracy

UNCLE...UNCLE...I give up!

2010-10-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

I have failed. I took on a little more than I could chew this year regarding Halloween projects. My "normal" life has been much busier than expected, and I just didn't have the time to devote to working on Halloween projects as I would have liked. I just ran out of time. Here are just some of the projects that are being pushed to the back burning and will not be gracing our Halloween display this year.

1. Mosaic Skull -
Finished him about half way. Had to order Millefiori and this created delays with finishing this project. You can see his humble beginnings here.

2. Large Psycho Garden Bunny with Glowing Eyes -

"Eek...I don't have arms!" This guy still needs a lot of work before I can even start the painting process. I saw some smaller bunnies similar to this in the Magazine, Cloth Paper Scissor. The bunnies in the magazine where made by an artist named, Debb George. Hers were dressed in formal wear and were really adorable. I wanted a simple "crazy looking" bunny (with creepy glowing eyes) poking around our large front garden as the kids arrived to Trick or Treat. This guy is actually turning out a lot "tamer" looking than I had hoped. I may make a few more nuttier looking bunnies over the next year. Yep, a family of Psycho Bunnies!

Wasn't able to get a good shot of his glowing eyes, since it is so bright outside.

3. Don't even ask what this was going to be.

4. & 5. Didn't even get a chance to buy the supplies for these projects.

Blessings, Tracy

Witch with Caldron Window Silhouette

2010-10-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a close up shot (from the inside) of our witch and caldron window silhouette. I was unable to post this last year due to a camera meltdown.

See this post for a brief "How To" on making these silhouettes.

Blessings, Tracy

Pretty Painted Pumpkins!

2010-10-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this adorable striped pumpkin over at Alexa's blog, "The Swell Life". I liked it so much, I decided to made one of my own and second complementary pumpkin with circles. I think they turned out really cute.

Blessings, Tracy

Emailed this to my husband at work....

2010-10-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have had this image for some time and it always makes me chuckle.

I am pretty sure I originally found it on Pumpkinrot 's blog, but since he posts around 1300 entries on his blog each year, I was unable find the exact date or source of this image. Honestly, I tried!

Anyways, my husband thought it was funny and said it was a day brightener.

Blessings, Tracy

New Skeleton Votive

2010-10-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the large skeleton votive I purchased at Patina the other day. He really is adorable.

Blessings, Tracy

Creepy Dripping Candle

2010-10-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my newest projects. I found this idea in the book, "How To Haunt Your House". Here is how I did it.

Buy a PVC connector from your local hardware store. Mine is about 3 1/2 inches wide and cost less than $2.
Buy a piece of thick styrofoam. I had a scrap 1 1/2 inch thick piece left over from another project.
Buy a white battery operated tea light. I could only find orange, so I had to paint it white.
Grab your glue gun and a boat load of glue sticks. I used 9(?) full size (10 inch) glue stick.
Press PVC connector into styrofoam to leave an impression. Cut out circle with a serrated knife.
Put tea light in the center of circle and trace around it. Using an X-acto knife, cut a hole without going all the way through, so the tea light can sit inside.
Push styrofoam into PVC connector, pushing it down about 1/2 inch below the rim of the PVC.
Place a piece of wax paper under your PVC. Start applying hot glue to the top and sides of candle; trying to make it look like a real dripping candle. I also added glue to the top of the styrofoam just up to the edge of the candle hole and I let glue pool (on the wax paper) at the base of the candle. *You can put a square or round object under your wax paper to mimic the edge of a mantle, etc. and let the glue make long drips down the side of the object. Once it has cooled, you can place it on the edge of your mantle and it will look like it is dripping over the edge.
Build up the top melted edge. Let the glue cool between layers to help build up edge. The book suggests, "One way to help build height is to hold the freshly glued PVC upside down over a bowl of ice. Keep PVC moving so the glue does not run off the PVC." I did this, but had to pick up the whole piece of wax paper, since it was stuck to it.
The book SAYS that hot glue does not stick to wax paper, but mine did. It was easy enough to remove, but since the wax paper is pretty clear, you can't see the little pieces that I couldn't get off.
Once it is cooled, place the tea candle into the styrofoam. Turn down the lights and turn it on. It really does look like a candle, with the top (built up edge) glowing with the flickering of the candle.

PVC connector

Blessings, Tracy

Need I say more....

2010-10-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

...and we use it about 100 times a day on HIM!! ;-)

Blessings, Tracy

Great, Great Grandpa Mr. Bones

2010-10-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

I ran across this antique image on the internet and just knew it would be fitting for our Halloween decor. I printed it, backed it with black paper and framed it to place next to the front door. We tell the neighborhood kids a whole tall tale about how this was Mr. Bones' Great, Great Grandfather and tell them about all the great (ahem...outlandish) things he did during his life (i.e. helped build the Brooklyn Bridge, fought it two wars, invented the ice cream cone...the list goes on and on). I know silly, but everyone gets a kick out of it...especially me and my sweet hubby. My husband even has a funny/strange first name for him, that escapes me at the moment. It really makes the little ones stop and think for a minute or two. It also adds to the "mystic" of the bony fella who likes to ride through our front garden each fall.

Blessings, Tracy

Creepy Hanging Spiders & Fading Ghosts....OH, MY!

2010-10-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick video showing the Creepy Hanging Spiders that we hang on our front porch each Halloween. I have not put out the rest of the porch decor yet, but this will give you an idea of how these guys look while they are swaying in the wind. I have also added a close up our Fading Ghost Silhouettes at the end of the video.

Excuse the video quality, this is subject I know (less than) nothing about putting together.

P.S. - The first section is pretty narrow, but give it a second, it will expand with the next shot.

**Update - Ok, Ok! From what I am hearing, some people can see the video, but most say they can not. Not sure what the hang up is, maybe it's a Mac vs. PC issue. If you can't see the above video, try this link. There is no music in the youtube version, but you will be able to see the video.

The music in the video is called "Dr. Sayer". It is from the Awakenings soundtrack, which was written by the Randy Newman. Yes, the same Randy Newman that wrote the song "Short People". Come on now...he really is a very talent composer. Although I have many "favorite" movie soundtracks, this really is in the top ten for me. The music is beautiful and has haunted me since I first saw the movie. I have many favorites on this soundtrack, but another track that I am quite fond of is a piano piece called "Dexter's Tune". Last time I checked, it is nearly impossible to find the CD, but I think it is available on ITunes.

Blessings, Tracy

A Fascinating Place to Visit!

2010-10-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

I recently visited the Accent Store Fixtures warehouse in Minneapolis. This business sells new and used store fixtures and I have to say, it is a fascinating place. I am a big antique/salvage yard or warehouse type of person, so this was right up my alley. It's like a huge store fixture graveyard.

For anyone looking for mannequins or mannequin parts to use in your Halloween decor, you need to find a place like this in your area. I thought "most" items were fairly priced. Although, I do think you need to visit the warehouse to find the best deals. I found the prices to be generally cheaper than listed on their website, especially on slightly "dinged up" mannequin. Most of the dings in these mannequins you wouldn't even notice unless they were left standing naked in your front yard. Here are pictures of just a small sampling of items this business carries.

Here you can see the styrofoam male mannequin heads I used to make my Mummy Heads. They were $5 each. You can see my Mummy Heads here and here.

Love the Superman pose the guy on the left is pulling off.

Interesting???

LOVED these life sized styrofoam torsos. I thought they were a good deal at $15 each! These would work great (lightweight option) for anyone interested in making a "Witch's Urn" like mine. I did see regular mannequin torsos similar to the ones I used for $30.

I liked this huge mannequin head, although the left side of her

face was badly cracked from a fall.

They have great wall organizational basket systems.

Display cases and racks up the wazoo!

Colorful rolls of ticket stock.

Blessings, Tracy

Mummy Head #1...done?!

2010-10-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the first guy finished. I think?! OK, I'll admit it...I am a constant "tweaker". It truly is a curse, but I tend to play with things FOREVER. I constantly have to say to myself, "Walk away Tracy, just walk away."
Now moving on to my second "two eyed" mummy head and continuing to work on a million other projects.

Blessings, Tracy

Mummy Head...in progress!

2010-10-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Mannequin head with a 26mm doll eye.

Waiting for him to dry (after some aging), so I can add additional gauze. He is not turning out exactly how I hoped, so let's see if I can pull a rabbit out of my hat make him look a little better. Worried!

***Update - See our finished Mummy Head HERE!***

Blessings, Tracy

5:20am....Mom WTF?!

2010-09-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

Here is Stella giving me the, "Mom, what are we doing up this early" look. She cracks me up!

Blessings, Tracy

Anticipation!!!

2010-09-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love me some Dexter! It's taken me all summer to recover from the season finale, which I'm still not sure I am completely over. Now...I can't wait for the new season, which is starting next week! Gasp!

Blessings, Tracy

Come One Come All!

2010-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Blessings, Tracy

Starting a new Halloween project!

2010-09-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

1. Buy Styrofoam skull - CHECK!

2. Prime skull - CHECK!

I'm keeping the technique I plan to use under wraps, for now, but it's a little intimidating for me. Not sure why, because I have used this technique on a million other projects, but (for some unknown reason) this one kind of scares me. Trying to work up some courage to start.
Blessings, Tracy

Yes, we are entering...Chicken Nacho NIRVANA!!!

2010-09-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

nirvana |nərˈvänə; nir-|

Dictionary

• a state of perfect happiness; an ideal or idyllic place.

Thesaurus

• PARADISE, heaven; bliss, ecstasy, joy, peace,serenity, tranquility; enlightenment.

12 x 17 inches of Chicken Nacho goodness!

This is a recipe that I came up with several years ago and it has become one of our favorite "weekend sins". The recipe has evolved over the years, but here is the version we are currently using. Some may feel these are a little spicy or they may like more or less cheese on their Nachos, but it is an easy recipe to adapt to your taste level. When we make these, we split the chicken mixture and remaining cheese in half and make Nachos twice over a week OR...shhhh, don't tell...sometimes two nights in a row.

Awesome Chicken Nachos

2 tsp. - Chili Powder
2 tsp. - Ground Cumin
1 ½ tsp. - Oregano Leaves
1 tsp. - Crushed Red Pepper
1 tsp. - Garlic Powder
1 pk. - Boneless Chicken Breast (20 oz. package)
1 - 14 ½ oz can undrained “Red Gold (brand) Diced Tomatoes, Chili Ready" **see note
1 - 15 oz. can undrained "Kuner's Black Beans, with Cumin & Chili Spices" (usually located in Mexican food isle) **see note
6-8 c. - mix of shredded Monterey Jack & Mexican Cheeses - divided (we eyeball the amount of cheese we use, so don't know the exact amount)
1 - “Super Size” bag of “Tostitos” Corn Chips (large chips)
Sliced fresh or jarred Jalapenos
Garnish – sliced Green Onions, chopped fresh Tomatoes, shredded Lettuce, med/hot Red Taco Sauce or Salsa & Sour Cream (or lean), Guacamole, etc.

Cut chicken into small chunks/pieces. Mix seasonings; sprinkle over chicken. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat; add chicken. Saute chicken 5-8 minutes, until done. Add undrained tomatoes and black beans, cook until well heated; about 5 minutes. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cheese & cook until mixture thickens; remove from heat (sauce will continue to thicken some while sitting).
Heat oven to 450 degrees on the broiler setting. Cover large jelly roll pan or baking sheet with heavy duty tin foil; lay out one tight layer of chips. Add desired amount of sliced Jalapeno (*optional - you can add chopped white/yellow onion to chips), then drop pieces of chicken mixture onto chips (there will be extra). Sprinkle with desired amount of cheeses. If you would like, add additional 1/4 to 1/2 layer of chips, jalapenos, chicken mixture & cheese (we do this). Cook Nachos until cheese is melted, watching closely (in the first picture, notice the tips of a few of my chips were starting to burn). Add garnishes.

While eating, if we still feel we need more chips to balance it out, we will use additional chips from the bag.

Depending on the amount of Nachos you make or the amount of chicken you add to your Nachos, you will most likely have enough chicken mix left over for a second batch. Everyone has different tastes preferences, so you may need to make these a few times, before you find your perfect balance of spices, chicken mixture & cheese.

**Note - If you want to reduce spice level, you can either drain the liquid from the Kuner's Cumin & Chili spiced Black Beans or use regular Kuner's Black Beans; rinse before you add to pan. You can also drain some of the liquid from the Chili Ready Tomatoes or use regular Red Gold diced Tomatoes. I suggest keeping the Chili Ready version & instead reducing some of the spices a bit.

My husband isn't a big lettuce or fresh tomato person, so you will notice our Nachos have no lettuce & only light tomatoes on one side. We also forgot to put the sour cream and Guacamole on our Nachos before we took these pictures. Oops!

Happy Anniversary....Sweetie?!

2010-09-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Our Anniversary started off this morning, with me dropping my darling husband off at the airport at 5 (frickin') AM. I gave him a quick kiss goodbye, then he promptly flew off to Atlanta on a business trip.
THE END!

Love you!

Dead Kitty!

2010-09-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Squeal!!!

2010-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Just received this new book, "How to Haunt Your House"! It looks awesome! Hoping to find some renewed Halloween inspiration!

Anxiously awaiting "How to Haunt Your House, Book 2" to arrive late today or tomorrow.

Blessings, Tracy

DOCTOR NEEDED....STAT!!!

2010-08-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

One of my skeletons had a little mishap in the basement; which resulted in the poor guy suffering a severely broken leg. What happened buddy? Hope you are feeling better before Halloween.

Blessings, Tracy

The Big Galoot!

2010-08-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Henry, at about 2 1/2 months old, lying in my arms while I was on the computer.

At about 4 1/2 months old.

Today - The big galoot attempting to lay in my arms like he did when he was a kitten. I had to move the computer across the island, just to fit him in the picture. He finally gave up & went to a more comfortable spot.

He is 7 1/2 months old & weighs a whopping 12 1/2 pounds. He's a BIG BOY!

Blessings, Tracy

Vacation, continued

2010-07-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

The Palace of Fine Arts, in San Francisco. Beautiful!

Blessings, Tracy

Vacation, part 2

2010-07-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

And here.....

The beautiful Muir Woods! It's a must see if you are ever in the San Francisco area.

Blessings, Tracy

Vacation

2010-07-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

We are physically back from our vacation...but our minds & hearts are still lingering in places like this.

Blessings, Tracy

So pretty!

2010-05-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

Just returned home from work late this evening, to see this out our front window. Not the best picture, but it really shows how stunning our Prairie Fire Crap tree is each spring! We up light our front trees, columns and the architectural peaks of our house with landscape lighting. This lighting really accents our home and landscaping, but for about a week each spring...all anyone can focus on is the beauty of this crab tree's spring blossoms.

Blessing, Tracy

I guess we had a storm last night?

2010-05-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

I woke up to find small piles of hail all over our yard. When I called my husband at work this morning, he informed me that we had a storm while I was working last evening. Hello...I guess we had a storm! I couldn't believe all of the hail that was still unmelted 15+ hours later.

We are lucky, since over the past three years (each time in May), we have been hit by damaging hail storms TWICE! We're talking serious hail...the size of baseballs! We have had to replace our siding & shakes, our roof (twice), our screens on our screened in porch, window screens, air conditioning repairs, garage doors repairs, chipped cedar columns, damaged plants, etc. We can pretty much tell you from experience, not much is left undamaged when you have hail that size.
We have also been very fortunate in the weather department. In the past 8 years, there have been two tornados that hit within 2-3 miles of our house. Both were serious storms that caused a lot of damage, but the most recent tornado (5 yrs. ago) destroyed many homes and ended up killing one person. Because of this, I know that we are lucky just to wake up every morning and still have our health and home (hail damaged or not)!

I know you must be thinking, "What kind of Bermuda Triangle of weather did you people move into?!" I think the same thing every time a storm is in our forecast.
Just so you know....I will be holding my breath and keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of this month!

Blessings, Tracy

How does our garden grow?

2010-05-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Spring is definitely here! Our plant beds are coming to life and our crab tree is starting to bloom. Everything looks so fresh, healthy and new!

Blessing, Tracy

Martha told me....

2010-04-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite (and simple) Martha Stewart ideas is this decorative dish soap dispenser. I saw this somewhere about 5 years ago and thought it was a great idea to disguise my ugly dish soap bottle. I found a cheap decorative bottle at Pier 1 and the topper I found at Williams-Sonoma. If memory serves me correctly, I think the whole thing cost around $12. I did have to make one modification. I ended up using a metal nut pick to ease the ball bearing, that regulates the liquid flow, out of the topper. Because the dish soap is so thick, the ball bearing really slowed the flow of the liquid.

Now our dish soap sits in a sunny kitchen window and looks so pretty. Everyone who sees it thinks it is a great idea and comments on how nice it looks.

Blessings, Tracy

Target Field

2010-04-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we were lucky enough to attend the first evening Twins game at Target Field. My husband's coworker had two tickets he couldn't use, so he gave them to us. Whoo Hoo! It was a little chilly, but so fun! The Twins won this game 10-3 against the Kansas City Royals.

There were good and bad things about the new stadium. Not sure why I was surprised that the new stadium would be configured so differently than the old Metrodome, but I guess I assumed they would be similar in layout. So, this being our first time in the new stadium, we found the new layout somewhat confusing. One of the biggest flaws we found in the stadium design was that you can not see the massive (main) video board when seated in certain areas. We were seated in deep left field (ahem….section V) and couldn't see this screen. Because of this, we missed a lot of replays and the general (between play & inning) entertainment that is shown on this screen. They do have another large screen across the right field, but this showed current baseball scores from around the country for the majority of the game. I noted maybe 3 replays being shown on this screen. Unless I’m missing something.....COME ON Target Field!! I think you could break away from the “up to the minute” scores in right field to share with EVERYONE what is being shown on the main video board. Last but not least, the seating seemed a little tighter than it was at the dome. I have also heard from friends that the rake (slope) of some seats is not as severe as it was at the dome. Because of this, it is important the people in front of you not have big hair, not wear big hats & are nice enough to stay seated in order for you to enjoy the game. ;-)

The food....well, my husband bought the hotdog, which turned out to be about 10 inches long and generally huge all over. After I saw this monstrosity, I decided to get the chicken breast sandwich. Um, warning to others....I do not suggest the chicken breast sandwich. No good! We also tried the fries which were pretty good.

I know some of this stuff (like the layout) we'll just have to get used to. We’ll also have to do some serious taste testing, to determine the good and bad snack and food items. Please don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of wonderful things about our beautiful new stadium, I was just surprised at the few issues we ran into. I guess we'll have to go to a few more games and get familiar with the stadium before we have a final verdict.

Blessings, Tracy

New Family Member

2010-03-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

I know that I have been MIA, but life has been so busy. I've had a hard time dragging myself back to the computer to update. We are having an unbelievably warm February & March up here in the frozen tundra of Minnesota. It was 64 degrees yesterday, which is pretty much unheard of for this time of year.

Last Tuesday we adopted a new 8 week old kitten from the Humane Society. We have not gotten around to naming the little fella yet, but we are close. This little guy is super sweet, although our two existing kitties are not feeling so happy about our "new addition" as of yet.

We thought about this long and hard, but decided to get another kitty since one of our other cats, Stella, has been really struggling since her pal/sleeping buddy died last summer. We thought as time went by she would start to come around, but she really has changed. She initially lost weight & has taken to hiding/spending hours under the bed since he died. She really is a sweet kitty that needs a friend & she and her sister, Lily, don't see eye to eye. Stella would have liked to be friends with Lily at one time, but Lily (whom I also adore) is just a moody little crab & wasn't having it. Stella was always close to her brothers & especially close to our sweet Kitty Kat (we use his image as our profile picture). This is why we picked a black and white kitty, hoping it would ease the transition. Our fingers are crossed that things will turn around.

This is him peeking at us from his Humane Society carrier.

I think it is cute that it says, "Family Member Enclosed".

The poor little guys looks so scared when we first opened the box.

A (rare) calm and still moment...he doesn't have many.

He is enjoying the sun on our screened in porch!

Most of his moments (& my pictures) are like this! Running, playing, running! Man, if you could only bottle that energy...

We adore him. Now if the girls would only come around. Again....fingers crossed.

Blessings, Tracy

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

WANTED!! Dangerous fugitive!

2009-11-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

ATTENTION : We are looking for this dangerous lawbreaking fugitive!

Have you seen this cat?

WANTED!

Name - Stella

DOB - 6/16/04

Height - 15 inch
Weight - 8.2 lbs

a.k.a - Stella Bean, Bean, Nella, Nell, Nellevator, Nelly Belly
Known to have many aliases.

Wanted for brutally attacking (on several occasions) this crow.

A witness reported seeing a medium haired tabby fleeing from the scene of the latest atack, leaving the victim badly injured. The victim lost an eye in earlier attacks and several tail feathers in the most recent attack.

If you see this fugitive, call police immediately. Do not approach this fugitive, as she is known to be armed and dangerous....oh yes, and naughty. If I didn't adore her so much, she would be in a heap of trouble.

Blessings, Tracy

Assorted Halloween Candles and Votives

2009-11-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

Blessings, Tracy

Somebody up there doesn't like me!

2009-11-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

Today, I sadly started taking down and packing away our Halloween decor. While taking a little break, I saw my darn broken down camera sitting on the counter....taunting me (I say). I picked it up, turned it on and found it was "kind of" working again. It was having brief breakdowns still, but I was able to snap a few pictures. I am annoyed that I missed so many photos in the last 2 days and now that I have packed away or dismantled about a 1/2 of our Halloween decor, it decides to work again. Here is a few of the pictures I was able to snap between breakdowns.

Tall jar of bones.

You can buy these jars really cheap at Marshalls & TJ Max.

Short jar of skulls

Our Guest Bath

Close up of framed quote in bath.

This quote is from the Metallica song, Enter Sandman. Not a Metallica fan, but thought this quote was priceless for Halloween. It took me 10-15 minutes to put together - Printed out quote, burned edges of the paper and backed with a piece of black construction paper, framed in a Goodwill $1.99 frame. I would have liked to age the paper, but this was done just before my dinner guest arrived. Our guests really got a kick out of it.

Guest bath 2

Missing a shot of framed vintage (creepy) photo that I had already packed. It was sitting next to this folk art skeleton figurine, in our guest bath.

Living room skulls

Living room - skull in a basket

Skull & owl on top of Fridge

Bat silhouette hanging in spare bedroom window (shot from inside).

See this post for a brief "How To" on making these silhouettes.

Man silhouette hanging in guest bedroom (again shot from inside).

Missing our last silhouette. I already removed and stored our "Witch and Caldron" silhouettes that hang in a double window in our master bedroom. Maybe I'll get a shot next year.

Bought these 3 vintage ghost figures at an Estate Sale.

Two (of many) lit pumpkins

Owl hanging out on a curtain rod in dining room

Pumpkin figurine.

Vintage looking treat bucket

Halloween Cake Server

Cake server with skull and mouse.

Skull in fruit dish

Living room table skull

Crow (with pearls) on mantel

Owl on antique mantel clock

Mesh covered pumpkins

Large owl on top of kitchen cupboards

Crow and twig pumpkins on top of kitchen cupboards

Crows, twig pumpkins and flying pig....oh my!

On top of kitchen cabinet. Fall colored dishes.

I wanted to get some update porch and outdoor decor pictures this year, but sadly we already packed it up late last night.

If I find other things as I pack I will try to snap some additional photos.

Blessings, Tracy

UH...OH!! Houston, we have a problem!

2009-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

My frickin' camera died! I guess that's what I get for talking trash about it a few posts back. I won't have time to buy a new one before Halloween, so I think that's it for pictures for this year. I was hoping to finish setting up the rest of our Halloween decor tomorrow and take pictures on Saturday. I know....I am so behind this year! I planned on posting a final Halloween picture blitz on Saturday or Sunday. I'm so disappointed!

Behold, the last 3 pictures it took during it's final gasps for air. The last one is kind of creepy looking!

Well, (with my head hung low and swear words possibly slipping out of my mouth) I'm off to make my second cheesecake of the day. We have 15 people coming over for a big Halloween dinner tomorrow night. WHY..OH...WHY couldn't it hold on just 2-3 more days!!!

Blessings, Tracy

Ahh....it's going to be a beautiful day!

2009-10-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, with a sunrise like this, how could this day go wrong!

This picture was taken from our screened in porch this morning. I'm sure it would have been better, if I hadn't been too lazy to actually walk out on to the deck to take it. Nope, this gal just shot the picture right through the screen. I know....pitiful.
It really was so beautiful!

Blessings, Tracy

Is it Halloween yet?!

2009-10-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

One of the many "unusual" skull we have displayed around the house.

Blessings, Tracy

When Pigs Fly...Halloween style!

2009-10-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

This guy sits on top of our kitchen cabinets all year round. I just love him. I thought he would like to join in on our Halloween fun, so I made him a little glitter mask for the occasion. I think he turned out cute!

OK then, I'm off to put him back up on his perch.

Blessings, Tracy

Oh no! I have "BATS IN MY BELFRY"....Umm, I mean foyer!

2009-10-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

We have around 50 bats spinning in our foyer during Halloween. When it comes time for Trick or Treaters, we dim the lights and it looks really spooky, with all the bats gently swaying and spinning. When the neighborhood kids come to the door and look up to say their "Trick or Treats", all they see is tons of bats floating over our heads. It's really fun to see some of them simply become speechless (not is a scared way, of course). They just stare without saying a word until we snap them out of it by saying, "Happy Halloween". ;-)

This picture shows just a few of our bats, with the rest spinning over my head and behind me, while I snapped this shot. Sorry...it's nearly impossible to get a good shot of these little devils.

Blessings, Tracy

"I said....STOP looking at me!"

2009-10-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Blessings, Tracy

Sweet!

2009-10-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Blessings, Tracy

Grave stones

2009-10-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Like most of our Halloween decorations, we made these several years ago. I found the idea and directions in this book - Halloween Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor" by Kasey Roger (who played Louise Tate on Bewitched) and Mark Wood. I thought most of the projects in this book were just OK, but it did have a few good ideas.

We are reworking the above gravestone, since it has the most damage of the three.

These gravestones are pretty big in general. They all measure around 3 1/2 feet tall x 2 feet wide x 5 inches deep.

Here's how we did it -

We sandwiched and glued 2 pieces of construction foam/sheet insulation together. Before applying the glue, make sure to carve 2 'rebar" channels on the insides of foam (sides that will be glued together). This will be used later for display purposes.
Carve your design into the headstones. For the second gravestone, we added a carved (skull shaped) piece of foam to the front; for added dimension.
Cover foam with a heavy layer of paper mache.
Once this dried thoroughly, we spray painted over the paper mache with stone/granite textured spray paint. Once this dries, we distressed the gravestones with watered down black and eerie green paints.
Once this dried, we sealed the crap out of them.
Using hot glue gun, glue moss on to areas of the front of gravestone to add an aged look.
To display, we pushed 2 short pieces of of rebar in the ground and slid the gravestones on to these.

These gravestones have held up really well until about 2 years ago. At that time, they sat outside for 2 days in torrential rain which was then followed by a hard freeze. They just couldn't take it & the backs cracked open. We still use them, but they just look really bad from the back. This year we are going to try and redo one of these, using a different method. If it works out, we will redo the others next year. Keep your fingers crossed.....

You can also see a picture of one of our headstones in the Mr. Bones entry.

Blessings, Tracy

Witch's Urn...DONE!!!

2009-10-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here is our newest project, a fabulous "Witch's Urn"! When I first saw one of these, here, here and here, I just fell in love. It looked so fun, I just had to try it.

If you have been following this process, I know it has taken sooooo.o.o.o.o.o long for us to finish this project. Life has been keeping us busy and taking up all of our time.

Here's how we did it.

I was lucky enough to find a GREAT deal on some mannequin legs on Craigslist. I paid $10 for this mismatched set. **Update - See this post for another place you could find mannequin legs. If you don't live in the Minneapolis area, you can see if there is a similar type of business near you.

We spray painted our mannequin legs black. We did this because the first leg, attached to the torso, was scratched up and dull and the paint on the red leg was showing through the fibers of our striped tights. We also spray painted a large heavy plastic urn black. You will notice the urn is now gray, since the black just wasn't working for me. We ended up spraying over the black with one of those textured granite sprays and then I distressed it. Here is a picture of the urn before distressing.

For info on how I made the witch's shoes (from Goodwill finds), see previous posts.
We purchased some striped tights in the Halloween section of our local Party City store. You can also find these at any Halloween themed stores that pop up at this time of year.
We ended up having to cut the torso off of the one leg, since it was too tall for our urn.
We glued the two mannequin legs on to a board and secured the board in the urn. We used heavy construction adhesive to do both of these, since we didn't want them falling out & bopping some young child on the head. Once they were set, we put tights and shoes on the mannequin legs.
I cut a piece of craft foam in an oval shape & painted "The Witch is IN" on it. The frame is made out of the rim of an oval "Chinet" brand heavy duty paper plate. After I cut it out, it was painted black, thoroughly sealed and then covered with fine black glitter. You can't tell from the pictures, but the frame really shimmers in person. To finish it off, I glued the frame to the sign. Note - Our Witch's Urn will be displayed on a covered porch, so it will fairly well protected from the elements.
The top of the urn was covered with fake moss, and the "The Witch is IN" sign was hung on the front of the urn with black string. A black crow was added as an accent.

Blessings, Tracy

I'm linking this post to one of my favorite blogs -

I'm also linking this post to the DIY Show and Tell Halloween Surprise Party.

Happy Halloween!!

TA...'frickin'...DA! Behold our Witch's Shoe!!

2009-10-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally finished the shoes for my Witch's Urn yesterday! Making these has been a true challenge for me, since I really have pretty much ZERO sewing abilities. I haven't touched a sewing machine in many years, so I had to pretty much learn how to sew all over again. I am so proud of myself!

Then...this morning, when I went to take some pictures to post, I found out my camera batteries were just about to die. I also knew we had no spare batteries in the house. Yes, I still have one of the first digital cameras that is known to mankind. It takes bad pictures and it known throughout the land for it's "battery sucking" abilities. So, anyhoo....I was able to take 4 quick, pictures before I lost power. But, alas, I lost this battle in the end, since I was in such a hurry to beat the dying batteries...only one picture turned out. I'll have to post more pictures later. Check out my previous post if you are interested in more info on how I made these shoes.

FYI - For anyone else who is interested in making a Witch's Urn, you can buy shoe covers that make normal shoes look like witch’s shoe. The problem I found with these is that they are really meant for viewing from the top of the shoe down, not from the bottom (sole side) up. They have straps that crisscross over the soles & I just didn’t like the look personally. So, long story short, I thought I would try to make my own first. Although, I have to say that I was pretty close, several times during the (ahem...frustrating) sewing process, to just buying the quick covers. I think I may have actually taught myself a few new swear words while making these. ;-) If you are interested, you can purchase them at local party/Halloween shops or on the web at places like here or here.

Blessings, Tracy