When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,

May luck be yours on Halloween!

           ~author unknown

The Day After

Well, my Bunco guests are long gone...but before they came and left, I did manage to snap a few photos of the favors I made for my lovely ladies to take home...

I stole this idea from one of my favorite bloggers, Kim, at Musings from Kim K.  I simply painted peat pots (I bought mine at Big Lots) and glued on mini cupcake liners, stickers and ribbon.  Then all I had to do was fill my decorated peat pots with shredded paper and candy, and they were ready to go home with my guests.  To tell you the truth, I made these several weeks ago, and I was kind of sad to see them go since they made a cute display on my Martha Stewart cake stands...

I also needed to wrap up the Bunco cash prizes in something cute and easy, so I decided to make some Halloween crackers.  I just cut up a couple of paper towel tubes, put more shredded paper and the prize money inside, and then wrapped the whole thing up in tissue paper....



Now that Bunco is over, I kind of have that same feeling one has the day after Christmas.  Oops, I just remembered that I still have to show you the outside decorations!  Oh, and we've begun rennovating the kitchen, so stay tuned!

Martha's Halloween Fans

Last night, MacGyver husband and the kids and I were discussing how I don't say bad words often.  Except, according to my husband, I do swear a lot when trying to create some Martha Stewart craft projects.  I have to say, at that point, I got real quiet.  This latest Martha project really did bring out the worst in me.  I can't tell you how many times I came close to throwing in the towel on these fans, but I had already invested so much time and money that I wasn't willing to give up.  We won't discuss the words that came out of my mouth, but, in the end, I think it was all worth it.  I hope you think so too, but if you would like to make some, don't say I didn't warn you!

Halloween Corner Cabinet

Halloween decorating has begun here at Love and Life at Leadora.  I am hosting October BUNCO, so I am forcing myself to get my decorating groove on.

My corner cabinet in the dining room is always the easiest spot to start.  Plus, it's a great place to showcase my favorite and easiest Halloween decorations: black construction paper silhouettes!  I must give thanks to Martha Stewart for this idea, especially since I found all the templates for the mice and owl on her website.  So if you're having trouble like me getting into Halloween decorating, go visit Martha.  Just bring along your black paper, scissors and tape!

Our New Bathroom...It's finally done!

Yes, our new bathroom is finally done!  For those who don't remember, (I wouldn't blame you if you did...it's been awhile), check out my original post here.  Didn't MacGyver husband do an outstanding job on my Pottery Barn inspired vanity?  We actually ended up doing everything ourselves except for the drywall and tile, and this really kept our costs low.  Also, I was so lucky to find the vintage mirror in my grandmother's barn.  It fits perfectly with the vanity!  

As you can see, I still need to make a proper shower curtain.  This side isn't nearly as thrilling, so I think I'll take you back to the pretty side again!

Now that the kids'/guest bathroom is done, we will soon be taking out the old bathroom and starting a kitchen mini makeover!  Stay posted!



Hello!

Hello, all my dear blog friends!  Once again, life has gotten in the way of blogging here at Love and Life at Leadora, but I will be returning soon.  In the meantime, I came across this great poster on Pinterest...it made me laugh and hopefully it will make you smile too!

I Won!

This is the last weekend of our summer break, and I am bummed.  However, I am excited about winning a giveaway!  Yes, I am the lucky owner of a beautiful banner made by Alicia at La Famille.  If you haven't checked out her blog, you simply must!  Alicia is a very creative and talented young mom who writes beautiful and heartfelt stories about her family life.   When Alicia's banner arrived, I knew that it would be perfect for my corner cabinet...

 

Thanks, Alicia!  Even though school is starting soon, a glance at my corner cabinet will remind me of  fun summer days!