Happy Rangerween!!

Check out this cool Texas Rangers pumpkin my friend Heather carved!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!! Have fun and be safe!!

Go Rangers!

6 Dollar Halloween Happy Hour

For my moms birthday and for Halloween we decided to have a Happy Hour instead of a full blown party. I was determined not to spend over $10 on decorations because my mom already has so many decorations and the party was at her house. So at Wal-Mart I found some cute and cheap favors and decorations.

I bought favor spider rings for $2, stretchy skulls for $2, and a windsock for $2.

I thought they would look cute in martini glasses for everyone to grab as a favor on their way into the party.

We had a great time, and I didn't spend over $10 on favors or decorations!

Punkin'

Hope you all had a great weekend! I just wanted to show you what I got this weekend! I think they are really cute!!

It's almost Halloween!!

Thanks Y'all!

Thanks to all for my sweet comments, support, and for being my followers! In celebration of Halloween and getting sixteen followers today, I'm going to have my first ever give away! YAY!

I appreciate y'all so much that I'm selecting one of you lucky followers at random (courtesy of Random.org) to receive a complimentary set of my BOO tags! (Shoot me an email at Swiss Avenue if you wish to NOT be entered.)

Here are my tags in action.

Note: Apothocary Jars and other decorations are not included in this give away!

Tags (three of them) will come hole punched, with a coordinating ribbon, and ready for your use! They can be used like in the photo above or hung anywhere in the house to add to your own Halloween Decor!

The winner will be announced in tomorrow's posting. So check back tomorrow and if you are the winner please email me at Swiss Avenue with your mailing address. If I get any followers from now until tomorrow's posting they will be entered unless I hear otherwise. So if you have been thinking about following me, NOW is the time!

Don't forget to email me at Swiss Avenue if you wish to NOT be included.

Fine Print: Due to shipping costs I can only ship to the followers addresses in the Continental US. No purchase necessary. Winner must be 18 years or older.

Rock It Out, Now Rock It Out. Yes I Rock It Out!

My rock flower bed thingy was finished this weekend and I cannot take all of the credit. I had three bags of rocks left to pour on and I went to a see a friends baby and came home to it being magically done for me!
I didn't take a before before photo, but I did have during photos that probably looked worse than the actual before photos. Well maybe not, imagine this mess below plus over grown plants and a whole lotta weeds.

Before/During/Muddy Mess:

After: so fresh and so clean, clean:

First I pulled out the massive amount of weeds that were in the flower bed. I then cut the weed blocker tarp into shapes around my rose bushes, liles, and crape myrtle. (Don't mind the chewed siding by the doggie door. That is getting replaced next!)

I cleaned and trimmed up all the existing plants that I wanted to keep.

Then I started pour the rock. I love how it instantly gave me a beachy feel!

I noticed early on in the project that I didnt have enough of the Mexican river pepples (the grayish color stones), but those bags were $15 vs. the $4 bags of pond rocks (the brownish color stones).

So I decided to make a sort of a "river" running through it look.

Do you see the "river" ?

That way I was able to use less of the expensive Mexican river stones (gray) and more of the more cost effective pond stones (brownish).

I did really like the Mexian river rock better, but I just decided that fifteen bags X $15 each = was not in this budget.

I do like how it turned out and I am happy to say I haven't seen one weed yet! (Plenty of falling leaves though, ugh!)

Let me know about your Rockin' Out projects!

Follow Up on Fall

I added and subtracted some things from my fall decor.  Just something wasn't right so I played around with it a little bit today.

I added some old books that were on my mantle under my ceramic pumpkin.

I felt like something was missing before, but now after the addition of the books I feel like it is complete!

I also removed the haunted house sign and put it outside where it belongs. So how do you like this small update?

And now with more room on my fire place mantle I was able to add my white ceramic pumpkins and jack-o- lantern votives.

So my house is slowly becoming a fall haven, and I still haven't spent a single copper penny!

Fall Flair!

I know you have been waiting with baited breath for my after photos of my fall entry way. Well I finished it up tonight and I'm very pleased to announce that I did it without buying one single thing. I used leftover materials that I had around the house from previous projects and parties.

Here is the before, sad and plain, entry way shot:

The new fall flair entry way:

I tied my BOO tags on the apothocary jar lids.

The tags are tied with some black and white ribbon I had left over from the French Classy Shower.

I then filled the jars with faux pumpkins and gourds that I have had for six years. I used left over moss from my onesie flower pot in the middle jar. Then in the big jar, I pushed in harvest corn cobs that I had last year tied to the front door.

Here is the before, the pitiful empty jars:

After: Fall and full!

 The black urn and damask table runner are both left over from my French Classy Shower, and the ceramic pumpkin I bought at CVS four years ago for .50 cents. (at an after Halloween clearance price!) I have had the haunted house sign for six years and the orange felt chandelier hanging off a drawer knob at the bottom of the table I got at Michael's clearance last year for .50 cents.

I feel like after Halloween I can take off the BOO tags, remove the haunted house sign, chandelier, and maybe the damask table runner and then I can keep this decor out through Thanksgiving! Talk about versatile! My vow is complete! I didn't spend a dime and I think it turned out alright! (Sure I could have hoarded my way through Target, Home Goods, and Michael's but I didn't and I like it even that much more that I didn't buy a thing!)

Let me know what versatile fall decor you put out this year!

Boo!

I thought that this year I just wouldn't feel like decorating for Halloween. I thought about it being too expensive, too much effort, and too messy, but tonight I got in the fall mood and I vowed not to spend a dime on anything! I saw this blank canvas entry way table that was in major need of sprucing up for the fall festivities.

Before: So plain and crying for some fall flair:

These perfect and versitile apothocary jars are just begging me to be filled with lil' punkin's and fall things.

So to get started I first I laid down this black and white damask runner that I had left over from my French Classy Shower. It was a fabric piece that I got for $4.00.

Then I started by making tags that spelled out BOO to tie on these jars.

I cut the tags out of orange floral paper that I have, using a packing label as a template.

I traced on the plain side of the paper so the pencil wouldn't smear on the front. Sometimes I'm smart.

Only sometimes.

Then I used stencils that my mom gave me, that she used back in her teaching days, to trace the individual letters.

I used a Sharpie to color the letters in black.

Then I put them all together and here's the finished result:

They were so simple and I think they turned out so precious. They seriously took me about five minutes to create! That is including the several stops I had to make to yell at the dog to stop bumping me! I needed a steady hand, dang it!

I used materials for these tags that I already owned so they didn't cost me anything! Yay, my vow is still in tact!Stay tuned for the fall finish on my sad and plain apothocary jars and entry way table to see if I stuck out my vow not to spend a dime!

A Real Fall

Last October we went to Ohio and it was the first time in a long time that I had been up North during fall.  It was a real fall, not a fake, rain every day but still 80 degrees kind of fall that Texas has. It was changing leaves, crisp cool sunny days, and cold nights that make you want to put on a fire. So while I'm sitting here in the midst of a Texas fall, where it's raining, gray, and 80 degrees outside, I remember my trip up North. Here are a few photos I took last October while in Ohio.

I see you orange tree, I see you! Do you see that perfect little orange tree far off in the distance?

Well I just had to get closer! It was burning orange and perfect. The contrast between the green grass and firey orange leaves just gave me the Fall feelings!

And boy was I was in for a treat when I spotted this pretty lady. This old house with a tin roof just looks perfect for a creepy trick-or-treat stop!

Happy Fall Y'all!