Giveaway: Mistletoes Cupcake Toppers

This special giveaway prize comes from Snow Buddies Ink shop on Etsy. My friend Debbie, who made the sugar skull cupcake toppers for my 31st birthday, runs the shop and was generous enough to donate a set of her “Mistletoes Holiday Christmas Cupcake Appetizer Toppers.” These are one of my favorite toppers.

The winner will receive 12 adorable toppers in their Mistletoes Cupcake Topper package. Two Mistletoe signs, 2 High heels, 2 Santa boots, 2 Elf shoes, 2 stockings, and 2 Reindeer “toes.”

How to Enter:
1. Go to Snow Buddies Ink shop and tell me your favorite item in her shop.
2. Like her shop on Etsy.
3. Pin one of her items on Pinterest and leave me the link.
4. Share this giveaway on your Facebook. 

Each entry should be submitted in a separate comment with your email, to contact you in case you win. Contest ends Friday, December 12th. Sorry, this contest is only open to US residents due to slow shipping outside the US.

Now, you’ll not only think of kisses when you think of Mistletoe.

Good Luck Everyone!

Sugar Skull Cake & Cupcakes

For my Day of the Dead/Frida Kahlo themed birthday party in February my friend Amanda made me a carrot cake (my favorite cake flavor) in the shape of a sugar skull. She used a skull shaped pan. She also made the cupcakes and the flower tissue cupcake toppers. I commissioned my friend Debbie to make me some colorful sugar skull toppers. Everything tasted delicious and looked great!


My 31st birthday was a memorable one because I have great friends who were willing to use their
creativity and talent to help me celebrate another year of life, my way. It made me feel loved. I saved all the flower tissue cupcake toppers and the sugar skull toppers. I even dug some out of the trashcan to save. You can get your own sugar skull toppers (or holiday toppers) at Debbie’s Etsy shop, SnowBuddiesInk. Check out Amanda’s Etsy shop too, called ArtisticAmanda.

Today is the last day of Day of the Dead. Let’s not only celebrate and honor the lives of those who have passed away but remember to celebrate life with the ones you love everyday. Life is short. Enjoy it damn it!

Mrs. Bones Day of the Dead Ornament

Mrs. Bones is the new addition to my Day of the Dead tree. She came alive a few days ago as I stitched her together. It was a time consuming project especially since it was my first time using beads in a cross-stitch project. She is a flashy mama and I love her. She even glows in the dark. I got Mrs. Bones on ebay about a year or two ago. I can't remember. Mrs. Bones is looking for her Mr. Bones and I hope to play cupid and unite them next year.  

Permanent Altar to Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos in Spanish) is my favorite Mexican holiday. I love it so much that I threw myself a Day of the Dead/Frida Kahlo themed party this year for my 31st birthday. In my craft room, a shelf is dedicated to  some of my favorite Day of the Dead decorations.  It’s a permanent altar; it’s displayed all year round. Many of the items on my shelf are gifts from family and friends who know how much I enjoy this holiday. This year I’ve decided not to display all my Day of the Dead decorations but you can see for the links above pictures of my pervious Day of the Dead altars.

Do you display something that is meant to be displayed for a certain period of time but it's display permanently?

Day of the Dead celebrations starts today and ends tomorrow. Feliz Dia de los Muetos everyone!

If you like Day of the Dead as much as I do, you’ll love CasaArtelexia, a blog, which celebrates Mexican culture and is full of DIY Day of the Dead tutorials.

The Giving Tree Costume

When I was in my book club, The Bookies, we celebrated our first year anniversary by dressing up as a character from our favorite book. One of my favorite books is, “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big kid at heart. My favorite character in the book is the tree, not that there is many to choose from. I wrapped myself in brown construction paper and… okay, I’m kidding. I made my costume as simple as possible and it included everyone in the book, the tree and the boy. I won first place with this costume at book club.

Bag of Apples/Supplies: White shirt, black dimensional fabric paint, red, green, and brown felt, white fabric, polyester stuffing, hair tie, transfer sheets for ink jet printers, printer, scissors, small button, sewing needle, sewing machine, hot glue gun, embroidery thread, iron, scanner, and “The Giving Tree” book.

Apple 1: Draw your giving tree with dimensional fabric paint on your white shirt, with the leaves around the collar. Don’t forget the M.E. + T carved into the tree.

Apple 2: Scan the picture of the boy from the front cover of the book. It’s important to follow directions from the transfer paper. Print image on transfer paper and iron onto white fabric. Sew button on boy’s overalls. Cut fabric around boy.  Place it over another piece of white fabric, trace it, and cut the traced fabric out. Sew both pieces together with the image of the boy inside. Leave an opening to turn it inside out. Stuff your boy doll and hand sew the opening shut. Cut leaves out of green felt and embroider them with a lighter shade of green with embroidery thread. Glue the leaves to the boy’s head. Now, he has his little crown of leaves.

Apple 3: Make an apple with a leaf and stem using your felt. Sew the apple pieces together and stuff your apple. Cut a rectangular piece of red felt. Place it over the back of your apple with the hair tie between them, and sew it on the apple. Repeat this step if you would like to be a tree with many apples.

Apple 4: Put your tree shirt on, braid your hair (or wig if your hair is short) and tie your apple hair tie with it. Your hair will represent the tree’s branches with apples in them. Hold your boy and give him lots of love. Carry the book with you for those who need an extra hint to guess who you are for Halloween. If you have brown pants, wear them!

I don’t have a picture of myself in this costume. I don’t think I can fit into the shirt again and I’m rocking short hair now. I hope you can envision “The Giving Tree” costume put together by the pictures above. If you make this costume, I would love to see it. Please do share!

DIY Spider Web A Halloween Card

Add a little dimensional touch to a simple Halloween card and make it spooktacular, by embroidering a spider web.

Supplies: A simple Halloween card (if it has spiders on it, the better), fake rubber spider, craft glue, scissors, seam ripper, thin sewing needle, pencil, cutting mat, and white embroidery thread (if you have glow in dark thread it’s more fun)!

Spider 1: Draw where you would like to embroider your spider web on your card. I connected my web drawing to the spiders on the card and wanted the spider web to look like a bow on the little girl’s hair. The outside of the card says, “May the scariest thing about Halloween….” inside “not be your hair.” 

Spider 2: Place your card over your cutting board. Grab your seam ripper and twist it back and forth to make holes where you will connect your stitching.
Spider 3: Use two threads, insert them in your needle, and make a knot at the end of the thread. Start sewing from the inside of the card to hide the knot.

Spider 4: Start embroidering by connecting the dots/holes.

Spider 5: Glue the fake rubber spider to your new embroidered spider web.

Spider 6: Send the Halloween card out.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial. It's very easy and only takes a few minutes. 
  

Razzle-Dazzle Skeleton Garland

My friend Amanda made some of these glittery skeletons last year for Halloween. They looked so cool hanging in her house and I told myself I would try making them this year.

Bag of Bones/Supplies: Mod Podge, sponge brush paint brush, glitter shakers, skeleton garland, and paper plates. Glitter shakers and skeleton garland were purchased at the 99cent store, but I suggest buying better quality glitter.

Bone 1: Remove the skeletons by loosing their noose.

Bone 2: Put some Mod Podge on a paper plate.

Bone 3: Brush Mod Podge on a skeleton in sections then sprinkle glitter on the section you mod podged, over another plate. Tap skeleton against plate to shake excess glitter.

Bone 4: When your shaker is empty, fold your paper plate in half and pour glitter back into the shaker.

Bone 5: Switching colors? Repeat bone (step) 3 and 4 over a different plate.

Bone 6: Grab your empty nooses and hang your razzle-dazzle skeletons.

Bone 7: Display your razzle-dazzle skeleton garland.

Wondering where the orange skeletons are? Well, what can you expect from 99cent glitter. Not only did the orange glitter look brown on the skeletons but when I hung the skeletons in bone/step 6 some of the purple and green glitter on the skeletons fell off.

Thank you Amanda for letting me share how to make these glittery skeletons to my readers!

Inspirational Halloween Ideas

To help you get ready for Halloween I’m sharing 7 past blog posts. Many DIY posts, a costume idea, and past Halloween parties to help you plan your own. Your guests won’t forget your Halloween party with this DIY Skeleton Hand Invitations.

This Halloween DIY Bloodshot Eyeball Magnet decoration will sure stand out.
DIY Eyeball Tissue Paper adds a special pop to any Halloween package.

Can’t throw a party without Halloween Decorations.

You will sure make a scene with this easy DIY Albert Hitchcock Psycho Costume.

Thinking of a themed Halloween party? These past parties might help. Halloween House Party,

 The Pumpkin Carver Party, or

The Boneyard Bash Party.

I hope these posts help you plan the best Halloween party ever!

DIY Car Art Hanger

I made this car art hanger for my nephew Isaac. He is our little artist and loves to play with toy cars. He turns two years old today. I haven’t met him yet. Hopefully, I’ll get to finally meet him this Christmas. Since I can’t be there to give him all my love on his birthday, I made him this homemade gift with lots of love.

Supplies: 2 unfinished wooden cars, 6 clothespins, acrylic paint, paintbrushes, Mod Podge, silver plastic canvas cord, felt, sewing needle, thread, glue gun, and sawtooth hangers (or anything you can use to hang a frame). I got most of my supplies at Joann's fabric and crafts store.

Green Light 1: Draw the details you want on your cars (like headlights, door handles, steering wheel, fuzzy dice, and hub caps) with a pencil.

Vroom 2: Paint your cars and the clothespins. You’ll need many layers of paint. I painted the clothespins red, yellow, and green to match the colors of a stoplight.

Vroom 3: Seal your painted items with two coats of Mod Podge Matte sealer, to protect the paint.

Vroom 4: Cut 3 feet (36 inches) of plastic canvas cord.

Vroom 5: Cut two square pieces of felt, 1 inch by 1 inch. Hand sew one end of the cord to a felt square then do the same to the opposite side. Make sure the cord is not twisted and it’s facing the same direction.

Vroom 6: Glue one square behind one of the cars and glue the remaining square to the other car. You want to glue the side of the square where you can see the cord, so you can hide the stitching.

Vroom 7: Nail the sawtooth hangers behind each car. My firefighter did this for me.

Yellow Light 8: (Optional) Write a special message on the back of one of the cars.

Stop 9: Park your car art hanger on a wall! 

Isaac can proudly display his artwork, birthday cards, or even family pictures on his car art hanger.

Happy Birthday my little man!

From Belle: Mom & Dad Saved A Life Three Years Ago

I ate dog cake on Wednesday! Oh, getting ahead of my dogself but it’s me Belle! Three years ago, mom and dad adopted me in front of Petsmart. That’s how they saved my life. Mom counts my adoption day as my birthday.

When mom got home from work on Wednesday and mentioned “cookie” to dad I knew “cookie” was for me. Mom got me “The Original PUP-PIE Natural Wheat & Corn Free Pie-Shaped Treat for Dogs” from Petsmart. Wow, that was a mouthful. Mom showed me my cake and I was dieing to eat it. Sesame seed sprinkles, frosting, pumpkin and peanut butter oven baked cake…give me, give me, give me! Peanut butter is my fav!

Camera came out and I was like, “no mom just give me my cake!” To make matters worse she took out one of my birthday hats from my first birthday party for me to wear. I tried to shake it off but mom was determined for me to keep it on. Once I got a sniff of my cake I didn’t care about the hat anymore. What hat? I got to eat three delicious slices.

As I write this, I’m eating another slice of cake. Don’t tell mom. It’s our little secret.

Olvera Street Photo Op & Winner

Other than wanting a margarita at Olvera Street taking this photograph there was a must. First, let me start by telling you a little about myself. I’m the only child from my mother and father. I consider myself a souvenir from their relationship. I have four siblings, me being the oldest. I have a brother and sister from my mother and her second husband and another brother and sister from my dad and his wife. I’ve only seen one photograph of my parents together. The picture is of my mom wearing a sombrero seating on a fake donkey and my father standing near her. Can you see where I’m going with this?

When my mother was married to her first husband the photograph of my parents disappeared. I wish I would have known during that time how much that picture would mean to me in the future and I would've asked for it and protected it. Turns out my mother’s first husband got rid of the picture. Bastard!

I always thought the photograph of my parents was taken at Olvera Street. Turns out it was taken at a work party, where they both worked. Taking this photo at Olvera Street is the closest I will get to that lost photograph. Seeing this picture helps me keep the photograph of my parents alive in my heart.

Here sits the souvenir, of two lost lovers, like the lost photo taken long ago. Though the photograph disappeared the souvenir remains.

On that note, felicidades (congratulation) to Suki! You won the Olvera Street bookmark souvenir!

Beautiful Ladies Deserve Flowers on their Birthday

Amanda and I celebrated her birthday a day early. She came over to my place and we worked on making necklaces out of neckties as we watched movies on Netflix. I got Amanda a gift certificate to her favorite store, G stage, a homemade piñata ornament, and a pair of rose earrings with matching sweater clips, which I made. I also got her a birthday cupcake filled with strawberry filling. She made a wish and we shared it.

Amanda, I hope you had a wonderful birthday yesterday. I can’t wait until we go shopping together.