Glitter Pumpkin

Now that I have those fabulous round trays on my tables - they are perfect for changing things up seasonally.  

I keep seeing posts from other great crafters out there who are using 'Glitter Paint'.  Intrigued - I jumped right on this!!  

I found the small can of glitter paint at Michael's but I was dissapointed to see that the color orange was sold out.  SO I went for the gold.  

And it was sold right with these:

 

My first observation with this was - this is not as simple as spraypainting a stool or trays.  I found the paint to be a little 'runny'.  But I kept at it with lots of layers in between drying time.  

Finally the project started to take hold.  The pumpkin was 'glittered' and ready to be displayed.

My last detail to the project is the use of a 'fake' candle.  I prefer real candles...the soft glow, the warmth and the smell.  My girls are old enough for me to have lit candles again.  BUT I have a wagging tail in the house again this year.  Not a great combination.

 I found this one at Michael's.  What I LOVE about this is it has a built in timer.  It comes on every day at 4:30 and shuts off at 9:30 (4 hours).  And I NEVER have to think twice about it.  It has real wax on it - with a Vanilla scent so it definitely looks real.  It also takes real AAA Batteries (not those silver disk ones).

Even the crow can perch on it!!  Cannot do that with a real lit candle!  

Halloween Mantel

Over the weekend the girls and I pulled out the 'Halloween Box'.  Which I should add in the Little Red House is stored in the cellar.  Someday, I will do a whole post dedicated to my 'cellar'.  It is not a basement.  Basement's are where beautiful children's playrooms and second family rooms are set up.  This is a typical New England field stone cellar.  

Let's just say when I was digging around in the box and I tripped on some black paper spiders I made last year I jumped a mile.  YES I just assumed they were real! 

The mantel was our project.  The only new item we purchased this year is the black feather wreath.  It reminds me of a white turkey feather wreath my mom hung on our mirror during Christmas time when I was younger.

My first challenge was how to hang the wreath.  I have now discovered Command Hooks - removable stick on hooks!!  HOW DID I NOT KNOW?  I now have them hanging all over my house.

Using a Command Hook I was able to center the wreath right on the mirror.  

I think my most favorite part of the mantel is the 'Ragamuffin' that the girls made last year.  I found a ton of halloween fabrics on clearance at Joann's for well over 70% off.  I bought a couple of 1/4 yards and we created this.  

It hangs just high enough to not interfere or be a concern for the gas fireplace.  Although, Nora's bed will have to be moved from this corner soon!

Black Crows pop up in all kinds of places!

I love to put seasonal candy into this hurricane but the girls ALWAYS raid it.  I cannot blame them really.  SO I popped one of my 'crows' on it like a guardian.  It is barely balanced on top so if they have been at it I will know!!

Election Day Bake Sale - Part 2

Just in case you thought I was done - I had even MORE things I made!  Seriously, I do wonder if it would be easier to write a check as a donation but where is the fun in that!?!

SO, next on the list is Brownies.  I really like to frost my brownies but this makes it hard to wrap them up.  This is what I came up with for those.  (I will admit this - I used boxed brownie mix and canned frosting - GASP!!)

But they do look good no??

I threw in my Congo Bars.  Which are really a Blondie because Congo's have coconut in them and mine do not -  it is just tradition to call them Congo Bars.  I made these simply because they are my favorite.  I also made a quick last minute change and added HEATH bar as a secret ingredient!

THEN, LOOK AT THESE!!!
I saw these on My Creative Stirrings and HAD to make them.  At first, I thought I would make only 30 but ended up doing 50.  They ended up being much more fun than work once I had the assembly line worked out.

SO now, the Little Red House Kitchen is officially closed.  I hope you enjoy making treats for your Bake Sales!

Election Day Bake Sale - Part 1

Today was the Election Day Bake Sale for Coco's 5th grade class.  I don't know if I am glad there are TWO elections in our town this year because I am exhausted after the first!

Even my mixer was tired!

I do want to note again:  I have a TINY kitchen here in the Little Red House.  This was a big undertaking.  I was also ready to really change up what I do every year.  And while I avoided the chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread I did have these on hand:

and made a LOT of this:

20 loaves of this in total

I also packaged up about 15 bags of Candy Corn Bark which Lindsey at Lee La La posted.  I had never made a bark before and this was very easy!

You just melt it and pour it onto the parchment on a cookie sheet

After letting it sit in the fridge for an hour you 'crack' it.  As you can see - I used a hammer to help with this.

But - really can you picture anything cuter on the Bake Sale Table today?!?!

More to come!  

Part TWO tomorrow!!!  

   

Italian Wedding Soup

Cool nights have arrived in New England and I am LOVING it! It is time for some soup!

This year my girls seem to be asking for soup which could not make me happier!!

I decided to mix it up and make Italian Wedding Soup.  For what it is worth I am of IRISH descent with an Italian last name... but even I like this soup!!

I started with my organic chicken stock (you can see how I made that HERE).

Then I rolled as many tiny little meatballs as I could.  I like to make these ahead and freeze them.

On their way into the oven:

On their way out:

Then following my recipe

Italian Wedding Soup

8-10 cups of Chicken Broth

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 box frozen chopped spinach (defrosted)

24 mini meatballs

1-2 cups of Orzo pasta (uncooked)

parm cheese for garnish

Bring the broth to a boil.  Add all the other ingredients to the pot.  Stir occasionally so that pasta does not stick.  

Simmer for 20-30 minutes.  

Best served with fresh french bread.  Mmm Mmm Good!!

If you make your meatballs ahead of time this soup could not be easier to make.  Give it a try!

New England Day Trip

My oldest sister who hails from another state (NOT in New England) was in town and we chose a Corn Maze for our outing with the girls. Is this a regional thing?  I feel like Corn Mazes are new to us here in New England.  It was fun either way!

It was a BEAUTIFUL warm sunny September afternoon.  Did I mention warm? 

The girl at the entrance told us to plan to be in there for an hour.  We stumbled out an hour and a half later.  Tired and a tad cranky.  BUT it was fun

When we got out - we treated ourselves to some ICE COLD LEMONADE and Apple Cider Donuts.  Mmmmm!

I am pretty sure the girls went to bed right on time that night and did not have any trouble falling asleep.  

The Ugly Kitchen Door...No More

My FALL Home Project is redecorating my tiny little kitchen.  I have a long list of changes to make.  Basically, I am keeping the cabinets, floors, appliances and and the counters.

FIRST change up was the Stool (see that post here).

SECOND I started in the mud room which I gave a Fall cleanup.

Then it was time to carry more of the black to the inside of kitchen door which in 14 years has never got any attention.  That was a terrible factory white - ignored - it is terribly sad.

See the sad before picture - Don't stare too long :(

And AFTER!

And while it was great to be able to see right out the door  and get what little daylight we could - that also means people could see right in.  And what they see is my 'cluttered' mud room.  

Being a metal door I ordered a set of Magnetic Cafe Rods.  They stick right onto the door.  (Of course, I should note I ordered brass rods but I received brushed nickle.  I will say  -  they blend with the black of the door and I now think that the brass would have been a bit much.  I plan to spray them black if they bug me!)  Then I added a sheer curtain panel and I think it looks SO MUCH BETTER!

Of course - painting the walls and woodwork are next in this poor ignored corner.  Then I can accessorize this rooms wall a bit nicer.

Design Star - Finale

I waited to post this - I did not want to ruin it for anyone who may have DVR'd it!!

Look away if you have not seen it yet.  The winner is.....



Yes, my girl MEG did it!  I think that she has been steady and strong all season.  She would definitely keep my interest with her personality.  I also love that she is not a twig with an inverted bob.

She is SO cute! (I can say that because I am older.)


I also have to say that I think this was my favorite thing she did all season:

IF I had wall space to do copy this great idea of the hanging lanterns - I so would!!

BUT this room definitely was a winner for me!


Congrats Meg!  I will be watching!

Old Dishes - New Dishes

WAY back in 1997, when I got married, I allowed the Mr. to select our dishes for everyday.  I gave him three sets to choose from to keep things easy.  (Yes, three that I could live with!)  He chose Garden Harvest by Mikasa.  They have been good dishes.  They have led us through romantic dinners by the TV, breakfast at the kitchen island and then have been with us through the growth of our family.




However, they have been showing their age lately.  I understand how they feel.  Chips, missing mugs and of late - the color was so.... well 1990s!  For what it is worth - I was watching the Rachael Zoe Project and she had the SAME dishes!  SO - they must have been in STYLE at some point.

Saying goodbye to an old friend

Fast Forward to 2011.  I swear I was not looking for new dishes and had Lulu not insisted on using the restrooms way in the back upstairs at Sears I would never have seen them.

But I did.

It was a RED ROOSTER that caught my eye.  She CALLED to me. (Can dishes call to you??)   I came right home and got online when we got home and checked out all the options available to me.  It is the COUNTRY LIVING collection.

I knew one thing - I was all done with 'matchy matchy' and wanted something that went together but not necessarily from the same 'line'.   I came up with this.

Let me break it down - this is the new setting we use daily now - isn't it adorable!

Here is the dinner plate

Here SHE is - that ROOSTER who called to me (it is our most used plate: lunch, breakfast, dinner)

New soup, salad or cereal bowl

The coffee mug (Note: I can finally use that 'large' cup button on my Keurig!!)

AND that leads us to the saucer.  Which really is a dessert plate.  This is Johnson Brothers.

I tripped on a set of 6 teacups, saucers and dessert plates on Craigslist for $25.00 - LOVE THEM~!!

These new dishes pull together my favorite colors,  they are versatile, casual and now feels like our 'old dishes' that we used all the time.

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