Burlap Wine Bag for Halloween

Well, the opinions varied but I appreciate the comments on my last post about whether or not I should add a stencil to the Burlap Wine Bag I made a few days ago. The majority said “STENCIL IT!!! “ So I did!

Before After

It was a quick and easy addition. I did a google search for Halloween Witch Silhouette and found the witch I liked best and I printed it out after I played around with getting it just the right size. Then I cut out my own stencil with this:

It is the neatest little tool. It allows you to burn your own stencils and works just like a wood burning tool that came in those wood burning kits that I always wanted when I was a kid. I purchased it at Michaels earlier this year with a 40% off coupon of course and you can buy the blank stencil sheets there too. It’s very easy and very fun to do. After I burned the the outline of my witch I used it as a stencil on the top of my wine bag.

And you know about my fascination with numbering everything. Lucky 13 was just what this bag needed. I have been asked several times where I got my number stencils. I purchased a set from MAISON DE STENCILS and I also have a set from STENCILS ON LINE .

There were a lot of suggestions that I add a monogram to the the wine bag. That’s a good idea and I hope after I get some more bags made that I can make a few with monograms But for now I wanted something seasonal. Burlap and Halloween just go hand in hand don’t you think? Thanks for all your great ideas!

I am linking this post up to Just A Girl....STop by for more Halloween Decor Projects.

And I am participating in the FALL FESTIVAL over at The DIY Showoff. You have to stop by and check out all the projects!!

And I am joining in the fun over at Thrifty Thursday over at Tales from Bloggeritaville. Looking for some Fall and Halloween ideas? Come take a peek!

Burlap Wine Bags

  

I finished a wine bag today. I guess you could call it a prototype.  I like how it turned out and now I’d like to make several more.

I just have to go back and figure out what exactly I did.   I am not sure of the measurements I used. 

I am not sure if I should stencil something on it either.  I think I’ll make another one and stencil it and then see which one I like better.  What do you think?  Plain or stenciled?

I think I hear my number stencils calling my name…   :)

Front Porches Decorated for Halloween

I love the look of this front porch all decorated for Halloween. Traditional. Corn stalks which I find are very hard to find here in NC. I used to decorate my front porch with them every year when we lived in Ohio. The mums in the apples bushels look great here. And of course lots of pumpkins. I have to keep my real pumpkins on the ground under a tree. Otherwise, they get too hot and they “cook” on the bricks of my front porch.

Here is a shot from the Pottery Barn catalog from last year.

And this shot is from my new catalog that just arrived.

I love the look going on here too.

I don’t really decorate to scare. You know, blood and guts, monsters, skeletons and all that, unless I am having a party. How about you?

I pretty much stick to the basics like you see here. Lot’s of pumpkins and candles, mums, and I would still love to get my hands on some corn stalks.

I will probably wait till October 1st before I put my big pumpkins on the front porch. But inside the house I have already gotten started. I don’t want the neighbors to think I am rushing anything. :)

And you can click here to see my latest post with more Halloween decorating ideas called Fall Pumpkins and Porches.

R.I.P. Halloween Stone

A few days ago I made an address stone from a scalloped edge garden stone.  Well the three little scallops across the top made me think I could do something with it for Halloween.  So this is what I came up with.  

 

I simply spray painted the stone black and then use some outdoor craft paint and my letter stencils to make it. 

Yesterday it was 92 degrees.  And this morning it is beautiful and in the 60’s headed for a high in the low 70’s. 

So much more like Fall.  I AM SO HAPPY!!

I’ll be pulling out a few more Halloween decorations today. How about you?

These stones might make cute sets of 3 candy corn or pumpkins.   For Christmas time I am thinking maybe “Ho, Ho, Ho”.  Any other ideas?

Goober Says Hey!

Yesterday we took a road trip. On the other side of this mountain…also known as Pilot Mountain, lies the sleepy little North Carolina town of Mt. Airy. Andy Griffith based a lot of the people and places from his TV show on some of the people and sights from his hometown. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Andy Griffith Show and we decided to see for ourselves what Mayberry Days is all about.

People lined both sides of the street as they made their way up and down Main Street. We jumped right in and and enjoyed the fun of spotting landmarks like The Snappy Lunch Diner (pork chops are their specialty and way too crowded for us to get into today) and Floyd’s Barber Shop.

Goober says Hey! My husband was the first to spot Goober. Guerilla blogging photo. Goober was posing with another festival go-er and I snatched a photo of him rather than wait my turn. :)

And then we also ran into Ernest T. Bass. Looks like he has a regular gig here.

And here is Sheriff Taylor’s Police Car. Actually, we saw several of these old police squad cars as we walked up and down the Main Street.

Barney Fife!! We spotted Barney posing for pictures on the sidewalk. Bad photos. We were still in the car and by the time we got our car parked…Barney boy was long gone.

But no worries. I spotted a much younger Barney coming out of a diner and I have to say he was the cutest thing I saw all day!

And we found Otis the town drunk! It’s not easy to see but the key to his jail cell was dangling from his wrist. :)

The sign on the Blue Bird Diner said closed but it was anything but. The place was packed. Pork Chop Sandwiches are a big deal here.

Aunt Bea’s Catering, Barney’s Cafe, and it’s hard to see but that was Opie’s Candy Shop and it was packed with people too.

And plenty of souvenir T-shirts to pick from.

I don’t say “Daggumit” very often but you will catch me saying “my dogs are barking!” from time to time.

It was a fun way to spend an afternoon. I think the really big crowds come for Saturday when there is a parade and some of the original actors from the show make an appearance. I believe the BBQ contest is on Saturday along with some other festivities. Yesterday was good enough for us. We don’t like huge crowds and it’s still pretty hot here weather wise. We got our taste of Mayberry and when the time comes to move away we can do so with a clear conscience. We’ve experienced both the Lexington Barbeque Festival and now Mayberry Days. Another big check off our list. :)

Outdoor Fireplaces

If I didn’t have one kid in college and another one on the way….this is what I would have in my backyard.

 

I would love to have an outdoor fireplace.  Especially this time of year.

      

After the long hot summer we just had…and it is still not over….92 degrees again today…IN SEPTEMBER!

But the weather powers that be say that starting on Sunday we should have more seasonal weather in the 70’s.  THANK YOU!

  

Anyway, I would love to sit outside on a cool evening under a canopy of stars with a roaring fire.  Fake  strings of lights are fine with me. 

  

I like how this first one backs up to the house and then they have a pergola/roof over the flagstone patio and steps.

And this second fireplace looks like it was built inside a screened in porch.  Also good in my book.

And this one…with the outdoor grill and bar area.  Someday…

We are off to Mayberry Days to Celebrate 50 years with Barney and Andy.  Hope it’s post worthy and I have my camera packed!

Happy Friday!

Kerosene Pickles

I am getting prepped for Friday.   The Mayberry Days Festival begins tomorrow and lasts through the weekend in Mt. Airy, NC.  Did you know that this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Andy Griffith Show?

Living where I do…here in North Carolina…let me tell you, the people here take their Andy Griffith Show VERY seriously. The show airs every weekday here at 5:30 on the local TV station WFMY.

      

And of course you can always catch it on TVLand between 3 and 6PM.  TVLand is also celebrating the 50th Anniversary with 50 Days of Andy all this weekend where they are airing the top 50 episodes voted by the audience.   The show holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of people here and we decided it was time to pay our respects.

We’ve lived here for almost 12 years and have never attended the annual festival that celebrates all the things Mayberry.  Mt. Airy North Carolina is where Andy Griffith grew up and is the town that Mayberry is based on.  This is the year we finally do it!  We are headed there on Friday and I hope to have a full update posted on my blog after we get back.   I am whistling already. :) 

In the meantime, let me leave you with a couple of YouTube clips of The Pickle Episode.  This episode is from Season 2 of "The Andy Griffith Show" and originally aired December 1961. Aunt Bee makes a batch of her "famous" pickles and takes them to Andy and Barney at the sheriff's office for lunch.  The thing is…her pickles taste like Kerosene.

It might be just me…and my special affection for pickles…but I couldn’t help but laugh at this episode.  And I couldn’t stop laughing near the end of the first clip (3:45 second mark) where Andy and Barney discover Aunt Bea’s been making marmalade too.  If you have a few minutes you don’t know what to do with…indulge yourself with some good ole’ fashion time wasting TV watching fun right here. :)

(If you click to watch it and it come up as disabled….click where it says “Watch on Youtube” and it should take you right there.    I am having technology issues today. )