Charmed, I'm Sure!

The day finally came - I received my charm bracelet kit and charms in the mail from Saucy. You remember that I was participating in her Halloween Charm Bracelet Swap don't you?

I was soooo excited, and even more so when I opened the package and was WOW-d by the goodies that poured out...


I spent forever opening all of the little packages and ooh-ing and aah-ing over the charms that had been created all over the US and Canada. So neat! Every single one was joyful, but here are a few of my faves...

Super original design based on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven"

Clever clay creations... I love the half eaten bar of chocolate!

Scrabble tile anything's are neat-o...

And you know I love me some kitty cats... : )

Then it was time to assemble the bracelet, so I unpackaged everything and laid my charms out...


I was a little intimidated but I forged ahead anyway and it didn't take long before... ta da!


(Yup I have little wrists...)




(I swear my arms aren't as hairy as these pictures make them look! Ha!)

Ridiculously cute, no? I can't wait to show this off on Halloween! Thanks to Saucy and ALL of the ladies who participated in the swap! Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Decor

One of the things I love about Fall is that there are so many easy, and NATURAL decorating options.

After a trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend, I assembled these little pumpkin towers to frame my front door...



I simply cut off the stalks of the bottom two pumpkins with a hack saw, leaving a flat surface to stack the pumpkins on each other. That's it!

Hubby says they look like pumpkin snowmen... : )

All I need now are some lovely Mum's and my outdoor fall decor is done!

How do you decorate your "stoop" for the seasons?

Sneak Peak...

... of the Christmas cards I'm working on for my Stamp A Stack I'll be hosting in November.

For just $20, you can attend my class and walk out with 16 Christmas cards and envelopes.

The Stamp A Stack will be held at my home, and I'll provide snacks and door prizes in addition to all of the supplies you'll need to create your cards. Additionally, I'll have Stampin' Up! catalogs and Christmas specials available for perusal.

More info coming soon!

Image from "Punch Pals" stamp set featuring watercoloring using the Aqua Painter.

Fall Comfort Food

I don't know about you, but the one thing I looooove about the weather getting cooler is all of the delicious soups, stews, casseroles, chili's and more. I wanted to share with you a few recent yummy recipes that I have come across one way or another - and they are all super simple!

Mum's Shepherd's Pie
I've been eating this since I was a little girl and now I love to make the English staple for Travis and I.


Ingredients: Potatoes - six or so good sized, 1 large onion, 2lbs ground beef, 2 packages of brown gravy mix

Directions: Brown beef in a pan over medium heat, add onions and let them cook. Add gravy mix and about a cup of water. Put meat mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. Meanwhile, boil and mash potatoes. Layer potatoes on top of meat mixture and bake at 350 until browned on top.


Travis' Chili
Chili is such a great easy dinner because you can add a little of whatever you have on hand.


Ingredients: 1.5lb ground beef, Garlic to taste, 1 jalapeno pepper, x2 cans diced mexican tomatoes, 1 can corn kernels, x2 cans chili beans, 1 package of chili seasoning, 1 large onion and... chocolate!

Directions: Saute onions and garlic, add ground beef and brown. Finely dice jalapeno and add. Combine with all of the canned vegetables and let simmer. Add chili seasoning and chocolate. Travis refuses to tell me how much chocolate... but I'd guess a couple of squares. Add chocolate to taste! Simmer everything to combine and then enjoy.


And finally, my dear friend over at Steinway Street shared a delicious meatloaf recipe lately. Head over HERE to check it out.

What are YOUR favorite fall comfort foods? Please share!

Halloween Card

I just love Halloween, don't you? I've had such a busy (and yucky! boo!) couple of weeks that I feel like I'm a bit behind on Halloween prep. I took a couple hours last night to put together a Halloween card design and made several to send to friends. With all of the online communication we partake in these days, it's even MORE fun to receive something in the mail!

Stampin' Up! Products used: "Batty for You" stamp set, jumbo stamp around handle black ink cartridge and "Batty" wheel, Cast a Spell Designer Paper, Black Stampin' pad, Pumpkin Pie ribbon, stampin' dimensionals.

What Halloween projects are YOU working on?