halloween shopping pt2: how to do it right!

By now you've all seen the newest segment of INSPIRATION [halloween decor]--right?! If you like anything that pertains to Halloween, you'll love it, or at least be inspired from it! So in part two (part 1 here) of Halloween Shopping done right, I want to show you how you can use the same 'formula' to do your Halloween decorating!

Plan. Plan. Plan.

(Ring a bell?) Start at home, research for inspiration, then go shopping.

1. So here are some of the goodies I dug up around my own home:

2. Here is some inspiration I found:

3. Want to know what I came up with? Gotta wait until October 30th to find out!

[Insert witches crackle here!]

QUIZ: What's your pumpkin style?

Got a bunch of perfectly good pumpkins lazily cluttering up your doorstep with no idea what to do with them? Take this quick quiz to find out your pumpkin style this halloween!

1. Do pumpkin 'innards' make you:
a) Squeamish
b) Hungry
c) Inspired
d) Indifferent

2. Which fall decorating style does your home currently reflect?
a) Elegant Fall
b) Homey Harvest
c) Haunted House
d) Magazine Halloween

3. When do you begin 'prepping' for Halloween?
a) When your favorite magazine sends you their Halloween issue.
b) When Starbucks releases their Pumpkin Spice Latte.
c) When last Halloween ended!
d) When you get around to buying a pumpkin.

4. Who will be decorating and seeing the pumpkins?
a) Adults only
b) Just the family
c) Teens to adults
d) All ages

5. Which trait best describes you?
a) Leader
b) Family person
c) Crafter
d) Decorator

Now tally it up! 

Mostly 'A's: Sophisticated Party Pieces
You take the elegant approach to Halloween, glitter and paint may come in handy if that's what you find in the magazines. Your pumpkins reflect your need for an adult atmosphere, a coat of glitter spray paint, or a simply pinned piece of lace will give your pumpkins the classy and sophisticated look you desire: perfect for the centerpieces at your dinner party!

Mostly 'B's: Pumpkin Menu
Your family man (or woman!) and are more concerned about digging out every seed you can find, than worrying if your pumpkin is structurally sound for a face. Pumpkin pie, roasted seeds, and pumpkin soup are on your menu this year-leave the carving for the kids!

Mostly 'C's: PCA: Pumpkin Carver Anonymous 
You may be so inspired by the pumpkins at your local patch, you get anxiety choosing one! A small one could be a cute 'baby' to the 'mommy' and 'daddy' you found, or a distorted one would make a great monster eating a smaller one. Maybe you could paint it, or glue seeds to its face. Or all of the above. Ketchup and spray paint should probably be on your 'to get' list.

Mostly 'D's: Stencil Carver
You enjoy the fall season, even get into the fun of the Halloween spirit. But between running Susie and Johnny from football to ballet to soccer practice...pumpkin carving isn't your top priority. That's ok. Save the carving for the kids, stencils can be found anywhere, or printed off the internet. It will keep them busy for a few hours, giving you a chance to bake the seeds and enjoy a Pumpkin Spice latte!

DIY PROJECT: Spray Paint a Dress

When you saw my original Halloween how-to post, I know what you were thinking...where did she get such an awesome gray and black striped dress?!

(Oh, you weren't thinking that? Well you're going to find out anyway.) =)

 I found this dress at the Goodwill for $8 LAST YEAR (At Halloween, so everything was 50% off...make that $4)

 

MATERIALS:

A dress (gray ugly boring one)

Black spray paint (had it on hand)

Masking/painters tape [Thinner the size, the better]

Scissors

Accessories [To dress up the outfit!]

Oh and a wonderful boyfriend [best friends/sisters/and moms work too!]

First wash the dress-you know, with my fancy little cleaning guide!

Simply place the tape vertically down the dress.

Perfection is impossible, so try not to worry about it. I only had thick tape on hand, so I used scissors to cut the tape down the middle to make two strips.

Once it was all attached, take it outside and spray paint away!

I let it dry for an hour or two before removing the tape.

Then I left it a day before washing in HOT water (to set the paint). After it dried I washed it again using dishsoap to make it less crinkly (and smell good!)

I accessorized the dress using a black high waist belt, stockings and fedora.

Instant Gangsta just add spray paint!

Total cost (for me) $4 [For the dress!]

Have a question? Let me know! I'd be happy to answer it!--I guess you know which costume I WONT be this year ;)

EDIT// I got an email asking what my boyfriends costume is. He was Clark Kent with his super hero costume on underneath.

INSPIRATION [halloween decor]

In keeping with the Halloween theme, I decided to branch off of general halloween inspiration, and bring some decor to the table (er..blog).

Have a question, or finished a project? Let me know! I'd love to see and share your outcomes! Contact me today!

As always, these prices are based on thrifty shopping, at places like Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Goodwill!
Check out other great INSPIRATION themes in the INSPIRATION tab, and check back each Tuesday to see what theme is next!

Halloween Shopping: How to do it right!

I walked in Target recently and was bombarded with all things orange, black, cute and spooky! I love Halloween! It's my favorite time of the year (as is Christmas, New Years and my dogs birthday...but that's a different story)! I love the bold contrasting colors, (orange and black, or green and black), the ambiance, the underlining excitement, the changing weather (yay scarves and jackets!), black cats, pumpkin carving, hot chocolate, pixi stix...what was this post about again? Fortunately, or unfortunately, its the one time of year its not cohesively 'frowned' upon to shop thrift. In fact thrift stores as a whole rank number 1 this time of year in sales. The good news is, you can shop with pride, knowing exactly where to look and be in and out quickly (why would you want to?!). The bad news is, things get picked over quickly, lines are long, merchandise gets trashed and prices tend to hike. So how do you use that to your advantage?

PLAN. PLAN. PLAN.

1. Whether you're looking for holiday decor, party items or your costume-START AT HOME. Haul out everything from your shed, kitchen and closet for an in-depth look. Many might want to do this second, but if you already know what you have, you may look at something from a different perspective and see potential in other items in your research!

2. Then begin your RESEARCH. Whether it's google or pinterest to find your inspiration-do it! Head to Target, Walmart or the mall. Take pictures on your cell phone of anything you like, or that inspires you.

3. Figure out what you need based on what you already have and then go SHOPPING!

Here's how I do it:

1. Home. I looked around and found some cute dresses I could use as potential costumes.  I use a board called Polyvore, I like it because you can 'pin' things like pinterest but you can also compile them to create layouts for things as well. (INSPIRATION threads are created using Polyvore!) I found similar items to the ones I had at home and put them on this board.

2. Research.Using polyvore again, I began compiling ideas of what could be fun. Here's my 'inspiration' put together with what I have!

3. Shopping. Want to see what I came up with and how much it cost? Have to wait! Coming soon though! ;) Which costume do YOU like?

INSPIRATION [halloween]

Welcome to the first installment of INSPIRATION. Where I find cute trendy or designer items, and figure out simple ways to remake them on a budget inspired by creativity.

This week's inspiration comes from Halloween theme. With a cute spider choker, spooky halloween curtain, and some HAWT Christian Loubotin wiggly eye heels! Check it out!

Click the image to go to Polyvore and find out information on the items!