Halloween Decorating Inspiration

This is the last day of September.  October just may be my favorite month.  How about you?  The weather here is perfect.  The leaves start to change.  We have a week off of school for Fall Break.  Everyone starts baking pumpkin-flavored desserts.  And, of course, there's Halloween! 

We did a little Halloween decorating this past weekend.  Here are a few projects we did. 

Remember this pretty burlap ruffle wreath my friend Shelley made for the Give Them Wings Kindergarten Mommies Brunch?  I loved it so much that it stayed on my front door well after the party.  (And, by the way, if you are reading this Shelley, so many people  have asked me where I got it. I think you could sell these in an Etsy store.  Hint, hint!) 

But, it needed a little fall touch.   So, I made a few Halloween color roses to stick on it.  

 It was so easy, I may just change them out again at Thanksgiving and Christmas!

For our dining room, I went for a black and white color scheme.  The hanging stars on the mirror are made from black paper bags.   If you are interested in making your own, you can find the tutorial HERE. 

The garland on the side board is made out of brown and white coffee filters and doilies.  I found the instructions in a Better Homes and Gardens Halloween magazine. 

How are you decorating for Halloween?  I would leave to see your pictures!

Happy National Coffee Day!

My first groggy steps out of bed each morning are straight to my coffee maker.  Really, I don't function at all without a little java in my system.  So National Coffee Day is right up my alley! To celebrate the day, here are a few coffee flavored desserts. 

Individual Chocolate Espresso Charlottes from Martha Stewart

Coffee Toffee from Smitten Kitchen



Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies on Eggs on Sunday

Cocoa Coffee Brownies from Fake Food Free



Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes with Cocoa Whipped Cream from the Kitchen Daily



All of these coffee flavored recipes look amazing to me.  Each of them would also be a perfect ending to a fall meal!  Enjoy!  

Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly Collection Now Available!

Last week, an adorable Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly inspired 6th birthday party created by a fabulous customer was featured on the blog.  The birthday girl's mom did such a great job planning the perfect party!  I was so excited to create some girly, glamorous paper goods for the party. 

I have decided to offer a complete party collection from the party at my Etsy Store.  The party collection includes: 1. Customizable Party Banner, 2.  Blank Invitations, 3. Favor Tags, 4. Party Circles, 5. Fancy Labels/Placecards, 6. Blank Sign and 7.  Water Bottle Labels or Napkin Rings.  The collection includes an Eiffel Tower with a sweet butterfly and pink, lavendar and zebra color scheme.  It would be perfect for a Fancy Nancy theme party, Parisian theme party or any type of Glamorous girl theme! 

{FREE Printables} -- Halloween Sign

It is hard to believe that October is just a few days, away!  Although I hate to say goodbye to summer, I'm starting to look forward to all of the fall activities -- tailgating for football, visting the pumpkin patch, trick or treating, Thanksgiving.   In order to get in a fall type mood, we got out our Halloween decorations this weekend. 

In our kitchen, I normally have a red sign behind my cooktop, that says, "Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake".   I wanted to change out the sign for a more spooky look.  So, I made this Halooween sign this weekend.

Up close look:

If you would like a FREE copy of this Halloween sign, please visit HERE.  You can download and print your very own version for Halloween decorating!  And, don't forget to become a Fan of Mirabelle Creations on Facebook!

Kids Book Club -- Bookworms Gone Wild!!

Ok, so it wasn't really that wild, but it was pretty fun!  We had nine fourth-grade girls at our house today for the inaugural meeting of Book Club.  Since school started, my daughter has been planning this Book Club.  She wrote out the invitations and handed them out to her friends at school.  Apparently, she even designated herself as President of this Club.  Not sure there was any election or democratic process involved!

Since we were hosting nine kids after school, but before dinner, snacks were imperative.  My daughter's only request was for rice krispie bookworms that she had seen in a magazine.  You can find the directions for these cute treats at Family Fun.

I was going stop with just the rice krispie bookworms, but as usual, I couldn't stop myself.    After finding a great Dr. Seuss quote, hot air balloon bookmarks were made for the girls to take home. 

The nod to Dr. Seuss was carried through in the food labels, too.  The food didn't last long once all the girls arrived.   A group of hungry, growing kids don't leave behind too many snacks.

The girls each suggested a book for the reading list.  Then, they voted on which books to read for each month.   There was lots of squealing, jumping up and down, hugging, giggling and chattering.  Eight months of books were chosen, so it looks like we'll need more Book Club ideas.  If you have any ideas, please pass them along!

{Fabulous Customers} -- Ella Grace's Fancy Nancy Bonjour, Butterfly Birthday

I was recently asked to create printables for a 6th birthday party based on the book, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly.  The birthday girl and her mom, Shelley, picked a color scheme of pale pink, lavender, hot pink, black.  In addition, they wanted to incorporate a zebra print.  So, we came up with printables that included an Eiffel Tower image, butterflies and zebra print. 

When Shelley sent me all her pictures, my first reaction was -- oh la la!  She did a beautiful job of capturing the spirit of Fancy Nancy.  Shelley's party also included several great DIY elements. 

Details:

Shelley decorated the lunch table with ribbon topiaries she made.  She found pink paper plates, trimmed in zebra print.  She decorated each girl's fork with little jewels.  She found large "diamond" cocktail rings that served as both napkin rings and favors for the guest.  The centerpiece for the table was a cupcake stand, topped with hot pink feathers.  To make the girls' drink extra fancy, she lined the rims of the glasses with pink and purple sprinkles and topped the straws with butterfly cutouts.  Above the parfait table, Shelley hung an adorable number 6 wreath, she made out of cupcake liners. 

Each of the treats included a Fancy Nancy inpired label.  For example, the parfait stand label stated, "Parfaits (that's fancy for ice cream sundaes),  Please Choose Your Own Adornments (that's fancy for toppings)". 

The birthday girl's dad read Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly. Each guest was given her own set of butterfly wings and a feather boa to take home. 

Even Fancy Nancy would have to agree, C'est magnifique!!

{DIY} Hanging Drum Shade for Tailgating

The tailgating dessert table was decorated with a hanging drum shade over the table.  It was a simple DIY project, which could also be adapted so you could hang your own shade from your tailgating tent.  

I recently saw a traditional, 3-armed chandelier in Southern Living magazine that was made for tailgating and can attach to the top of a tailgating tent.  I loved the idea of hanging a chandelier over a tailgating spread, but the chandelier was priced at $120.  I wanted to recreate the look, with a more modern feel and much lower price!  So, I set out to find the materials in my Kentucky's colors and quickly found what I needed.  Plus, I only spent about $30 on this chandelier.

Materials needed:

 

Drum Shade
Ornamental 3-12 ft. Linked Chain (in the lighting section at hardware store)
Glass Bead and Crystals
Bead Stringing Wire
Crimp Beads
Needle Nose Pliers (or other bead crimping tool)
Glue Gun
Carabiner
Wire Cutter or Scissors (not shown)

1.  Cut an approximately 6 inch piece of wire.

2.  Crimp 1 crimping bead on the end of the wire.  Thread beads onto wire in desired pattern.  Crimp another crimping bead on the the other end, close to the beads.

3.  Bend the wire, close to the beads, at about a 90 degree angle.
4.  Using a glue gun, run glue along the inside, bottom edge of the drum shade, about 2-3 inches.  Press bent portion of the wire into glue, so only the beads hang down from the drum shade.  Hold wire down until the glue begins to harden. 

5.  Repeat steps 2-4 for remaining beads.  I used 5 sets of beads for the chandelier that is pictured.  You may want to use more or less.  

6.  From the ornamental linked chain, you need to remove a piece of chain four links long.  Repeat, until you have three sections of chain, each four links long.

7.  Attach each four-link section to the top of inner metal frame of the drum shade.  This will ensure that the drum shade hangs evenly.

6.  Attach the remaining chain to the three four-link pieces.  Your chandelier is ready to be hung!

7.  To attach the chandelier to a tailgating tent, you will first need to determine how high you want your chandelier to hang.  Once you decide how much chain you need, remove the remaining links.  Attach the carabiner to the last link on the chain. 

8.  Most tailgating tents have four top poles that come together at the top point.  To ensure your chandelier stays at the top of the tent, slip the chain under two poles that are directly across from one another.  

9.  Using the carabiner, attach the last link to another link, at the desired height.

10.  Your chandeleir is ready for tailigating fun!  You can hang your chandelier at a height to walk under or a little lower, if you are going to hang it over a table. 

Note:  If you would like to be able to plug in your chandelier and use a light bulb, please purchase an entire Swag Light Kit with an electric cord.  

{DIY} Ruffled Fabric Garland

For the Football Party, I was looking for a little more of a feminine look for tailgating.  One way I incorporated this look was using a ruffled garland around the sides and front of the dessert table. 

The ruffle garland was an easy DIY project that added a little color and dimension to the front of a plain white table.  It was an easy project that was completed in just about an hour.

Materials Needed:

1 to 1 1/2 yards of fabric

Rotary Cutter or Scissors

Thread

Sewing Machine

1.      Cut strips of fabric about 6 inches tall and the width of your fabric.  Measure the length of garland you want, then double or triple the length of fabric.  I tripled the length of the table measurements for the garland I made.  Cut enough strips to total that length.

2.      With the right sides of the material together, sew the side ends of your strips together, using a 1/2 seam allowance.  You should now have one long strip.

3.      Set your sewing machine to the widest stitch or a basting stitch.  Without using a starting and stopping stitch, begin stitching right down the center of the material strip.  

4.      Since this is such a long piece of material, I stopped sewing about every yard.  I cut my thread, then began sewing the next stitch right after I had stopped.  

5.  Begin gathering the ruffle by pulling on the ends of the thread.  Adjust the ruffles as you go to be as tight or as loose as you'd like.  

6.   Once you have the desired length of garland after gathering, sew down the center of the ruffle, over top where you previously sewed.  This will set your ruffle.  Make sure you use a start and stop stitch this time.  

Your ruffle is now party-ready!  I did not finish the top or bottom edges of the ruffle because I wanted a casual look.  But, if you want a little more polished ruffle, you can also finish the edge. 

 

{Mirabelle Creations Party} -- Football Fun and Etsy Discount!

I am finally getting around to posting all of the pictures from the Football Tailgating party that was featured on Amy Atlas (HERE).  Of course, to all of us that love parties, Amy Atlas is the Queen of Dessert Tables.  She is also a former lawyer, so she is a true inspiration to me, as well as countless others! 

Since my the University of Kentucky's first home game is this weekend, this is the perfect time to throw a tailgating party!  The design would work with any team colors, though.  And, it could also be adapted for a birthday party, shower or any other party for the football fanatic.  It would especially work for a wedding shower for football fans looking for a little more sophisticated spin on a football theme.

If you would like DIY party printables for your own football party, please visit my Etsy Store.  I am currently offering a 20% DISCOUNT through Sept. 24th.  Become of a fan of Mirabelle Creations' Facebook Page to receive the coupon code.

 

Decorations:  I purchased the blue and white tablecloth that was used as backdrop for the table several months ago, planning at that time to use it for tailgating.  The modern trellis pattern was repeated on the printables.  To make them a little more glam, the printables were dressed up with rhinestones.  The printables were used for cupcake toppers, tags for the pie pops, food labels, popcorn cones and to add color to the white trays. 

The chandelier over the table added a modern feel to the table.  After finding the drum shade, I strung the crystals and blue beads and glued them to the drum shade.  The drum shade was designed so it could be hung from a tailgating tent.  Stay tuned for a DIY tutorial in a few days. 

Two mint julep cups held the popcorn cones.  The ruffle garland on the table was sewn by simply gathering a long piece of fabric.  The same fabric was used to create roses on the girls’ tank tops.  

Food:  The party menu consisted of Touchdown Strawberries, On On UofK Chocolate Cupcakes, C-A-T-S Popcorn, Scratch Cat’s Sugar Cookies, We Bleed Blue Blueberry Pie Pops, Wildcat Spirit Pretzel Sticks and Go Big Blue Vanilla Cake.  Using University of Kentucky inspired names for the goodies was a fun way to add a little more team spirit to the party. 

If you are not a Kentucky fan, don't worry! The printables can be customized with team colors and names for any level team. 

At least 50% of all profits from my Etsy Store sales will be donated to charity.  I am still trying to decide which charities, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know! 

{Amy Atlas Feature} -- Football Party

To say that I'm a little excited today would be a major understatement!  Mirabelle Creations has its first feature on AMY ATLAS!!!  To view this football party, please visit HERE.  The rest of the pictures from the tailgate party will be posted on this blog soon.  All the wonderful pictures were taken by my friend, Angela Frisby. 

Just in time for football season, all the party printables are available in my Etsy store.  And, if you don't happen to be a UK fan, don't worry.  I can customize the printables for any team.