Life with Poot-n-Toots

1st annual poot-n-toots costume parade...

This year I figured that we needed to have a post Halloween costume parade so that we get to *see* all of our cuties on one post- with their fabulous costumes (many home made) and equally adorable treat bags of course. I'd say that 2011 was the best year yet! *we* made 26 fantastic bags! Thank you all for indulging me and my Halloween crazies! It really is something that I look forward to each year. I'm missing a few of the collective cuties, but will update as pictures come in....

Shall we begin?????

Little Miss Jenna as pinkalicous. Is she pink-a-cute or what? This little cutie happens to be my niece. Brianne made her bag from a pre-made pink canvas bag (smart, smart, smart) and rhinestone letters and a cute little rhinestone cupcake decal. If that bag doesn't scream pinkalicious, I don't know what would. Great, great job, Brianne!

Erika's little Ninja, Andrew.

Kristy and Abby's bags made by Michelle. Love the country diva and southern belle.

Carson (son of Michelle) in his home-made oreo costume with his cookies n' milk treat bag.

Close up's of April's girls bags (there names are covered)- photos of actual trick or treating to follow- but believe me, they looked FABULOUS! (April- send me one of you and Brian too). I love DBD's pirate bag. The black and white striped fabric is such a great touch, and the skull and crossbones is totally well cut (I have a hard time with clean cuts)....I think the added sash at the top is  my favorite.

RED's fortune teller bag. How cool is the globe? April cut a glittered rubber ball in half and adhered it to the bag. Totally, totally out-of-the-box-creativity happening here, people. I love the realistic coins too. The sparkly red fabric is a perfect background for this bag. April- I LOVE THEM BOTH!

This bag is by first-timer Mia (my cousin) made for her precious daughter Danine. Danine happens to be a mere 4.5 months old, but she TOTALLY needed a cute little coordinated treat bag, no? Who cares if all it holds are a few pieces of candy or an extra diaper and wipes, I'd bet money that she was the cutest kid on the block! Mia- the bag turned out fabulously! I love the goal, the contrasting pink handles and the letters.

And here's sweet little Danine in her costume (Mia is just a teeny tiny sports nut :). Seriously, the cutest little football I ever did see. Mia you scored ....BIG!

These fantastic smuf costumes were made by my friend Anjanette. Anjanette and I go way back :) We went to highschool together.....I haven't seen her since my junior year of high school (she was a few years ahead of me), which makes that about 17 years ago (HOLY COW!!!). But through this blog we've reconnected and I get to *see* what she's up to periodically.....check out these outstanding smurfs...Blaine is Hefty Smurf and Ellie is Smurfette. I love Blaine's little tattoo and Ellie's hat and flower with her wig are just so, so, perfect (and totally spot one). Well done, Anjanette!

Kelly's adorable ladybug and bumble bee...

Cowboy Finn with his Grandma and Grandpa..

Marcus and Amy's cuties Ella and Jack......too precious for words... (psst...for those of you that know Marcus- is little Jack his mini-me or what???)

 

Karen's cuties...Miles n' Maisy

Paige and Ally on Halloween (and why I'm thankful that I got 'good pictures' already...they're always in a hurry to get candy and don't want to stop and smile for the camera)

Super Hailey (is she super-cute or what?)....

Michele's rockin' 'M' kiddos.....Max, Mia and Miles......

Litte Miss Ella, the wicked witch of the west (photo of Dorothy to follow)...

Kirsten is sending me a photo, but did say that Adam chose the Dinosaur costume

There ya have it....Halloween 2011 is complete!

and the winner is..........

Richard Simmons and the Fat Lady!!!!!

  

Let me just say, that I probably laughed more yesterday than I have in a long, long, time. Every time I looked at Jason I laughed....seeing him with HAIR (an afro no less) AND 100 rhinestones was just too much for me....I wasn't thinking too clearly when I got dressed though- I had done my make-up, the girls' make-up and helped them into their costumes before putting my own on. I purchased a men's XXXL sweatsuit (a 56?) from Wal Mart and a women's XXXL red tank top. Jason helped stuff me- at one point he was helping me stuff a pillow down my backside.....lets just say there were one too many inappropriate innuendos- that had us dying of laughter....I had 5 regular bed pillows and one decorative pillow stuffing my costume. I purchased a 44DDD bra that I filled with 2 blown up balloons...

I was all dressed when I realized I forgot to put my shoes and socks on...lets just say, I have NO IDEA how people of this size get dressed- Bev had to literally put my socks and shoes on for me (there was lots and lots of laughing involved) Jason had already consumed a bit of adult beverages before we left our house which meant I had to drive WEARING MY COSTUME. I had to put the chair all the way back and recline it just to fit in the car. We got quite a few funny looks on our drive to Nipomo on our way to Mike and Christy's for their annual Halloween costume party.

This is the first year we've been able to go, and I was REALLY excited about it. Christy and Mike throw a mean party..seriously..the details were so incredible; they literally had some sort of cool Halloween decoration in every nook and cranny of their house. I tried to take pictures of it all, but that required me to be in the house, which meant I was melting. Not because the house was hot, but when your costumes consists of a sweat suit stuffed with 6 bed pillows and two balloons, plus a wig it's...well.....AFRICA HOT. I was one sweaty mess by the end of the night.

One of the best parts of the party was all of the creative costumes.I only got a few pictures in the back-yard, but here's what I did get...

Mike, Christy, and Finn- our amazing host and hostess (and their adorable little cowboy)

our friends the Hurtado's- 2 s'mores, Lucille Ball (made entirely from thrifted items by Nana) and a Flower Pot (also made by Nana).

Kelly's Family (Alison is missing from this shot- sorry Alison)- a lady bug, a bumble bee, and the girls and Andy as the game Operation.

Our crew (with Nonnie the doctor)-

Jason was totally into character and joked around most of the night....this is him ordering me onto the ground to do some push-ups (yea- right....I could barely get up/down from the chair)

Michele's Family- Lalaloopsy, Max the Club Lego, Jokey Smurf, Princess Leia, and a Storm Trooper

Kelly sent me this picture of ALL the kiddos together. The kids had a really fun night- Christy set up a coloring/craft table, we brought some board games, and the kids ran around playing in the garage and out front....oh yeah...and they ATE a ton of yummy food. It was funny to me that after about an hour the kids started stripping out of their costumes...I'd walk around and spot a pair of wings, a wig, some tentacles, a leaf, sparkly shoes, a pair of eye-lashes.... all strewn about the house. By the end of the night Mr. Simmons had taken off his wig and I'd lost about 300 pounds.

Christy had little ballots for everyone to vote for their favorite costumes (in all kinds of categories) Paige tied for best Kids costume (I think) and Jason and I won for best overall costume. We really had a fun night and it was a great way to spend Jason's birthday.

Thanks Christy for the fun evening!!!!!

check back tomorrow for 3 more treat bags, and to see this year's pumpkin carving

Treat bag throwdown #2, 2011...

Are you ready for this?????????? Honestly, you should be sitting down for this. No kidding.

Really.... go ahead and be seated.

Be prepared to drop some jaws.

I swear, *YOU* all are SO creative. You'd think that by now, we'd seen about as many cool felt treat bag concoctions as possible, right? But here's the thing, each one just gets better and better. And the best part? Those elusive first timers.

You know the ones that *swear* they aren't creative enough, don't have crafty skills, don't have a sewing machine, don't have the time.....

To them, I say....WHATEVER.

Because, see, these are the same people that can sew a bag in the shape of a tomato, with a TOY sewing machine (no bigger than a can of coke). The same people that hand stitch endless giraffe patches. The same ones that can sketch out a skull using only their noggin'. The same ones that layered boiling pots of eyeballs. The same ones that include a ring of bling- just because I asked for it. The same ones that said 'but I don't have any kids of my own'. Each year one of *you* comes up with a new twist...laying, adding different materials, textures, embellisments, etc. And this year is certianly no different.

This year, we get to induct two new members to our treat bag throw-down and 2 more come back with their THIRD bags (I suppose these are our veterans- I should make them a triple crown or something).

I introduce you to Tiana  (must check out her bog for some over the top cuteness). Tiana sat quietly trying to go unnoticed for the past two years. This year I called her out and literally challenged her to bring it. Bring it she did. Meet Hailey....er' shall I say SUPER HAILEY! Seriously? How perfect is that bag? Tiana purchased a premade plain black canvas bag at Michael's, and used that as the foundation for her bag (honestly, so, so, smart...these bags are usually only a buck or two and totally worth the money and time- since felt is about 39 cents a sheet and it takes four pieces to make one bag...especially a great idea for those of you without sewing machines). I think that the blue felt is sparkly (bonus points for glitter in my book). Tiana used gold pipe cleaners to make the H and S, I love how this makes it pop. Felt can be difficult to get clean/crisp cuts, but Tiana managed to make the superman logo so perfectly. Tiana- you, reluctant student, you.....I give you an A+++

And then there's Michele. Now, Michele is quite crafty. She's part of my monthly scrap-group and has her crafty fingers in all kinds of goodness.....digital, paper, hybrid, home decorating, jewelry making...you name it, she can do it. But here's the catch...she's got THREE kiddos. Clearly there isn't a lot of extra time. But this year she accepted the challenge and blew it out of the park. Not only did she make treat-bags, she made these THREE costumes, I hereby crown her Queen of home-made costumes. Michele, I bow down. (check out Michele's blog to see how these remarkable costumes were made)

Prepare yourselves....

Meet, Mia, otherwise known as 'Peanut Big Top' the circus lovin' LaLaLoopsy doll. Are you kidding me? Look at the wig she MADE. The skirt is so perfect and the little blouse looks just like the doll's, not to mention the shoe covers. This is not the result of some pattern. This is clearly plain ol' creativity.

  

This would be her little guy Miles. Miles was set on Jokey Smurf. If this little guy doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will... check out these spot-on boot covers and hat. She even made the mittens to ensure that he was head-to-toe BLUE. The bag with the gift, is a perfect match.

  

The crown-jewel in Michele's newly donned Queen's crown is Max's costume. Max wanted to be 'Max the club lego guy'. This is what Michele created-

 

Amazing huh? There really aren't words. I simply can't imagine how that head-piece was put together. It looks like it could be the costume for some theme-park character. Really, really, remarkable. And the bag? So simple and so classically LEGO. Each of the kiddo's bags is still awaiting names, but clearly she's been one busy Momma. Great, great job Michele! Your creativity and mama-will-make-it-happen-skills are beyond awesome!

There you have it. For those of you that think you just don't have it in you. I promise... YOU DO. And really, the recurring theme here? It IS fun. The kids LOVE it...and these bags certainly will bring back lots of happy memories for our kiddos.

Check back tomorrow for two of our three-pete treat-bag participants. We'll have a ninja and a cowboy AND a quiet little lurker that is making not one but TWO bags for one not-yet-made-up-his-mind-yet-boys.

it's that time again....

 

personalized treat-bag time!!!!!!

This is year 4 of hosting a treat-bag throwdown. I'm a little slow to post this year.....you've only got 20 days to get your bags done.

New here? Each year I challenge all of **YOU** to make a personalized treat bag that coordinates with you child's costume. No plastic pumpkin buckets and no pillowcases, the more creative- the better!

Since there are too many posts related to the treat bags over the past 4 years, I've made a treat bag board on my pinterest page so that ALL the bags over the past 4 years and the tutorial are all in one place (can you believe we've made more than 40 bags!). In addition to 'our' bags I've pinned a few from cyberspace that others have created (clearly we've spurred a treat-bag movement, ha!) There are some fabulous bags on the board, browse through them and you're bound to get some inspiration. Click HERE to see all the bags in one place. Remember, dont' stress, it's supposed to be totally fun. No sewing machine? Buy a pre-made felt or canvas bag (usually less than 2 bucks at any craft store) and grab a bottle of tacky glue and you're good to go.

Without further ado...here are 6 of this years' bags:

Paige and Ally requested that I decorate  each of their bags with their characters' side-kicks...For Paige's I made two stuffed eels, Ursula's evil companions, Flotsam and Jetsam.

 

For Ally's bag I made Flounder, Ariel's little buddy...

  

The girls LOVE them...Flounder took me *forever* but I really wanted to try Erika's method of piecing together the felt (like she did in last year's Thomas the Train Bag). The eels are stuffed, and tacked onto Paige's bag with a few stitches to keep them in place. I wish I would have used some of Paige's leftover black-sequined fabric to do the sides of Paige's bags & handles (like Ally's) to give her bag some more dimension. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how they came out. They are a bit cartoon-y for my taste, but it's what the girls' asked for.

Karen posted her fantsatic bags on her blog last week...check out these incredible bags: Miles' Mad Hatter bag, and Maisy's Alice in Wonderland bag (you've got to click/enlarge to see the amazing details; I love the feather in Miles' hat and the teeny-tiny 'drink me' bottle and Queen of Hearts card on Maisy's bag). Karen- the bags are FANTASTIC!!! You should get a special prize for having yours done first and for having participated every year. Love ya!

Kelly posted her bags today over at her blog...Aubrey's bumblebee and Addy's ladybug bags are totally adorable! I'm always impressed that Kelly continues to do the embroidered stitching. I never have the patience and am always envious of her super even stitches. If you click on the pictures you can see the super cute three dimensional antennas, love that! I love Addy's little heart shaped spots, and the ribbon handles. Kelly- great job!!!! Thanks for loving Halloween as much as me!!!

Now, I must say that I've got to call out a few more ladies...

Mia- you're officially in the mix now. I'm eagerly anticipating Danine's bag. Say what? She's only 4 months old? No worries. Remember it's not really about the bag serving as a receptacle for candy...think of it as a special diaper bag for all your Halloween activities. I know you won't disappoint me :) If you don't make a bag you're not a member of the cool mommie's group. I'm totally kidding serious.

Michele- You're  officially challenged this year, if you can do three home-made costumes, you're totally up for it. I can't wait to see the Lalaloopsy bag.

Tiana- You've like the kid in the last row- trying desperately not to make eye contact with the teacher....don't think you've gone unnoticed... I know you have it in you, don't be shy. Hailey is too cute to not have an adorable bag (feeling the nudge? I swear the most reluctant bag-makers usually come up with the coolest bags)

Anjanette- Surely after your amazing Lego Head and Hermione hand-made costumes, you're totally ready to make some bags, no?

Amy- Jack has upped the ante, you've gotta do two (can't wait to see what you come up with)

Kirsten- I have no idea how you could possible top last year's bag. I'm sure you'll think of something equally as clever.

Alison- surely el gato negro and the pup will have costumes? What about some bags to go with them?

Michelle- don't let me think your Gnome bag was a one-hit-wonder, I think you totally have the makings of a treat-bag superstar.

Christy, April, Brianne and Holly- don't think you've been forgotten...Each year you come up with something spectacular, I can't wait to see what you all have up your sleeves this year!

Charlene- You're on toots! Surely that sweet little man needs some kind of Halloween goodness :)

Lurkers- Yah.... **YOU** I see you out there. Come out of the Halloween closet and show us what you're hiding

OK ladies....You've officially been given notice...get your bags done, and send me a photo so we can all ooh and ahhh over your fabulous-ness!

Shamrock Shakes & Project 52 Week 6 .....

  

ISO: 1600, aperture F/2.5, Shutter speed 1/160

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!

We've celebrated different ways over the years (2008 , 2009 , 2010) but this year we went totally low key. Tonight before dinner we went out for Shamrock Shakes. It was a great treat to go out as a family and just chill for a bit. We shared about our day and just enjoyed the moment.

When I saw this shot on the camera screen, I was SO excited. Getting a real smile from Ally is hard, and I love her sweet little face in this photo. I was bummed though to get home, upload it, and realize that the focus is on the shake and not my sweet girls. pfffft. Regardless, I'm using it for my project 52 for 1 BIG reason: I set the ISO, F-Stop, and Shutter Speed correctly on the first try. This is huge for me. HUGE. It means that I'm getting it. Slowly.

Note to self- having all the numbers just right is only effective when your subjects are in focus, ha!

3 down, 28 to go....

I lied.

So I've decided that I will put my layouts within my posts. When they're in the album on the left the journaling is hard to read and since this is a December Daily album, and I write about what happened today, it seems silly (and more time consuming) to type 'em and upload them to two places.You can click on the picture and it will enlarge it enough so that you can read the journaling...

So for all you blog readers that don't scrapbook (gasp...what, some people don't scrapbook???) Hopefully ya'll can just bear with me for this month.

I will do regular posts for those things that aren't necessarily holiday related since I know not everyone loves the scrappy posts....

Charlene- Paige was SO, SO, SO, excited to see the pictures of her stocking...and you better believe she's already reminded me that tomorrow is 'cookie Friday'...

Getting faster...

Here's today's page for my December Daily album. I'm proud to say that I'm getting faster and navigating photoshop a little easier....today's layout took me less than 20 minutes to make.

Jason had to work late tonight, so the girls and I planned a mid-week movie night (as part of ABC's 25 Days of Christmas, ABC will be airing a holiday movie each night- click here for the schedule). Ally and I set about making 'real' hot chocolate while Paige did her homework...  By the time the hot chocolate was cool enough to drink, Paige had finished up. We headed into the living room with our mugs and some marshmallows and hunkered down to watch'Shrek the Halls' ( I DVR'd it last night, so we could skip over the commercials).

I love that even with our busy schedules, we're able to squeeze in some fun family time. What I love about doing the December Daily album, is that it makes me more mindful of how we spend our holidays. It encourages me to think of small things that we can do each day to make this sometimes hectic season a little less stressful.

*totally off topic, but don't forget, tonight's a new episode of Glee...yay!

I won't be posting my layout everyday, but I will be uploading them into the December Daily album in the left sidebar.

SLO farmers market 2009, a pirate, larry the cucumber, and a bumblebee....

Last night we went to the SLO farmers market to go trick or treating. On our way, we stopped at the Avila Barn to get our annual Halloween pictures. (note to the new Mommas..this is WAY easier and less stressful than trying to get a good picture on Halloween night). I was pleased with the one of the girls together, but had a hard time getting a good one of Ally...

Trick-or-treating...

Luckily, we were able to meet up with Kelly, Aubrey and Lynnette for a bit.

We really had a great time, without any of the drama from last year...

Treat Bag Updates

I'm so excited that Kirsten took on the treat bag challenge. She claims that she's non-too-crafty, but really, who is she kidding? Um... HELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO........... Check out this Bob the Tomato bag she made (her adorable son Adam is going to be Larry the Cucumber, and his sidekick fittingly, is Bob the Tomato). I love that not only did she reluctantly jump on the treat-bag-bandwagon, she knocked it out with some serious skill. Way to go Kirsten, I can't wait to see the costume! (to see how Kirsten made this incredible bag, click on her name and it will take you to her blog post)

 

This cool bag was made by Erika.. Her son Andrew is going to be a pirate.. Can you believe that she free-handed the skull? She claims that she's not crafty either....whatever. Way to go Erika, I LOVE it!

 

Brianne just sent me this photo of Jenna's bumblebee bag and I totally LOVE it. I must say that I really bullied Brianne into doing this, and I'm SO glad I did! The bag turned out quite impressive for this so- called 'beginner'. I love the antennae and the ribbon handles. (Brianne, you're quite the seamstress to change the thread around the top of the bag...I can't even see the stitching) Really people the next time someone tells me that they're just not crafty, I will politely remind them that  they're probably full of crap. I'd say that the beginners made some pretty fantastic bags...

Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial.....

Melissa started this tradition of home-made trick or treat bags back in '04 and since then, the girls have had special one-of-a-kind bags to match their costumes. This year I've had a few people ask me how to make them (who am I kidding? It was just one person....) so I figured a tutorial was in order...

You'll need:

• 4 pieces of 9x12 felt to make the base of the bag. Felt can be bought at Walmart, Michael's, Beverly's, etc. for about .39 cents a sheet.
• Embroidery thread (2) in a contrasting color, needle
• a sewing machine/thread
• tacky glue
• scissors
• glitter
• ruler or tape measure

 

Sketch out a plan of what you'd like your bag to look like.....

To make the base of the bag you'll need 4 pieces of felt.I chose to make Paige's bag entirely of one color (light pink)......

Leave 2 pieces of felt whole. Cut the 3rd piece of felt into 3, 3 inch strips. Cut one strip at 9 inches. These strips will be the sides and bottom of the bag....

Sew the 2 whole sheets and the 2, 3x9 inch strips together to make the front/sides of the bag....

Take the 3x9 inch strip and sew it to bottom (making the base of the bag)...

which will then look like this....

Turn the bag, right-side-out and hem the top of the bag 1/4 of an inch (folding it in)...

Cut 2, 2 1/2 inch strips from the fourth piece of felt, to make the handles...

Hem both sides of each handle 1/4 of an inch....

 

Sew each handle to one side of the bag....

Getting the base of the bag together takes about 10 minutes (including cutting/sewing)

Now comes the fun part....Depending on your costume, you can make an applique of sorts...

I chose to make Glinda's crown for Paige. I sketched a simple crown on cardstock, cut it out, and traced it onto a white piece of felt.

 

which was then glued to the front of the bag....

outlined with glue and then glittered....

I used a chipboard star and a strip of glittered felt to make Glinda's wand...

Wrote Paige's name in glue and then glittered that as well...

For Ally's Dorothy bag, I used a different technique (the basic bag is the same)...

I made a yellow brick road (sorry Dad,I'm missing the masonry gene)....

Temporarily put the the bricks down with glue(BEWARE..if you're planning on stitching details on the front or back of the bag.... do this BEFORE putting your bag together) and stitched an outline...

followed the same template idea for the shoes, and the name...

and then stitched the seams with contrasting embroidery thread (this is really just to give it a fun finished look)...

 

and wa-la! Personalized trick-or-treat bags for 2009....

Here are some from years past.....

The original bags...Melissa used ribbon for the handles and contrasting colors for the sides...

This boot was also made by Melissa...I love that it's in the shape of a boot (although much harder to do), and has the handkerchief for the sides and handles...

Ryder's bag (also made by Melissa- seriously, this was my all-time-favorite-costume).....

Melissa made this butterfly bag too...you can't really tell, but she sewed a 3-D butterfly in the center..

My first attempt.....

Kelly's bag that she made for Aubrey last year (she was smart enough to sew the giraffe spots BEFORE putting the bag together)

 

Last years bags......

So there you have it, simple and fun personalized trick-or-treat bags. I'm hoping that a few of you will try 'em out and make them this year....Christy? Brianne? Karen? Holly? Michele? Marcia? Kristy? Kirsten? Tiana? If you do, send me a picture and I'll add it to this post..... Happy Crafting!!!!!!

In my dreams....

I'm a party planner.

Notice the word 'planner'. I don't actually want to do the work.

I would rather spend hours on-line 'researching' possible decorations, imagining what awesome things I could do...

Really, people, in my head I'd throw awesome parties.

But here's the catch. My house is tiny. My budget it low. My follow-through sucks...and well, I'm actually not very social at parties (shocker, I know.  Just ask Jason how many Christmas parties he has dragged me to kicking and screaming)

So this is the Halloween party I'm throwing in my head... you're all cordially invited.

I'd totally have these in the dining room, for a more adult theme..

or these...if it were for the kiddos..ignore the lame table decor... (both are kits from Martha Stewart- which can be purchased at Michael's)
 

My entry-way would look like this..

with some cool vases with candy corns (super cheap) either in a tall vase as filler or as the base of a pot..

 

I'd put these really cute no-carve pumpkins in a big basket by the door...

I'd make a set of these blocks..

and have some fun garlands hanging accross my entertainment center like these....

and my fire-place would look just like this...

these super cute little witch's brooms would be the favors, directions can be found here ..

I'd make some fancy caramel apples like these (or I'd buy them from William and Sonoma)...

 I'd served the apples with these cute little chocolate dipped strawberries (we all know that I love to dip strawberries)

My porch would have these super cute little pumpkins painted with my address and I'd make these cool pumpkin topiaries, by the kind folks at Goodhousekeeping ...

and of coures I'd have made some fancy little Monogrammed pumpkins for my porch (you can do these with thumb-tacks)

Now wasn't that a fun little party? And just think there's nothing to clean up!

*if you're like me and can't get enough...check out this awesome blog. She's doing a halloween 'blog-hop' She's got over 60 blog links with awesome easy craftiness for kids and adults..