Happy Halloween!

Wishing everyone a safe and spooky Halloween.

The squirrel- played by Tiki.

The turtle- played by Murphy.

Espresso Makers

My husband's best friend is Italian and over Labor Day weekend his mom made us some Italian coffee with an espresso maker. It was so delicious and I have been thinking about it ever since.

So now I'm on the hunt for an espresso maker and a milk frother.

Here are some pics to get you in the mood:

(all pictures found on Flikr)

Ghoul's Night

I was planning on having a cocktail party for my girlfriends last weekend but the plans fell through. I was really looking forward to it and had so many fun ideas. So instead, I thought I'd share my ideas with you.

So the main attraction: the cocktails!

Hostess with the Mostess featured these Halloween themed drinks.

In the Hostess with the Mostess archives, you will find her Halloween party themes and decor.

This flower pot can be found at Ikea for less than $5. (more to follow)

I love the idea of using spider rings as stemware charms.

These could be cute little goodie "bags" for everyone to take home.

Candles found at Ikea for $2.99.

Ikea tealight votives for $2.99

Flower pot $2.99. And like in the picture above, fill the pot with lots of flowers to create a full, round look. Orange carnations would be perfect!

Pots and tray $3.99. This could be used to hold flowers or utensils.

Long tray to line up bottled drinks or cupcakes and finger foods.

Skull tray.

Bleeding candle. When lit, melted red candle wax oozes from the eyes and head. Ewwww!

So these were my cost-friendly Halloween party ideas. Maybe I'll reference this post next year and try again :)

Spooky Tablescape

Another Tablescape Thursday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch.

Help yourself to the spooky cocktail bar.

Chalkboard painted glasses with Halloween-themed names.

An extra picture frame holds some easy clipart printed from the computer.

Some silver tongs for ice cubes or limes.

Silver coasters rest on top of silver accented napkins.

These glasses were given to me as a wedding shower gift but I believe she got them at World Market.

Happy Halloween!

Paper-lined cabinet

I bought a cabinet at Home Goods last year and wanted to use it as a bar and house some of my table linens. Right after purchasing it, I removed one of the shelves on the inside so that some taller bottles could fit. I also painted the inside doors with chalkboard paint. My recent project was to line the back walls with paper to give it a pop of color. I finally got around to doing that this morning.

Here's the before:

And here are the afters:

I decided to use scrapbook paper instead of wallpaper due to price. I bought 7 pieces of scrapbook paper for a grand total of $2.80!

I picked a pattern that wasn't so small and repeating that it would be noticeable if I didn't match the pieces together perfectly.

And here is the cabinet stocked with all the essentials:

And a little Halloween decor on top :)

Tom's Farm

Today was the perfect fall day. A little chill in the air, a great football game by the Bears and then a trip to Tom's Farm. It wouldn't be fall without Tom's Farm. I grew up down the street from here and over the years it has grown in popularity and in size. But the quality has never changed. Tom's has THE most delicious pies and apple cider donuts. I actually got 20 pies from here for the dessert for my wedding last year. My husband and I aren't big cake eaters but we love pie.

Check out this old fashioned scale to weigh your pumpkins on.

We went through the corn maze and I decided to get some creative shots with my camera.

My favorite part of the farm...the animals! This cow looks just like the ones from the Happy California Cows commercial. Vote for me!

Check out the sunshine rays. Beautiful!

Such beautiful fall colors.

My in-laws.

I love the sky in this picture.

Me and my hubby :)

Enjoying my Tom's Farm treats: a pumpkin donut and some apple cider. Happy fall!