Life Lately

1) My outfit for my mom's 60th birthday, festive fall flannel ;)
2) I love all the leaves around!  The autumn colors have really hung on here
3) I made a combination of lemons, cinnamon sticks, and rosemary in simmering water to make our house smell amazing!
4) Inga loves being in the leaves!  This picture of her was also featured by Better Homes and Gardens as their pet of the week on Instagram!

Happy Halloween!! For me, this month has been all about fall.  I'm embracing the chill in the air, taking Inga on lots of walks, and filling my home with the scents of autumn.  I've been busy with school, and substitute teaching a bit, too.

1) I love buying school supplies!  These colored pens have been so fun (sorry for the picture quality...)
2) My new Kate Spade iPhone case: whistle while you work!
3) I have mastered making homemade vanilla chai tea lattes!  So yummy!
4) Inga and I were out for a walk, and I couldn't help but snap a picture of this tree!

1) Substitute teaching: this was my view for the day!  Incredible :)
2) More autumn skies over Lake Hiawatha
3) And, of course, a trip to the dog park!

What's been keeping you busy lately?  Be sure to follow me on Instagram @goeslighty to see all these and more!

DIY Dia de los Muertos Halloween Costume

Okay, I know that Dia de los Meurtos and Halloween are totally different holidays, but I wanted a quick and easy way to change up my skeleton costume from last year. 

Last year's costume.  Aren't I spooky? ;)

The solution?  Add a flowered headband!  It's actually really cute by itself, too :)

To make your own, you will need:

• Headband (preferably something without the shiny plastic)
• Fabric flowers (I chose hydrangea)
• Hot glue gun
• Skeleton t-shirt
• Skeleton mask or face paint

Snip off a bunch of your flower blooms.

Then, starting in the middle, add a dot of hot glue and press a bloom onto it.

Work your way out on both sides of the headband until the top is filled.

Then, add a few extra blooms to fill in.

Add some braids and skeleton extras, and you're set!

DIY Creepy Crawly Bug Tights

We can't all dress up in wild and crazy costumes on Halloween; sometimes jobs get in the way.  But, I thought these bug tights made a conservative way to work in some Halloween spirit even if you can't go all out.

You will need:

• 1 Pair of nude nylons.  Black works too, but the bugs will blend in more
• 1 Package bugs.  Found mine at the dollar store
• Black thread
• Needle
• Sharpie marker

First, put your nylons on.  Then, place the bugs where you want them and use a sharpie marker to add black dots to mark the spot.

Take the nylons off and thread up your needle.  Then, simply stitch the bugs in place!  I used a little stitch around four of the bugs' legs to keep them in place.  You'll have to do some maneuvering since the nylons aren't as stretched as when you're wearing them, but it'll work.

Finally, wear your tights with some heels and a pencil skirt.  Elvira's got nothing on you! ;)

Saturday Snapshot: Fuzzy Pods

DIY Pumpkin Bookmark

Remember when I showed you how to make heart shaped book marks?  Well, this is the same idea, but made to look like a cute little pumpkin instead.  It's so easy!

You will need:

• 1 piece of orange felt
• Tiny scrap of green felt
• Scissors
• Orange thread (or two strands of embroidery floss) and a needle

First, cut out two squares of the orange felt, about three inches squared or a little smaller.

Next, cut scallops from one corner diagonally across to the other corner on one square.  It should kind of look like a sea shell.

Use this square as a template to repeat the process on the other square.

Then, use your orange thread and a running back stitch to make a line from the point of one scallop to the tip of the pumpkin.

Repeat the process for every scallop on one of the felt pieces.  You don't need to do both pieces (yay, less work!)

Then, take a small, rectangular piece of green felt and sandwich it between the two pieces of orange felt so that it is sticking out the top.

Use a whip stitch to join the two pieces of orange felt together, making sure you add a few extra stitches to secure the green piece of felt.

And you're done!  Totally doable or what?

DIY Epaulets

I thought this would be a cute way to add variety to your wardrobe without having to invest in a bunch of new pieces... kind of like jewelry for your shoulders.  I chose to make mine with two bands of chain on either end, but you could cover yours completely, use studs, anything you want!

To make your own epaulets, you will need:

• Black felt
• Chain
• 4 pin blanks
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Wire cutters

First, cut two rectangles of the felt measuring about 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches.  Base your own measurements on the length of your shoulder hem on your shirt.

Then, sew two pins to each piece of felt on either end.

Next, take your chain and tack it down near the edge on one end of your felt. 

Continue to stitch down links in the chain, making sure to keep it straight as you move across the felt.  You don't need to stitch down every link, but every other will keep it from being too floppy.

Once you have attached the chain from one end to the other, use your wire cutters to snip off the excess.

Repeat the process until you have four rows of chain.

Then, simply do it all again on the other side.

Ta da!  Once you've done both pieces of felt, they're ready to wear!

Beg, Borrow, Steal

This is a go-to meal for me: delicious chickpeas and a crunch of celery.  You can find the recipe for Chickpea Salad Wraps at Oh She Glows

Here are two ideas I've stolen borrowed lately.  Hope you all had a lovely weekend!  Mine was filled with rock climbing and good food :)

Use a bobby pin as a nail dotting tool.  Such a smart idea!  The original site can't be found anymore, but I pinned this from glitter and garb

Pretty cute results, too!

Happy Monday, everyone!  I hope your week is off to a good start :)

Saturday Snapshot: Sunrise on the Shore

This is a remnant from our weekend away in Two Harbors.  I miss these views!

DIY Halloween Plaque

I've got another Halloween DIY for you all to try this weekend!  Getting fancy lettering like this is way easier than you'd think.  Trust me, it's totally doable!

You will need:

• Plaque (check out your local dollar store for good options)
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Pencil
• Fiddums Family (free font) print out

First, paint over your dollar store plaque (or whatever you've picked out as your base) with white paint.  Allow to dry completely.

While it's drying, work on your Fiddums Family print out.  You'll first need to download the font (see above for the link).  Then, in a Word document, orient your page to "landscape" and type "TRICK or TREAT" in the Fiddums Family font.  Adjust your font size until it matches the measurements of your plaque, then print!

Now, here is a fun trick that I learned years ago and use all the time.  If you want to transfer an image but can't trace it, you can scribble on the back with a graphite pencil.

Then, flip the paper over onto your plaque (dry by now).  Trace over the outline of your message with a pencil.  The pressure from the pencil tip will transfer the graphite onto the plaque, giving you a copy of your printout!

Fill in your outline with black paint.

Then, add some candy corn and pumpkins to the plaque and paint them in.

For a nice, neat outline on the candy corn, skip the paint brush and use a black sharpie instead!

Ta da!  Get ready for goblins!