Happy Halloween!

Oh how we wish our houses looked like this for Halloween!

(Image from Martha Stewart via Tobi Fairley)

Put some Halloween fun in your back pocket...

Autumn Treat

 What's Fall without caramel apples?  It's an easy, fun family activity that we attempted last weekend....even my teenager helped, although he would never admit it.

What you will need:

6 small apples

1 pkg caramels (14 oz.)

2T water (or 1T heavy cream if you have it)

6 popsicle sticks 

1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

2. Twist off stems and push popsicle sticks half way into clean apples where stems used to be.

3. Melt caramels in the microwave or saucepan over low heat.

(Add water or cream when melted-stir in.)

4. Dip apples in melted caramels to coat. Place each apple, stick side up, on waxed paper.

5. Refrigerate until the caramel is firm-about 1/2 hour.

Roll in fun toppings if you like.  

Hint: Clean out that pan right away.  I was too busy admiring our finished product that I let the left over caramel sit in it and, boy, was it a nightmare to clean.  I  would've just thrown it in the trash if my husband wasn't sitting right there!! 

Jen is thinking about doing these over the weekend since the wait for trick or treating until Sunday night is going to be brutal!

Put an autumn treat in your back pocket...

Etsy Find: Inspirational Art

We've been lovin' the inspirational art prints on Etsy. They mix modern typography with sweet sentiments and genuinely make you smile. Finding affordable art is no easy task and there are hundreds of prints to choose from on Etsy. Many of them are even customizable so you can choose your own colors and sizes.

Here are some favorites...

 These are from FotoFoto  and I ordered this one a few weeks ago.

It was $15, came in 1 day and I love it. I ran out to Target and bought a $16 frame and walla!

The 10 and the 7 are for me and my husband, his birthday is 10/7 and mine is 7/10.
(I know, I know kinda corny but a cool coincidence none the less)
They are photos you can also find on Etsy from Java Jane.

 Love Sugar

 The Big Harumph

Mini Mooshee

The Love Shop

What a great baby gift!

The Color Bee (she's local!)

Dazey Chic

and we leave you with this

Made by Girl

put some inspirational Etsy art in your back pocket...

Coveting Cowhide

I am secretly coveting a cowhide rug...I know it would be really stepping out for me but I love them...they  can translate across many different design styles and always look cool.
Maybe too cool?

Rug in first picture from West Elm,

they also have very reasonable ones at Ikea

(All images from decorpad)

Tell us what you think...

put a cowhide rug in your back pocket?

Play: To Make A Big Mess With Toys

Toys can take over your house! They are not pretty or stylish but they are necessary and we keep it real around here... for instance when my friend posted of Facebook that she figured out what the smell was in the playroom...a hot dog in the pretend cash register...I knew exactly where she was coming from. When we read blogs where moms are trying to decide where to stylishly store their one child's toys we kinda giggle (get some baskets people!) Have a couple more kids and you are truly at the mercy of all their "stuff".

Thankfully 6th Street Design School is doing a week of good design with kids in mind next week and it is going to be awesome. I shared my playroom with Kirsten as she was asking for photos of playroom and toy storage...

I turned what used to be my living room into a playroom and built the wall to fit my
Pottery Barn Kids Madison Wall Unit

I bought the Ektorp loveseat from Ikea and it has a white slipcover which gets filthy but I wash it, bleach it, or replace it (they are on sale sometimes for $11!)

It is hard to see in pictures, but on the wall is the definition of Play: to make a big mess with toys.

This is where the magic happens, all the art supplies, crafts and even the hair supplies are here because it is much easier to do hair while watching a little TV:)

This room makes me happy and my kids like it too...I am going to have to add some more masculine touches here in the future, but for now my little guy doesn't mind.

Here are some inspirations from Pottery Barn Teen for the room in the future, when it will need to be geared more towards hanging out and studying...

Oh I almost forgot my favorite part of the playroom...

I can shut the the doors:)

Head over to 6th Street Design School next week!

Oh if only we could hide all those toys in your back pocket...

Give Me Some Sugar

Here in Phoenix we have a great local boutique named Healy Bea and the owner has her own jewelry line that I love called Sugar Bean . I recently bought  this necklace...

it is one necklace and can be worn with either pendant in front and the opposite pendant sitting on back of neck, it also comes in this design

( my 8 year old LOVES peace signs and it is rubbing off on me!)

and this finish

and my next purchase will be these hoops...

then you can choose from all these great charms to hang from your hoops...

These are some other earring designs...

and I am not the only one who loves Sugar Bean...check out my favorite Cheer-E-O from Glee in her Sugar Bean hoops...

other stars getting their Sugar Bean fix...

go ahead, give in, put some Sugar Bean in your back pocket...