DIY Witch and Mummy Halloween Nail Polish

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We typically opt for a cute and fun Halloween, instead of a scary and creepy one. We’ve never loved haunted houses or frightening people. We like costumes and carving pumpkins, apple cider and trick or treating with our large Italian family.

Since we were babies our mom and aunt made our ‘themed’ Halloween costumes, and every year we celebrate together. Following the annual chaos of hello hugs, oooh’s and ahhhs over costumes and hundreds of flashing camera lights, the men grab a cigar and take the kids trick or treating. The women stay inside where its warm to chat, eat chili and hot dogs and drink our wine. It’s a special tradition, and we are grateful to share it with our own kiddos.

Being into the cute part of Halloween, this DIY is so us!

These DIY witch and mummy Halloween nail polish bottles would make for a great, non-candy Halloween party favor or a unique Halloween gift.

Witch color are you going to pick for this year’s Halloween nails? We’re going with Essie Bahama Mama.

If your rainbow-loving self is admiring the DIY spider web in the background, you can see how we did it here.

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You’ll Need:

  • Nail Polish
  • Paper, Astrobrights
  • White rafia paper ribbon
  • Googly eyes
  • Hot Glue
  • Nail File
  • Rafia
  • Twine

How To:

For the mummy, glue two eyes on the nail polish bottle. Dab a small amount of hot glue on the top of the bottle, then add white rafia ribbon, and start to wrap. You can do one continuous wrap, or cut, add a dab of glue and continue to wrap. When the entire bottle is covered, dab another small amount of hot glue, so the mummy’s wrap stays in place.

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For the witch, make a small witches hat with a free mini-hat template online {or free-hand} and glue it to a black, doughnut-cut circle. Slide it over the nail polish handle. For the witches broom, place a handful of rafia around one end of the nail file, and tie twine around it to keep it in place. Use a tiny dab of hot glue to keep the twine in place.

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DIY Eyeball Gumball Necklace

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We can’t think of any other time a DIY eyeball gumball necklace is more appropriate than Halloween. It’s so easy, cute and slightly spooky – so it’s a must-make DIY edible necklace this Halloween. After the festivities are over {or during all the BOO-rific fun}, you can chew and blow all the bubbles you want with the DIY eyeball gumballs because they are made with edible pens! We’ve officially named the necklace, I’ve Got My Eye on You!

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You’ll Need:

  • Gumballs {larger size for the necklace and smaller size is fine for a bowl full of eyes or party bag favors}
  • Edible pens {like Americolor}
  • Ribbon

Directions:

  • It’s as easy as drawing circles, coloring them in and drawing crooked lines. You got this!

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  • For the necklace part, drill the gumball so there is a small hole on each side. Draw your eyeball. Use a long toothpick to insert ribbon through the gumball. Pull the ribbon through to the spot you want to gumball to be on the necklace, tie a knot on each side of the gumball, then add another gumball.

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Happy {early} Halloween!

Gluten Free Pancakes {recipe}

gluten-free-pancakes-july-4th-firework-breakfast-blueberry-strawberryThis 4th of July firework pancake breakfast will be enjoyed by those who are GF, and those who are not. We have found some gluten free store-bought pancake mixes to be decent. Some are better than others. This homemade, gluten free pancake recipe is easy to make, and our favorite thus far on our gluten-free venture.

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Gluten Free Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 2% milk {almond milk can be substituted}
  • 1/4 cup butter {4 tablespoons}
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup gluten free quick cooking oats, ground {we use a Magic Bullet to grind it}
  • 1/2 cup Pamela’s gluten free flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients, including flour, ground up oats, baking powder, salt, sugar and flax seeds.
  2. In a separate medium bowl, add two eggs and whisk.
  3. Melt the butter in a pan on the stove with the milk until butter melts.
  4. Stir the milk and butter into the eggs and whisk.
  5. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients.
  6. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk to make it a consistency you like.
  7. Pour and flip.
  8. To make the pancakes festive for July 4th, use a star cookie cutter to create star pancakes that can resemble fireworks.
  9. Spread butter on top, decorate your plate with blueberries and strawberries to make the stars look like fireworks, sprinkle powdered sugar on top and then pour maple syrup over the pancakes.

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How to Make a DIY Cinnamon Bear Drink Stirrer

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Our grandma, also known as Nani to 14 grandkids and Great Nani to 16 great-grandchildren, is one amazing woman. Since we were toddlers, we made monthly trips to grandma and grandpa’s house for sleepovers, homemade biscuits and gravy, hair cuts in Louise’s Beauty Salon {her basement salon}…and artificially-flavored treats.

One thing we could always count on, in addition to all the hugs and kisses, was a full pot of coffee brewing {she loved to spoon-feed us coffee in the mornings}, a bag of Twizzlers in the upstairs cabinet, and a glass jar filled with cinnamon bears in her salon.

To this day, she keeps her treats in the same spot, and everyone makes a beeline straight to the cabinet and glass jar for a sugar fix.

As silly as it may be, we have a special history with cinnamon bears. Even if the memories did not exist, we could not resist the chewy, spicy and sweet goodness of cinnamon bears.

This July 4th, after half the bag makes its way into our bellies, the other half will make its way into our party decor.

First, we made them into place cards. Success!

Now, we transformed them into a DIY edible drink stirrer. We think we can mark this one as a success, too.

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Materials:

  • Cinnamon bears
  • Red, white or blue card stock
  • Mini red pom poms
  • Toothpicks
  • Drink Stir Sticks
  • Sharpie marker
  • Hot glue gun

Directions: 

  1. Cut out mini flags and punch 2 small holes at the top.
  2. Write a name {for a drink tag}, or fun words on the flag, such as cheers! and yay!
  3. Break a toothpick in half, and then insert the toothpick through the two flag holes.
  4. Cut a mini ‘rolled out cone’ shape from the card stock.
  5. Roll the paper into a cone, and use a hot glue gun to glue the seam together.
  6. Glue a pom-pom on top.
  7. Gently push the hat into the cinnamon bears head until it’s stable.
  8. Push the toothpick with the flag into the hands of the cinnamon bear.
  9. Push the cinnamon bear onto a drink stirrer.

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DIY Paper Stars and Fans to Decorate for the 4th of July

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We had a blast at our #Colorize picnic with ASTROBRIGHTS® Papers, and really want you to have some red, white and blue fun under a willow tree, too, so here’s a couple DIY tutorials from the July 4th picnic. They are big impact, little effort, which means you have to do it.

Thanks to our friend and photographer, Meredith Moran Photography, for playing with us, and capturing great moments.

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DIY 3D Paper Stars

Materials Needed:

Directions:

  1. Cut out 4 stars the same size.
  2. Fold each star in half.
  3. Add glue dots or dabs of glue to one folded side on the top, middle and bottom.
  4. Stack another folded star on top, and press to secure.
  5. Repeat step 4 until all stars form one, large 3D star.
  6. Punch a small hole on top of the star.
  7. Push red and white striped twine through the hole and make a hoop, then hang.

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july-4th-red-white-blue-kid-family-picnic-astrobrights-paper-hanging-stars-diy

DIY Paper Fan

Materials Needed:

  • Double-sided tape
  • Hot glue gun
  • Paper
  • Cut out shape of U.S.A

Directions:

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  1. Cut out all your paper squares. For the large fan, we used 6, 8×8 inch paper squares. For the smaller ones, we cut 4, 6×6 and 3, 4×4 squares. Fold the paper like a paper fan.
  2. Use double-sided tape to tape the edges of the fans together.
  3. Once all the squares are glued you will have a long stretch of ‘fanned’ or accordion paper.
  4. Glue the first and last piece of the paper together so it forms a circle.
  5. Press the circle down so it creates a fan. Add a large dab of hot glue to the middle of the fan, and press down for several minutes until it dries. Make sure the glue touches all parts of the paper.
  6. Use your Silhouette or print and hand-cut a cut out of the U.S.A. Use your hot glue gun to glue the U.S.A. outline in the middle of the fan.

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Instagram media links to follow from this post:
@jsorelle3
@astrobrights
@meredithmoranphoto