Heather Ann Melzer

Happy Halloween!!

Tom doesn't think we have enough candy and I think he wanted to make sure we had enough extra to carry us all the way until next Halloween.  I'll have to post an after shot of how many bags we have after the trick-or-treaters have gone to bed.

It's 2pm and we have the strobe light and fog machine set up, lights on the bushes, spooky curtains hung, lanterns in place and lawn mowed - whew!  Now we just need to finish putting our treat bags together and do a little photo shoot of the kids while it's still daylight. 

It's 70+ degrees and sunny in Chicago today - unreal.  The most beautiful Halloween in history, I think.  I hope you have a great one!

A new tradition

I extended a very last-minute invite to my family for a Pumpkin Carving Party last night and I'm so glad I did.  We'll definitely be doing it every year from now on.  This is the first year the girls have really cleaned out and carved the pumpkins themselves (with us supervising) and they got such a kick out of it.  Katie screamed every time she punched one of her faces pieces out and ran around showing everyone.  Sheila used Tom's drill and made a tiny polka dot pumpkin for Emma and Jerel used one of the templates I printed and carved a really cool ghost.  I was busy helping the girls with theirs, so I didn't get to carve one of my own, but that's ok.  Watching them draw their own faces and cut them out was really neat.  And Tom grilled some more roast and we all had yummy sandwiches and iced cookies - yummm.

Because's it's Halloween Eve and I have a bunch of custom jewelry orders to finish and a layout deadline tomorrow, you can see the party pics straight off my camera here.  I used my external flash and lightsphere on most of them, so they're pretty decent as is.

I've been dying to get a face on my skeleton pumpkin stand, so Kenzie's pumpkin is now serving as the head.  We picked it up at Target for 5.99 and then Tom drilled a hole in the top and we filled it with sand so it wouldn't blow over.  My porch just got a whole lot happier :)

A couple more things today...

I wanted to address some questions about how I print my treat toppers.  I print mine with my Epson 2200 printer (which has been replaced by the 1400) on Premium Presentation Paper Matte (Best Buy also carries it).  I've printed them on regular photo paper in the past, too.  I'm not sure how the paper would work on a non-Epson printer, but I can tell you that the print quality is amazing coming from mine.  I print all of my treat toppers, cards and gift tags this way.

And I wanted to remind everyone that my Fall Frenzy sale ends tomorrow at midnight!  Take 25% off purchases of $10 or more until then with code: fallfrenzy

Pumpkin farm

Aren't they cute?  Each class at the kids' school made these and had them on display during the Halloween parade last week.  Katie's class made the pig, Jack's made the chick, and Kenzie's made the cow.  The infant classrom made the sheep and I think that hair is the cutest thing I've ever seen!  Why can't Halloween truly be EVERYday?

Speaking of Halloween, someone needs to put a muzzle on me.  I'm eating candy like I'm in a race or something.  The 50 yard chocolate dash.  Snickers and Butterfingers are getting me through the day right now - yummm.  That and Tom's roast beef.  He grilled two giant roasts on Sunday, so I'm eating it for lunch and dinner everyday - on a french roll with some melted shredded provolone/mozzarella.  YUM.  I might just have to go as a cow on Friday.

Or maybe I should go as a ski patrol person since it was snowing AGAIN yesterday.  Why can't we just have a nice 65 degree fall for once.  Why???!!!  If only there were funds to book a nice winter trip, because lord knows I'm going to be DYING once February gets here.

I am starting to get into the holiday spirit a bit, though.  I saw the first xmas catalogs come a couple of weeks ago and I think I threw them out without even opening them.  I really hate to ruin Halloween and Thanksgiving with Christmas being thrown at me, but I need to start getting in the spirit earlier to get my digi goodies out in a more timely manner.  I'm not singing xmas carols yet, but I have seen a few cute things that have started to get me in the spirit a bit.

I am dying to start xmas shopping, but the word on the street is that Black Friday deals are going to be more insane than ever, so I'm holding off on toys and gadgets until then. 

Speaking of xmas gifts, I have a few new bracelets up in my Etsy shop today...

 

The first is Laugh With Me - a sweet little girl's bracelet.  It has an adjustable clasp/chain and some sweet flowered glass beads, crystals, and a cute "laugh" charm.  The second is Caramel Macchiato - a great neutral piece with some really beautiful tiger's eye beads.  And last is Plum Passion - such a hot color right now and so perfect for fall/winter.  The pictures don't do this one justice - the foil beads have a beautiful shimmer to them.  I'm still having so much fun making new pieces.  I have more kids' bracelets in the works as well as some grown up necklaces - wee!

And now someone needs to tell me that it really isn't after 3pm.  Where does the day go???  School called to say that Jack has a fever and has been very crabby.  He's cutting molars, but he might have another ear infection, too, so it's back to the doc tonight.  My poor little man. 

The Circus is in town

Presenting Mackenzie the Ringmaster, Jack the Lion and Katie the Clown :) 

I took this pic at their Halloween party at school last Friday, which was very entertaining.  I was hoping to do a fun photo shoot outside yesterday, but it was 34 degrees with insane winds and SNOW (yes, you heard me right), so we'll have to wait until later this week.  My mom and I made Kenzie's jacket/vest/ascot and Katie's apron and tulle skirt (underneath).  They truly fit their parts - it cracks me up.  And Jack in that lion costume - ugh.  It's a little too much for even me.

I was so into their song performances that I didn't take any pics at all (thank goodness Tom was videotaping next to me).  Jack clapped right along and even yelled with the rest of the group on queue.  So adorable.

I'm taking Friday off to fully enjoy the holiday.  I like to line the sidewalk with candleholders and get the strobe/smoke machine ready for trick or treaters.  And Tom and his dad drilled some holes in our brick last night so I can hang these up (so cute, right?).  I can't wait!

I'm feeling really good today.  Last week was the pinnacle of stressful for me and now I can breathe a little easier.  Saturday Tom helped build a deck on his sister's house while I took the kids to a birthday party and shopping for crafts and yesterday we spent the day exactly how I like - I made pancakes, we had a trip to Target/Starbucks, and then came home and let the kids play all day while Tom played video games and I made jewelry :) (which I'll be adding to my shop during the course of the day today).  Then Tom's dad stopped by and Tom grilled a roast and we had yummy sandwiches.  A late night trip to Michaels where a stranger gave me an extra 15% coupon (which I used on top of my 20% coupon) ended the day on a perfect note.  Now that's a weekend day :)

The girls were playing this game when I got home last night and we had so much fun watching them.  It forces them to work together as a team (which I LOVE) and it's impossible for them to get separated.  Kenzie was running ahead of Katie and the game was dragging Katie backwards towards her with her big Lego head bopping in the front of the screen - lol.  We all got a kick out of that.  And Katie, always looking for a laugh, thought that was particularly hysterical.

 

And while the girls played, Jack practiced his new trick - climbing on top of countertops and standing up.  FUN!  My goodness, that boy is going to give me a heart attack.  He's a very graceful faller, which is good, although we're trying to limit falling to zero.  Can't take your eyes of him for a second... not that I want to anyway ;)

In with the new

I tend to be a bit old school when it comes to my crafting supplies.  I mean, I have quite a few gadgets, but sometimes it's easier to do the tried and true without having to learn how some new fangled thing works.  This, however is not one of those times. 

I usually use a metal ruler, cutting mat, and a bone folder to score treat toppers and cards, but after I did a few today, I remembered that I saw a scoring blade for my fiscars trimmer when I was cleaning out my supply baskets earlier this year.  So, I popped it in, gave it a spin, and WOW!  It's so much faster, and the score line is perfectly straight.  If you have a trimmer like this and don't have a scoring blade, I highly recommend it.  I put together 35 of them in no time at all today. 

TIP: Line the bottom of your treat topper at 3.75" for a perfectly centered score line.

Tom and the kids are on their way home and soon the girls and I will get to work on putting the bags together for tomorrow's Halloween festivities at school.  I just finished up the Halloween costumes and have them all bagged up and ready to go.  I even remembered their treat bags, unlike last year (ugh), so I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm downtown tomorrow, so getting everything ready has been even more stressful than normal, since I'll be out the door by 6am to catch my train and not here to get them ready in the morning.  Then I have to rush back and make it to their school on time (and hopefully not make it within milliseconds like last year).  I just need to remember my camera to prevent a complete nervous breakdown. 

Yes, I will be very ready for happy hour tomorrow evening and then relaxing some this weekend.  Hope you have a great one!

Halloween Night is here!

  

No need to double-check the calendars - the real Halloween night is in 9 days, so my new Halloween Night Kit and Treat Toppers are just in time for Halloween scrapping.  Buy the kit and get the treat toppers FREE (included in kit download).  And don't forget the coupon if you spend $10 or more ;)

I think I can officially say that Halloween is my favorite holiday and my Halloween goodies are always my favorite (which puts alot of pressure on me to make each one really great).  I think these sets turned out pretty spooktacularly - lol.  I've had alot of caffeine the last two days, please bear with me!

I did want to share some instructions that should make putting together treat bags even easier.  Here's a pic of mine for the kids' Halloween festivities on Friday and trick-or-treating next week...

Instructions:

1. Drop your photo behind, add text (if you wish) and print (you can fit 2 on an 8.5x11 sheet).

2. Fold the topper in half and place over filled bag.

3. Punch a hole through topper and bag.

4. Thread ribbon through and tie!

I love this because it eliminates the need for staples or tape.  The bags I use are 4x6" by Wilton (sold at Michaels).  The kids are so excited to put these together, so we should have some fun this week. 

I hope you like them!

And the winner is...

Random.org pulled #56 out of 119 entries at 9:04am.  Congratulations, Kasey!!  Please email me your address and I'll get your cute new bracelet in the mail this afternoon :)  Kasey commented:

"That is the cutest bracelet. Looks almost good enough to eat!"

Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday!  It was so fun reading your comments and I'm so excited that you liked the bracelet.  I'm definitely planning on offering kid-sized pieces in my Etsy shop in the future, so stay tuned.

I'll be back later today with some new goodies in the shop - including the cute little fella above (wee!).  Until then!

Pumpkin Patch Day?

There was mass confusion over whether or not today really was pumpkin patch day at school.  And for a momma that goes all out when she's told to dress her kids in Halloween gear, it caused just a tiny bit of stress for an already stressed out momma.  Since Tom didn't get an email rescheduling we went with it, and turns out, it wasn't pumpkin patch day afterall.  Some other parents missed the sign in the classroom, too, so I think they're having it today and tomorrow - thank goodness.

Don't they look cute?  I found some rhinestone studded skull head iron-ons at Michaels (99 cents, I think) and ironed them on some Wal-mart t's and paired them with some cute tights from TCP and some skirts from last year.  The crazy pony holders came from Walgreens, of all places. 

And that fun digi scrap goodness decorating my cute little goblins???  Coming very soon to a HAD shop near you!! :)

I actually took a couple of days off my day job to catch up so I can breathe a little easier.  So far it's going great.  My mind is just in too many directions right now - have to catch up. 

We made some serious headway on Kenzie's costume last night.  The sleeves wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't sewn the wrong sides together - on both sleeves.  I had a minor massive nervous breakdown and Tom helped my mom rip the stitches out.  It turned out really, really darling.  I still have tons of odds and ends to finish up and a few more things to find at the store, but it's really shaping up.  I think this is a dead giveaway, but I'll post anyway.  Here's a sneak peek (remember, no guesses please ;)

I also have a few new pieces up in my Etsy shop.  The brown frame bracelets have been a favorite, so I put together another and that's available now.  And then I made this way fun new polka dot piece.  It has some really cool black nickel accents and is really substantial.  A fun, bold piece.  And, last, a brown and blue number - love that combo, so hot right now.  I love the idea of pairing that with a simple brown sweater or t.  I'm such a solid color gal, so accenting with things like that is right up my alley...

 

And because you're still here and still reading (thank you for that!), how about a giveaway? 

If you know a little person that would like this cute little candy corn bracelet (made by me), leave a comment by 9AM CST tomorrow, Wednesday, and I'll do a random number drawing to pick a winner.  The bracelet has an adjustable clasp from 6.25"-7" and will come in a pretty little gift box as shown.  Good luck!

 

Sew much to do

This was my view for 8.5 hours straight yesterday.  We had about a 15 minute break for lunch and then it was back to it - from 11am-7:30pm.  If I ever mention wanting to sew costumes again, someone please slap me - you have my full permission.  Actually, it hasn't been all that bad, just extremely time consuming.  And my sewing machine did not like some of the fabric we were using, so it gave me a whole lot of trouble - hate that. 

I actually bought my mom that sewing machine for xmas about 10 years ago and she gave it to me when her arthritis got too bad for her to use it anymore.  For the most part, it does ok, but I allowed myself to halfway glance at the latest machines at Joann's and then tried to erase the image of a robotic machine that made mine look like it was from the dark ages and pretend like it never happened.  We'll see how these costumes go and then I'd love to make some simple dresses for the girls.  My mom says zippers aren't hard, but they scare the daylights out of me.  Either way, I'm hoping this machine hangs on for awhile.

My parents are coming back over tonight so we can try to finish Kenzie's costume.  On our list tonight are sleeves, which my mom says are the hardest thing ever (eek!).  "One step at a time!" she tells me when I start hyperventilating.  I'm repeating that to myself all day long today as I try to whittle down my insane to-do list.  Deep breaths, deeeep breaths :)

Have you Boo'd your neighbors yet?

My You've Been Boo'd kit has everything you need to BOO your neighbors (except the candy) - and now's the time to do it!

Here's what you do:

1. Print the BOO poem/instruction sheet twice and sign sheet once.

2. Place one poem and sign in a bag/bucket/basket with some treats.  Repeat for second package.

3. Sneak out and place one package on 2 different neighbors' doorsteps. 

4. Ring doorbell and RUN!

Your neighbor will be instructed to BOO 2 other neighbors and place their sign in their window/door to let others know they've been BOO'd.  Fun, right?!

The kids get such a kick out of it - I'm sure yours will, too.

In addition to BOO'ing, we've got a full weekend ahead of us.  I have costumes to sew, kits to finish, a free fall movie matinee to take the girls to, and custom bracelet orders to fill. 

PS - If you're interested in placing a custom Etsy order, just send me a message here and I'll see what I can do.  Please include a description of the item and the length you'd like :)

It's also peak autumn color time here in Chicagoland, so I'm dying to get out and take some pics.  It's absolutely beautiful here right now - beautiful.  If you've ever wanted to visit Chicago, now is definitely the best time to do it. And by now, I mean now.  We've had snow on Halloween before, so you'd probably have to jump in a car/plane within the next few hours to enjoy it - lol.

Have a great weekend everyone!