Happy Halloween!

Today was Gretchen's first time getting all decked out for Halloween and her first time trick-or-treating! I've been working on her costume for weeks, and I love how it turned out! She was a dalmation puppy.

Ball State played today, and we planned on going to the game and letting her wear her costume, but after her nap (I wanted her in a good mood for trick-or-treating.) So, we headed out the door half dressed (there was no way she could wear her tutu in the car!) and called daddy. Thankfully, he was in his office, but he had to let us know that the game had just ended and we had lost, so we turned around and headed back home. So Gretchen didn't get to show off her costume to our friends.

We ate dinner a bit early, and then got Gretchen ready. Here are a few pics from the evening:
Gretchen all dressed and ready to go!

Gretchen and daddy leaving the house.

Knocking on her very first door to get candy! She was such a big girl and walked down the street by herself! Gran and grandpa are getting her a wagon for Christmas, so we'll have it next year!

One house gave out rings. We went around the outer block in our neighborhoood, and then came home. Gretchen isn't really allowed to eat candy, so we thought that we had enough, plus we had to give out our own candy. Let me go back, and touch on the fact that we won't let Gretchen eat much candy- I have never been more thankful for those that gave out a bag of pretzels and goldfish- thank you! The pretzels got us through the rest of our trip, because she really wanted to eat the candy, and the goldfish got us through her fussiness once we were home.

When we got home, we had our first trick or treaters of the night, two adorable little girls that Gretchen goes to daycare with. DJ handed them the candy and Gretchen cried.

So, we dumped all of her candy out so she could see that she still had some. See all the yellow boxes? She was taking them from our bag that we were handing out and putting them in her own bucket.

Gretchen and mommy at the end of the night.

Happy Halloween from Gretchen Rose and Honey Pie Accessories!!!!!

We hope that your little honey got just as much candy, had just as much fun, and that your family made some wonderful memories!

See, she keeps stealing the candy!

Halloween Bucket Tutorial Part 2

Alright, I realize that it's the night before Halloween and I'm just now finishing the tutorial for you. I apologize, since this week has been so busy, let alone the whole month of October! So, here it is- remember, you can recreate these with a Christmas theme!

After stenciling the "trick or treat", I stenciled the ghost with purple. Don't forget that you can go back and clean it up with a wet q-tip, and can also touch-up with a q-tip dipped in paint.

Then, I stenciled her name on the back. It's not centered. This is where I messed up. After 21 months, I just now realized that Gretchen's name has 8 letters, meaning I should have put 4 on each side of the seam. Oh well; you live and learn!

For the handle, purchase fabric. I purchased 2 different kinds and had a 3rd Halloween print. Cut each fabric into strips. I used 2 inch strips, but ended up folding them in half. You can cut these strips with pinking shears for another cute look. But, they're $9.00 at Hobby Lobby, meaning I wasn't buying them!

Next, tie the fabric around the bucket handle alternating the fabric. If you don't want to use fabric you can use ribbon.

Tie tons of fabric- you don't want a space between them, make sure you go all the way down.

This is the lid. I was actually just playing to see how the paint would stick and how to rough up the finish, but it turned out kind of cute! I simply dabbed the brush in a bit of paint and dabbed it onto the lid for a splotchy look.

Here's the finished back of the bucket.

Here's the finished front! Thank goodness that it will be dark at night, and no one will be too close to the bucket, so they won't see my little mess ups.

Last step- spray the bucket w/ a sealer. You can purchase this at Hobby Lobby in the same aisle as you purchased the paint. It will seal the paint so it won't rub off.

So, if you're brave, and if you have the time you can try this project for your little honey or start now and make them for Christmas! They'll make adorable gift wrap, and they'll last for years to come!

Dresses by GG

I'm getting ready for my first craft fair next weekend, which is keeping me busy along with work, working out, and preparing for Gretchen's 1st time trick-or-treating.... I'm still sewing sequins onto her costume.

Gran decided that she would send up some pillowcase dresses for me to sale at the craft show. We are trying to get some extra spending money for our much needed girls trip to Branson, Mo. on Thanksgiving weekend!

As a special treat, to my customers, I want to offer GG's products to you at a reduced rate! These dresses will sell from now until Nov 6th for $15.00 each! Usually, our dresses start at $18.00. Note- these dresses are not monogrammed, and our not custom made, therefore sizes may vary.

But, check them out- they are adorable!!!!!! And, I'll be posting more of GG's Collection over the next day or two!

This red pillowcase dress will best fit a 1 1/2 -3 year old. We have 2 of these! The dress will be versatile throughout the year and comes with Christmas ribbon (shown here), Valentine ribbon, black ribbon, and 4th of July ribbon! Whoever knew you could come up wtih 4 looks with just 1 dress?!

This brown and pink dot dress will best fit an infant up to 1 year. It was actually made by my sister-in-law and is simply adorable! It features pink satin ribbon ties.

I love this white dress. It comes with green ribbon and "Jesus loves me" ribbon. You can also change it out for more versatile looks. This dress will best fit a 1-2 year old.

Here's another white dress, with black and zebra ribbon! This dress will best fit a 1-2 year old.

I love this blue plaid dress. It will best fit a 1-2 1/2 year old. Pair it with a light blue turtleneck, and it's the ultimate winter dress. (It reminds me of cold winter days and snowflakes!) Or, pair it with white sandals and it's the perfect summer dress!

If you are interested in ordering a dress, please email me at elaineguenther@yahoo.com. Dresses are $15.00 with $3.00 shipping and handling.

Aren't they adorable?!

Halloween at the YMCA

Our local YMCA had a Halloween party last Friday night. Since DJ was out of town I decided to take Gretchen and meet my friend Melissa (with her two adorable babies- Macy and Matthew) for an evening out of the house filled with some fun for the kiddos.

Gretchen enjoyed placing stickers and stamping her treat bag. Later in the evening, she enjoyed shredding it into pieces.

This was probably the most appropriate game for Gretchen and Macy, although Macy did well with the fishing game. This was a bean bag toss and even though Gretchen didn't toss the bags she still got a prize and mommy was proud because she proved she could pick up her toys! Macy was a pro at this game and threw all of her bean bags in!

While Macy was wondering "what the heck was going on?" Gretchen preferred to sit on the floor and play with the two Halloween coloring books she received. The first one ended up torn and left on the gym floor (sorry), this one made it home with us in one piece!

Gretchen was also able to pick out a pumpkin to take home with us. She has enjoyed rolling it and throwing it in the house- to her, it's just an orange ball.

Halloween Bucket Tutorial Part 1

With just a few days left until Halloween, I figured that you all would be wanting the tutorial to Gretchen's Halloween bucket that I'm making. I've had the supplies for most of the month, but the time I have not!

I really wanted Gretchen to have an adorable bucket. One that would last a long time. I almost purchased a monogrammed pumpkin bucket from Lillian Vernon, but then I saw an adorable one featured on "A Blonde Ambition." Thanks to that post, my wheels started turning, and I began to browse through Etsy. I found some adorable buckets here and decided that I could make my own! (Note- the bucket on the link uses stickers- you could use these instead of paint/stenciling. Also, check out the other creative ways she uses her buckets- you can bet that I'll be doing this again for Christmas!)

Let's begin....
Step 1: Purchase a white paint can from Hobby Lobby (about $6.00, but don't forget their 40% off coupons!). You can also use a silver paint can.

Step 2: If the paint can has a finish on it, you will need to remove it. Quickly rough up the bucket using steel wool. Don't use sand paper as it will scratch. Wash off the residue and let dry or wipe dry with a hand towel.

Step 3: Purchase a stencil. I got mine from Hobby Lobby for $1.00, and tape into place.

Step 4: Purchase a variety of paints. Again, I purchased mine from Hobby Lobby. These are permanent paints in orange, purple, and black. They were each less than $1.00

Step 5: Purchase a good stencil brush. Put a small amount of paint onto a paper plate, dip your brush in, but blot off the excess amount. Then, paint your stencil. Be careful to not let the paint drip or bleed. Believe me, this is easier said than done.

Step 6: Remove stencil whe the paint is dry- be patient! I've forgotten to upload some pictures here, so let's just make do for now. If you have paint that has dripped, then take a wet q-tip and wipe it off. Also have a cloth ready so you can wipe off the water. If you notice some white spots on the letters, then you can repaint over them using the q-tip. My brush was too big, but the q-tip worked perfectly.

Step 7: Turn the bucket around. I purchased a set of stencil letters, to personalize the bucket. You probably want to measure and make sure that your name will be level. I however, prefer to eyeball everything! With this stencil, I am having to paint one letter at a time. When it dries, I will take the stencil off and re-set it. You might be able to find a way to stencil without having to take off and re-tape. I didn't completly think it through, but my way will work fine too.

Alright, this is enough to get you started- I know Halloween is 4 days away!

I'll post the finishing touches in the next day or two.

Pumpkin Carving

DJ came home early on Sunday; which was a very rare treat, since we are in the middle of football season. I guess it was a good day at the office, since we had our very 1st win this season on Saturday!

I have been wanting to carve pumpkins with Gretchen for a few weeks, but we never seemed to have the time. We finally carved on Sunday- this was Gretchen's first time carving a pumpkin (we didn't do it last year), so we took lots of pictures and home video.
Gretchen showing off her pumpkin..... the before.

Gretchen finally decided to reach her hand in. She didn't reach far in at first; always so cautious. But, she eventually did. DJ didn't make the hole large enough for his hand, which left mostly me to clean it out.

I drew the face on the pumpkin and DJ carved. Gretchen preferred to color on the newspaper or on the pumpkin.

Then, Gretchen decided that she might try a bite. "Mmmm"; she says that when something really is good or when she knows she's eating something I'd disapprove of. (As in this case.)

DJ and Gretchen showing off our finished product. Despite some missing teeth, we did fairly well. Gretchen decided that it needed a bit more color.

When we were finished, we showed Gretchen how we put a candle inside and light it. We then took it outside. Somehow, we managed to get Gretchen sitting by her pumpkin. Thankfully, it was unseasonablly warm, since she had on her diaper cover, dressy socks, and her t-shirt from our friend Laura.

I'm glad that our family was able to do this together. I love family traditions. This is one of many that we will share with our children. I hope that you've found the time to carve your pumpkin as well!

Happy Halloween!

Burpies for baby Brylee

I received a request to make custom burpies from Melissa, for her new neice Brylee! She wanted them to match Brylee's adorable bedding. It's a little difficult matching things with pictures, since I don't have a printer at home, and I don't think I could take my computer into the store with me. But, I think they turned out adorably!
The burpies (above) and the bedding (below). Click here to see close up of the pieces.

Pops and Grandma Dee's Visit

Last weekend, Gretchen's pops and grandma Dee came to visit! We haven't seen them since July, so it was great to spend some time with them! Gretchen's a little spoiled- she almost always gets gifts when grandparents come to visit. Pops and Grandma Dee brought her a new baby doll, a musical ipod toy, and a darling dress.

We planned on going to the pumpkin patch, but it was too rainy. So, we went to the Children's Museum instead. I think pops and grandma Dee had tons of fun. Pops liked the water table the best, and I think grandma Dee liked the pretend grocery store.

You'll just have to turn your head sideways for this pic. It was too cute to not post it! On Saturday, we went to the BSU game. Sadly, another loss for our team, but at least Gretchen looked adorable! She was wearing a monogrammed turtleneck (I know, you can't see it, but it's so cute!), her BSU hair bow, her ruffle socks (remember, I posted about those!), and we had to buy her a BSU sweatshirt- it was cold!

Saturday evening we had to attempt (again) a picture of Gretchen with the grandparents. We didn't get a great one, but at least we got a few!

We had a great visit. It was too short, but they always are!

Angel vs. Devil

I was asked to create an "angel" and "devil" costume for two of the most adorable little girls, Lily and Callie. Lily is 21 months and Callis is turning 1 year old! These cousins plan to go trick-or-treating together, and their mothers wanted costumes that would compliment each other. So, we created the angel for Lily and the devil for Callie.
From what I hear, Callie is the.... um.... nicer of the two, so the mothers thought it would be funny to switch it up and make her the little devil. Her costume features a black turtleneck onesie with her name monogrammed in red, and a red tutu skirt with an adorable black bow that can be worn in the front, side, or back. I'm sure this will be adorable with a devil tail and horns!

Lily is going as the angel. Her tutu features white tulle with alternating sparkling silver tulle and a white turtleneck onesie with her name monogrammed in silver. Top this off with angel wings and a halo and you'll have the most adorable little angel!

I hope that Lily and Callie have the best Halloween ever and get a lot of candy! Happy Halloween girls!

Our Sanctuary

We have been in our house for almost two months! Next month, our first house payment will be due- ick! I started posting about our house weeks ago, but things came up and I didn't get to finish. So, I wanted to take some time tonight, while DJ is watching "The Amazing Race" to write about one of my favorite rooms in our house- our bedroom!

DJ and I bought our bedroom furniture last spring, until then, we had hand-me-downs from my parents. Sometimes, I wonder if all young newlyweds have to live with hand-me-down furniture. I was so excited, when we finally had extra money to pick out our very own adult bedroom furniture.

I have always said that my master bedroom would be the best decorated room in the house. Okay, that may not be true, but I think that it's one of the most important rooms and that it should be a place where one can retreat.

I can't decide if we should eventually paint this room- it's awfully beige, but I can't come up with a color, that would work with our bedding. Suggestions??? The door you see is right off the hallway, so this is actually a view coming out of the master bathroom.

This is our bed.... I LOVE our bed! DJ and I had the hardest time choosing furniture. I wanted heavy and ornate. He wanted clean, striaght lines and modern. We have completly different tastes. This bed is a good compliment of our two styles. It's a platform bed, but the headboard is curved, and the furniture has the deep dark wood tones that I love. We can thank my mom and grandmother for the bedding. They purchased it for us last May when they were here for Mother's Day. I love all of my pillows on the bed; we have 5 that we actually sleep with- well, I sleep with 3 of them, and poor DJ only gets two!

This is the view from the hallway. DJ's dresser is straight ahead, topped off with my bridal portrait. I love my bridal portrait, although as I'm getting older, it makes me sad to look at how young I was! It's hard to believe that we've been married for almost 4 years.

I don't have any pictures of the ceiling, but we actually have a double-pan ceiling. I love the architecural detail of it. Because we have green accents, part of me would like to paint one of the levels a green color, and then leave everything else the way it is. But, in my mind, I'm constantly thinking of re-sale and how the next homeowner may not like it. And, in DJ's business, when we move we'll have to sell fast.

We have my old college t.v in this room; on the floor! But, we plan on purchasing a flat screen and mounting it in the corner of the room. Our room is accented with family pictures and my collection of crystal.

I love my master bedroom. I feel so grown up having a sanctuary to myself. Everyone needs a place to go and relax, a place to retreat, and to be spoiled by luxurious linens and fluffy pillows!