Monthly Archives: October 2012

Last-Minute Halloween Costumes

Did your kids shame you into dresssing up?  Got a last-minute invitation?  For anyone who waited til the last minute to put together a costume,  here are some quick and easy ideas for costumes you can put together using things you already have around the house!

 

For kids OR adults:

 

SV1031sushi Last Minute Halloween Costumes

 Image via Parents

Sushi – wear all white, take an orange pillow (or wrap one with orange fabric), and use a dark green ribbon (velcro makes it look neater) to tie on the “sashimi”.  For extra points, wear a green hat to add a little wasabi!

 

SV1031picnic Last Minute Halloween Costumes

 Image via Parents

Picnic – Cut a hole for your head in an old tablecloth, then drape over your shoulders.  Add some cutout ants, and carry a picnic basket (also doubles as a trick or treat basket!).

 

SV1031hero Last Minute Halloween Costumes

 Image via Real Simple

DIY Superhero – Take a solid color sweatshirt, and use a contrasting color duct tape (Duck brand has lots of choices!) and create stripes, a letter (for your first name or a superhero name), on the shirt (and pants if you have them!).  Pin a matching towel to the shoulders and presto!

 

For adults only – check the headlines or pop culture for great, easy costume ideas!

 

SV1031drunk Last Minute Halloween Costumes

 Image via College Humor

Drunk Uncle – carry a flask, wear an untucked shirt and loosened tie.  Use blush to make your cheeks and nose red.  Stay in character by slurring your words, stumbling and general inappropriateness.

 notimpressed Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Image via Google, McKayla is Not Impressed.  

Not Impressed – remember McKayla Maroney at the summer games?  Add US and Olympic logos to a gray zip up jacket, make a silver medal out of cardboard, foil, and purple ribbon.  Pull your hair into a ponytail, add some extra eyeshadow, carry a bouquet and wrinkle your nose all night.

SV1031Insta Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Image via Glamour

Instagram – use a photo mat (or make your own from posterboard), then add amber (blue or red will also work, depending on your “filter” preference) cellophane to create a live Instagram effect.  Bonus points for Instagramming your Instagram.

While we are talking Instagram – check out this insanely cool costume.  This guy made a working Instagram camera, built into the costume. So cool.  Start now for next year.

 

SV1031Insta1 Last Minute Halloween Costumes

 Image via Gizmodo

 

And for the ultimate minimalist:

Call Me Maybe – “Hello My Name Is…” sticker, with MAYBE written in.

 

 

Halloween Cocktail Recipes {Drinks to Die For!}

If you are planning on staying home with the porch light on and answering the door to the sounds of “Trick or Treat!” tomorrow night, why let the costumed kiddos have all the fun?!  Treat yourself to an evening of “treats” (hold the “tricks”) of the adult beverage variety, and sip on some of these tasty fall-inspired cocktails as you “ohhh” and “ahhh” over the adorable mini-Captain Americas and tiny fairy princesses and pass out handfuls of candy.

This warm Apple Pie Martini sounds scrumptious!  It may just be the winner in my book.

DET HalloweenDrinks01 Halloween Cocktail Recipes {Drinks to Die For!}

image via Tasty Kitchen

Apple Pie Martini

courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

  • 2 ounces, fluid Vanilla Vodka
  • 1-½ ounce, fluid Unsweetened Apple Juice
  • ½ ounces, fluid Simple Syrup, Store Bought Or Your Favorite Recipe
  • ½ ounces, fluid Lemon Juice
  • 1 pinch Cinnamon
  • Optional For Garnish: 2 Or 3 Apple Slices

Directions:  Combine all the ingredients (except garnish) in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, shake well and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice or two of apple.

 

Or how about this wonderful way to use the most classic Halloween candy – Candy corn!  For those who can’t get enough of the seasonal treat, find the recipe here for a Candy Corn Cordial.

DET HalloweenDrinks02 Halloween Cocktail Recipes {Drinks to Die For!}

image via Food Network

 

My favorite fall hot cafe drink is sure to be tasty in this recipe of Bourbon Chai.

DET HalloweenDrinks03 Halloween Cocktail Recipes {Drinks to Die For!}

image via Saveur

And you can never have too many pumpkin-flavored goodies, so what about this Pumpkin Party Martini?

DET HalloweenDrinks04 Halloween Cocktail Recipes {Drinks to Die For!}

image via Tasty Kitchen

Halloween Spice Cake Cookies

  cookietray1 Halloween Spice Cake Cookies

I’m a sucker for all things Halloween — especially for the sweets and cookies.  And October also happens to be National Cookie Month, so that spells double trouble for me!

For a few weeks now, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for a new Halloween cookie recipe to make this month. But due to a home project that got bumped up two weeks,  time became a major issue this weekend.

So I had to think fast and improvise. I ran to the grocery store and walked around the baking aisle when I saw a row of boxed cake mixes on sale. I remembered that my mother also makes the best cake mix cookies each Christmas, so I grabbed a box of spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin and a can of pre-made cream cheese frosting.

cookiestuff 768x1024 Halloween Spice Cake Cookies

The recipe, for Pumpkin Spice Cookies did just the trick. It was the easiest and most impressive 30-minute cookie recipe I’ve made in ages. Simply add a can of pumpkin puree to the dry cake mix, and combine. Then add walnuts, bake and frost with cream cheese icing. I was surprised they were so moist and fluffy!

So with Halloween in two days, and kiddos running every which direction this week, the good news is you still have time to make wonderful treats that will work for Halloween or Thanksgiving.

tray Halloween Spice Cake Cookies 

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 can cream cheese frosting

1/3 cup walnut pieces (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

cookiefinish2 Halloween Spice Cake Cookies

 Happy Halloween!

Ghouls on the Green, Halloween Wine Bottles and Polka Dots…Happy Weekend!

fallblankets Ghouls on the Green, Halloween Wine Bottles and Polka Dots...Happy Weekend!

Image via That Inspirational Girl

Welcome fall weather!  So happy to see you.  And just in time for Halloween, too – how nice.  What festivities do you have planned this weekend?  We will be heading down to Guthrie Green for the Ghouls on the Green Sunday Market…great excuse to test drive the little guy’s costume and take some pics at the gorgeous park!

While you’re cozied up this weekend, check these out:

Did you know we are on Instagram?  We’ve been giving followers sneak peeks at our Winter Issue photo shoot!  Follow us at user name prairiehive to get a look!

A last minute craft for your Halloween party…(because you know you have a few of these around) – painted wine bottles!

Cute little DIY placecard holders.

Usually when someone says “wall decal” I die a little inside.  But these confetti polka dots are pretty fun – a good way to perk up an office or kids room!

More brightly colored circles – but a great cheap DIY for some fun or temporary circular display.

El Dia de los Muertos – Living Arts of Tulsa Celebrates the Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos is coming next week, are you excited? This year is special for me.

You might remember this post about miniature altars. I’ve enjoyed studying other’s cultures and traditions for as long as I can recall. In the fourth grade, it was pioneers, in sixth, Egyptians, many more followed, most notably Italians in college and 20′s era Americans shortly after. I guess I’ve had a little bit of a theme this year too.

RD102612MiniatureAltars El Dia de los Muertos   Living Arts of Tulsa Celebrates the Day of the Dead

Image from here

After that post you can imagine my joy when I was contacted and invited to participate in the El Dia de los Muertos celebration at Living Arts of Tulsa. I can’t believe it’s already time, but the altars are available for viewing October 30-31 from 1-5 p.m., and the festival is November 1 (Happy Birthday Dad!) from 5-10:30 p.m.

I really hope we see you there. I’m quite excited about the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love Halloween. But I love even more celebrating, remembering and honoring those loved ones who’ve passed before us. I think the tradition of dedicating a day to their memories and lives is special.

RD102612Guitarskeleton El Dia de los Muertos   Living Arts of Tulsa Celebrates the Day of the Dead

I’ll be celebrating my own way with a little piece of art to honor my great Grandmother, Nada Minnie Marie Terry who taught me how to crochet when I was young. I have the fondest memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa Terry’s house after school with my mom. We went a couple of times a week and when you walked through the front door, the whole house smelled of cinnamon from the homemade cinnamon rolls she always made. Grandpa Terry’s specialty was doughnuts.

I plan on making a miniature altar artwork piece every year in honor of different family members. I’d make them all this year if I could find the time…

RD102612DiadelosMuertosInfo El Dia de los Muertos   Living Arts of Tulsa Celebrates the Day of the Dead

Last two images from Living Arts

Beetlejuice House: Media Muse

beetlejuice movie poster 1988 1020190958 Beetlejuice House: Media Muse

Image via IMDB

With Halloween getting nearer, I was in the mood for a spookier “Media Muse” this time around.  But not too spooky.  Beetlejuice was always one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I think it might have had something to do with the great house it took place in (they say your career preferences start early, right?!?).  During the movie, you see the house go from this (while Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are alive):

 

bj1 Beetlejuice House: Media Muse

Image via Hooked on Houses

(great site for movie + design fanatics!)

To this:

 

 

bj2 Beetlejuice House: Media Muse

 

bj3 Beetlejuice House: Media Muse


And I had forgotten the deck!  So horribly fantastic!

As I took a trip down memory lane (I’m on a serious mission to find time to watch this whole movie again soon!), I couldn’t get this dinner party out of my head.  What a great non-pumpkin-ey way to celebrate Halloween.  Enjoy!

 

bj4 Beetlejuice House: Media Muse

 All images via Hooked on Houses

 

SVMMBeetlejuice Beetlejuice House: Media Muse

 

1. Black Random Light, YLiving; 2. SOFIA fabric, IKEA; 3. A Ghastlie Angle in Smoke by Alexander Henry, Owl & Drum; 4. Sweep Dinnerware, CB2; 5.Villeroy & Boch Crystal – Cascara, myTableware.com ;6. POTT Anello Amuse Bouche Set, AllModern; 7. Oenophilia Marble Cheese Board, Amazon.com; 8. Alessi Zlin Flatware set, Alessi; 9. Bone Pillar Holders, Pottery Barn; 10. Ripple Dining Table, Hawley Design Furnishings; 11. Global Furniture BLU Dining Chair, Amazon.com

Spools and Spools

LWcoloredspools Spools and Spools

What I Wore

Lately it seems I’ve seen spools every time I turn around!  There are a million brilliant ways to use spools as decor.  Such a unique way to incorporate color and in some cases a little bit of vintage interest.

LWspoolstonis Spools and Spools

I was in Toni’s Flowers the other day and spotted these fantastic resin vases.

LWspoolswisteria Spools and Spools

 And I was flipping through Wisteria and saw these cute little spools of twine.  Use the twine and repurpose the spools as decoration.

LWspoollamp Spools and Spools

This spool inspired lamp is from Anthropologie.

LWspoolwreath Spools and Spools

And this adorable spool wreath is on Etsy.

LWspoolsonwall Spools and Spools

Poppytalk

And should you need the product that is actually on the spool, this is such a great way to organize and display it.  Otherwise, it makes such a unique work of art!

Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

DET Sew09 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

image via Land of Nod

Over that past couple of years, so many of my friends have added bundles of joy to their beautiful families- Sarah’s adorable baby boy made his arrival this past January, my good friend Briana, over at Bifftastica, just welcomed their perfect baby girl at the beginning of the month, and Alayna is due with her bouncing boy any day now!…. to name just a few.

I love all the new little ones I get to snuggle, but with Christmas just two months away, it had me wondering what I was going to do about gifts for all these kiddos I adore!  Also on my mind lately has been my desire to learn to sew and how I never seem to have time to even learn how to do it.  Because there WILL be a learning curve.  I am a beginner.  I mean, a BE-GIN-NER.  The sewing machine that I received for Christmas a couple of years ago has sat almost untouched save for the most basic projects I crafted for another friend’s baby shower.  (And THAT baby-turned-little lady will turn 2 before I know it! So you see how time escapes me.)

Then an idea hit me!  Why not sew gifts for the baby-friends in my life?!  Not only will it give me a great reason to practice my (non-existent as of yet) sewing skills AND give me a deadline so as not to procrastinate my learning, but it will be easy on the ‘ol pocketbook.  And to ease my stress to strive for perfection – babies don’t care if you sew all wonky!

To get started, I headed to the Tulsa City-County Library to find a few books to get inspired.  I left with these two books-  One-Yard Wonders and Weekend Sewing.  I found a majority of my projects in the One-Yard Wonders.  I figured one yard projects could not be that overwhelming.

DET Sew02 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

After studying each idea and difficulty level, I found a plethora of projects I wanted to try my hand at.  But alas, I narrowed it down to a few that I thought I could tackle in time for the holidays.

 

My living room has looked a lot like this over the past week:

DET Sew05 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

And with my first steps into the adventure of sewing, I encountered my first few problems.   The borrowing of sewing library books, while economical and helpful, I quickly learned might be difficult when they include patterns… because I can’t cut them!  Well, I could, but I doubt the library or the next borrower would appreciate that very much.  So I’m improvising by overlaying the fabric on the pattern and basically free-handing the outline onto my fabric with a washable pen.  We will see how that turns out.  My second problem is my resident “helper”.  See Exhibit A:

DET Sew03 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

That has been the start of my adventure into the world of sewing.  There is not much to see yet, but I will keep you posted on how the projects progress.   And I thought I’d share with you my first steps as well as many other sources of inspiration I have found, in case you want to get started on gift projects of your own!

This adorable sleeping bag for stuffed animals is high on my list of future gifts.

DET Sew06 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

image via Flossie Teacakes

When I get a little more refined skills, I definitely want to whip out a table cover playhouse, inspired by this beautiful one.

DET Sew07 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing} image via Cool Spaces for Kids Etsy Shop

Placemats are functional and educational! DET Sew08 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

image via Punkin Patterns

Felt cookies would be a great addition to any child’s play kitchen or tea party set.

DET Sew10 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

image via The Happy Housewife

Or the cutest little tooth pillow made with love!

DET Sew11 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

image via The Handmade Home

I absolutely love this Wee Mouse Tin House sewing craft made to fit snugly in a discarded Altoid tin.  It would perfect for moms to throw in their purse and use for child entertainment at a restaurant!

DET Sew12 Get Crafty! {DIY Adventures in Sewing}

image via mmmCrafts Etsy Shop

What are you sewing?  Do you have any other (simple) projects that would make good kid gifts?  I’d love to hear about them!

Home Office Chair Debate and Update

 

officephoto Home Office Chair Debate and UpdateImage via Sara Russell Interiors via Pinterest

High on my list of home-improvement priorities these days is updating my home office, and especially my home office chair.  Eventually, I’ll show you a before-and-after photo shoot. This should be impressive, since I don’t even allow most people into my current home office.

It’s. That. Bad.

For better or worse, we all have that one room in the home that is terribly neglected over the years — the “husband’s stuff room,” or the “exercise equipment room,” or the “kids toys room.” Well, mine is definitely a mish-mash of stuff we never use (my husband’s synthesizer, loads of DVDs, a closet full of stuff from our old house), old hand-me-down furniture, and random stuff we collected before we were married.

Case in point: The awful, ripped up office chair we got for our wedding.

And, ironically, this is probably one of the rooms I use most. Back when I was a reporter, I was a movie critic — so we called this room my “screening room,” my happy place where I watched movies, uninterrupted by sports or whatever else was blaring on the TV in our main living room. I still use it daily for watching bad TV, reading and blogging.

Finally, an update is in order! And the above room, looks exactly like my dream home office — especially the cool office chair.

knollchair1 Home Office Chair Debate and Update

Image via Utility Design -UK

Obviously, I don’t have a huge budget — still have a major flooring project and a kitchen remodel in the works — but a quality, well-designed office chair is the piece I’ll spend some money on. I don’t know if a Knoll chair is in the budget, like above, but it sure would be great to have someday!

whitechair Home Office Chair Debate and Update

Image via Advanced Interior Designs

ikeachair Home Office Chair Debate and UpdateImage via IKEA

My main office chair issue is that while I’d love for it to have an updated look — like a modern, white swivel chair , or an affordable but cool chair from IKEA– it has to also work for my husband, who now works from home three or more days a week. He wants a utilitarian black office chair, but I think we can do better.

 I’m hoping to style the furniture in the office by keeping to the traditional style of my 1950s house, so I don’t want to get too mod. I think an upholstered office  chair in a beautiful patterned fabric is the way to go for me. Super comfy, and great to look at.

yellowchair1 Home Office Chair Debate and Update

Image via Horchow

Still, this gorgeous “Mila” chair by Jeff Zimmerman Collection by Key City is a wee bit out of my price range, but here are some other upholstered office chairs I love.

Hint: look for these office chairs online in the dining room category. They have great chairs hiding there, and since you only need one,  you’ll get a good bargain!

Ballardchair Home Office Chair Debate and Update

Image via Ballard Designs

pier1chair Home Office Chair Debate and Update

Image via Pier 1

 

targetchairs1 Home Office Chair Debate and Update

Image via Target

Autumn Dinner, Gold Pumpkins and Marshmallow Vodka…Happy Weekend!

PH3 CTS 7.1 Autumn Dinner, Gold Pumpkins and Marshmallow Vodka...Happy Weekend!

Image from Prairie Hive Magazine, Fall 2011 

 The weather this weekend should be perfect for an outdoor dinner!  If you missed our party last fall, go back and check it out, from the recipes to the cider bar – what a great way to enjoy one of my favorite times of year!  Another way – Oktoberfest – this weekend in Tulsa!  Mmmm, sauerkraut (I’m being serious).  If you need a little Autumn inspiration, check out our new Pinterest board – we are pinning our favorite Fall decorating ideas, recipes, Halloween and Thanksgiving ideas and more, from now until December!

And don’t forget to keep voting for us in The Tulsey Awards! Vote every day til November 1!

A few favorites from this week:

I’m in love with these dog prints…I just wish the Shih Tzu was a little more macho.

S’moretini’s.  Who knew Marshmallow Vodka even existed?

I’ve always thought gold pumpkins were a little much for my decor, but I like these more playful versions.

The Target obsession continues.  The Nate Berkus Collection hits this weekend.  What will you be grabbing up?

 

pixel Autumn Dinner, Gold Pumpkins and Marshmallow Vodka...Happy Weekend!