Pretty, Crafty Home Dec Inspiration

I must be in a home decor mood...too bad I hate cleaning, huh? Anyway, I love décor and all the clever finds out there. I thought I'd share a few pretty ones today...enjoy :)


Flower screen from felt cleaners via Design Sponge.


Ceiling Medallion art from DIY Ideas


Light fixtures using felt from Apartment Therapy


Tree Branch Curtain Rod from Casa Sugar


Simple marble Vase from Addicted 2 Decorating

Hope you found these ideas as inspiring as I did!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

5 things

1. I have kinda been a flake and I realized I never announced the winner of the Witchy Prize Pack...I asked a friend on Facebook to choose a number between 1 & 32, the number of entries I recieved and as you can tell, she chose 4. I scrolled down the list and picked the 4th one from the top and it was Levi's Mommy! I will be getting in touch with you about shipping info. I apologize for the delay in getting this out...I'm hoping it can be a surprise Halloween stasher awayer for next year that you can get excited about!


2. I was inspired today by this photo (iStock has such great inspiration)


3. I have been listening to this new CD (a Starbuck's purchase...I gotta get that Starbuck's black card already!)


4. Tomorrow (Thursday), I'm going to have my "Crafty Photography Tips" posted on Tip Junkie!


5. I LOVE this rhinestone pillow from Pier 1. Not totally my colors, but I'm wowed by the hhuge rhinestones and the pattern!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Super Sweet Fashion Treats

If I ever get to visit New York City again, I totally want to hit up Dylan's Candy Bar! It really looks like the most colorful, fabulous place on earth! The video above features the owner, Dylan Lauren (she's Ralph Lauren's daughter) and she takes you through the shop.

In the meantime, I guess I'll have to drool over the online offerings. These are some of my faves...


Candy Dots Bangle


Whirly Pop Earrings


Life's Short, Eat Candy Tee


Adult Candy Rainboots They also have them in children's sizes.


They even have a line of body products. I just may have to pick up this Cake Batter Ice Cream Butter Cream at my local Sephora!

I don't know, there's so many cute things there. It kinda makes me want to buy some for Christmas gifts...hmmm...I do have to start thinking about that after all (as most of us do!

Hope you have a great Wednesday! Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Visit my facebook fan page :)

Looking at this screen shot, you will notice 3 things (and perhaps more) about me...

1) I never delete incoming mails when I get them, even on facebook. This explains the 92 messages. Bad habit I acquired even back in my hotmail days.

2) My 365 photo of the day turned out to be a last ditch midnight effort...thus the photo of my gold holey earrings. When in doubt, shoot the most interesting thing on ya, and tonight that was my earrings!

3) I have a new Facebook fan page Woot woot! This is just another way for us to connect! I plan on sharing fun links, daily tidbits, photos, and much more...even more than what I currently share on this blog. So if you are on facebook, this will be another way for you to be in the know on blog updates, etc. I know everyone has their preferred way of using their social media sites, so I thought I would create this as a way for you to access the blog and other fun stuff of interest!

Hope all of you guys have a GREAT Tuesday! I can't wait to share with you on Facebook :)

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

P.S. By the way, you can also join by clicking on the facebook fan link on the right sidebar!

My mom's work on Extreme Home Makeover

Here's a screen shot of the room my mom worked on for Extreme Makeover for the Mattingly Family. She sewed the curtains and the pillows on the bed. The room turned out super cute and had a dog boutique theme (they have 5 dogs and even a doggy door going out to custom made dog houses in the back yard). I'm pretty sure the little girl said, "It's fantastic, it's perfect."

I think she did a great job, don't you?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Sweet Sunday

Tonight by watching Mad Men, I made caramel apples. I always wish I could make picture perfect ones, but for some reason, mine always turn out with the caramel and clumps of the candy/nuts on the bottom. Does anyone have a solution to this? This is my second attempt at making caramel apples and both times they've ended up clumpy :( Anyway, the photos turned out cute, so it wasn't a total wash and I'm sure they are still pretty yummy to eat. Enjoy the photos below :)











Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

My Halloween Costume

Yeah, I went there. I dressed up as Octomom today for Halloween! I taped them all over my shirt and leg and in my back pocket. I even carried one on a ribbon on the ground. It's a pretty silly costume (and impersonation), but I had fun with it. I handed the babies off and said, "Here, you take care of it, you're the taxpayer." I also said wistfully, "I'm just waiting for my Jon Gosselin to come."

Anytime I dress up as an actual person, I really like to go all out and overexaggerate them. Pretty silly, but that's me after all.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Cirque Du Noel!

OK, ok, I realize Halloween isn't over yet and I'm already moving on, but I'm kinda Halloweened out. Not to say I won't be participating in Halloween festivities (I plan on sharing my outfit for work tomorrow...it will make you laugh), I am just ready to delve into other holiday crafting!

Speaking of which, if you weren't aware already, I'm a member of an Etsy team... Fresno Etsy Especial. And we are putting on a show here in Fresno that is gonna rock your Holiday socks off. I'll admit, I was pretty stoked when I learned that Silvia and Alana (the head organizers of the event) were going to use the name I threw out on a whim for the show... "Cirque Du Noel". The goal of this show is to expose our community to our Etsy team, but also make them more aware of the handmade culture and the dynamic individuals in our community who love to express themselves through their own personal arts and crafts!

So, if you are from Fresno, please, please mark it on your calendars and if you know someone from Fresno, please forward this on. It would be much appreciated!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Scrumptious Pumpkin Dip!

So, with Halloween and Thanksgiving coming up, I have had a few requests for my pumpkin dip as shown above (Thanks Retta for letting me use your photo). At every party/get together I've attended, it has been a huge hit! And it is soooo super easy to make! I have to give credit where credit is due, I got this from user Tiera Lesley at All Recipes. I have a huge craving for pumpkin flavors this time of year...I really would like to make a pumpkin roll sometime, but for now, this is a recipe that I feel confident in making and satisfies my sweet tooth at the same time.

Pumpkin Fluff Dip

INGREDIENTS
– 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
– 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
– 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
– 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Here's a closeup of me mixing it together...



This makes about 30 servings. I recommend the generic (not Nabisco) gingersnaps to dip with it. The Nabisco are really hard and don't get chewy. The off-brands tend to be a little bit snappy/a little bit chewy and that is what I like. I also tried honey Teddy Grahams once and they were good in it too. I'm sure regular graham crackers would be swell as well!

Let me know if you end up making this dip and how it turns out. I promise, It's really good!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa