Wordless Wednesday - my cat is a crackhead, part 2.

You thought I was kidding when I told you before. But he really is a crackhead, through and through. He'll sit in the windowsill where it's warm all day and then jump in the fridge the second we open it to cool off. What the hell, cat?

DIY Halloween Lanterns

I saw something similar to these cute lanterns on Pinterest and decided I needed some. I didn't even look at the instructions because I already had a way I wanted to try in my head. I love them and will be putting them on the porch for Halloween and all six trick-or-treaters that will show up (stupid trunk-or-treat).

Supplies:
tissue paper
glass jars
mod podge
dark-colored paper (thinner paper works better!)
scissors

Instructions:
First, cut your tissue paper so it's about two inches taller than your jar. Center the jar on the tissue paper so there's about an inch over the top and bottom. Paint a stripe of mod podge from the top to the bottom of the jar, and stick the tissue paper down. (Start at the end of the sheet of tissue paper, rather than the middle like is shown in the picture. Trust me, it works out better.)

Keep painting another stripe of mod podge and sticking the tissue paper down around the jar, until you reach the end of the paper. You will probably go around the jar more than once; that's okay. Then, turn the glass jar upside down and mod podge around the bottom edge. Stick the tissue paper down to it. Set aside and let dry. Then, when it's dry, flip it over and do the same with the top edge.

Cut faces out of your paper. Make them look however you want!

Cover the area of the jar you want your face on with mod podge. Stick the face on, and hold down for a second to let it adhere. Then, cover the entire face with a good layer of mod podge.

Let dry. All done!

Helpful tips:
- start wrapping your jar at the end of the tissue paper rather than the middle
- the bottoms of my jars were kind of round, so I added rice in the bottom to hold the tealight candles. you could also use sand or flat-bottom jars
- any jars will work. I used chip dip jars, salsa jars, and pasta sauce jars
- try to avoid touching the jars when the tissue paper is still wet. it will stick to your fingers and pull away from the glass, making holes.

Wordless Wednesday - even more Halloween toes. I'm over the top, k?

Yah, that's a spider web. I love it.

Spotlight on my big toe - I tried to do the super cool Dexter nails. Note to self: don't use sparkly red over sparkly black. Blood splatter will not show up well.

Somebody please make me stop posting pictures of my toes on the internet. I hate feet.

Me and fall, we're a love/hate deal.

Reasons to hate fall:
cold
winter is coming
trees get naked
snow
life ceases to exist in nature

Reasons to love fall:
sweaters
hoodies
boots
Halloween
leaves changing colors
soup

Here's my favorite soup so far this year...


Cheesy Hamburger Soup

1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 tsp dried parsley
1 TBSP pepper
2 tsp salt
4 TBSP butter
1 can corn
1 cup sliced carrots
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
1 cup heavy cream

In a large pot, melt 1 TBSP butter over medium heat. Add ground beef; brown. Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper. Add broth and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender (8-12 minutes depending on how small you cubed them). Add the remainder of the butter and melt. Stir in the flour. Add the cream to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Add cheese, and allow to simmer until melted. Do not boil!

I love this soup. It's super creamy and delicious and perfect for a cold night.

My bracelets are cooler than yours.

Because they're not bracelets. They're BRACED-LETS. Look:

Freaking awesome. For real.

I know what you're thinking - are those the little pieces from braces? Yes, kids, that's exactly what these are composed of. I was skeptical at first because after spending two years in braces, it's not exactly a close friendship we've got. More anguish than anything. But I love my BRACED-LETS. I find myself on their website wishing I had all the colors and thinking up new possibilities. I really want the rainbow ones, and the Halloween ones.

What colors are your favorite?

Wordless Wednesday - suffocating is fun!

Is it just me or do these two look like they are having the time of their lives suffocating in the plastic bag?

DIY Halloween / Fall paper pumpkins

I love these paper pumpkins. I think they turned out so damn cute!

I had seen a ton of different ways of making them all around the internets, and when it came down to it, I did it my own way. So, here's how:

1. Cut your paper down into strips (additional details below).
2. If you're like me, ink the edges so they aren't white. Or leave them white. This step is all personal preference, really.
3. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the top and bottom of each strip.
4. Line up the bottoms and put a brad through, with the prongs on the outside (bottom) of the strips. (This helps the pumpkin sit flat when it's done.)
5. Take a piece of 1"x2" paper and roll it up, small enough to fit through the hole at the top of the strips. This will be your stem. [optional: roll a curled slice of paper into the stem. I did.]
6. Slide the strips onto the stem.
7. Pull the strips of paper around to make a circle.

TA DA! Pumpkin. Cute. (Told you.)

Helpful tips:
- Make sure your top piece and bottom piece don't line up next to each other. It will make a funny gap at the top of the pumpkin if they do.
- You can make them taller or shorter by pulling the strips out or squishing them down and holding for a second.
- You can use any variation of size for the strips. I tried a ton of different lengths and widths; these two are my favorite:

3/4" wide, 7" long, 10 strips

1" wide, 8" long, 8 strips

P.S. Yes, that's an old-school Nintendo. That's how you know I'm a cool kid.

P.P.S. You love that wallpaper, don't you? I'm having a wallpaper tear-down party when we close on this house. (Do you wonder why?) Wanna come?

Wordless Wednesday - seriously the best rainbow I've ever seen. Ever.

A full double. I could see the entire arc of both rainbows. And the bottom one was BRIGHT! The camera phone pictures don't do it justice. It was incredible.

Damn you, Scuba Steve.

I resisted.

I tried to fight the urge.

Then, I gave in.

Come follow me, and I'll follow you back! Pinterest. The internet's candy.