Mama Hairspiration

I am at it again! I just told my mom the other day that I was thinking of growing my hair out. I'm constantly at odds with my hair. I like it long, I like it short, I like curly, I like it straight. It never ends. Am I the only one like this? But then my girlfriend Carolyn told me she was cutting off her locks this weekend and provided her current hairspiration....

 

I was sold! Time to mix it up and cut a little off! These shorter dos have me wishing I had less texture in my hair, but I also think it might help. I'm not sure that I can go as drastic, but I might. I have a birthday coming up next week and I don't want to look my up coming 43....

What do you think? Is it time to take the plunge and cut the cut? These styles are darling! Do you have a favorite? I have to say I'm leaning a little toward Hillary Duff's cut in the lower right hand corner. Love her pink hue, but I am definitely not that risky!

Are you feeling the need for a little clean up? A little makeover with a new look? What would it be? A new color? New cut? Both? 

Happy Wednesday All! Check back later to see what might have happened....

XO,

Andrea

Mama DIY: Spiderweb Painted Top

 A couple of weeks ago, Orly Shani made the most adorable spiderweb inspired, hand painted leggings and top on Home and Family. And, after watching the segment, I knew I needed to make one as well. With being room parent to McKinley's class this year, and the Halloween party next week, I knew this top would be the perfect thing to wear! 

I actually wore it yesterday and plan to wear it again over the weekend. It's not just for Halloween!

Here is what you'll need:

Scribbles 3D Paint (they also make glow in the dark), A Black Top or Leggings, a Board to place between the garment, and Your imagination

I got this cute top at TJ Maxx. I love the sweater vibe!

Orly created a rather large web on the shoulder of her top and the affect was amazing! I recreated the look with mine, although mine didn't look nearly as dramatic has hers! Watch the video to get all the scoop here! Practice on a piece of paper before you get started. I wish I had done that.....

Then just go for it! Start with the center hexagon and create the threads of the web. String a few pieces across the top as well. So cool, right?

 

 And here is how it's turning out...

And here's the finished product!

And just like Orly said, embrace the imperfections because an actual spiderweb has breaks within it. It makes it more authentic! This little DIY took a couple of days, so don't think this is something you can whip up the day of. Make sure to follow the direction on the bottle. It takes about 7 hours to dry. But when it's done, it's so cute!!

I hope you give this one a try and share your final product with all of us!

Happy Halloween Week!

XO,

Andrea

Mama Drinks: The Bloody Eyeball

With Halloween right around the corner, I started thinking about fun and spirited cocktails. While browsing through my parents liquor cabinet, I found orange liqueur and vanilla vodka. Blood orange came to mind and then I took it a step further.....Bloody Eyeball. Gross right? But tasty at the same time!

Here is what you'll need:

Orange Liqueur, Vanilla Vodka, Simple Syrup, Peeled Grapes, Red Food Color, Club Soda (not pictured)

Add one shot of orange liqueur and another shot of vanilla vodka to a glass filled with ice. Add a splash or two of the simple syrup.

Add several drops of red food color to the drink and watch it swirl around the drink. So cool!! 

Peel grapes to resemble an eyeball. Poke a small hole in the center of the grape and add a drop of red food color to the hole. Watch it spread..... Plop it into the glass!

I added a little cupcake pick to the grape for a little added decoration. Such a cute, eerie drink!

 

Just look at that "eyeball" floating around in your drink. If you want to make it even more realistic, purchase a bag of fake eyeballs. Just wash them before adding them to your drink. Totally gross!

Side Ingredient: Upon tasting the cocktail, it was a little sweet. We added club soda to cut the sweetness and it was perfect! 

I have another concoction up my sleeve for next week! We need to get our spells ready for the big night, right?

Cheers!

XO, 

Andrea

Mama DIY: Black Sequined Pumpkin

I love decorating for the holidays. Any holiday! And Halloween is no exception. I have a rather large collection of the Boney Collection from Yankee Candle, but I like to add a few other things here and there. A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I were shopping at Joanne's when we saw the most chic pumpkins. Painted white, they were adorned with black stripes and a shiny gold stem. I was immediately obsessed. Another one was black with shiny gold polka dots. Seriously, the cutest pumpkins. But I started thinking. I could make something just as cute. And I think I did. A black pumpkin with sequins of bronze, gold, and silver. It's so chic! And I'm sharing the how-to with you.

What You'll Need:

Styrofoam Pumpkin, Elmer's Glue, Paint Brush, Black Spray Paint, and Sequins

As we all know, Styrofoam will disintegrate when spray painted, so to protect your pumpkin, coat it with a thick layer of Elmer's glue. I used a skinny paint brush to apply mine, but you could totally use a sponge brush as well. My mom had these handy craft trays and they were perfect for the project. But a paper plate will work just the same.

Place a rather large amount of glue on the brush and start applying it to the pumpkin. Make sure you get in the creases of the pumpkin too. All areas need to be coated! And what's even better is that little hands can help as well! 

After you've applied the glue, you gotta let it dry. I know, I know. You just want to get in there, but you gotta let it dry. After it's dry, it's time to start painting. I loved the look of the shiny black pumpkin so I chose a glossy black. You pick the color of your choice!

Place your pumpkin on a cardboard box, or newspaper, and think about using a plastic glove. I usually end up with spray paint all over my hands so the glove came in handy! And, if you are super into safety, use a face mask. I always think about it after the fact....

Oh, and make sure you tape off the stem if you are going to paint it a different color!

 

And now you have a shiny black pumpkin! You can leave it like this, which is super cute, but I took it a step further.

 Using crafting glue like Aleane's Tacky Glue, apply a decent layer on small portions of the pumpkin and sprinkle the sequins over the glue. You may need to spread them out with your fingers, they can clog up around each other, to ensure even coverage. Also, shake the excess off from time to time.

 Also, I decided to only do half of my pumpkin, but you can do the entire surface. It's your pumpkin so do what you want to do!

Again, those little hands are perfect for helping!

Continue all around the pumpkin and turn it over to allow it all to dry. 

Here is the final product! And, you see a fabric covered pumpkin next to it. I'm going to blog about that version later in the week. I totally messed this one up when applying glitter and couldn't figure out how to fix it. So, I put a bandaid over it in the form of adorable Halloween inspired fabric!

 

 What do you think? Something you're going to try to decorate your home for Halloween? Is there something similar you've done in the past? Share it with us!

Happy Monday!

XO,

Andrea

Mama Drinks: Chilled Tiramisu

It was a typical Tuesday morning, I woke up before the sun, although it's not really rising until roughly 7:00 these days, so that's not hard to do. I was lounging in bed, browsing through Facebook, taking it easy while taking my time getting out of bed. McKinley rose around 6:30 and woke up in a mood. My easy morning immediately came to a hault. Cue the screeching sound of brakes! Good Morning!

From there it went downhill. He lost TV privileges last night after crying and gagging over eating cooked carrots, and this morning he lost video privileges for the rest of the day. And when I say he lost videos, this is huge! He loves to watch the Zamboni song video, Axel and Daddy YouTube videos, and TwentyTrucks, so this is big! So what prompted me taking away such privileges first thing this morning? Well let me tell you. Do you have your coffee in hand? Settle in.....

He has started the sing song phase of "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" and he sings it for everything. I took away PJ Masks on Disney because I think that started the whole thing. But now he's taken it to a whole different level. "Nanny nanny boo boo. It's all because of you." That's sung to me often when he gets mad about something I've told him to/asked him to do. And I've tried to brush it off, but it's gone too far. Then there's the blowing raspberry sound! Again, when he's mad, he makes that awful noise. I have put him on the stairs for it numerous times, but only when it's used in anger. But today was the breaking point. After he decided to blow a raspberry, on my way out of his room this morning (for something I can't even remember now), I broke. I went back in his room, spoke sternly (with a slightly raised voice), and proceeded to take away videos. And I told him that for every raspberry he blows from this point forward, videos will be gone another day. I will not be disrespected, especially at 6:30 in the morning!

So now it's 8:45, he's happy as a lark at school, and I'm drained! And I'm currently dreaming of this Chilled Tiramisu drink I made last week! I think I've earned it after the morning I endured! I'm thinking I will make a pot of coffee later this afternoon, let it come to room temp, and get ready for this drink around 5:00! In the meantime, let's talk about it.

Here's What You Need:

Coffee (cold or hot), Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, Vanilla Vodka, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Syrup

Add coffee to a glass filled with ice. If you're making this hot, which I know will be amazing, add your hot coffee to a mug.

Add a shot of Kahlua to the coffee.

Add a shot of the Vanilla Vodka to the Kahlua and coffee. Stir.

Add a dollop, or more, of whipped cream and then drizzle with chocolate syrup. Or, you can be super fancy and add shaved chocolate instead.

And there you have it! A Chilled Tiramisu! It's incredible and incredibly dangerous so sip responsibly. And when I say responsibly, just make sure you have no where to go later because you're going to want to just sit, sip, and enjoy!

Cheers!

XO,

Andrea

Getting Organized: McKinley's Space

I don't think that there will ever be a time where I say, my house if finished! It's organized to the point where I can finally sit back and look at all I've done! Never going to happen. I have kitchen cabinets, a linen closet, a coat closet, and a playroom on the list of things that have to be organized and now! But, I really wanted to create a little space for McKinley, even if he only uses it from time to time. 

I blogged several weeks ago about whether I make him a work space for school activities or just let him use the age old kitchen table. So far, we've been using the kitchen table, but I was still determined to make him a small space that was just his. You never know if he decided he just needed a moment to himself to create. (I have to mention that this weekend he told us he was inspired to create an ice skating rink and that he was going to draw it when we got home. I loved that he used inspired!)

I got to work about a week or so ago getting his room prepped for the space. I removed the brown chair that we used for late night/early morning feedings since he doesn't use it and it was just taking up room. Don't worry, we didn't get rid of it completely. It's now housed in one of my mom's spare bedrooms and it looks perfect!

The blank space!

 I then cleaned off the table in his playroom to get ready for the move. Um, do you see this table? It took me about 10 minutes to clear. And I threw half of it away!

I can't believe that table ever looked like that! So, after taking 10 minutes to rid the clutter, I moved it up three flights of stairs to its new home. And this guy is heavy! 

Since then, I've moved the table a little and added some cute details. My mom knew I was on the hunt for a cute art supply caddy. I didn't want something plastic. I wanted something sturdier and chic for the space. My mom found this perfect piece at Michael's and it's exactly what I had in mind. I was even going to sketch something and have my dad help me make it. Thanks, Michael's!

This little storage box is what started this whole process! It used to be housed in a corner in my kitchen and it became the catch all for everthing related to McKinley. Anything he brought home artwork wise wound up in this box. And, it also housed all of his art supplies and so many other things. It was spilling over and it was so unsightly. I wasn't sure what to do with it after it was all cleaned out so I turned it into a storage unit for all of the other art supplies like finger paint paper, his sketch pad, bottles of paint, and finger paint tubes. It fits nicely beside his changing table, that I turned into a mini library, and is right next to the new art station. I love it!

I love his new space and Joel does too. His favorite piece is the art supply caddy! It cleaned up the room, made it a big boy space, and it gives him a place that's all his. And, it helped me contain the clutter and take space back in my kitchen. And I have big plans for that space. 

What are some of the ways you organize your home? Do you ever feel like you're done or do you have that constant list of things to do? One day, I'll get there...

XO,

Andrea