Halloween Terrarium Tutorial

I decided it would be fun to make a Halloween terrarium this year, and ... OH MY, did it turn out CUTE!

All the supplies came from

J & J Nursery and Garden Center.

Have you been there? It is my favorite nursery, the largest producing nursery in Utah. Their gift shop is AMAZING!!! You would have to see it to believe it! I went in hoping to get a couple fairy sized items, and HIT THE FAIRY HALLOWEEN JACKPOT! They have a huge selection of Fairy Garden Halloween items, in addition to a fun and unique selection of other Halloween decor.

These are a few pictures I took with my phone while I was there. They have so many fun things!

In addition to this, they have the fairy garden section, and whole area with fall and Thanksgiving decor. They also have a huge selection of non holiday items. That was just the gift shop! The nursery portion of J & J is massive and beautiful as well. You really must visit!

Before we get started with this tutorial. I want to tell you my favorite things about this project... Besides how adorable it is.

1) It is alive, and who doesn't want fresh living plants in their home?

2) After you are finished with Halloween, the small decor items don't take up much room, and you can store them very easily. Which is great, considering the big visual impact they create when the piece is put together.

3) After Halloween is over, you can use the plants for something else in your home.

4) It is so versatile! You can change it every year, and even put the items in a flower pot on your porch, or in your flower beds the next year. It is almost an heirloom piece, as it is so unique.

Okay, on to the tutorial:

You will need some sort of wooden container, weather it is an old drawer, or a crate. The one I used came from J & J. You will need coco liner. It comes on a roll, and you can cut off as much as you think you will need for your container. Also from J & J.

You need dirt, from your yard, or you can buy it. You need a piece of fencing from the fairy house section. This piece is $7.98, and is probably the most important part. It makes everything stay together, and really gives it that unexpected feel that makes this project so fun.

The first thing you need to do, is set your container on top of the piece of coco liner, and cut or tear the the edges so you can fold them in when you put the liner in the box. I started out cutting the liner, and found that tearing was actually easier - messier, but easier.

Next, put your coco liner in the container. You might find that you need to tear a little more to make it fit. Fold the sides in like a gift box. You will probably need to tear off some of the excess from the side flaps, so it doesn't overlap. Now, you can staple or hot glue your liner to your container. I used hot glue for this part.

Line the front of your coco liner with moss.This next step is the most important. Place your metal fairy fence over the top of the moss. 

YOU NEED TO STAPLE the fence down on the sides, with a powerful stapler. This will insure the integrity of the piece, and keep the dirt and everything inside the box.

After you have secured the fence, go ahead and fill the container you have created with dirt. Now comes the fun part... Plants and decor. Lets start with the plants. J & J has the most amazing selection of succulents, ornamental peppers and mini grasses I have ever seen! Each of these plants is perfect for Halloween! You can decide what you want.

See how they look planted? Too cute!

Next, pick a floral pic! I loved the simplicity of the black, but they have all sorts of colors and styles to choose from. This one is wired, so I could form it how ever I wanted. It is $6.98.

I love how it looks like a haunted tree!

These fairy items are just too fun! I recommend getting the package they have put together. It costs $40.98. It is a bit of an investment, but like I said... Heirloom piece.

This is what you get.

You can buy additional pieces like these, and more of what comes in the package above, like the candy corns.

Look how CUTE it all looks together!!!

I have to say... The little robot man really makes the whole thing! My son dressed as a robot for Halloween a few years back, and I died when I saw this character. I had to have him!

I love him, and his scarred little eyes!

Next, just start arranging and rearranging, until you find a display you like. I left my plants in their pots, because I wanted to be able to easily pull them out, and use them for something else after the season is over.

I love the 3D effect of the witch legs sticking out of the front of the container - ADORABLE!

I hope you are feeling a little inspired today. You can make this project! It is fun and easy, and will be a memorable holiday piece in your home, for years to come!

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you see, please leave a comment, and head to J&J. You will be so glad you did!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Ballerina Party

Hello, Thanks for stopping by!

Stephanie Paget, you are the winner of the Hillary Weeks CD. You will be contacted shortly for your address.

I am so excited to share with you a little late night I hosted a few weeks ago. It looks like it was a big deal, but it was really kind of simple.

 My daughter spends so many hours with her dance class every week, that I thought it would be great fun to host a little late night for them.  She was so excited. I just have to say... I have never seen such a giggly adorable group of girls. They were SO excited when they walked in and saw the set up.

The ballerina silhouette picture was one I pulled from my daughter's bedroom collage wall. You can take a peek HERE.

Could you DIE over the cute cupcakes? My amazingly talented neighbor makes them.

I paint up the doll dresses with nail polish in the colors of the party, just like I did with the good luck gifts we handed out for Nutcracker. You can see those HERE.

I found the grape Vines at Walgreens, and HAD to buy them!

I made the popcorn in advance. It is my mom's famous, SUGARED POPCORN. You can find the recipe HERE. It is always a crowd pleaser! The popcorn boxes are from Zurchers.

The girls came for a dinner of hotdogs, chips, and pop. We are high class here. I wondered how I would entertain that many girls for 2 1/2 hours, and they actually entertained me! By the end of the night, we all knew, "The Cup Song." It was so fun as a mom to host this night, and fun for the girlies to just be girls, before boys come into the picture. I am loving this age.

I have a few more parties and Halloween decore in the works. Be sure and come see!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Ballerina Good Luck

Tryout season is upon us, and I created this darling little printable for my daughter to give to her friends that were trying out for, The Nutcracker, as a little good luck! You are welcome to load this copy onto your computer, and use it yourself. Just remember to give me the credit!

I got the little ballerinas at Bakers Cash and Carry, in SLC, UT. They are 6 for $.89. They only come in pink and blue dresses, but I painted them the colors I wanted with nail polish. I used them the other day for a dance class party, that I will share on my blog next. You won't want to miss it.

The rulers are from Walmart, and were 4 for $1. Not too bad! I just punched holes, and threaded tulle through the holes in the paper, and ruler hole, and tied a knot around the ballerina's foot. I love the way they turned out!

I wish the dancer in your life all the luck in the world!

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Pretty Darn Funny, and a GIVEAWAY!

I am so thrilled to offer a giveaway to my viewers today, with a link to Pretty Darn Funny, my new favorite web series!

This episode of Pretty Darn Funny is about SOMETHING I SO RELATE TO!

Here's a pic of a photo I posted on Instagram 28 weeks ago. Can you relate?

To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is watch this week's episode of Pretty Darn Funny (below), and tell me your favorite part of the episode in a comment. The winner will be chosen at random, and you will be sent the new Hillary Weeks CD. Don't you just LOVE Hillary Weeks?

Here is this week's episode.

This is what I am wearing as I type this post... I actually exercised today, and I only have makeup on, because it is permanent. I can't believe I admitted that, but it was the best thing I ever did... Eyebrows and liner, incase you were wondering ;)  Lucky for me... I don't have to drive carpool. My kids are on year round. They are off track and just woke up. Happy day at the Baker house!

I will be sharing this pic on Instagram today, and would love to see what you are wearing when you drop your kids off to school tag me @restlessrisa_risabaker, and hashtag #prettydarnfunny #dropoffdickie.

Did you know I got to try on the drop off dickie in real life???

My happiest moment... 

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure and enter the drawing! I would love to hear what you think about this episode. It is my favorite!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

How to Mount Antlers

 If you saw my last post, it was all about the antlers I bought in South Dakota this summer. I showed what I did with a single antler. You can take a peek HERE. Today, I am excited to show you what I did with a full mount!

First step: Wash your antlers. I just put mine in a soapy sink full of water, and rinsed and dried them.

Decide what you want to do with your skull. If you want to cover the skull, you will need to cut it down.

Use a Sawzall with a fine tooth blade. I am not going to lie. This was a little sick, and I felt a weird amount of guilt, cutting the skull of something that used to be living.

If your husband is a hunter, you can have him do this.

You need to cut off both sides.

Cut the bottom so it lies flat.

Next, drill two to three holes with a drill bit that will work with whatever screws you decide to use.

Position the skull on the wood mount you plan to use. I got mine from Hobby Lobby for $2.33.

Drill the screws into the wooden board.

You will need a filler , and a styrofoam ball is perfect for this. You can cut off whatever you need to cut off, and then you cover the whole thing with Crayola Air Dry Clay. I got mine at Hobby Lobby. It was $5.99 for a whole tub, and it went a long way.

Cover the whole thing. It will be a little lumpy.

After you have covered the whole thing with clay, get a container of water. Dip your finger in the water, and start to smooth out the clay. The whole thing will be shiny. 

After you have done this, let it dry for about two days. You may see some small cracks where the clay shrunk during drying. You will just need to get small amounts of clay, and lots of water, and fill the cracks. This step will only take a few hours to dry.

After it is dry, you can paint it however you like. I sprayed mine with primer, and then gold paint.

I hung mine in my guest room.

I love them! I love the way they add that little bit of unexpected masculinity to an otherwise feminine space. I might even hang some jewelry on them!

Thanks for stopping by. Come back to see the full guest room reveal! Most of it is thrifted!

Happy and Creative Day!

Risa

Painted Antler Decor

Today, I am sharing with you my newest DIY decor piece, that I am SO excited about!!! It is an antler that I picked up on vacation this summer, and glammed out. It is now sitting proudly on display on my coffee table in my formal living room.

The kids have been begging to visit Mount Rushmore for a few years now. We decided this was the year to do it! We stayed in a cabin in a little town called Custer, SD. 

Every day, as we were going on our outings, we drove down Main Street, past this truck who's entire bed was full of antlers! I didn't think much of it, until the last couple days, when it dawned on me that maybe the antlers were for sale!

After all, the store where the truck was parked is called Claw - Antler & Hide Co.

I decided to drop in, and

HIT THE ANTLER JACKPOT! 

Is there such a thing? I think so... I have been pinning painted antlers on pinterest for a long time. You can visit my antler board HERE.

I bought a bag full of antlers, and brought them back to our cabin. Mr. B was like... "Why do we need those, Babe?" I was like... "Have you seen all the painted antlers on Pinterest?" He obviously hasn't! 

I put a picture of my find on Instagram, and my insta-friends were dying! I got lots of comments from friends asking me to bring them back antlers! So I did. I went back, and got a second box of antlers to bring home.

These antlers are kind of old, and were rather clean. I just put them in a bath of soapy water to get the dust off, and let them dry.

Then, it was time to paint. If you are spraying antlers, a grocery bag and painters tape will be your best friend. Slide the bag over the part you don't want to paint. Tape the top with painters tape. Spray on a layer of primer and let it dry.

Then, spray the color you want to paint and let dry. Next, slide another bag over the antler tips, and then tape crisp lines around the bag and antler tips.

Spray the color you want for the tips.

Wait for it to dry, remove the tape and bags, and you are all set!

You will have a great conversation piece for any room in your house. I originally made this for my master bedroom, but loved it in my formal living room! 

I love the juxdeposition of the high sheen and metallic paint, with the exposed natural antler.

Okay now... go raid your husband's antler stash! You might want to ask him before you paint his antlers though. I know how proud men can be of their beloved antlers. If your husband doesn't have an antler stash, you can visit www.clawantlerhide.com. They ship, and the cost is actual and low, because the antlers are not heavy. If you live in the Utah, contact me. I still have some antlers left.

Come back soon, to see what I did with my full set antler mount! It is glamorous and fabulous! You won't want to miss it!

Have a Happy and Creative Day!

Risa