SSSSSSPOOKY WELCOME MAT

What a wonderful, dreary day here around The Manor. I thought I'd share someting just as delightful, that was sent to me, from one of my favorite Pinterest pals.....Very high on the EEEEKKKK factor..... (you know I love that!)

Do you want to make your guests jump out of their skin? Well, this'll do it! Just make this creepy door mat crawling with snakes....  Guaranteed to make everyone do a double take as they approach your front door!

It's really ssssssssuper ssssssssimple to make. Here'ssssssss how....

Get a bunch of rubber snakes from your local toy store. Spray-paint them all a glossy black. Create various lengths of snakes by cutting them in two; arrange at the edge of a thick plastic-foam board, and using a hot glue gun or staple gun, attach to the edges. Set the board underneath a regular old doormat! Ssssssssso ssssssssssimple and ssssssspooky!

You know, this might be a goood way to keep away those pesky door to door ssssssssalesmen.....

BRIGHT IDEA

It's another project day, and you all know how much I love making accessories that really spook up a room. And subtle spider webs make great accents for your Halloween home.

You can cast an eerie shadow over the room with this easy-to-make spiderweb lampshade idea, from the super-crafty folks at Better Homes & Gardens.

What You'll Need:
~Lampshade

~Spiderweb-printed acetate (You can find these at most craft stores, or buy online)

~Spray adhesive

How to Make It:

1.Make a tracing paper pattern for one side of the lampshade.

2.Lay the pattern atop the acetate, and cut out the shape with scissors or a crafts knife.

3.Spray the acetate with the adhesive and press onto the shade.

Super-easy and super-creepy! I've used this pattern on tablecloths, napkins, and even painted on tabletops and bookcases.

Because after all, a home can't have too many spider webs, can it?



MISSING NEW ORLEANS

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a Spook-tacular weekend! The Count and I spent a lovely evening reminiscing about our fabulous holiday in New Orleans, so I thought I'd share a few more of my favorite pictures from Jackson Square....

 

For well over half a century, an open-air artist colony has thrived at Jackson Square, with artists painting and displaying their work on the outside of the iron fence. Under the shade of the oak trees, you can sit and have a pastel portrait done in about one hour, and you will be hard-pressed to find better portrait artists working outside anywhere else in the world.

To find out more on historic Jackson Square in the French Quarter, click here!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Need a spooky and fun weekend recipe? How about graveyard taco dip with gravestone tortilla chips! Food bloggers Jo and Sue have an awesome recipe, and you’ll see it’s just as simple to make, as it is cute.

Hint: It’s basically seven layer dip, but with fewer layers. So easy!

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Graveyard Taco Dip

First layer:
1 can refried beans or refried black beans
Second layer:
2 cups sour cream
1 pkg taco seasoning
Third layer:
2 avocados, mashed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
Fourth layer:
1 cup salsa
Fifth layer:
1 bunch scallions (green onions), chopped

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and taco seasoning. In another small bowl, mix the mashed avocados, minced garlic, and mayonnaise.
In a small Pyrex dish or pie plate, layer the beans, sour cream mixture, avocado mixture, and salsa. Sprinkle the scallions on top.
Chill at least an hour, or until ready to serve. (The dip can be made a day ahead and kept, covered, in the refrigerator.)
To make the tombstones and tree, cut the shapes you want out of 2 large tortillas. Place the cut-out shapes on a parchment paper lined cookie tray and bake at 350 degrees until the tortillas are nice and brown. Put the tombstones and tree in the dip just before serving.

To check out more incredible recipes and party ideas, hop on over to the Chickabug Blog!

TAKE A STROLL THROUGH THE FOREST

One of the fun things about being The Queen is all the amazing, creepy, and hauntingly beautiful things that I find, as I fly around the www searching for the best Halloween has to offer. And this just happens to be one the coolest things ever!

Every homemaker knows that a chandelier can instantly take a room from drab to fab. And artists Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz's "Forms in Nature" chandelier is no exception.

Check out this beautiful piece of art, that's actually a stunning chandelier! And want to see the best feature???

Well, just turn on the light... and look at the amazing forest of shadows that appear, as the light shines through the branches!

While this light fixture is absolutely incredible, the shadows are indeed a bit haunting. In this case, sleeping with the lights on might not be the best idea if you're afraid of the dark!

Oh, what a magnificent addition to any Halloween home!

HOLY HAUNTED MANSION!

I want this. I need this. I have to have this.

Have you seen the Dooney & Buorke Disney Haunted Mansion Bag?

This purse was released at Disneyland and Walt Disney World on September 13, 2013. It sold out in less than an hour and is probably the most desirable of the Disney Dooney & Bourke bags ever made!

D&B say they don't have plans to release another one until 2015-16. This purse is impossible to find now, and may be just a bit out of the Queen's royal purse budget (the cheapest one I saw on e bay was $1,500.00).... and I have a feeling The Count would not be too thrilled about the purchase.

But for those of us who want that creepy couture look without spending a Queen's ransom.... check out Shadowbinders and Total Cahos Bootique on Esty!

I know what's on my Christmas wish list, this year!

IT'S A GHOST IN A JAR!

 It's another Super-Easy-Project Day!

Check out this Ghost in a Jar project, it's just full of ghostly cuteness.

This crafty crafter used a bell jar with a stand, and it looks great. You could pull off this same look with fancy or plain jars of any size and shape, and it would look 
FAB-BOO-LOUS!

I'd fill the jars with batting or stuffing, that you'll find in the pillow making section of your favorite craft store.... fluff it up inside the glass container.... and paint black eyes and a mouth on the outside of the jar with acrylic craft paint. (The best thing about using the acrylic craft paint, is that after you want to take your decorations down, you can just peel the paint right off the glass!)

If you're like The Queen and you have a stock-pile of glass jars for future projects.... I say grab a few jars with lids, spray paint the outside of the lids white, and that becomes the base of the ghost!

What a great project for little monsters to help with, and another use for all of those glass jars we've been saving....