Our 2013 HALLOWEEN

It is no secret that October is my favorite month. I love the fall crisp air, the boots, the sweaters, my birthday, pumpkins, and of course Halloween. I have always loved Halloween, but now that I have kids I love it even more. The festivities leading up to it, the pumpkin patches, and corn mazes, the dressing up, the countdowns and of course watching them so so excited to knock on each door and show off their costume while saying in their small voices trick or treat, holding out their pumpkin bucket in their tiny little hands. Watching my kids enjoying themselves just melts this mama bear's heart!

Maddux started off our Halloween week with his little preschool party on Tuesday. He got to dress up and he was so excited to show off his costume to Mrs.Vanessa and his little friends. I made their little shells to add to the costume. Maddux really wanted to be a ninja turtle this year but he was not stopping there he insisted that we needed to be a family of ninja turtles which was perfect for our little family of four.

Next we picked Maddux up and headed to the pumpkin patch as a family. It was a nice quiet Tuesday afternoon and we just got to enjoy each other. Maddux lead us through the kids corn maze, we all played on the old tractors, and then we got our wheel barrels and walked the patch. The crop struggled a little this year and since we came a little late the pickins were pretty slim and there were a lot of pumpkins that were struggling, so we got a few smaller decorative pumpkins, and some corn stalks for me to use for my fall decor. After we had our fun we headed to Walmart to get the big pumpkins to carve, they had perfect ones and they were half off.

After some much needed naptime we were off to Ty's aunts house for some soup and pumpkin carving goodness.

We were able to each carve 2 that night and each carved two more on Wednesday night. In the 6 years that we have been married we have grown to love carving pumpkins. It is more than just a face on a pumpkin now, we want to go big or go home and we are getting better each year. This year I even took a crack at some shaving. Thanks to Ty's brother Dan and our sister in law Brooke for showing us the way and getting us addicted to this fun activity.

We got them done just in time to be able to display them on Halloween and they fit perfectly on our long front porch in a line. The neighbors and kids loved them.

Halloween night was full of my boys perfect laughter, running in pure joy, smiles, and lots of candy. While we waited for Ty to come home Maddux and I passed out candy to the early trick or treaters, then we had a pizza with the pepperonis in the shape of a jack o lantern face for dinner {tradition each year}. After our boys tummys were full and they were about to run out the door we finally went out around our cute little neighborhood and did some trick or treating.

We got home after the boys were tired and had full buckets, we packed up the car and the pumpkins and headed to Ty's parents house. We hung out, talked, displayed our pumpkins with theirs, did some trick or treating at some friends and family around their house and the kids got hopped up on candy.

On our drive home the boys were out like a light and it is safe to say they had the times of their life.
I hope you all had a happy Halloween and are looking forward to giving thanks and a lot of family time. 

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Easy & Thrifty HALLOWEEN Decor Ideas {tutorials up the Wazoo}

I love decorating for the holidays each one is so fun, unique and bring in a different style.  Halloween in definitely a more playful  holiday so I feel like the decor should be playful as well. Halloween to me is all about celebrating fall, the pumpkins, the hay, corn, the spooky, the cute, bobbing for apples, treats, and channeling our inner child like self.  All of it is perfect who doesn't like to dress up again and just have fun! Your kids love it, so celebrate it with them through all the activities and bringing the fun and decor into your home! They will love to help you create it and admire each day.

Today I just wanted to show you how I put together some easy, and thrifty decor pieces and displays for my family and guests to enjoy this year. I have to warn you before I start I go all out for Halloween, just pick a few of these fun ideas and your golden.

First up is this fun sofa table decor! In love with this and it was all what I already had or made for super cheap. You can find the ridiculously easy wheat banner tutorial HERE and the Dollar store pumpkins makeover HERE.  I love how the banner and some of the pumpkins can stay up for thanksgiving time as well. As for the rest..
-the candle sticks are from the DI that I painted black {have had them for years maybe $1 each}.
-The wooden BOO letters were as simple as painting them black and using command strips to stick them onto my very favorite Handmade home DIY Art piece. I wanted the letter to be simple. The big B is from the wood Connection and the little O's are from Hobby lobby, I liked the statement the bigger B gave the display.
-The Head stone I have probably had for 5 years I got it at a after Halloween sale.
-The prints I am simply in love with. They were on a 12X12 piece of scrapbook paper by My Mind's Eye  that I got from Heartland paper in Bountiful and I just put them out and displayed them in $2 Ikea frames I already had in my stash.
-Black mesh cloth is from the dollar store 

These little poison bottles were so much fun and so easy. I just took some little glass bottles I already had, but if you are looking for some they have them at Hobby lobby, pretty much any craft store and really cool antique medicine bottles, like the one on the right, at the DI or any antique store{there is a great on in Cedar City, Utah. I simply filled them up with some orange sixlets from Zurchers, and taped on some cute poison prints from Heartland paper.

Next up my kitchen table display just consists of some DIY hand painted Mason jars Just like I did HERE, just fall color version. These can be left up for Thanksgiving as well. Added a fun handmade table runner we got for our wedding, some spiders a mini pumpkins and you are set. Easy peasy.

This is what I like to call my "wannabe mantel". I don't have a mantel and we are renting, but....I have a really cool tutorial coming up that might have to do something with a mantel so stay tuned for that one, anyway this is my substitute for now. Lets just pretend for a minute.

-The back drop is THIS with some fabulous burlap from JoAnnes wrapped around it and taped on the back side. Its a cheat backdrop but its awesome right
-Burlap Boo Banner tutorial HERE
-Keep Calm and carry on sign tutorial found HERE
-Prints from My mind's Eye and Heartland paper in some 99 cent Ikea frames. Prints from the same 12X12 piece of paper used in the sofa table display. 
-White antique molding- A perfect little antique shop in Cedar City, Utah {I need to go back there they have the best treasures}
-31 awesome tags I've had forever sorry I have no idea where I got them
-glitter skull-Dollar store
-Crow- Wally world
-Pumpkin- Roberts Crafts {Sad to say this store is no longer}

Now lets get away from that humongous wall in the dinning room/great room that all of those displays were on and come over to the kitchen. I have a blank wall in my house I have not decorated yet...we moved in in July I really should get on that, but it was kinda great I didn't because this whole get up has a perfect home there for the month of October.  Tutorials for both the Newspaper Tassel banner and 3D bats HERE.

Ok so I like banners...so what? lol I may have a problem but they are so fun to make, display and they just add so much to a space. This banner was even easier than the wheat banner if you can believe that. All of these squares were just on a 12X12 piece of scrapbook paper just asking to be put together. I cut them out, punched holes in the top, strung twine through them and your done in 5 minutes seriously and how cut it it!!!

I love the squares, so different and fun. Go to heartland paper and get this paper!!! This would also be so cute on your front porch. mmm maybe I should move it there???

Pumpkins in order:
-Drier vent pumpkin made by me clear back when I was a teenager in Young Womens. Can you believe I still have it. Just get your drier vent cut it, bent it into a circle, hot glue it together, spray paint in orange and add a stick at the top. Done!
-One of my dollar store pumpkin revamps
-bought years and years ago

Now for the cute metal count down to Halloween chart. My mom made it {her post HERE} and gave it to my sweet boys. It had a cute thing to hang it from but Holden sliced his finger on the edge of this so we had to put it up high and then the hanger was too heavy for the fridge. Anyway that was a crazy tangent. My boys love it!

-Halloween blocks- Holiday themed wedding shower gift
-Mini pumpkins
-Tombstones- dollar store 

My favorite candy dishes tutorial found HERE

I have a lot of BOOs in my house lol.
-Pumpkin- JoAnns
-Wooden Boo- Holiday themed wedding shower
- Boo cards display- Same card set as the 31 in the faux mantel display just tucked into this adorable chicken wire frame from pick your plum 
-Antlers- Thank you Restless Risa {I have some fun plans for these for the upcoming holidays}
-Dish- Wedding gift

-Candle stick holder- DI painted black orange candles dollar store
-Frame- $1 at Michaels
-Dollar store painted pumpkins

I loved adding just a little subtle piece of Halloween into our family gallery wall.
Spider frame-Halloween shop after sale
Black frame-DI painted black and Along came the spider print from House of Smiths 

The pirate flag oh the pirate flag is probably my favorite of it all. I know that is weird but it is just fun and I think I love it so much because my boys love it. From Roberts Crafts {no longer}

This little ditty was a fun one to make for sure. I did the same thing as my post HERE. To sum it up: I took a raw wood slat sign from the wood connection, painted it white, taped off the edges and two planks and painted the rest black, once dry remove the tape and sand it down a little to make it look worn and spooky. I found an image on my cricut and cut it onto glitter cardstock and mod podged that baby right on there and your done. How easy right. If you do not have a cricut find an image online and trace and cut. 

-DIY side table tutorial HERE
-Apple picking bucket- Homegoods filled with burlap and apples

Every Holiday HAS to have a themed wreath right...or do I just think that. You can find my tutorial for this beauty HERE. Also the fun Chalkboard Decal is found HERE. I should change it to say Trick or treat I suppose. 

Eeek I am loving the inside but am still working on the porch, don't look too close it is needing a little love this weekend. It has got to be awesome for those adorable trick or treaters. 

-Boo blocks- Roberts Crafts

-Crates- Smith and Edwards filled with Hay and pumpkins. I need the Hay higher and more pumpkins and I think I will love that part. 

-Skeleton- have had for years and years 

Needing to put up our giant spider our hanging skeleton, some more lights and of course some spider webs it'll get there. You can see my last years decor on my other Blog HERE.

Holy Smokes that was A LOT!!!

Can you tell I love this Holiday???

Sorry not sorry :) You love it and you know it 

I know it was a lot of ideas which is awesome but can be overwhelming 

so just pick one or two you love and it is worth the look see

PIN PIN PIN away for future years to come and holiday craft nights 

Happy Weekend, Happy October, Happy Halloween

and smile it is Friday Love you all

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram 

@WHITNEYULRICH

to see all my fun pics, my real life, fitness, fashion ideas

 and sneak peaks of what I've been working on

Thank you for your support, for reading and for following

Make sure to check out my other social media sites and follow along

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