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November Free Printables
I can’t believe that October will be coming to an end this week! It feels like this month has flown by. Don’t worry though, we are back with more holiday help to get you through November!
And we’ve made it to the last week of October! Hopefully you’re nice and organized and well-planned and have been able to enjoy all the spooky festivities. I know our family has enjoyed not having a last minute scramble for costume pieces, treats, and pumpkins. Instead we’ve gotten to really enjoy the parties, decorating pumpkins, and getting to do all the fun things this Halloween entails. So now it’s time to set you up for the same sort of peace in November! Today we’re sharing a set of November Planning Printables. We’ve also got your top links from last week’s link party and a new, fresh link party for all your favorite printable and Fall fun!
We’re going to get you decluttered, organized, cleaned, decorated, and ready for all the holiday fun…without you needing to be committed to the looney bin before New Year’s.
It takes quite the team to pull this off, but we’re here for you! We’ll be here every Monday through the end of the year to make sure you’re on track and able to enjoy everything you have planned.
Ready to meet the team?
Sheri from Career Girl Interrupted
Dani from Dani Schnakenberg Studios
Katie & Jairus from KatieMarcum.com
Jessica from Jessie Bee Healthy
Kristen from From Son Up Til Son Down
Stephanie from Sharing A to Z
and our lovely co-host Amanda from It’s a Fabulous Life
Each week we’ll take turns bringing you something awesome to help you stay on track preparing for the major Holidays of the season. Be sure to come back and link up your holiday posts each week so we can share the fun!
Click Here to Download
Now, who’s ready to party? Share your Fall and Thanksgiving-inspired posts with us this week!
Link Party Rules:
- Follow all hosts: subscribe, FB, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter…whatever you prefer!
- Be sure to link directly to your specific post, NOT your blog’s homepage.
- Don’t link and run! Be sure to visit the last couple links before yours and let them know how you found them through #HolidaySurvivalGuide2014!
- By linking up, you give all hosts permission to pin and share your projects (with links back to you, of course). We’ll also be sharing the top three clicked through with each following week’s project!
- Be sure to follow the Holiday Survival Guide 2014 Pinterest board, too!
Top links from last week:
1. Five for Fall…PLUS Fall Home Tour! – The Road to Domestication
2. Recycle Broken Malibu Lights for the Holidays from Life With Lorelai
3. Christmas on a Budget: Tasty Gifts from Little Blog on the Homestead
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Gift Idea For Tweens Teens & Gamers Nerd Block Jr Review
Holiday shopping is getting ready to be in full swing; are you ready? This year I thought I would help you out by finding great gift ideas for those hard to shop for people. Josh is 11 and it seems like all tween-kids want for Christmas are high end electronics, video games and money. They can be hard to shop for! But I found an awesome place to get gifts and they are delivered to your door! Even better right?
I love the idea of giving a monthly subscription box as a gift. It’s a gift that keeps coming back!
Nerd Block is a monthly subscription box that has tons of options available.
The Horror Block – If you like zombies, The Walking Dead and other creepy things this is the box for you! $19.99 a month Arcade Block – This box is all video game based. (I am going to order this box for Josh!) $19.99 a month
Nerd Block Jr. Girls – Just $13.99 this box is designed for girls around the ages of 6-11. (We are ordering this as a gift!)
Nerd Block Jr. Boys – Also just $13.99 a month this box is designed for boys ages 6-11. (I am also going to order this one for Josh!)
I also plan on buying the Nerd Block Jr. Girls box as a gift for a family member. I think she will love the box and I think the fact that she will get one each month will be really special to her too! Who doesn’t like getting surprise gifts in the mail?
So what was in our Nerd Block Jr box….and more importantly, was it worth it?
On Amazon I could only find a set of 4, but they were selling for $39.99 + $3.99 for shipping!
So our estimated value for this guy is $10.00
I think this must be a toy that is popular in Canada (Nerd Block is from Canada) because I couldn’t find them on Amazon or Toys R Us in the US. But the Canadian Toys R Us did have them.
Estimated Value: $4.99
I found this item selling on Amazon for $9.99.
You can also order the book on Amazon for $5.88!
On Amazon these face tattoos sell for $11.99-$14.99 each!
I am going to estimate the value of this at $12.99.
Total value for this box: $43.85
Like I said, for me this box takes the guess work out of Holiday giving. Plus, it comes to me filled with things I would never think about! That’s great! I save time and money. A few boxes and I will have the stocking filled and a few gifts under the tree!
And as far as giving Nerd Block as a gift – it’s a great value, filled with great items and it’s a gift every month! How fun!
I was given a trial box of Nerd Block to use for this post. All opinions are my own.
Easy DIY Newspaper Skeleton Skull Halloween Decoration
I love Halloween! It is one of my favorite holidays! I have been working on creating some new Halloween decorations to add to my growing collection. I like the cutesy decorations and every once in a while something a little spooky, but I’m not a super scary kind of girl. In fact, this newspaper skull was about as scary as I get.
But I love it. I think it brings in a little bit of spooky and the newspaper gives it a fun vintage feel. I also love that it took about 30 minutes to make and cost me close to nothing to make! This was one of the easiest crafts ever! And it looks great.
You will need:
– A paper mache skull (I got mine at Michaels. Unfortunately, you can’t buy them online. There is also one on Amazon here.)
– Mod Podge (I used the original Mod Podge, but next time I think I will use the matte version)
– Paint Brush
– Newspaper
The process is simple. Cut the newspaper articles out. You want all text. Avoid the margins, pictures and large gaps between the text. I also found it easier to work with smaller pieces of paper rather than long strips.
Then, spread a thin layer of Mod Podge and stick a piece of newspaper on. Coat it in a top layer of Mod Podge. Continue this process, changing up the angels of the newspaper until the skull is covered.
I found it helpful to use the opposite end of the paintbrush to help smooth the edges, particularly when putting the paper around the holes for the eyes, nose, etc.
Let it dry!
That’s it! Super easy! Super cute and super spooky!
Free Halloween Printables
Welcome to the third week of the Holiday Survival Guide 2014! This week we’ve got some great FREE Halloween printables! These are spooky and perfect for the Halloween season. I love the Hocus Pocus Bunting!
We’ve also got your top links from last week’s link party and a new, fresh link party for all your your awesome Halloween posts!
We’re going to get you decluttered, organized, cleaned, decorated, and ready for all the holiday fun…without you needing to be committed to the looney bin before New Year’s.
A big thank you to everyone involved in making this awesome series work! We’ll be here every Monday through the end of the year to make sure you’re on track and able to enjoy everything you have planned.
Ready to meet the team?
Sheri from Career Girl Interrupted
Dani from Dani Schnakenberg Studios
Katie & Jairus from KatieMarcum.com
Jessica from Jessie Bee Healthy
Kristen from From Son Up Til Son Down
Stephanie from Sharing A to Z
and our lovely co-host Amanda from It’s a Fabulous Life
Each week we’ll take turns bringing you something awesome to help you stay on track preparing for the major Holidays of the season. Be sure to come back and link up your holiday posts each week so we can share the fun!
This week we’ve got a set of spooky Halloween-themed printables from Sheri at Career Girl Interrupted!
(Click HERE or on the image above to download all the PDFs in a .zip file.)
Now, who’s ready to party? Share your Halloween-inspired crafts, printables, and activities with us this week!
Link Party Rules:
- Follow all hosts: subscribe, FB, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter…whatever you prefer!
- Be sure to link directly to your specific post, NOT your blog’s homepage.
- Don’t link and run! Be sure to visit the last couple links before yours and let them know how you found them through #HolidaySurvivalGuide2014!
- By linking up, you give all hosts permission to pin and share your projects (with links back to you, of course). We’ll also be sharing the top three clicked through with each following week’s project!
- Be sure to follow the Holiday Survival Guide 2014 Pinterest board, too!
Top links from last week:
1. Reeses Cake from From Son Up Til Son Down
2. Pumpkin Spice Syrup from Life With Lorelai
3. Mini Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecakes from The Road to Domestication
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Fall Bucket List + Febreze Home Harvest Collection
It’s fall!!
Are you as excited about this as I am? I love everything about this season. I love the leaves. I love the pumpkins. I love the weather. I love the smells. I love. Everything. I’ve been looking forward to this fall since, well, last fall.
Speaking of smells, do you see the adorable box that was delivered to me the other day? Febreze sure knows how to spoil a girl!
The barn was packed with lots of goodies. A Febreze freshener with two of the new fall scents. I love that these each have 2 scents so you get a nice combination. I received the vanilla sugar mix and sandalwood chai. And yes, they are delicious smelling!
They also sent one of my favorite Febreze products ever. The Febreze car vent clip. These are so easy to use. You just clip them into your car’s vent and you are good to go! When the air (or in the fall, the heat!) blows it blows the scent out. Your whole car smells amazing! The toasted almond scent that they sent me to try was really awesome. My mom rode in my car last weekend and had to stop at Walmart to buy her own!
They also sent a really adorable recipe box filled with fall recipes, activities and inspirations! I loved it so much that it inspired me to create my own fall bucket list to share with you!
What are you looking forward to the most this fall? I am so excited to begin checking off things on our bucket list!
The Febreze Home Harvest collection is available at Walmart! It will have your home smelling as festive as you feel this fall!
This post is written by me on the behalf of Febreze. I was compensated with products and/or payment for my honest opinions about their products. All thoughts are my own and 100% my real opinions!
Holiday Survival Guide: Kid friendly DIY projects
Welcome to the fourth week of the Holiday Survival Guide 2014! Can you believe that we are so close to Halloween! October is flying by! Here are a few kid friendly and budget friendly DIY projects to make!
It takes quite the team to pull this off, but we’re here for you! We’ll be here every Monday through the end of the year to make sure you’re on track and able to enjoy everything you have planned.
Ready to meet the team?
Sheri from Career Girl Interrupted
Dani from Dani Schnakenberg Studios
Katie & Jairus from KatieMarcum.com
Jessica from Jessie Bee Healthy
Kristen from From Son Up Til Son Down
Stephanie from Sharing A to Z
and our lovely co-host Amanda from It’s a Fabulous Life
Each week we’ll take turns bringing you something awesome to help you stay on track preparing for the major Holidays of the season. Be sure to come back and link up your holiday posts each week so we can share the fun!
From our friend Kristen:
Toady I’ll be sharing with you some craft ideas for your Halloween Shindig!!
I don’t know about you, but come this time of year I start to buckle down on the spending. I have just had to buy my oldest a whole new wardrobe as he has out grown every item of clothing- UGH!! So I thought I would come up with some cheap, easy and kid-friendly crafts for Halloween. I tried to also use items from around the house whenever possible.
MUMMY MASON JAR
GHOSTLY MILK JUG
SCARY EYES
When you’re done crafting with the kids, it’s time for some relaxing “Me-Time”! So how about trying these delicious beauty DIYs from our friend Jessica:
Pear Honey Face Peel
Pumpkin Hair Mask
Now, who’s ready to party? Share your Halloween-inspired crafts, printables, and activities with us this week!
Link Party Rules:
- Follow all hosts: subscribe, FB, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter…whatever you prefer!
- Be sure to link directly to your specific post, NOT your blog’s homepage.
- Don’t link and run! Be sure to visit the last couple links before yours and let them know how you found them through #HolidaySurvivalGuide2014!
- By linking up, you give all hosts permission to pin and share your projects (with links back to you, of course). We’ll also be sharing the top three clicked through with each following week’s project!
- Be sure to follow the Holiday Survival Guide 2014 Pinterest board, too!
Top links from last week:
1. The Gift of Time – Monthly Dates from Little Blog on the Homestead
2. The Girl’s Got Power Tools! Pumpkin Gutter from Life With Lorelai
3. Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti from Mom Among Chaos
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Holiday Survival Guide: October Planning Printables
It’s that time of year again. School has started, leaves are changing, there’s a chill in the air…and it dawns on us…the next three months will be a whirlwind of parties, events, visitors, things to make and bake and cook, traveling…and at some point we should probably clean and prep our homes for all of this activity.
How do you keep it all straight? How do you get it all done? And how do you do it without sucking the joy and fun out of the season?
Guess what? We’ve got you covered! We’re going to get you decluttered, organized, cleaned, decorated, and ready for all the holiday fun…without you needing to be committed to the looney bin before New Year’s.
It takes quite the team to pull this off, but we’re here for you! We’ll be here every Monday through the end of the year to make sure you’re on track and able to enjoy everything you have planned.
Ready to meet the team?
Sheri from Career Girl Interrupted
Dani from Dani Schnakenberg Studios
Katie & Jairus from KatieMarcum.com
Jessica from Jessie Bee Healthy
Kristen from From Son Up Til Son Down
Stephanie from Sharing A to Z
and our lovely co-host Amanda from It’s a Fabulous Life
Each week we’ll take turns bringing you something awesome to help you stay on track preparing for the major Holidays of the season. Be sure to come back and link up your holiday posts each week so we can share the fun!
This week Dani’s bringing you an adorable packet of October Planning Printables to keep you organized. Don’t forget to check out the awesome to-do list to get you going on having a clean and organized house this season!
Click Here to Download
Now, who’s ready to party? Share your awesome Fall/Halloween or Organizing posts with us this week!
Link Party Rules:
- Follow all hosts: subscribe, FB, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter…whatever you prefer!
- Be sure to link directly to your specific post, NOT your blog’s homepage.
- Don’t link and run! Be sure to visit the last couple links before yours and let them know how you found them through #HolidaySurvivalGuide2014!
- By linking up, you give all hosts permission to pin and share your projects (with links back to you, of course). We’ll also be sharing the top three clicked through with each following week’s project!
- Be sure to follow the Holiday Survival Guide 2014 Pinterest board, too!
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Moms Check In: #HalloWIN Twitter Party
Can you believe that fall is here? Leaves are changing colors….pumpkin spice everything is everywhere and Halloween is right around the corner! THIS is my favorite time of year! This week on Moms Check In we are wanting to know….what is your child planning on dressing up as for Halloween this year? And of course, invite you to our very own #HalloWIN Twitter Party happening next Thursday (Oct. 2) from
000000000The entire family is dressing up as Star Wars characters! I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in years but we found the BEST costumes for all of us at Halloween Express and I just had to get them. The kids are so obsessed with Star Wars right now that we’re sort of buried in it – books, movies, puzzles, toys. So this was perfect. I can’t wait to answer the door this year!0000000000000000
– Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Twitter here!
I never dress up myself. I’m so boring. haha! The kiddo will be going as a Buzz Lightyear. He’s totally obsessed with him. He loves trick or treating and I think he’ll be tickled when he gets to wear his costume to school!
– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!
We are so excited about Halloween! Joshua is going to be a Ghostbuster. He has been vacuuming up bad guys ever since his costume has come in! I will be dressing up too. I’m going all 1920’s and becoming a flapper. Complete with blonde hair. 🙂
– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!
For Halloween, Sam wants to go as Buzz Lightyear this year so he’s the hero. Mike and I are going as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. With removable parts.
– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!
What will your kids be dressing up as this year for Halloween?
Halloween Express is the perfect place to shop for everything Halloween! Including costumes! Don’t battle the store! Shop online and get a HUGE variety of costumes in stock! Everything is well organized, easy to find and many costumes even offer videos so you can see what the costume looks like on – from all angels!
Plus, we have some coupon codes for you! 🙂
Be sure to take advantage of the following coupon codes while shopping as well! Just enter in these codes during your check out.
Free Shipping :: FSMCIA2014ZLA
15% Off Your Entire Order :: MCI2014A
Be sure to visit Halloween Express on Facebook and Twitter!
But WAIT!!! You can enter to win one of EIGHT $100 gift cards to Halloween Express!
‘); // ]]>
DIY Light Up Haunted House – Easy & Fun Halloween Craft
When I was little my great-grandmother had a big dollhouse. I am assuming someone had made it. Inside there was furniture to move and tons of miniatures to create the perfect home. I loved playing with it! In fact, every time I was there that was my go-to thing. A few weeks ago I was thinking about the doll house. And the thought of making one popped into my head. BUT I have a boy. A boy who if I asked him if he wanted a doll house would look at me like I’ve lost my stinking mind. So I thought well, how awesome would it look sitting all decked out as a Haunted House? Fun right?
I was so excited. So I ran to the store and….those babies are a tad expensive! So while making one is still on my crafting bucket list, this year we decided to tone it down a tad. And make a smaller, light up haunted house. And guess what? It was SO fun. Seriously, the possibilities are endless! And it’s so easy! I think this could easily be a yearly tradition with the kiddos and creating your own, Halloween village!
So you need a house right? These paper mache houses are PERFECT! I love that the lid comes off (so you can easily make it a light up house!) and they come in different shapes and sizes. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby and this size was $5.99. It was 40% off too, so that made it only $3.60! If you don’t have a Hobby Lobby close by, you can order them through their website, but they only come in a pack of 3 (multiple sizes).
I had also picked up a few wooden birdhouses to try before I found this!
You can also look at Amazon. They have different shaped houses, but they are a little more expensive.
Paper Mache Christmas House 9 in. by Craft Pedlars
Paper Mache Gingerbread House 9 in. by Craft Pedlars
Paper Mache House 9 1/2 in. by Craft Pedlars
Then you just need craft supplies! Go crazy and use what you have! I used paint, scrapbook paper, small pebbles, Popsicle sticks and even wax paper!
I cut out ghost shapes from the wax paper and hot glued them in the windows.
To get it to light up I simply used an Energizer battery operated candle. I love that it flickers (because what haunted house doesn’t flicker?) and as a bonus, it smells like vanilla.
Since our house was lighting up I went ahead and stuck a piece of scrapbook ‘wallpaper’ inside.
I cut Popsicle sticks and painted them grey and just added the RIP with a fine tip Sharpie to create tombstones. The broom was a dollhouse miniature.
Our boarded up front door was just broken Popsicle sticks.
I added a few other small miniatures like pumpkins and on the roof I added two crows.
Our house is pretty simple, but I like it. You can get as creative as you want!
Here are a few miniatures I found online that would be perfect!
Dollhouse PUMPKIN PLATTER
Miniature Artisan Set of Halloween Pumpkins
Dollhouse HALLOWEEN CANDY BAG
Dollhouse Miniature Black Frightened Cat
Dollhouse HALLOWEEN BAGS 2 PCS
Sweet Handmade Look Miniature Twig and Wire Fence for Displays, Fairy Gardens, and Crafting
Dollhouse Tombstones, Set of 6
Halloween Pumpkin Tip
I love Halloween! I want to get pumpkins and carve them now! But, if you carve them too early then by the big night they are all mushy and moldy. YUCK. But I have a Pumpkin tip for you (or Halloween hack if you will…)
You know those silica gel packs that come inside boxes (like in shoes)? Well the reason they put those in there is to help draw out the moisture. So simply take a package and add it to your pumpkin! The gel will help to keep the inside of the pumpkin dry and prevent mold and mushy-ness.
You don’t have to open the package. You can put it in as it is. Yay! Here is to jack-o-lanterns lasting longer on the porch! 🙂
Just a safety note:
This gel is poisonous so please watch the little ones! Don’t let them put it in their mouth! Even in the package. The package was designed to let the gel ‘breath’ so you will want to make sure that it doesn’t get put in their mouth!