Everything is so festive. Only decorating I will be doing is the wreath on the front door. No time right now and we only get Trick or Treaters from next door. You did good, PG.

PF,
Thanks and it's good to have a little more time to spend here again. We get 100-150 trick or treaters so it's always fun to be ready for the little gobblins. We like to have popcorn balls, cookies and pop as well as candy bars for them. Some are so funny, they will come in and head right to the toys to play.

I have a little gal who is expecting and wants to do her little girls room in pink and purple bugs. Do you have any ideas on books with bugs for me? Also an idea on putting the different bugs together if something comes to mind.

I have a couple of Bonnie Stouts, Whimsy Works and a book with a Love Bug but the only other I can think of right off would be maybe Jan Ways with bugs, worms, lady bugs in flowers I'll have to dig out.

I thought you would have your next project posted so you must be to busy right now huh? I got up early today and helped a friend first thing this morning wash her windows and then I washed mine when I got home. I worked in the yard after that and things are looking better around here.

I need to finish laundry so best go and we'll chat later. Punk

Fun decorations Punk, but please tell me what in the world that little guy in picture #4 is? He sure looks miserable! LOL In your first picture, I recognized the witch as a Lou Ann Steinburg (sp) design. Lots of cute painted pumpkins too and I saw your pumpkins with roses there.

You washed someone else's windows then went home and washed your own????? Where do you get all that energy gal?

You were asking about bugs and putting them in a design--since you do one stroke, have you seen DD's book on children's rooms? There are bugs and butterflies in it. Are you thinking about just various bugs on the wall, or maybe a scene with a picket fence and flowers or various hills and trees with the bugs flying in the sky? When DGD was a baby, my son's friend did a wall with a big tree, some hills, a castle in the distance, lots of butterflies, and two birds carrying a banner with her name on it. It was so darn cute--I hated it when they moved and had to leave it behind!

I've got a few Halloween things basecoated and waiting for their finishing touches. I had ran out of white paint and like to buy it in the bigger bottles. Well, neither Michael's or Joanne's had white Folkart paint in that size, so I bought the Apple Barrel. It is so thin--took me five coats to get good coverage for my ghost! What's up with that? And forget doing my roses with it! Guess I'll drive to Joann's to see if they have it in Folkart. Funny how we get used to working with certain things and substitutes just won't work!

DH has a doctor appt. this morning then we are going to Sam's Club to replenish a few things. I'll try to check back in tonight too.

Luvs

Good Evening,
I can't believe I posted my trays on our discussion forum. I thought I post them over on Holidays. Opps

Luvs, that is a little witch and she is crying really hard. Your right with the one Lou Ann Steinburgs, but I didn't come up with my Spook Crossing so don't know where it and a few other things are buried.Haha

I haven't seen DD book on childrens rooms but maybe that would be one to check out. I don't think I want to try to create something on my own so it would be nice to copy a pattern for this project. I'll bet your GD room was darling. Did you happen to take any pictures so you can share with us? I'd love to see if you do.

It is amazing how the coverage differs in brands of paints, not only with our acrylics but when painting our homes. I know I have my favorites and I don't like trying new brands.

What kind of halloween things are you painting? I have a client tomorrow evening and then maybe if I get some of my training done I can do some painting.

How did DH appointment go this morning? Did you get stocked back up on your supplies at Sam's Club? We don't have Sam's Club here but we have Costco and I shop there. I have gained alot of weight with all my company here. We made lots of pies and so would have hot apple pie alamode before bed. It tasted great but really stuck with me.

Oh, I did wash windows this weekend for both of us so now I won't have to do much till Spring. I only worry about my kitchen window once it gets cold and it sounds like we will start that on Wed. 40 sounds so cold but yet I'm hearing we are having a mild winter.

I'll go and try to post my pictures on the Holiday forum this time and then head to bed early tonight. I'm tired and have an appointment in the city early Wed. am so don't know how much sleep I'll be getting tomorrow evening.

Hope all is well with everyone and we can all spend more time here posting. Punk

Punk, I thought it was a nice gesture posting your trays over there for the "newbies"--didn't know you didn't intend to put them there! Sounds like the things I do. LOL

Right now I'm just painting some little cutout items. There's a simple witch, ghost, and a moon with some ghosts flying in front. I thought I would already have them done, but keep doing other stuff!

Wow! 40 does sound cold. I'm not a fan of extreme temps either way--but know we often have to tolerate both! We are finally cooling a bit, supposed to drop down to the 80's today and tomorrow. My vines on the block walls are just growing like crazy and really need trimmed but I'm putting it off till it's cooler. I do go out in the early morning or late afternoon and deadhead the roses and pull some of the weeds and grass in the flower beds--but that's about it for now.

My camera is not downloading my pictures for some reason. I've tried everything I can think of. Told DH I need him to see if he can figure out why it is suddenly not working. Hope he takes time to do it today.

I have to wash the outside of my windows frequently here. Everything gets dirty from the smog then the dust clings to them. Allot of times, I will just hose them off--then actually do a good washing two or three times a year. And we won't even talk about how dirty the tops of my glass tables get--they need cleaned about every other day!

Little GD is spending the night with us so I will be picking her up from KG today. Guess that probably means we will be having mac & cheese for dinner--her favorite! LOL Wonder how Anj's little one is liking KG? Sure do miss hearing from Anj. How about your GD, what grade is she in this year?

Well, I'd better check Holidays and get off here. Have a good day and I hope you slept okay.

Luvs

WoW! Wonderful decorations and placement! It is so much fun seeing what other people do during different holidays. Halloween decorating hasn't been very popular here on our part of the west coast...can figure out why. It was a real eye opener when we went pack to Michigan and New Jersey and as we drove each time, we got to see lots of decorations....unbelievable! Maybe it's the dryer-colder weather, anyway I love Halloween! I have things from when our DD was a child and I just add things each year, but like you, I have my tastes which now fill four Rubbermaid totes. DH just gives me one of this "you've got to be kidding" looks if I look at any decorations.

Trick or Treater's are non existent here...but I do make up special treats-painted things- for the closest neighbors.

Wherever did you get the shoes and tea pot? They are adorable! And all of the witches - never seen such a variety.

Paints...out here you can't even find folkart paints, everything is Decoart and some Ceramcoat. But as you said, we get used to using a brand and stick with it.

As to the "bug's," have you tried searching online sites for bug art? I do this when I am stuck and need ideas for a project. It may take time but you can find lots of ideas.

We too shop at Costco and isn't Sam's Club part of Wal-Mart? We shop for frozen food at Wal-Mart as they have a much wider variety than Safeway.

Anyway...thanks for posting the picture HERE!

Belle

Luvs and Belle,

Is there any way to get rid of my post I messed up on? Luvs, I hope you find your book so you can finish your projects. They sound pretty cute and I'm sure you won't rest until you find it.

How was time with DGD? I will be getting my grandma fix this weekend and can hardly wait. She is going to preschool and taking dance so I haven't gotten to see her during the week much. Oh Luvs, DGD just turned 4 in June so she must be a year younger than your GD. Our GD would rather eat steak than mac and cheese so I always ask what she wants for dinner and she always comes up with something. She's just starting to eat pretty well. So it's fun to watch when she's really hungry. I noticed the change when she was going to swimming lessons and then swimming an extra hour.

My teapot, shoes, plates, napkins and rings were my DM. I'm sure a few of the witches were also. Most of them do a dance, talk or something so can't resit buying something new every year and I never get everything out to decorate every year. Our shop is so full of decorations that I need to quit buying but they keep coming out with new ones I can't resist and especially if I can pick them up when they are on sale. I will try to get the rest of my decorations out and post a few more pictures. Quit taking DH shopping with you and then you won't have to see that head nod, woman!!! Mine does that also and I just ignore it. Sometimes I'll grab a couple more things and give him the look just to show him I can.LOL

Thanks for the idea of looking up bug art. I wanted a pattern I could just copy but it's not that I couldn't come up with something if I need to. I am going to buy JMP latest book. Have you seen it? She is a favorite of mine for sure and I can hardly wait to get it. No bugs in it though.

I don't know if Sam's Club is part of WalMart but we will be getting a new Super WalMart near us so that may be nice. They have been trying to get the ok since 2003 and just got a ruling this week for the go ahead.

Will close and try to get back here this weekend. Punk

I don't want to sound negative but last year my camera quit working right and I called the company and was told they didn't know how to fix it so the kids bought me a new one for Christmas. Seems like no matter how expensive they are, we only get 2-3 years out of them before something goes dingy. We use ours alot so maybe thats why.

Hi you two! So fun reading both of your posts, you two are so busy so I really appreciate that you come here often to "chat". ;o)

Sam's is part of Walmart. We have Sam's and Costco within a short distance of each other and for awhile we belonged to both. But since there are only the two of us, we decided that was silly paying for both places--after all, how much do we really need??? If I want to go to Costco, I can always go with my DIL, but usually we find all we need at Sam's. We have two Walmarts close by but neither are Super Walmarts. They are now remodeling one of them, so maybe they will make it a super one. That might be bad on my wallet if everytime I went for groceries, I could also look at all the other "goodies" however! LOL

Punk, I don't think it is my camera--it's working fine. It's just that when I try to download the pictures to my computer the little box doesn't pop up like it used to for me to do the download. Very frustrating, especially when I'm wanting to share Fall and Halloween pics too. ;o(

Didn't make it to the fair, DH woke up with a sore throat and he goes into bronchitus almost every time he gets a cold, so he decided not to go. We made it all last winter without any serious colds--hope they don't catch up with us this year.

I had allot of fun with little GD spending the night. We had gotten her a rope swing so she was all excited about playing on that. She got her mac&cheese for dinner and pancakes for breakfast--even convinced me she needed a chocolate pudding cup to take for her lunch--sugar free of course! LOL She will be staying four nights with us this month, so I may be exhausted after that--but I intend to enjoy every minute! ;o)

I found my patterns, had put them in my case that I took out to the store where I worked those couple of days! Just have a bit more to finish on them now. My friend at the store told me that if I ever have anything I want to sell I can bring them out to her store. Thought that was sweet of her.

Well, I'm off to help my little friend with her statement and bills again--those months sure roll by fast don't they?
I'll let DH stay in bed since he was up and down allot last night. I'll probably be back here later this evening. Have a good one.

Luvs

Gosh, didn't realize ya'll were all posting to this thread. Punk....love all your decorations...I need to get mine out today. Just not in the mood. ha This holiday sneaked up on me. I'd better get my head into things a little more. Feeling a little tapped out. DH went back to work this morning, but the kids go back tomorrow. They are trying to talk me into letting friends come over today. UGH. Feeling overwhelmed. Plus it's been raining the past 3 days so ya'll know how that affects my mood. Growl. It's been in the 40's here all last week. Not making me happy. Have to get the winter clothes out today too before we all freeze. ha

Punk....don't forget to look in the coloring book section for bugs. Luvs gave me that tip a long time ago and I've used coloring books a few times since then for patterns. I had a pattern that I was using on some discs to make windchimes one time for bugs, but it may have been in a mag I got from the library. There is another good place to check out. Our library carries Painting and the little craft mag that I can't remember the name of. Usually has some cute things.

I didn't have time to paint for my friends b-day, but I have lots of projects in mind! There were some bats and a witches hat in a painting mag, some cute bigger cutouts from some new painting books I got at the TS, and of course I wanted to get another John Sliney project done this year. Why can't I ever have enough time!!!!

Darn....motherhood is calling me. Time to make breakfast. ha Ya'll have a good one. I'll try to get pics taken of my completed sign today. I know...promises promises. ha

Anj, so happy you had time to stop and post today. Your weather is close to ours except we haven't gotten the rain. The damp weather does make it colder. We have had wind.

Thanks again for the reminder about coloring books. We don't have any stores close so I have to go to the city to find even a coloroing book. We should be getting a Super WalMart within the year so that will only be a 30 minute drive. I never make it to the library any more but not sure they would have much on painting. Never know so I'll try to make it there.

Anj, I seen this witch and it said I am your treat! Is that just the funniest thing or am I in my own little world with that one? It's ok, everyone knows me here! Good to yak with you and hope all continues to go well with you and yours.

Bebe and Belle, hope to hear more from you two soon.

Luvs, Anj, Bebe and Belle, I always enjoy the stories all of you post and think you put more thought into posting than I do. Thanks again, for the great entertainment ladies. I hope all the new ladies will continue to join in the fun here.

Punk