DIY Halloween Decor Ideas

I don't want to mention my Halloween costume for this year yet as I will do a post about this on Halloween. However, I thought that I could share some of the ideas that I thought looked great. We have a Halloween party each year so I'm also going to talk about the Halloween decorations that we are looking to make for this year's party. These photos/decorations are not mine but I will show your our version on Halloween. OOOOO exciting.

So my Auntie (Lady Westwood) happens to be a whizz with Paper mache. Which is very very helpful around Halloween. We add to our collection of decorations each year and were taking a look together at the possible additions this year. 

I will be posting the whole of our outdoor and indoor decorations on Halloween.

We have a tree in our front garden and thought this would be great if we could make the hands out of paper mache and attach them around the tree as above. Another option would be to put our hands into a mould and let that set, I have a construction friend who has said he could help me out with this very easily. After either one of those options we can paint them to look like dead hands. Dead hands everywhere. Maybe I should throw some doing the toilet to freak some party guests out too. We shall see. 

Right, I'm not too sure how Auntie Dee is planning on doing this one, but she has told me its possible. We are currently looking at different ways to make the body shape, I have seen this done before with pipes that create a human-like frame. Then we are going to hang dust sheets over it and cut those into shape. I think. 

This could go terribly wrong but hey its Halloween, the worse it looks, the better.

Next up is Good'ol Jack. 

Cardboard, paint and a hideous paper mache face.  

For the spring we will use a pole and wrap a slinky around it, which probably won't look as good as the picture above. But HEY its DIY.

The letters on the outside of the box can be B.O.O

I'm cool like that. 

For this young lady, we were planning on using mesh to make the figure. It's easily bendable material that we could mould how we'd like. A standard wig and a night dress can be placed on top so that it resembles a girl (as people like me find the film 'the ring' scary). We may decide that we want to just leave it as a mesh figure and put the transparent sheet over the top to create more of a ghost effect. 

So this creepy guy seems like a great addition to the Halloween family. I will be looking for the clothes at a local charity shop, any long coat will do as I think this creates a scarier effect than just a check shirt etc. 

I'm going to be finding some burlap (hessian material) - basically a sack. This will be then covered with water. I'll then get rid of the excess water and stretch the material over a face/toy face. The material will then hold this shape. I am most likely going to add some PVA glue to this depending on how well it holds. If you were planning on making this type of thing for a mask, then the glue is a big no no. You don't want to be inhaling glue all night so just stick to the water. I'm going to also add some black paint around the eye sockets but nothing around the mouth.

So this is the one I'm look forward to trying out. It might look terrible but it's worth a try. We will be using a palette and already have some of the chains which are easily available and cheap from Asda or Wilkos in the Halloween section. We have some of the body parts already from previous years but these are also cheap from those stores. Those will be poked out various parts of the palette, I've also been thinking that we could add some masks in there for extra spookiness. I've seen some photos of it being done with lights too, by placing them underneath the palette. I think red ones will work best but we shall see.

Looking forward to trying them all out and to HALLOWEEN in general.

Any recommendations are welcome. We love a challenge and I will have a Halloween post up soon to show you how we did!

More Weddings...

I was recently in a bad car accident with my boyfriend on our holiday to turkey this year (we were hit from behind while we sat at a red light in a taxi at about 70mph). Although it was horrendous, that evening my wonderful boyfriend proposed to me.

I can't wait to walk down the aisle and see him waiting for me. If he shows up of course. Plus after walking down the aisle as a bridesmaid I realised how terrifying it is so maybe I will just sprint down it. I am a very lucky girl and of course the beautiful Immy will be one of my bridesmaids.

Again, if he shows up.

I thought I would share a photo of us as friends from years ago, mainly just so I can show everyone his hair in this photo...

Updates to come as we start the planning process...

THANKSSSSSS

Amy x

Lord & Lady Westwood

I love weddings. Weddings, weddings weddings.

My Auntie Diane recently got married to the love of her life David Westwood. It was a beautiful wedding and she looked absolutely stunning. I had the role of head bridesmaid in this wedding, which I didn't actually know until the speeches, I loved every part of the planning and the actual day (until I walked down the aisle which was terrifying).

I wanted to share some photos of the day, we decided on a beige/brown and purple theme which really came together. The ceremony was held at Old Thorns Manor Hotel in Liphook, and the Reception at a family home in a marquee. The rustic theme worked perfectly with the large gardens, my Auntie is very creative and saved a lot of money making the decorations all herself. The cake was made by my talented cousin who was also a bridesmaid.

The hen party was great fun, no strippers though - all booked up. We held a close family/friend part to the hen do which was also held at Old Thorns. This was a 'Pod spa break' and was adorable little huts on the grounds, this included a 25 minute treatment and 2 course dinner. We spent the day lounging at the pool and in the spa, it was wonderful and very much needed because I have recently found out weddings are stressful. (I used to work at Old Thorns and I highly recommend it).

The second day was full of family and friends at afternoon tea, held at the Chocolate frog tea rooms, this was lovely too and so much fun. We went for the classic hen party games (making a wedding dress with toilet roll, lots of spinning, not good if you're drunk) and she seemed to have a great time. I'd like to add that the Chocolate frog tearooms, as well as being very cute and quirky, have amazing gluten free afternoon tea. The best gluten free bread and scones/cakes I have ever had.

An on-going joke has been that Lady Westwood sounds incredibly posh because that surname is a winner. So for a wedding gift her best friends bought them some land so that they are now officially Lord and Lady Westwood.

I have put the links below for everything mentioned. I have also added the link for her wonderful dress which was made from scratch.

OOOOOOOOOO Weddings.

https://www.oldthorns.com/

http://www.chocolatefrogcompany.co.uk/chocolate-frog-tearooms-lilypad-bar

Wedding dress: https://www.thefarnhamboutique.com/

Wedding Makeup: Charlette Murray

Wedding Hair: Sara-Jane Murray

Book Club: Issue 1

I've been trying to read a lot more recently, I used to read every night but as your life gets busier it just leaves so little time after work or hobbies or trying to go to the gym which I still am failing at.

I've set myself the target of starting a new book every 2 weeks. So far so good and I am really enjoying it. It has also been helping me sleep as it means I'm no longer looking at TV or phone screens so close to going to bed. I thought that a good way to help me keep reading would be to share some reviews and if anyone has any recommendations for books to try, please let me know! I have put my favourites from the past two months below...

The Couple Next Door

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down. The story is about a couple who go to a dinner party at the house next door, they leave the baby in her crib whilst taking the baby monitor with them and deciding to check on the baby every 30 minutes. They both get drunk, go home and the front door is open and the baby missing. 

Such a page turner, although I found the 2nd third slightly slow. I had to know the truth and I found myself guessing the ending over and over, when I shouldn't have actually bothered. I didn't see the ending coming at all and I think the twists leading up to the end keep you on your toes. I loved the suspense and how gripping it was, I would definitely recommend it and read it again myself!

The Roanoke Girls

Fifteen year old Lane's mother commits suicide, leading her to her new home in Kansas with her Grandparents and Cousin Allegra. She has never been told much about her family and she quickly embraces life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran fast and far away. Each Roanoke girl either dies or goes missing.

Eleven years later, Lane is living in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. It also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be able to run away from again.

This story is so well written, it weaves between then and now, shocking you along the way. I think that for certain readers the story might not be for them as its very twisted. I however, LOVED it, it's become one of my favourite books of all time. 

Last Seen Alive

Libby Hall needs to hide, to escape from everything for a while. Which is why the house swap is a godsend. The chance for Libby and her husband Jamie to exchange their tiny Bath flat for a beautiful haven on the wild Cornish coast. But she can't hide.

Before they can begin to heal their fragile marriage, Libby makes some disturbing discoveries about the house. And soon the peace and isolation begin to feel threatening. How alone are they? Why does she feel watched?

I thought this was a great read especially if you want a break from the really heavy reads. It's a great book for picking up whenever you get a spare moment and is easy to pick up from where you left off. It has a lot of twists which I didn't see coming, I found myself shouting 'nooooo' at the book a lot and sitting there with an open mouth! There is everything you could hope for in a thriller, deceit, twists, turns, I bloody loved it. There were moments in-between reading where I actually found myself a little on edge when I was alone and waking up looking around the room (that's a good thriller for you). Which can only mean that Claire Douglas the Author achieved what she set out to do.

Let's see what the next three have to offer. Recommendations always welcome. Have a good weekend everyone - and if you're thinking of doing a house swap, don't.