Decorating that Turkey Table on a Budget!

Decorating that Turkey Table on a Budget!

Julia @ Kids Matter

          I am literally salivating over Thanksgiving as we speak. I love Turkey Day for not just for the excuse to pig out on as many side dishes and as much turkey, gravy, and pies as I can. I love it for the décor! I am a huge fan of decorating for the holidays, and I always have champagne tastes on a beer budget! So, I try my hardest to have a new theme every year, but with things I can find around the house and yard. Check your yard for fallen branches. You can simply hang a branch over the table and from it hang pictures of past Thanksgivings (unless you have a chandelier there, then perhaps hang it somewhere else where it will be a focal point). This is such a warm, welcoming, and chic decoration that displays pictures of your loved ones.

          The table is my favorite to decorate! My favorite table linen to use this time of year is a rich golden color accented with bone white plates. Rust colored napkins with a leaf pattern sewn in them lay snuggly under my great grandmothers silver flatware that has been painstakingly polished to a gleam by yours truly! (A job I inherited at a VERY young age, to earn the right of inheritance of the said silver later in life.)

          Up next are simple accents of décor on the main table and buffet, or bar. I cut small round holes in the tops of squat round apples. Seal the holes with candle wax letting some wax drip over the bulb of the apples. I placed a tea light in each apple and line them up on the table.

          My center piece is a trio of gold, cream, and brown pillar candles that are on a trio stand with acorns tied in between each candle. I then sprinkle the fall leaves I had collected and cleaned earlier in the week on the table around the apples.

          I am a HUGE fan of smelly goods! I know the house will smell of turkey and pie, but give it a little boost! Make sure to put money in the Turkey Day budget for some good smelling candles or scented oils with aromas of fall. I personally love candles for ambiance and scented oil for fragrance.    With that being said, get yourself some decorative candles and holders from the Dollar Store to save money and spend that saved dough on scented oil and burners. My personal favorite place to get scented oil is The Body Shop. I have bought it at many places, but none of them can hold a candle to The Body Shop. I have just two burners for my 3500 square foot house; one for upstairs and one for downstairs and they cover the WHOLE house! The oil lasts a very long time and the Satsuma scent is a winner every time! It works for holidays and for summer.

          So take a look around your house for items to use as décor for Turkey Day. I am sure with a little imagination you can have a very festive day! Also, Pinterest is a resource that is a mecca for craft nerds like me. Start pinning and you don’t stop- it’s more addictive than raw cookie dough.

           Think of what you are thankful for and when you are about to pull your hair out this year with menu options, décor issues, Aunt Elsie and her horrid annual Jell-O salad (which you dread like the plague) remember, there are little ones out there who have no food. Take them something. Make it something good not just that can of old beans in your cabinet. Add a few extra boxes of instant mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, and chicken & stars soup to your shopping cart and know that a child is thanking you on Turkey Day.         

Have fun this year! Happy Thanksgiving and remember to thank someone every day. Thank your boss, your babysitter, your family, your waste management team, your mail carrier, and everyone!

Peace, Love, and Wishbones…

From the Director’s Chair: Halloween Costumes on a Budget!

From the Director’s Chair: Halloween Costumes on a Budget!

 Julia @ Kids Matter

          Hello all! How is everyone enjoying this fine fall weather? I know I am just about to burst at the seams over fall. It is absolutely my favorite season. It brings out my creative side, and I find myself more flowery, romantic, and day dreamy than normal!

          I always start a knitting project, which is inevitably a scarf, because I struggle to knit anything else. This year I am going to push myself and learn to knit a dog sweater for my Pit Bull, Piglet. She is white with a pink nose and ears, so naturally it will be pink, much to my fiancé’s chagrin. (He disagrees with clothing for dogs.) Pit Bulls have thin coats and she trembles in the cold. So, Pink sweater is shall be!

          I also start writing a new novel, baking new recipes for the upcoming holidays, reading haunting tales (Carrie, currently due to the movie coming out next weekend), and walking in the park more.  But, most importantly, I start my shopping list for my All Hallows’ Eve costume. Most of my materials are items already in the house. I did not grow up a wealthy child. We went without a lot and I usually made all my Halloween costumes. My grandmother and I would start designing in June, and the final project would be ready a few weeks before the holiday.

          I am a huge advocate for do-it-yourself costumes. It inspires you to think creatively. If you sit and think about what you want to be on this one night, what would you write down?  Remember, you can be anything you want! Now, take that list and think about HOW to do it UNDER $25. I did that every year of my life growing up. And every year, I shocked my mother with how creative and frugal I was! (And STILL brought home the blue ribbon)

          The following list includes my favorite costumes over the years. Some are from my childhood, and others are from adulthood. And no, you are never too old for Halloween. Even passing out candy or trick or treating with your kids should and must require a costume!  

1.   Lenore from “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe

2.   Joker Card

3.   Fairy

4.   Lightning Bug

5.   Lady Bug

6.   Persephone (Goddess of spring)

7.   Poison Ivy (Batman villain)

          The top one would probably have to be the lightning bug costume.  I will break it down to show you how I executed it and saved on costs.

Lightning Bug:

I simply wore black yoga pants, green sneakers, and a long sleeved black t-shirt. I curled my hair and wrapped it into two HUGE buns on top of my head. I fastened bright green pipe cleaners ($2 at Wal-Mart) end to end to make two long pipe cleaners, then twisted them around each bun. I also used two pipe cleaners that I twisted around a pencil to make tight curls as my bug antennae. Then, I took bright green eye shadow and lipstick ($2 together at Wal-Mart) and did a ‘beauty’ makeup. I used the green shadow on my eyes accented with black liner and shadow I already had. I also used the green and black eye shadow as blush to create green glossy contours on my cheeks! I finished that makeup with long sparkly fake lashes ($2.99 Wal-Mart) and green lipstick. The BEST part however, was my wings! I took some old wire hangers and unfolded them to straighten them out. I used two hangers per wing. I then molded the two hangers together to make long ovals. Then I took some black spandex material, which I bought at my local fabric store ($2.99 per yard- I bought 1½) and hot glued the material to the wire. I also had some black and green glitter on hand and glued some of that on them as well.

Next, I went to a party store and bought three pearly bright green balloons (39 cents each), three green glow sticks ($1 each), and green glow in the dark jewelry ($1 per tube) to wear at my wrists. I blew up the balloons to a medium round size and slipped a glow stick into each. I then cut a pair of green and black striped tights (4.99 at Wal-Mart) and used one of the legs to stuff the 3 glowing balloons into. I tied the top of the stocking closed and CAREFULLY attached a safety pin to the top knot and bottom toe. I then hot glued 2 elastic pieces (99 cents per yard) to the top and bottom of each wing/arm to hold my wings on. I safety pinned my glowing back to the top and bottom of my shirt. When my arms were resting at my sides the back was hidden, when I raised my arms, my glowing back was visible. Total cost for costume awesomeness? $23.97 after tax! That is way cheaper than most store bought costumes!

So, there you have it, costuming on a budget. What will you make for yourself this year? With your child? Sit down with your little one and find out what they want to be this year.  How can you make that happen under $25? What a Challenge!!!

Until next time! Happy Halloween and if you pass out treats… A plea from all those who are young, or young at heart- NO RAISINS!