A Marvelous Mess and Features!!!!

We spent the day with family today. Traveled an hour and a half by car to get to a remote camp in northern Maine and it was well worth the trip. Gorgeous views and the cutest little camp!!!!

My family has done a great job in renovating and redecorating this new camp. Here is one of my favorite little additions:

A simple lamp shade painted by my mother with india ink to show animals tracks you might see around. Something else my mother painted in the camp:

She's a fantastic artist!!! 

Here's the most important piece of equipment for a northern camp:

A wood stove. No doubt about it, this lady gets put to good use. Love the little rack above on the wall for drying mittens. There's a moose antler on a shelf above it as well. If you're lucky you can find those, and deer antlers in the woods. 

On our walk in the woods we were shown a recent (possible)bear markings on a tree:

After a morning and afternoon at the camp, including a long walk through the woods with a *very* happy Buddy and Chloe, we drove back in the direction of home....but instead of stopping there we went straight to the other side of the family for some nice warm dinner and dessert. Grilled salmon, a Lebanese cracked wheat dish, fresh from the garden potatoes, and green beans. Dessert was a spiced pear cake with vanilla ice cream. Yum!!!!

What did you all do this weekend????

Here are my fave's from last week:

American Teacher by Todd and Lindsay. This is a great (and very important) read. Please take the time to read about her job and consider watching the movie by Matt Damon!! Teachers are constantly overworked and underpaid in my mind. 

Pet Costumes from Creative Lady of the House. Love the ideas!!!!

Frankenstorm Frankenpatties from My Sisters Pantry.

And, the post I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week is....

Poop Factory by Turtles and Tails. This one totally cracked me up!!!!!!!

If I featured you in this post, this button is yours:

<br /><center> <a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="A Marvelous Mess" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground1-2.jpg" /></a></center> Now, on to the party!!!!!!!

Paper Bag Haunted House

Here is a super quick craft that young kiddos will love. A paper bag that's been turned into a 3d haunted house!!

You'll need:

brown paper bags

brown paper

black no-slip material (found mine at the Dollar Store)

black paper (trimmed to rectangles, large triangles)

yellow paper (trimmed into rectangles, ovals, circles, etc)

black crayons

Halloween stickers

stuffing (newspaper, tissue paper, etc)

scissors

stapler

gluesticks

~Take your paper bag and lay it flat in front of you. Start glueing yellow triangles for windows, black shapes for a door. use your imagination!!

~Take the black crayon and make lines across the windows.

~Flip it over and do the same thing to the other side.

~Put some stuffing inside the paper bag and fill it near the top.

~Take same brown paper and make the shape of a roof for it. Trim out some of the no-slip material to be the same size.

~Pinch the paper bag together (like you would to fold it for a lunch bag)...instead, lay the brown paper roof over, then the black material, and staple it on.

~Add black paper shapes to be taller chimneys and roofs if you would like.

~Put some halloween stickers on that house!!

Have fun and Happy Halloween!!!!

A Marvelously Mess and Features!!!!

Howdy Crafty People!!

I wanted to show you a couple of details from my husbands costume (handmade by me!!). We went to a party last night as a Steampunk couple. Ever heard of steampunk?? You've got to google it. I think of Steampunk as Victorian era clothes with a Jules Verne-ish modern technical edge. 

Here is part of my hubby's costume:

We leaned towards western steampunk. Bowler hat (found at target) with safety goggles-turned sci-fiction (lots of chrome colored spray paint, random metal scraps, hot glue, and even a little nail polish). The belt and holder is just a regular tan woven cotton belt with attached leather holster (hot glued into the right shape by me). The holster has a drawer pull on it-minus a knob.  The weapon my husband carried was actually my Munchkins remote for a car, spray painted. It still works!!

Found this great western-style vest at goodwill. Hot glued more metal doohickey's: chains, leather, latches, and yet another drawer pull (I had a bunch of them on hand and they fit the style for me). There is usually a good amount of *purpose* behind each part of a steampunk costume....I am ashamed to admit I didn't always imagine what purpose each piece might have. I was making it all fairly fast.

On his arm, the hubbster wore another "tool". This one got the most comments from everyone....what was it's purpose???? I left them guessing (because I was lazy and didn't want to make up a purpose).  I used a metal fire extinguisher holder for a wall and spray painted it a bronze color. I found a sparkling water bottle and cleaned it up, dripped some gold paint on the inside and let it cover the walls and attached a lot more metal, brass, wire, washers, wooden objects painted to look like metal....you name it, it's on there. I sewed it into place on an old white shirt (which was worn under the western vest) through the screw holes.

And, my costume?? I didn't get many great pictures, so I might have to put it on and pose tomorrow. But, I will show you the whole ensemble before Halloween!!!!!!

Here are my fave's from last week:

Pumpkin Drool Bars from Twirl and Taste.

And, the post I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week is....

Mini Gingersnap Pumpkin Cheesecakes from Mom on Timeout.

Thanks to all of you for linking up!! If I featured you in this post this button is for you:

<br /><center> <a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="A Marvelous Mess" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground1-2.jpg" /></a></center> Now, on to the party!!!

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It's So Very Cheri