Inspiration Monday!

I found a lot of things to share this week.  I cannot believe all the great ideas (especially for Halloween) out there!  The creativity that exists in this world is incredible.  I will start this week off with this Martha Stewart inspired Mouse Motel Faux Pumpkin tutorial over at Under the Table and Dreaming.  I love the spin on the traditional carved pumpkin.  Jude would be so amused by this!  I think that I will make one with a regular pumpkin---although if I did a faux I could store it and use it again next year.

Yesterday I visited my mother in law at her greenhouse and she was displaying all her little pumpkin varieties and small gourds in the entry.  I have always wanted to display them in a way that was more unique that just setting them in a basket with indian corn or on a ledge in a grouping.  Well....over at Be Different Act Normal they shared this idea from Kendra over at My Insanity.  I think that this is what I will do.  But instead of saying "Welcome" I may go with our last name or even our address and put it on the porch.  I think that it would be too cute to do this and set them on candle holders of different heights in the window sill.  I wonder if I could cut the tops out and put tealights in them....?  We'll see. 

Here are two other ideas that Be Different Act Normal showcased.  I love these felt garlands!  They look super simple to do and you can really make it your own with any pattern.  I was thinking that this could be cute in Jude's room.  Not the hearts...but maybe do a sports theme one with footballs, baseballs and basketballs or even dinosaurs since he loves them.  I also like the idea of doing holiday themed ones.  The hearts would be great for Valentine's day, eggs for Easter, bats for Halloween....you get the idea. 

The other idea featured over at Be Different Act Normal is this.  How cute for so cheap?  It only cost Katydid and kid $3 to make! Here is the link to the tutorial.  I love the goth feel of it (which surprises me) but even more...I love the crow.  I actually just saw some for a buck at Dollar Tree.  Now I must get one and construct this!  It will look beautiful on our front door!

Another great dollar store fall wreath tutorial was featured at Thifty Decore Chick.  I think that if I made this one, I would actually hang it inside out home rather than outside due to the materials that are used.  Since the wreath above will be occupying the door underneath our front (covered) porch protected from inclement weather...these are better off inside.  I could just hang them on the nails that are already in the wall for pictures taht are currently up.  This way there are no additional holes.  Another idea is that these can be displayed by hanging them on the inside of the doors.  I think two would be wonderful on each of the french doors leading to the backyard.

I also found this on my reading list this week from All Things Thrifty.  I am sure that I could gather up enough fallen sticks in our backyard alone to complete this project.  This would look great on either side of the picture window on our front porch.  I think that I would add a few of the crows i mentioned above at the Dollar Tree and perch them on a few of these branches!

Last but not least, since we are a football family I must buy these!  I am so glad that Poca Cosas feautured them so I knew that they existed.  Last year I know that they had football ones...but there were just the shape of a football printed on the front rather than having an actual football shape.  Clint would love to dunk them in some milk, Jude would go to town and eat them as fast as he could after screaming "foot.....ball" (he always pauses between the two words) and pointing at them over and over again.  As for myself, I would split the two cookies and scrape out the inside and eat the cookies...without dunking.  I hate to dunk my cookies and Clint loves it.  I just hate all the floaties afterwards. 

Well there you have this weeks installment of Inspiration Monday.  I hope to blog more this week than last...but with classes that have started and trying to get things done around the house, it's been hectic.  Don't fret though, before and afters will be featured soon!