Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Halloween Teal Pumpkin Project and More

Halloween is just a few days away. I love the little trick or treaters who come to the door dressed as their favorite character whether it's a witch, princess, ninja, or cowboy! I am always amused and amazed at some of the costumes and can tell that a lot of thought, and probably money, was put into them.
This year I changed things up a bit in that I didn't buy any actual candy. Instead I have decided on little bags of chips and Cheetos, Fritos and Doritos, as well as drink boxes, and when those run out I have little bags of Goldfish crackers, fruit snacks, and packs of gum. Because my grandson has a severe peanut allergy and I have become so much more food allergy aware over the years, and because I want to keep kids with food allergies safe, I am also going to give out non-food treats this year! I also have a printout from the foodallergy.org website that I will hang on my door, as well as a teal painted pumpkin to show my support for the Teal Pumpkin Project and those with food allergies.  If you decide you would like this printout, you can find it HERE. They have several printouts to choose from on this site!
My non-food treats include pirate eye patches, mini cars, rubber bugs and spiders, mini notebooks, and quarters! Here's a photo of my bowl of non-food treats as well as my teal pumpkin!

Trick or treating for kids with severe allergies can be scary. Please show support of those with food allergies, many of which are life threatening, by having non-food treats available!

On another note, I was thinking about the new Peanuts movie coming out soon starring Charlie Brown and the gang, and got to thinking about a cute Halloween craft my daughter and I did together a number of years back. The project is fairly simple and low cost, and has held up well over the years even being thrown into a box with no protective tissue or bubble wrap. Just a few dings. Here's a photo I took last night. Looks like Charlie Brown and Lucy doesn't it? But it's a great Halloween decoration and easy to make with wooden balls, felt, little clay pots, some paint, hair (for the witch), and of course, some hot glue to hold things together!
And of course, no blog post from me would be complete without adding that  I have some awesome Halloween party invitations in my Halloween Store! While it is too late to order and send out Halloween party invites anymore this Halloween, keep these and my other cards in my various stores in mind for other years and other holidays and occasions!
I have recently purchased hundreds of my own cards from Zazzle because I wanted to see for myself how they print, the quality of the card stock, etc. I can't say how excited and happy I am to wholeheartedly say that they are beautiful! Colorful, printed well, the card stock used is quality card stock, and they appear every bit as nice if not nicer than what they look online! The colors are spot on, although when taking photos I noticed my camera for whatever reason would turn a dark teal into more of a blue. In those cases, the color is more true to color what you see on the site, otherwise, everything matched up completely and was as expected!
Here's some photos I took of some of the Halloween cards in my store! Clicking on the first photo will take you to my Halloween store where you can find Halloween party invitations as well as Halloween T-shirts, bags, buttons, and more for every size and age as well as baby's first Halloween T-shirts, bibs, and bodysuits! Clicking on an individual invitation will take you to that invitation on the Zazzle website.


www.zazzle.com/halloween_mummy_party_invitation-161292698331436238?rf=238785193994622463&tc=blog

www.zazzle.com/owls_cats_and_spiders_halloween_party_invite-161344868902796131?rf=238785193994622463&tc=blog


www.zazzle.com/the_count_custom_halloween_invitation-161452703067268378?rf=238785193994622463&tc=blog

www.zazzle.com/halloween_haunted_house_custom_invitation-161043431822142239?rf=238785193994622463&tc=blog

www.zazzle.com/spider_web_halloween_party_invitation-161527472790557903?rf=238785193994622463&tc=blog

To all, have a happy and safe Halloween!

Monday, October 12, 2015

Autumn Photos Upper Peninsula of Michigan

I took a walk today to a park and recreation area near me. It was windy out, very windy, in fact so windy that the leaves were falling so fast I am afraid if I didn't take photos today I may not have found a day with sunshine that the leaves were still on the trees. Unfortunately, I didn't realize my camera needed to be recharged and so after about 12 photos I was unable to take more. But just as well because the rest of my walk I was able to take in the sights and smell of autumn without it being through a camera lens.
I am sharing some of the photos from today and from past autumn days (all in September or October, but varying years) from several areas of the Upper Peninsula including Ishpeming, Canyon Falls, Munising, Fayette State Park, and the Houghton area. Enjoy!

Photo taken at Canyon Falls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 2010 after a lot of rain. I have never before nor after seen the falls quite as amazing and raging as they were this day. 

This photo was taken in Alger County, Michigan in 2010, Laughing Whitefish Falls.
This photo was taken somewhere along M28 between Marquette and Munising.
Michigamme, Michigan. I spotted the train on my ride back from Houghton and waited for it at a roadside park. Love the photo I was able to capture as it went by.

Ford Forestry Center, Alberta, Michgan, outside of L'Anse on US41.

Various photos from the Houghton, Michigan area including the Quincy Steam Hoist and surrounding buildings and Houghton Breakwaters. Also Lake Perreault in Houghton County and some back roads I believe near Atlantic Mine.





Some of my favorite fall photos have been taken at Fayette State Park on the garden peninsula in the U.P.


These photos were taken at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Paradise, Michigan.


And here is a couple of the photos  I took today in Ishpeming, Michigan.
As you can see, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a beautiful place to be in the autumn when the leaves are colored in hues of red, orange, and gold!





Thursday, October 08, 2015

Halloween's Coming!

Do you like autumn? I do! I love many things about the season, especially the colored leaves. Living in the upper peninsula of Michigan we definitely have four seasons. Personally I wish the winter season was a lot shorter and the summer season longer, but I do like having four seasons as each season has things about it I love. I love the first sight of a robin in the spring, the color of the new grass and plants as they poke through the frozen earth, and the ability to leave the windows open! And then summer, well, what is not to love about warm beach sand between your toes and the blue skies on a day full of sunshine, not to mention barbeques and beautiful star lit nights. And then there is autumn with a hint of the white winter that's coming next, but for the time being, the leaves turn every shade of gold, red, and orange and on a sunny day there is no photo more beautiful than what you can capture in these leaves. I love a brisk cool day in fall and finally being able to wear a soft, heavy sweater after not doing that for a while. I love pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween!
Yes, Halloween's coming! I have always loved Halloween. If you love Halloween as well, here's a couple of free ecards you can send to family and friends from my peacockcards.com website.

Howlingly Happy Halloween Ecard

Halloween Love Card 


Interested in some fun facts about Halloween? Taken from the randomhistory.com website, here's some things I found interesting and thought I would pass along.

The first jack o' lantern was made from a turnip!
After Christmas, Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday.
50% of kids prefer to get chocolate on Halloween compared to 24% who prefer non-chocolate and 10% who prefer gum.
The biggest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with a 836 lb. pumpkin!
 Trick-or-treating evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out treats and food to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year.
The black and orange associated with Halloween? The orange is symbolic of harvest and autumn, the black signifies death and darkness, a reminder that  Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.
Ireland is believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.
Halloween originated in 4000 BC which means it's been around for over 6,000 years!

Do you plan to dress up this Halloween? Perhaps you are going to or hosting a Halloween party? Staying at home and giving out treats to the little tricksters who come to your door dressed as little witches, Bob the Builder, a ninja or TMNT? Perhaps you are just planning a quiet night at home with just a candle and a glass of wine. Whatever Halloween means to you and however you plan to spend it, I hope it will be enjoyable for you!

Check out some of the Halloween T-shirts, bags, cards, and other Halloween gear in my Zazzle Halloween Store!
Do you know a baby who is celebrating his or her very first Halloween? Here's a couple of cute T-shirts and bodysuits for the occasion!

White Baby Halloween Just Arrived Rompers
White Baby Halloween Just Arrived Rompers by halloweengifts
Look at Halloween T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com
Celebrate Halloween the entire month of October with these Halloween tees for kids and adults alike. It doesn't need to be a one day holiday!
 
Lil' Witch Tees
Lil' Witch Tees by halloweengifts
See other Halloween T-Shirts at zazzle
Grandma's Little Pumpkin T-shirts and gifts
Grandma's Little Pumpkin T-shirts and gifts by halloweengifts
Make your own t shirt at zazzle.com
And if T-shirts aren't your thing, maybe you prefer to just wear a Halloween or several Halloween buttons! Here's a few that I like best!