LeClaire Annual Witches Walk 2012

 

Last weekend was the Annual LeClaire Witches Walk.

Each year for Halloween our town has a fun filled event for the kiddos.

Witches Walk is a free event that the local businesses and

volunteers sponsor to give back to our community.

 

 

We have a costume contest for the kids & give out lots of prizes!

We keep the little ones entertained with a petting zoo, train rides, & clowns.

For the last few years I have been a volunteer & one of the event planners for the occasion.

 

 

All the kiddos line up and parade through the downtown on main street.

The shopkeepers pass out candy for our Witches Walkers.

So much fun!!!

 

 

This hot air ballon costume was one of my absolute favorites this year!

Isn't she absolutely adorable?

There were so many creative costumes this year!

It was great to see so many talented people really support the event.

Everyone had a really great time!

That is what it's all about.

A fun filled afternoon for our community:)

The Petting Zoo has been a main attraction the last few years.

A local couple brings in their animals that they have on a large farm.

They travel with the petting zoo for local events.

It is such a big hit!

 

 

Want to check out last year's Witches Walk click here.

Happy Halloween!

 participating
Here's to You Mrs. Robinson
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors
Between Naps on the Porch

Apple Fest ~ Today in LeClaire

 

Today in LeClaire.

Our Annual Fall Apple Fest is today in historic LeClaire.

There will be craft & baked good vendors.

Local growers will bring in apple bushels & lots more.

 

 

Now...if the rain would just go away & come back another day that would be great!

 

 



Custom Invitations

Yesterday I shared pics from a wedding shower I recently hosted for my soon to be sister-in-law.
Haven't seen the shower pics yet, click here to take a peak.

When planning the shower, I just knew I wanted to find custom invitations on Etsy.

Here is what I ordered.

What do you think???

I think it turned out super cute, right?

Well, I wanted to introduce you to the cute little Etsy shop where we found

several great custom invitations to choose from.

Nicole from Designs By Nicolina is so creative & talented I just love her work.

She was super sweet, helpful & efficient with our order as well.

Thanks Nicole!!!

Of course, I was in a hurry (aren't we all) & she helped to put a rush on my order

so we could get our invites out in time a few weeks before the shower.

Here are a few of my favorite invitations in her shop now.

Stop by & check out her shop for your next party.

 

Preppy Grey & Black Chevron Stripe

Retro Dandelion

Love Birds

Chevron Ombre Banner

After ordering the last few invites I have needed from Etsy shops,

I really don't think I would go any other way in the future.

Nicole's prices were all very reasonable & you just can't find

invites that are so creative anywhere else.

The level of service from a small business is remarkable as well!

Thanks again Nicole!  We truly appreciate all you did for us.

Ordering Custom Invitations?

Here's a couple tips to get you started.

{Tip}

When ordering your next invitations.

Go custom!

Try Etsy.

Most shops are small businesses & are all about the customer.

I have had great experiences & would highly recommend it to anyone.

Some sellers will even help you to create a customized invitation all your own.

Be sure to ask them if they do so, some shops charge a small fee too.

{Tip}

If you try Etsy some shops will do the printing for you for a fee.

Other shops will provide you with an electronic image to have printed yourself.

Which is what we did in this case.  We were on a tight schedule & did not

have time to allow for custom invites to be printed.  So, once we received the

image of the invitation we headed off to Kinko's to have them printed.

We could have gone to a local print shop & had them done for about $30.

All together we spent about $40 for super cute custom shower invitations.

Carrie

linking up to

Home Stories A to Z

The Shabby Creek Cottage

 

Hosting a Bridal Shower

Last weekend my aunt, cousin & myself hosted a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law.
Katie Crane will be marrying my little brother Matt in June.

Our guest of honor.

We had a Sunday brunch on a beautiful Spring day in downtown LeClaire.

Katies' family made the trip from out of town & several local family

friends & family members attended as well.

The shower was held at the local Civic Center.

This space has a history with for our family, so it seemed the perfect place to hold the shower.

My Mother & Father actually held their wedding reception in this location over 40 years ago.

All of our family showers are hosted here as was my bridal shower just 2 1/2 years ago.

Of course we had to put Katie on the spot a bit & ask her a series of questions about her groom.

She was a great sport & I hope she had a little fun too:)

Their wedding colors are a marine blue & fuchsia.

We made these tissue pom poms for pops of their wedding colors.

The tables were decorated with these simple Hydrangea bouquets in clear glass vases.

Welcome to our family Katie!

We had a great time coordinating & hosting your shower!

Both you & your family were so gracious & kind.

Wishing you all the best as you begin all of the fun details leading up to your big day!

Carrie

{Tip}
Here's a tip for hosting your next shower.
I think added touches of fresh floral help create a soft touch in the space.
Try to find a fun and whimsical way to set the mood through the atmosphere for your guests.
Creating a warm & inviting space makes helps everyone relax & enjoy themselves.
Here we used the pom poms to brighten up this room & add a little fun.
Note: Less is More in this case.
We were actually planning to hang more pom poms, but as we began hanging them.
We decided it would have been a bit too much. 

linking up to

Between Naps on the Porch

Home Stories A to Z

Savvy Southern Style

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Burlap Pennant & Chicken Wire Frame

Another Witches Walk project to share with you today.

You can read more about Witches Walk here.

I had so much fun taking all my blogland inspiration and creating
thrifty decor for our event last weekend.

Here are my

{Burlap Pennants}

I made the burlap pennants for the {Train Rides} entrance.

They were super easy and inexpensive.

At home I simply drew a template to use and cut all of my burlap pennants.

It didn't matter to me at all if they were a little imperfect and rustic.

I printed the {Train Rides} out on the computer.

Then I used a little round pencil cup (you could use anything round) to trace around the letter.

I cut out my letters and then made a little larger round circle with the book page paper.

I hot glued each piece and  layered them on the burlap.

I wanted to make sure they would be sturdy as they were going to be outdoors for the event.

They held up great all day.

Another quick tip I did was instead of taking the time to sew a hem to feed my string through,

I simply feed the string right through the burlap.

It worked great when we set up at the event I had my pennants ready to hang

and could quickly adjust the pennants on the string to make sure they were evenly spaced.

{Chicken Wire Frames}

Another fun idea was the chicken wire frames.

You just frame out a large chicken wire piece on both sides and

 create the perfect country chic frame or fence piece.

Carrie

Linking up to
The Shabby Nest
Simple Home Life
504 Main
Whipper Berry
Remodelaholic
Funky Junk Interiors
Pennants at Funky Junk Interiors

Canvas Painters Cloth Event Draperies

Here is a quick and easy solution to adding draperies to an event or party decor.

Why not try a canvas painters cloth?

Often times in a large space you need to help ground the area or soften the look.

A great solution is painters cloth. 

It also helps add antoher textural element to this outdoor event.

You can usually pick them up at your local hardware store for between $12-$20 bucks.

We actually have four here.

As you can see we created pleats at the top to help finish the look.

To hang the cloth simply use a staple gun and staple the pleats as you go.

Another tip...don't worry to much about the wrinkles.

Once you hang them and they have hung for a few hours the wrinkles will mostly come out.

If wrinkles persist I would suggest using a steamer, much quicker than ironing.

We didn't even bother sewing the cloths together.

We used simple jute to tie the drapes back.

It created a simple casual look and didn't break the bank.

It is also an easy fabric to dress up or down.
To see more of our {Witches Walk} event click here.

Carrie

Linking up to
Shabby Creek Cottage
Happy Hour Projects
The Shabby Nest
504 Main
Remodelaholic
Funky Junk Interiors

Corn Husk Pom Poms

I thought I would give you a little DIY tutorial on some of the projects

I worked on for Witches Walk this week.  Many of them could be used for any event.

One of my favorite things I worked on was the

Corn Husk Pom Poms

I was first inspired to make these during the It's Fall Y'all party over at Centsational Girl.

Kate made them to hang over a Fall dining table setting.

Check out inspiration Corn Husk Pom Poms here.

I knew right away they would definitely be on my to do list when I had the perfect reason.

That perfect project turned out to be Witches Walk.

We needed something of impact to hang from the ceiling.

The natural element worked perfect with our Fall Harvest decor.

Thanks Centsational Girl for a great idea!

To make your own

1. 1 pack of dried corn husks (the ones in the grocery store used for tamales.)

I found that one pack can make between 4-5 pom poms. I used 3 total packs @ $5.99 ea.

2. I seperated the husks and stacked 12-15 together layering the small narrow ends

together stacking one on top of the other. 

3. I left the large fan like pieces facing outwards on opposite ends from each other.

4. Once I had a good bundle I pushed my ends in to strenghthen the middle.

5. Use some floral wire to wrap around the mid section several times.

6. Next I carefully began to seperate or shred the corn husks.

Be careful not to shred it completely apart you may lose a few pieces.

7. Lastly carefully shape yoru pom pom

Read more about Witches Walk here.

Carrie

Linking up to
Savvy Southern Style
Blue Cricket Design
Shabby Creek Cottage
The 36th Avenue
Somewhat Simple
The Shabby Nest
Funky Junk Interiors

Witches Walk

Happy Halloween!

This is what I was up to this weekend!

{LeClaire Witches Walk}



My hometown sponsors the annual Witches Walk.

It's a super fun time for the kiddos.

Costume Contests, Petting Zoo, Train Rides, Story Telling, Cackle Contest... lots for them to do.

{The Crew}

My family

My little bro Matt & his fiance Katie, my Mom, Michael big bro, myself and Travis

There were many other family, friends and community members who helped too.

Michael made the wooden pallet welcome sign.

{Pavilion}

Michael and I did all the decorations.

We used corn stalks to wrap the posts.

I made the corn husk pom poms to hang from the ceiling.

Mini haybails, pumpkins and gourds were used for the table tops.

Michael wrapped the corner posts in fabric to soften the look a bit.

To help soften the pavilion Michael wrapped the corner posts in fabric.

Here is a great tip - we used canvas painters drop cloths. 

You can pick these up at your local hardware store for $12-$20 bucks.

It is a perfect inexpensive way to help soften an area like this.

We just used a little twine to tie them back.

It would also be a great fabric to use for a casual outdoor wedding.

{Train Rides}

I made the Train Rides burlap pennants.

{Petting Zoo}

{Our Witches Walkers}

All of the kids and parents line up for the big costume parade.

The kids get to walk through our downtown area showing off their costumes

 and all the businesses pass out candy.

{Thanks for Coming}

Carrie

Linking up to

Between Naps on the Porch

Home Stories A to Z

The Girl Creative
Not Just a Housewife
Savvy Southern Style
Blue Cricket Design
Shabby Creek Cottage
The 36th Avenue
Somewhat Simple
Simple Home Life
Common Ground
Remodelaholic
Funky Junk Interiors