Non-Ikea-ness.

Because I'm not 100% satisfied with the crafty area yet, you're going to have to be patient. To encourage patience, I've decided to show off our newly Halloweenish mantel. It's a mix of things we've bought, I've made, and gifts from my Mom, who's as into decorating for holidays as I am. Gee, wonder where it came from?
Lindsey thought it was quite funny that I left the wedding pictures up. He's threatening to tell people that we got married in October, just so it'll make sense. I guess that's better than telling people that our wedding was scary! (ha!) Towards the middle you can see two muffin tins that I gussied up for the season. I'm thinking about leaving them up through Christmas, & just changing out what's inside them. I bought them because they each have 8 cups instead of the usual 6 or 12. (See the close-up below...)


This is my "yard dog," straight from New Orleans. It came in very useful in the classroom, where my kids ALWAYS could remember the greater than & less than symbols. He also served as a very cool reward for good behavior. I've been told more than once that it's cruel to own this thing, but remember that alligator meat IS widely eaten in Louisiana, and using the head is WAY better than just throwing it away. Now, of course, he's outfitted for the season, courtesy of some creative cutting suggested by Lindsey. (I really hadn't planned to include him on the mantel.)

Some very productive scouring of the Value Village Halloween shelves resulted in these two lamps. The one on the right has a flickering bulb! They definitely crack me up. Who in the world invented them? They're crazy fun. It's like the plug-in candles you put in your window at Christmas - only for Halloween? People will buy anything! ;)

Anyway, that's enough showing off for one evening. Hope everyone is having a great start to the week!