Over a couple of weeks, I have accumulated some fun, cute Halloween decorations. Here are some bits and pieces I have collected for my Halloween party coming up.

My Halloween party takes place usually on Halloween (obviously) but because this year was a leap year, Halloween, unfortunately, falls on a Monday. This means school on Monday and school the next day. Yuck! But with a little preplanning, I got it to work with school. I will be doing my last few October blog posts on the party, so stay tuned for that.

First up on my list are these really glittery black bat (say that 5 times fast!) garland. Though it doesn't show up in the photo, the bats really are super glittery! The bad part about it is the glitter gets everywhere! I think I just need to be careful handling it. My plan is to hang this along the counter in which the food will be placed. Also, I got these super cute felt pumpkins and pumpkin wood clips to hang something. I received all of these goodies in a BOO basket. If you don't know what Booing is, I can definitely tell you it's not scaring someone! This is an activity which you ding-dong-ditch someone but instead of being annoying/rude you leave a basket or bag full of fun Halloween treats for the family. Most of the time you Boo a house who have children so they can enjoy all the treats but never limit yourself. My family personally got Boo-ed a couple of weeks ago and we Boo-ed some of our neighbors! :)

My last two items I got at Marshalls and TJMaxx. The straws are paper ones with a black and orange color swirls on them. I love the classic Halloween color scheme. But my all time favorite thing in this small haul is the rose gold, sparkly Halloween garland! This has black bats at the beginning and end of the garland and the rose gold letters hanging in the middle spelling out Happy Halloween! This is made by the company called Meri Meri, a Britsh based company. It is super gorgeous and I can't wait until I get to put it up!

Shop this post:

Happy Halloween Garland

The Dollar Spot items can be found at Target

Paper Straws (These are similar)

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check back to see when I post my Halloween Party blog posts! Oooo... I can't wait! It's going to be amazing!

Planner Crazy

     If you know me then you know that I am an organized freak. I may not be an extremer organizer, but higher than the average person.
I love planners! Anything and everything about them. I even follow planner accounts on Instagram. Pinterest is also a large portion of where I get my ideas for planner DIYS.

At the end of my 7th year at school, I immediately started working on my school supplies. My school supplies us with a school planner but they are so boring and uncreative. So, for me personally, I didn't want to use it. This is why I decided to make my own planner.

The theme of this planner is gold, pastel, and everything chic. ;) Here is a look at my school planner. Enjoy!

Most of the items I got were from Michaels and/or the Target Dollar Spot. The other 3rd I already had stored away. My vision for this planner was to (obviously) keep me organized but most importantly keep me inspired. If I have a writer's block I can open it up and find amazing quotes inside or little pictures with my friends in it. All of this was to help me out. My favorite thing about my planner is the personal touches I made to it. I like how I can store memories on a page for when I want to remember something forever. But for real... it did cost a lot of money. More expensive than some other planners but to me I see it as something I can use for a very long time. You couldn't find one of theses in the stores. The only way to find a great planner that fits your life is to DIY it! I know after showing my friends my planner they wanted to create their own! I can't see what they have come up with. 

I have a few questions for you to answer in the comments:

1. After seeing this would you want to make one yourself? 

If you do make a planner OR already have a DIY planner then tag me your photos on Instagram or Twitter. I would absolutely love to see it! 

2. What was your favorite thing about my planner and is there anything that you think would look good in my planner? 

Again, I would love to hear your suggestions! 

Shop this post:

Gold Woodgrain Scrapbook Paper By Recollections

This is currently out of stock online but may be in stock at your local craft store

Gold & Peach Cards Scrapbook Paper By Recollections™

Gold Hello Scrapbook Paper By Recollections

Creative Year White Tassel Planner Charm By Recollections

Planner Accessories, Target Dollar Spot, Target One Spot 

This is produced by an Etsy account.  But most likely if you go to your local Target you can find it cheaper.

Creative Year Black & Gold Stickers By Recollections

This is currently out of stock online but may be in stock at your local store 

DIY Agate Inspired Coaster

I have recently been scrolling through my Pinterest and have come across these agate coasters. I know they can be really expensive to buy so I decided to DIY them! If you like these coasters and want to find out how to make them keep on reading!

The Supplies: 
Acrylic rolling pin
Different colors of polymer (oven baked) clay! I will give you more information about this further down in the blog post.
Gold craft paint
Small tipped paint brush
Safe oven tray to bake the coasters in

The special supply that will make your coaster look more realistic to an actual agate rock slate is translucent polymer clay! This can be found at your local craft store. For me, I have Michael's. This is an important supply if you want to make yours look realistic. If you prefer not to use it that will be fine! 

For the polymer clay, I chose clay that was in my color scheme. I used a few different colors, mixing them to create more colors, too. You can have tons of colors or just stick to two. It's really your chose. I also added some fine glitter to some of the balls to make them more sparkly. 

Step 1:

Start to form your different groups of clay. I decided I wanted to create three so I spit my clay balls into three piles.

Step 2:

Roll your clay balls into long fat strips. Squish them lightly together like shown below.

Step 3:

Start to twist your fat logs together and mix them.

Tip: After twisting the logs together bend the clay down and then ball the clay up again. Repeat until you like the color and mixture of the clay. Also, make sure not to completely blend the clay together. Most likely it will turn out to be an ugly color so try to only do this process 3-5 times.  

Step 4:

After you combine the clay together, roll the mixture together in one ball. Pick the side you would like to see on the front. For me, it was this really pretty chunk. 

Step 5: 

Take your rolling pin and flatten your ball BUT you need to only flatten it a little bit. You don't want it to be too thick or too thin. 

This is what mine turned out to be! 

Step 6:

Place all of your coasters in a safe oven pan. I am using a pie pan my dad lets me borrow. Also, make sure to line your pan with a sheet of non-stick parchment paper.

Step 7: 

Bake according to your clay package. If you are having trouble finding your clay instructions then check either the top of bottom of the plastic. It should be there somewhere! :) 

Step 8: 

Let your coasters cool for the whole time. Then take your gold paint and brush and start to paint the edge of your coasters. Use your small tip brush. That's why you didn't want a coaster that was too thick or thin. You will need a few coats. I believe I had about 4-5 coats, letting the paint dry fully before painting on the next coat. 

Step 9: (Optional)

If you want to go an extra step add a coat of protector to your coasters for a nice finish. This is also an important step if you want to use these as drink coasters. You don't want the water to ruin your work. I am using Sculpey gloss glaze specifically for polymer clay. I believe you can use Mod Podge if you have that. (I am not 100% sure so I will update this post when I find something)  

That's It! 

If you guys make this DIY project then tag me in a picture on Instagram or Twiter (@itsliddy)! I find these blog posts super fun to write! I hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions then don't forget to post a comment. I would love to read them! Love you all so much.