Happy Halloween: Cute & Easy DIY Projects

Last night, we hosted a pre-Halloween/housewarming party that sported a macabre vibe. It was SUPER FUN!

Guests enjoyed the DIY terror-rarium bar where they got to make their own mason jar terror-rariums with dinosaurs.

There was plenty to eat, including "mummy" dip. I took 2 long logs of herbed chevre (Trader Joe's) and shaped it into a mummy body. Then I used Trader Joe's whipped cream and put it in a pastry bag with a leaf tip and zigzagged the whip cream across the chevre to simulate ribbons of cloth. I added googly eyes to add a touch of cuteness. The extra large sushi platter the mummy is resting on is from CB2.

My friends, Brittany and Danikka, provided the dipped pretzels and cupcakes for our candy bar:

Cupcake by Danikka, photo by britt.piehl

Lurking around the house were mummified vases. They were so easy and cheap to make: wrap mason jars or any other vase in cheesecloth and secure with hot glue. Add googly eyes with hot glue and add flowers of your choice. I even did it with mini pumpkins.

And the most terrifying of all were the "Holy Bat Wings" -- tasty baked sesame chicken wings dyed black care of my friend, Dan. Rounding out the festive menu was a spicy pumpkin chowder my husband made.

Some good things to come!

Wow, it's been waaaay too long yet again since I've posted. But since August, I've coordinated 5 weddings -- from Kohl Mansion to a private estate in Napa, and then Sebastiani Winery and Cornerstone Sonoma. The brides and grooms were wonderful to work with and the details for each of them were unique and dripping with "wow" factor. I can't wait to share in the next few weeks.

And in the midst of coordinating these weddings, my husband and I moved to a new nest, Pt. Richmond, a quaint bayside town whose most famous lady is Rosie the Riveter.

I've been busy fixing up the place and last night I bought a couple of beat up dining room chairs for $20 each. I'm reupholstering them with this beautiful yellow and gray Waverly fabric from Jo Ann Fabrics (the one on the left is one of my favorite linens you can rent at a high end rental company). Hurry on in -- right now, Jo Ann Fabric is having their Moonlight Madness sale -- all their fabric is 50% off, which means I got 2 yards of this for $44 versus $88!

I don't remember how to sew, but there are lots of cool things you can do, like:

Make a table runner for a candy buffet or escort card display.

Alice and Arvi's Wedding @ Cornerstone; photo by Vera Devera

or craft a ringbearer pillow

or create bunting as a decorative element for a whimsical wedding:

Jane & Ted's Wedding @ San Francisco Zoo; photo by Kevin Chin