My Bubbling Cauldron DIY

How to make a mess free bubbling cauldron, that is kid safe and fun to look at.

First I found a black plastic cauldron. Mine isn't big.. it's a smaller cheepo one. You could easily find something bigger, check out thrift stores.

I then bought a Gemmy Fire and Ice light at Home Depot. Our Home Depot is done with Halloween and on to Christmas already, but I found them here also. I also saw that Grandin Road had a plug in version that stays on all the time, where as mine is battery operated and you have to clap or stomp to get it to light.

It makes a very cool effect, like watery flames.

Set in the center of the cauldron.

Next you need some sheer white fabric, this happens to be a curtain panel. Again, thrift stores are brimming with these curtains for a couple dollars. You could even try a colored one for a different look.

I added it to the pot. 

I stuffed it in, and around the light, but not over the top of it.

This is how it looked, I decided it was a bit flat so I pulled up two edges a bit. Still leaving an opening for the light to reflect on the ceiling. 

The ceiling effect is pretty darn cool.

It looks like bubbling flames, but no worries about fingers exploring the pot. And if you want it inside, unlike dry ice, no water mess. Bonus you get cool ceiling effects for your party. 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Though I may upgrade to the plug in version at some point. Maybe when I find one on sale. ;)

Linking up to:

The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday

Our Halloween Front Porch: By Day and Night

Welcome to our Halloween front porch tour.

Well the wet season is finally here in the Seattle area. We had an unbelievably warm and dry first couple weeks in October, were talking beach weather still... but now fall is finally here. The rain and the leaves are coming down.

Come walk up our leaf strewn driveway...

........ and up to our porch.

We are the crazy neighbors that decorate for Halloween.. not just fall season. 

Now grant you, we have younger kiddos. So nothing too creepy or gross. No blood or guts.

Some stuff is cute and happy...

Some are a bit furry. Go ahead, ring the door bell... he won't bite. (much)

The witch is currently absent from her pink rocking chair. Her cupboard is open and ready for casting spells this Halloween. 

I used the old garden gates to frame the potions wall hanging, added a bit a creepy cloth and some ravens and lights. 

A couple skulls and spiders are about as spooky as we can go. This skull has been named "Bob" 

The talking raven in the cage is new this year. I found him at HomeDepot and loved him. The kid safe cauldron is fairly simple. You can find DIY instructions here. 

With stuff still boxed from our move, I couldn't find my fall wreath. I did find my old fake pumpkin vines I found years ago at Goodwill. I stuck those on one of my white metal stars, added a sparkly dotted bow and some tiny red LED lights. 

The pumpkins from the patch are not carved yet. They spoil way too fast here in the wet. In fact we had one turn to mush already and is currently being happily munched on by our composting worms.

Closer view of the "make do" wreath.

If you need a rest, the swing is waiting. It's a nice dry spot to watch the rain come down. 

You can stay and wait for the sun to drop... 

.... then the house looks like this.

I just love fairy lights! They are the best at taking away the gloom. Though I admit they do make the house less creepy. A dark house would be best for that. In this case, we have quite a few little kids in our neighborhood and trick or treat is really more for them anyway. We try to stay just enough scary to be exciting, but not make little kids cry. 

I added orange bulbs to the exterior lights.

Who's watching you? 

I like to stick plastic pumpkins in my plantings, they can be used longer than real pumpkins and they are so easy to come by at thrift stores. I also stuck in some branches from a dead tree in our yard. 

The cauldron is bubbling away... 

...... you can see the reflection on the ceiling. 

These two dudes like to hang out in my bistro chairs. They tend to get too waterlogged in the yard. (and used as a punching bag by my boys)

The red LED's in the wreath are only lit occasionally to save battery, but they give a zip to the look. 

That's all of it... 

Happy Halloween!

Linking up to:

Savvy Southern Style

Snap!

Seven Thirty Three

French Country Cottage

Pumpkin Patch Wanderings

We live pretty close to our local pumpkin patch. So close that we drive by it anytime we go anywhere and we would watch the pumpkins getting bigger and brighter every month. The farm is a very pastoral setting. On our wooded island it is a treat to wander around a farm in the open light. Here the pumpkin patch is nestled in between vineyards used in local wine making.

The day we went was slightly cloudy, that seems to make the pumpkins colors even brighter. My older son went with me to help choose some pumpkins to carve and some small ones to add around the house that will stay throughout Thanksgiving.

They had some very interesting squash. I loved this one that was "tiger striped"

And lots of interesting shapes.

The farm also has this interesting building.. I'm not sure it's purpose. Maybe a viewing stand to watch the harvest, call in the crew for breaks? This farm is the oldest farm on the island still being farmed and this building looks fairly old. 

In the end we picked out two pumpkins for carving, a handful of small pumpkins, a couple cute squash and one "warty" white pumpkin and one of the red pumpkins. I also picked up an acorn squash that will be one of this weeks side dishes. My husband made a trip with my younger son to choose his carving pumpkins and we ended up with more of the small ones too. 

The pumpkins will be in our photos for our Candlelight House Tour and our Halloween Porch post. 

Halloween Candlelight Tour

Welcome to our cottage candlelight Halloween tour. We are a bit Halloween crazy around here, but we have two boys that are young enough to have sleepless nights if things look too creepy. So we go with classic Halloween colors, with a touch of cutesy and glitter. Of course lots of pumpkins everywhere. 

Our fireplace dressed with small pumpkins and gourds. My white owl vases, a white trellis I borrowed from the pouch, candles and a Halloween bunting that I picked up at an after season sale. 

I found these cute "haunted house" votives in a store on the island.

A touch of glittery spiders.

I switched out the vinyl ottoman for my hubby's wood trunk. It's wood adds some fall color to the room and it has great storage. More little pumpkins and my Pottery Barn napkin pillows. 

I use mostly LED candles. With my curious boys who like to experement by putting random things into flames, I only light real candles in high places, or after 8:30 P.M. So these candles are my friends, I can have the cozy glow anytime of the day, worry free. These happen to be the remote controlled candles from Costco, I'm pretty happy with them so far. 

The china hutch has been turned into a Halloween village. I collect Department 56 buildings and I love how they look at night. They also make some spooky sounds, so no need for a soundtrack if you have a Halloween party.

The nook's table is kept simple. A poison place mat and some leaves added to our lantern. The boys regularly slather the table with maple syrup, so I need the surface to be kept clear for wiping down. I have a black lace "spiderweb" table cloth I can put on it for a spooky dinner. 

Behind the sofa, more fall candle holders on top of a spooky runner. Can you spot the friendly ghost on the shelf? 

The old sewing machine has a friendly witch, and a spiderweb cauldron candle holder. My glass cabinets have some ceramic pumpkins added to the white and china.

And more ceramic pumpkins on the other side of the kitchen.

The stairs are decorated with a bit of creepy cloth and a garland. The entry table holds a friendly, glittery witch with her cauldron (really a scented wax warmer) a spell book that actually holds candy. One of the Pottery Barn napkins for color and some real leaves from our maple tree.

Thanks for visiting, come back soon for look at our outdoor Halloween decor. Check out our trip to the pumpkin patch too. 

Linking up to:

Savvy Southern Style

Domestically Speaking

The Cottage Market