Happy Halloween!

We hope you enjoy the day and create special memories with your child. Remember to be aware and be safe!

Easy Spooky Treats to Make

Perk up your gatherings and school parties with these easy to make spooky treats. They don't require any special ingredients or talents; just adapt your favorite recipes to fit.

These fun ideas come from Food dot com and other places around the web. The kids can help put together most of these treats so enjoy some family time creating your own spooktacular fare!


These deviled eggs are one of my favorites -they are so cute!

Use a dog bone cookie cutter to make these little sandwiches. Fill them with the kids favorite sandwich food to make 'sandwich bones'.

Use your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe to make a cupcake graveyard -complete with tombstones.

These cheese and pretzel 'broomsticks' are great healthy treats. They're adorable, too!

These chattering teeth can be made with either cookies and frosting, or as a healthy snack with apple slices.

Make this pumpkin cake from your favorite bundt recipe. Who wouldn't love some of these strawberry ghosts? Their miniature chocolate chip faces are so cute.

Enjoy some family time with the kids putting together some spooky treats. And maybe share a few with your neighbor!

Make Light Up Pumpkins

I love the light up pumpkins, especially at night. These can be made with either real pumpkins or the artificial ones found at craft stores.

A drill is used to make the holes and light strings inserted. There are so many designs you could use, of course, the more complicated the design the longer it will take to make.

A great tutorial for making the light up pumpkins can be found on One Little Project, here. And there is one at The Garden Glove, here.

These ideas will spark your creative juices - enjoy the light show!

Stained Carport

Stain can beautifully transform the look of concrete with very little effort. I helped a friend renew the look of her carport with stain. This can be done with concrete stain with beautiful results that will last.

However, she had two partial cans of wood stain so we decided to go with inexpensive; we only purchased masking tape. It was a small carport so just a few rolls were needed.

We moved everything out of the carport, swept it, and cleaned it up some. We didn't try to remove the stains already on the concrete as they would add dimension to the look. We then measured and taped off the concrete in 18 inch squares. (The concrete was not as clean as it appears in this photo.)

This can be done to follow a wall or you can do it in a diamond-style pattern. We followed the long house wall as it was easier to mark. After sticking down the masking tape we used old rags and the left over wood stain to stain the concrete (wear rubber gloves!).

The stains we used were medium dark colors and we applied them with old, soft rags in a circular motion. We worked quickly so each block could be blended with its neighbor. The staining went rather quickly.

We did this project in summer so the drying time was minimal. Once dry, we simply pulled up the masking tape.

This is a wonderful look and makes an old carport look good again. Since we used wood stains and no topcoat, 3 months later the look has 'softened' up some. That is a good match for her house since it isn't new, but if you want to keep the bold, new look you should use stain made for concrete and a topcoat.

Just make sure the topcoat you choose won't make the concrete slippery when it is wet.

Gorgeous 14kt Gold Filled ID Bracelets

Our newest ID bracelets for kids are gorgeous in 14kt gold filled. These beautiful ID bracelets are not gold plated; they are 14kt gold filled -the best quality!

Gold plating has only a miniscule layer of solid gold applied to a brass base. Gold plating wears off quickly and does not stand up to heat, water or wear.

Gold filled is legally required to contain 1/20 gold by weight and is either 12kt or 14kt gold. Gold filled is permanently bonded to its base and is a lifetime product.

Our 14kt gold filled ID bracelets are made in America and come with a manufacturer's warranty against defect.

The 14kt gold filled Cross ID bracelet is a best seller and is perfect for both girls and boys.

Shop 14kt Gold Filled Cross ID bracelet.

Our 14kt gold filled hearts ID bracelet is beautiful and a perfect ID for girls.

Shop 14kt Gold Filled Hearts ID bracelet.

Shop all ID Bracelets for Kids here.

Framed Baby Dress

Framing a baby dress can make a special piece of 'artwork' for a child's room.

While helping a friend re-design the room her granddaughters stayed in when they came to visit, I found an old baby dress that had belonged to one of the girls. It was such a darling dress, we decided to clean it up and frame it as artwork for the walls.

We wanted the project to be simple; this framing method doesn't protect the dress from damage or dust. However, it was easy to do and looks adorable in the room.

We measured the width and height of the dress (plus a little extra), then cut 1 x 2's for the frame and painted them white. We used a piece of luan for the back. We covered the luan with batting and yellow gingham fabric stapled onto the back side.

We then nailed the back onto the white frame and we were ready to hang the dress.

To hang the dress we simply used quilting pins -they are very short and don't show. We cut a piece of white poster board and folded it into an open "V" shape; we inserted this into the dress to make it puff out and used a little masking to attach it to the inside.

That's it!

This project can be adapted to make a frame that will protect the dress or other special piece, but we wanted to keep it simple. We hung the 'dress artwork' in the kids room and it makes a charming piece with family history.

Adorable Homemade Children's Costumes

There are some amazingly creative homemade costumes on the web and we have collected some of our favorites here.

This candy corn costume for babies is just adorable! There are no fussy bows or belts, etc. to get in the way. It is just perfect for a tiny one.

Most of the following costumes have been made with tulle which is fairly inexpensive and comes in every color you can think of.

You can buy tulle on rolls like ribbon; cut it the lengths you need and tie it onto elastic or other stretchy material.

These adorable costumes for kids will get your creativity flowing. Just add imagination!

Pocahontas was found on Dear Lillie Blog, here.

Little Red Riding Hood can be purchased at Your Sparkle Box; or you can create your own.

These precious little black cats were found on Pinterest. Can you say, "Meow"?

And one of my very favorites - this charming scarecrow is from Lauries tutu boutique, here.

These are just a few of the wonderful ideas out there. These can be easily made and you can make them your own.

Charming Jewelry Boxes for Girls

Whether she likes ballet or horses, The Gingham Grasshopper has a charming selection of jewelry boxes for girls.

We have selected our jewelry boxes for their quality and also affordability. We have chosen well known brands such as Mele & Co., Reed & Barton, and Enchantments; so you can be sure of fine quality workmanship.

Our jewelry boxes come in a wide variety of styles. Little girls have always loved ballerinas and we have two beautiful jewelry boxes for the ballet lover. These jewelry boxes have a ballet design and a pop-up twirling ballerina. The tune played is, Waltz of the Flowers.

For the more upbeat young lady our owl jewelry box is a darling design. This box has bright colored owls and trees, a pink interior, and a pop-up twirling ballerina. The tune played is, Waltz of the Flowers.

For the girl who loves outdoors and horses, we have two adorable styles. These jewelry boxes have pop-up twirling horses and the tune they play is, The Good Old Summertime.

We also have a great selection of wooden jewelry boxes for girls. All of our jewelry boxes are lined to protect her growing jewelry collection. Come visit our jewelry box category to see all our wonderful boxes.

Shop for Girls Jewelry Boxes

Fall Table Decorating

Beautiful table decorations and centerpieces don't have to be expensive. With a little creativity and these ideas to spark your imagination you'll be on your way to a gorgeous seasonal table!

When choosing decorations for your dining table think narrow. You want the table to look great, but be sure to leave lots of space for eating. Don't let your decorations get in the way of the festivities. It's also best to keep things low so diners don't have to look 'around' the decorations to converse with each other.

These small white pumpkins are gorgeous and they are paired with foliage that is dark and contrasts well. The small orange pumpkins are paired with simple white candles.

When using real pumpkins, such as these, be sure to place the decorations on something you won't mind getting messed up in case the bottoms should 'leak'. Something as simple as a piece of wood or at least wax paper will protect your table or fabric runner.

I love the look of the apples and greenery. It is amazing how wonderful a bag of apples and some greenery (probably from bushes) plus (dollar store) white candles can look.

If you more of a 'centerpiece' this white pumpkin filled with natural-looking items is very elegant.

This simple idea uses leaves and acorns to make a lovely display. Use varying heights and groups of 3 to make a display like this pleasing.

This piece has a more rustic feel but is just as beautiful. You can create this for just about any color scheme.

A great idea for creating your own amazing look is this gourd. A pattern was drawn on in pencil then hot glue was used to make the design. Once the glue is completely dried, just paint! You can find the instructions here, at everydaydishes.

All of these ideas are wonderful and can be adapted to your table with little expense. Now the hardest thing you will encounter is deciding which idea you like best for your fall table! Which one is your favorite?

October's Birthstone -Pink Tourmaline

Pink tourmaline is the modern birthstone for October. It is a beautiful rosy pink faceted gemstone. Our 14kt gold October birthstone ring has a beautifully faceted pink tourmaline.

Tourmaline is a complex silicate that contains boron. The stone has a larger color range than any other gemstone - it is available in every color! The Mohs hardness for tourmaline is 7 -7.5, so it is a fairly hard stone.

Pink tourmaline is said to be a stone of the heart; it is soothing and gives feelings of comfort.

White opal is the traditional birthstone for October. Opals are a hydrated amorphous form of silica.

White opals have a pale white body tone and display many beautiful flashing colors.

Most white opals are from Australia and come from the Coober Pedy mines. The Mohs hardness for opals is 5.5 -6; so they are moderately soft stones. Take special care of your jewelry containing opals.

For jewelry, most opals are cut and polished as smooth, domed cabochons; they are not faceted.

The Gingham Grasshopper offers a large selection of birthstone rings, earrings, and necklaces for children, teens, and adults.

Our baby earrings come in the popular screw back style and are available in sterling silver or 14kt white and yellow gold.

We also offer baby and children's bracelets with genuine birthstones.

Our selection includes gorgeous engraved bracelets in cultured pearls, plus baby name bracelets with birthstones.

Discover the perfect birthstone jewelry for your birthday girl in our wide selection of bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces.

Birthstone rings for children
Birthstone rings for teens and adults
Birthstone earrings for children
Birthstone earrings for teens and adults
Birthstone necklaces for children
Birthstone necklaces for teens and adults
Children's bracelets
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