Last Days of Fall Decor

I love getting emails and pics from readers. These last days, I received a great surprise from Patti, with fall/halloween decor photos from her mother-in-law. Just in time for sharing them with you!

How do you like this gorgeous fall wreath? I love the colors in the dry leaves... so yummy!

Here's a close-up for you. ;) Don't you just love it? My daughter would go crazy!

More details elsewhere!

Pumpkins, grapes, dry leaves, branches... and the candle! In fact, I have three very similar candles in my living room. I love the colors in them -perfect for fall!

There's a similar arrangement in the dining room. What a pretty place, isn't it?

To wrap up, check out the beautiful legs...

... witches' legs! I love them, they look so easy to make, and look great! To bad I saw them late. I love the big pumpkins, and those spiders! Awesome!

So, which is your favorite?

Did you decorate for Halloween or Fall, or are you waiting for Christmas to come?

Oh, and if you're in the mood for fashion, check out Patti's blog, it's full of ideas!

Have a wonderful week!

Halloween Decorating- Easy Bats

We've started decorating for Halloween on the weekend. With a girl at home, Halloween is a huge holiday, and a great chance for us to have fun crafting and thinking of ideas for our home.

One of our favorite crafts is making bats. I got this idea from Country Living, so you probably know it already. In case you don't, it's a wonderful idea. Easy, unexpensive, quick, and huge impact. Seriously. Just take a look at our house!

You'll need:

Black construction paper (I chose one with a soft texture, almost velvet-like)

Scissors

Tape
Bat template from Country Living (get it here) 

How to:

  Start by printing the bat template from Country Living.

It's a good idea to resize with a photocopier. This way you'll have different bat sizes. I used 3 different sizes.

Cut out.

Following the instructions, trace the template onto your paper. Remember the template is only half the bat, so fold you paper to get the whole bat.

Cut.

This is how they look. Spooky!

I cut plenty of bats. Remember, the more, the merrier.

 

Using tape, place them everywhere. I put many in our balcony.

And our downstairs window.

The results are truly amazing! They look very real!

How do you like them?

And they're equally cool from the inside. This is how they look from our bedroom.

There you have it, one of our easiest Halloween crafts. By the way, kids love it, because they can help you out all along the way.

Meanwhile, we're still crafting our way out of Halloween. Our house is a complete mess, but it'll be over soon (I hope), and soon I'll be sharing with you our projects. We're excited, and loving it!  =)

What are you up to?
Are you into Halloween decorating?
Do tell!

Best of 2009

Happy New Year, friends!!!

I'm so excited to be starting off a new year. 2010.

Amazing, huh?

I hope y'all had a wonderful time last night, and wish you the best in 2010.

I'm starting this new year by doing a tiny little recap on last year, for those new to Casa Haus or those who would like to walk with me down Memory Lane.

2009 was an excellent year for us. We had just gotten married in August 2008, so 2009 meant settling down and arranging our little house to make it feel like home. As I started looking through the internet for inspiration, I bumped into the bloggosphere, and man, did that change me (for good, I hope). I suddenly realized I wasn't the only crazy woman thinking about her home and her decoration 24/7. That felt amazing!!!! I actually got to know more people like me, and so I let my obsession loose. House-aholic. Design-aholic. Yay!

However, that wasn't enough, so in early November I decided to start my own blog, the good ol' little Casa Haus. A place meant for you to find good design, inspiration, home decor, and a journal for my adventures making our house our home while doing everything else (you know, work, exercise, housekeeping, kid, you name it). I couln't have started off in a busier time of year, so blogging, my friends, has become one truly wonderful journey.

So, best of 2009.

Since I started blogging in November, my projects so far have revolved around the holidays. I begun by introducing you to our Halloween home.

Those decorations were so fun and easy to make. We loved them!

I showed you the beautiful twirly scarves I had made for the chilly weather. And of course, I posted on the lovely heart too.

Then Christmas time came fast.

I made a pine cone wreath, and got really excited when Centsational Girl featured it.

I made easy snowflake ornaments for our tree.

And a bunch of other last minute decorations.

In the end, our Christmas House looked cute!

And of course, there was time for easy and yummy recipes, too.

The tasty hot punch (in a cappuccino cup).

And the refreshing red wine punch.

And of course, there was time to feature some great interior design inspirations and eye candy.

What an excellent year!

What were your best experiences 2009 left you? What are your expectations for 2010?

Do share!

sharing with Melissa for Best of 2009
and Rhoda at Southern Hospitality.

Dia de muertos

Living in Mexico is a wonderful opportunity to experience unique celebrations, full of life and passions. One of such is the Dia de los muertos, which means "Day of the Dead", and takes place today: November 2th.

Day of the Dead is a very popular and beautiful tradition among Mexican people. Its actually a mixture of cultures, combining the Christian devotion with Pre-hispanic rituals and beliefs. A true party for the senses, a showcase of colors, smells, flavors, and sounds, all in one.

People make altars for their death people, where they place pictures of the deceased, as well as belongings and things, dishes, and food the person enjoyed in life. In the case of kids, toys are placed as well. This was thought to help the death people with their journey to eternal life. Flowers and candles are also a must.

While it could seem as a somewhat sad tradition, Day of the Dead is a very happy, festive, and respectful one, where death is regarded as a peaceful and transitional place for people: a place in between life and eternity.

Day of the Dead is a holiday which extends itself (as most holidays do) along late October and November. There are several iconic elements: flowers, candles, sugar skulls, and "death" bread (pretty yummy!).

All being said, it's quite obvious Day of Dead is not the same as Halloween, though some people tend to confuse them. Here in Mexico, one is able to find the most diverse opinions regarding both traditions. It's almost as if it was a popularity contest between both!

I personally believe there is place enough for both traditions. My siblings and I had the wonderful opportunity of growing up with Halloween and Day of Dead. Even as a kid, you are able to understand the difference between them, and totally enjoy both. Embrace both. Actually, I think Halloween and Day of Dead are complementary traditions, not excluding ones. Celebrating one, doesn't mean you shouldn't or couldn't celebrate the other (I know, it sounds obvious, but it isn't as clear for some people).

If you'd like to experience Day of Dead, I urge you to come visit Mexico. This is a total experience, and you'll absolutely love it!

Halloween is over...

I know, I know. It's time to start talking about Christmas now... time to start thinking about snow, chilly weather, and long scarves, among many others:

But before we do start thinking about Christmas decor, let me share with you our Halloween.

It was sooooo much fun! We loved it!

This year was special because it was the first year we took the time to make Halloween decorations. (Last year was our first year in this house, so we weren't really settled, nor had quite the energy to do so).

So, this year was pretty special. Since I didn't have much time and didn't want to spend the big bucks, I decided to go for DIY crafts, and they worked out great!

Cute cardboard letters and funny pumpkin (which were a blast for my lovely daughter):

Gorgeous mini pumpkins with candles for the living room :

A lovely chic large pumpkin I painted white and placed in the patio:

Another one more I painted a funny face on, and lots of spiders and bugs!

This one looked especially nice with candles (please forgive my dark picture here):

Last, but not least, bats and a fun windowlantern (great ideas from country living and family fun):

Kids in the neighborhood went crazy for it, and so did I! We actually had to wait 'til Halloween to cover the window, since the black cardboard darkened the master bedroom quite a lot.

It was our first Halloween to decorate home like this, and it was totally worth it!

How did you spend Halloween? Do share!