Halloween Luminaries and Black Mice

You, too, can make a Mouse Motel just like Martha Stewart's. Her zine gives good directions at Good Things.

When I saw this photo in the latest issure of Martha Stewart, it delighted me to the point of actually trying to find some realistic mice to use in decorations this fall.

(You can read about how to make Martha's Mouse Motel here at Good Things, and directions are given also.)

Look what I found at WalMart for One US Dollar per mouse!

These mice are black, felted, and just the size of a well fed rodent.

I put one in the cupboard next to the spices and got a chuckle when DH opened the cabinet; yeh, it does not take much to amuse me.

(ghost picture jars courtesy of Family Corner)

And I even tried making Craft Style luminaries with paper lunch bags discussed here at Halloween crafts. Target was my shopper's paradise for lunch bags at a reasonable price of less than two dollars for 40 red paper sacks.

A picture of luminary supplies:

The first attempt at spraying acrylics on the paper bags was not successful because I thinned the paint with too much water. Starting over the next day with a clean spray bottle (be sure to soap out the acrylic from the spray nozzle or it will never spray again!), the second try turned out better. Instead of votive candles, I used battery powered tea lights.

But for Halloween Night, because there were so many bags in the package, I will go ahead and use all 40 sacks and put votive candles in glass holders inside them.

Spade Foot Toads - Wee!

We have tiny toads in our backyard. A Google search came up with this picture from Yahoo showing this tree frog sitting on the finger of a German zookeeper:

This site says

Tree frogs are very interesting creatures that can be found throughout the world. The most distinguishing characteristic of this frog is the tiny suction cups on the tip of each toe. In the family of tree frogs there are hundreds of species with over thirty genera. While most prefer to make their homes in trees there are two known species, chorus frogs and cricket frogs, that have evolved to a ground living life-style. These somewhat small frogs tend to have a rather contorted appearance that is caused by the fusion of the skin on the head to their skulls.

One of the amazing facts about the tree frog is the wide variety of habitats they are often found in. These small creatures are known to be very developed in the manner used to raise their young with some even building nests and other species carrying the young with them on their backs.

Here are two pictures snapped yesterday of a little frog from our garden:

It might not be a tree frog, but it surely was cute!

From KCTV 5 News in Florida:

-- There has been a whole lot of hopping going on in a Jacksonville, Fla., subdivision -- it was recently invaded by throngs of tiny toads. While one toad is kind of cute, when thousands started hoping around in the Hampton Glenn subdivision, residents told WJCT News 4 that they began to wonder what's going on. "There was probably -- at least -- 100-plus covering my driveway," said one resident. "Probably hundreds in one square yard," said another.Some neighbors said it seems like the toad population tripled overnight. "(They're) just covering my driveway, my garage, my front door. I couldn't get into my house without them getting in," said one neighbor.

University of North Florida biology professor Dr. Joe Butler said what residents are likely seeing are spade foot toads. He said the adults live underground, and the amphibians came out to lay their eggs in the puddles and standing water left behind after Tropical Storm Fay. The eggs have since hatched, and apparent increased toad population is the result. "The strategy being to avoid having to lay their eggs in areas where fish are going to eat them," Butler said. He said if the toads survive the birds and other small animals that will try to eat them, they will grow to be full size toads. "People should very happy to have them," said Butler. "It's great for the mosquito control -- the more the better ."

Oxi Clean: Go Green and Make it Yourself

Searching for an alternative to remove stains (aside from commercial products), I looked into the ingredients contained in Oxyclean, one of man's best friends for removing stains stains. According to Household Products formulation, OxiClean consists of hydrogen peroxide and citric acid. It is a product readily available, and on on-line search found it on sale at WalMart for $4.39 for the regular size spray bottle.

At Health To Home, you can make it yourself by using the following recipe to make a pet stain remover that works wonders:

1 bottle of hydrogen peroxide
2 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. laundry soap

Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle and shake. Spray stain (even old ones!) and let sit for a few minutes. Use a shop vac, or a towel to sop it up. The hydrogen peroxide bubbles and brings the stain to the surface. When dry, vacuum thoroughly.

You could even add a bit of white vinegar to help battle the smell.

Price to Go Green and Make it Yourself: about 50 cents, according to this price breakdown:

Bottle of hydrogen peroxide: under $1 for a LARGE bottle which will make two full spray bottles of the purchased cleaner
Baking soda and laundry soap $.10 (approximation)
Recycled spray bottle: no cost because one is probably in your trash recycling

And I did make up this formula, and it did work.

So why do we spend 10 times the amount for the brand name? Because they do a heck of a marketing job to us through the media!