DIY Pewter Halloween Skull and Bones Decorations

A few years ago I bought a set of Martha Stewart plastic skulls and bones.  The picture on the front of the package showed the skulls glittered, but I knew I wanted to try something different.  I just didn't know what!  Fast forward to a few years later... I finally figured it out!  I love love love the look of pewter, and decided to try and replicate it on these plastic skull and bones decorations.

I LOVE the result!  I think I took the plastic bones up a notch with this easy technique, and I love the metal look they now have.  You probably don't have the same set of skeletons in the closet (haha, couldn't resist), but you could use this technique with most plastic, ceramic, or glass Halloween decorations that you might already have or that you find at the store.  Here's what you'll need...

How to Create a Faux Pewter Finish:

Supplies:

• Item to Paint (for me it was my skull and bones)
• Metallic silver paint (I used Krylon)
• Black craft paint
• Paintbrush
• Paper towels or rag

Directions:

1.  Clean the item that you will be painting with alcohol or a damp cloth, and let dry.  Spray a light, even coat of silver metallic spray paint onto the item.  Let dry.  Repeat until the item is fully covered.  With spray paint, it's always better to spray multiple light coats of paint, rather than one or two heavy coats- you'll get drips and it just doesn't look good!

2.  Brush a light coat of black over a section of the item that you are painting, focusing on any edge or detail area.  Rub off most of the black paint with a paper towel or rag, but leave enough on to give it that pewter look.  Repeat with the rest of the object- paint, then rub some off- until the entire object has been painted and rubbed.

The result will be a metallic look that isn't as shiny and new looking as it was when you painted it with the metallic silver, which is just what you want.  You want it to look worn and old and used, like pewter!  

I love how my plastic bones were transformed!  They are much more substantial now.  I put some moss on one of my cake plates, added the skulls and bones to the top, and put my cloche on top of it all.  This is about the spookiest the decorations get at my house ;)  I'm not one for scary, but I'll make an exception for these guys!

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial!  There are so many different things that you can use this technique on.  I already have another one in the works!  Stay tuned!

If you liked this project, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here: Ginger Snap Crafts, Snap!, Tatertots and Jello, 36th Avenue

Bieber Fever

Yes, I realize the post for today is waaaaayyyyy late, but I have a good excuse!!  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that I made a trip with my cute daughter to the Justin Bieber concert in Los Angeles.

It was a totally last minute trip, but when you're given two Justin Bieber tickets the day of the concert and your daughter is the biggest fan in the world, then the blog post for the next day must wait.

With L.A traffic (yes, even at midnight, UGH!) and the construction on the freeway, it took us four whole hours to drive home, which made for a long, but fun, mom and daughter bonding night.

I thought it would be fun to post a couple of my Instagram videos and photos from Tuesday night.  If you don't follow me on Instagram, I'd love for you to join along and follow me!

Here's a link to the video I posted when I told Lauryn that she would be going to the Justin Bieber concert that night... her reaction was priceless!  (On a sidenote, isn't it the worst thing hearing your own voice on a video?)

Here's a video from the first song that he sang, "All Around the World."  Belieber or not, you've got to admit, it's catchy ;)

And last, but my favorite of the night, is this picture of my daughter and I together after the concert.  It was dark and it's not the best quality photo, but it was her first concert, and it was fun to be able to share that first with her.

So what do you think of the Biebs?  The one thing I really like about him is his positive message of believing in yourself, and that you can accomplish anything if you work hard enough and dream big enough.  Because we all need that reminder now and again.

xo, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Of Monsters and Men

Happy Friday!!  Ever heard of the band Of Monsters and Men?  They're my pick this week for my Favorite Music Friday!  

They have a cool story- In 2010, when no one had heard of them, they performed in their country, Iceland's, battle of the bands.  They won, and grew huge almost instantly.  Their first album came in in April last year, so they are relatively new, but their music is amazing.  Give  them a listen and see if you agree!

This first song I'm sharing, called "Little Talks," is so catchy and contagious, I could honestly listen to it again. and again. and again.  It's actually blasting right now as we speak and the kiddos are sleeping ;)  

  

Another amazing song, "King and Lionheart."

I hope you like Of Mice and Men as much as I do!!

P.S  I see from my stats that there are lots of people who read my Friday music posts, but I don't get many comments on Fridays.  Do you guys like this, or would you rather see something else?  Be honest, I can handle it :)  It's kind of a nice break for me to talk about something different, but I'm curious what everyone else thinks!

Have a great weekend!  And happy early St. Patrick's Day!!  I'm making corned beef, rosemary Irish soda bread, and red potatoes... no boiled cabbage this time.  No one ate it last year, not even me :)

xo, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: A Fine Frenzy

This Favorite Music Friday is all about A Fine Frenzy, which is Alison Sudal.  Love her voice and her songs, and I love that the name A Fine Frenzy came from a line in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  Makes me like her that much more!

My little 4-year-old inspired this post in the car this week- "Mom, can you please put on the song that goes, 'It's electric twist, it's electric twist, yeah?"  Such good tast already for one so young ;)  This one is dedicated to her!  Enjoy!

"Electric Twist"

"Come On, Come Out"

Happy Friday everyone!

xo, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Feist

Yippee, it's Favorite Music Friday!  Today I'd like to share another favorite singer with you- Feist.  I love her style, and her music is amazing.  She was nominated for four Grammy's for her album, The Reminder.  If you have Sesame Street fans in your home, you might have even heard her perform "1234."  I was pretty excited when I heard her singing years ago when my kids had it on- sure beats Elmo's World!

Here's Feist in her bedazzled blue jumpsuit singing "1234."  Hey, not everyone can pull off that outfit!

"Mushaboom."

And because I love this one too and couldn't pick just two songs, here's one more, "I Feel It All."  

Have a great weekend!!

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Melody Gardot

Happy Friday everyone!!  I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine's Day yesterday!

Today's Favorite Music Friday artist is Melody Gardot, an amazing and talented jazz/blues singer.  Her music is so relaxing, and her voice is so beautiful.  She has been nominated for a Grammy, and has overcome very severe injuries after a bad accident, and having to lie in a hospital bed for a year.

Her story is absolutely amazing.  I won't go into details here, but I highly recommend googling her name to read more about it!

And here are a couple videos to kick start your weekend...  have a good one!!

Baby I'm a Fool

"If the Stars Were Mine"  This one has no official video, but it's my favorite of hers, so I'm adding it anyway! ;)

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Matt & Kim

Okay, it's finally Friday (has this been the longest week for anyone else too?!?), so that means it's time for another fun-filled edition of my Favorite Music Friday!  I'm not sure what type of music you could classify Matt & Kim as, but I can tell you that I love listening to it!  Their music is unique and upbeat and fun. 

Give them a listen...

"Daylight"

"Block After Block"

Did you like?  

Hope you have a great weekend!!  I'll be making a little trip to the Apple Store to replace my five year old iMac...  maybe that's why this week couldn't be over fast enough?!  ;)

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Lenka

Lenka is an Austrailian singer-songwriter, and is another of my favorites!  Her music is light and fun to listen to.  Give her a a try and see if you agree!!

If you have a newer Disney movie, then the song "Everything At Once"will probably sound familiar. It's in a Disney commercial for Disney blue-rays before the movie starts.  I love the words of this song, and can totally relate- who doesn't want to be everything at once?!

You've probably heard this one, too, called "The Show."  I chose her two most popular songs, because most of her songs don't have videos.  

Happy listening!  Have a great weekend!!

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Lindsey Stirling

Happy Friday!  Every Friday I choose a musician or band that I love to highlight and introduce you to. Although I just found out about Lindsey Stirling, I'm pretty intrigued with her style and beautiful music.

She is a violinist, but also a composer and dancer.  She is unique because she plays songs that she has composed on the violin, while dancing and jumping gracefully through the air.  It is something that I've never seen before, and her YouTube videos are cinematic and beautiful to watch.  

She is currently on a U.S. tour, and my husband, two older kids, and I will be going to her concert (all ages show) soon!  Here's a couple of my favorite videos of hers:

This song is called "Crystallize," and was filmed in Colorado.

This one is called "Shadows."

Arent' they fun?  What do you think?  Would you go to a concert of hers?  Leave me a comment telling me what you think!

Have a great weekend!  It's rainy here and I am loving it!!

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: The Civil Wars

I love love love the singing duo The Civil Wars.  Their music is beautiful, haunting, and has a stripped-down, raw feel to it.  Their debut, and only album at this point was released in February 2011, which I remember because we bought it on our way up to Lake Arrowhead for a family vacation.  We listened to the album traveling there and back, and whenever I hear their voices I am taken back to snow-capped trees and blinding white mountains.  Love it.

The video for the beautiful song "Poison & Wine."

Joy and John, singing "I've Got This Friend" live.

I hope you enjoy their music.  Every single song on their album is amazing.  Have a great weekend!!

XO,  Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Andrew Bird

Today I want to share with you a very talented singer, songwriter, and violinist, Andrew Bird.  We own just about all of his many albums, and love his style and music.  His lyrics are very thoughtful and witty, and his music, although the styles range somewhat from album to album, is very instrumental and beautiful.  Oh, and did I mention he is an amazing whistler, and whistles in many of his songs?! Love that. Give him a listen!

This song is one of my top favorites, "Fitz and Dizzyspells."  And yes, he whistles in this one!

This is another one of my favorites, "Measuring Cups," sung live.  You have to hear the regular version, too, because all of his live songs sound pretty different than his album versions, which is the sign of a true artist to me :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

XO, Laura

Favorite Movie Friday: Les Miserables!

Yes, Fridays are usually all about music here at Make Life Lovely, but I just couldn't help myself this week.  Les Miserables has been my favorite book for over 10 years now since I first read it in Paris, former home of Victor Hugo (the author).  The book is absolutely amazing. I have read it three or four times, and seen the Broadway musical five times.  Being the huge fan that I am, I was very apprehensive about the movie, scared that they would "ruin" it.

So it is with great pleasure that I can tell you that I LOVED the movie.   I cried, okay, more like sobbed, throughout the whole thing.  It was so moving and touching and had such depth to it.  At first I was a little disappointed with the vocals, but as the movie went on (and Anne Hathaway sang!), I realized that the trade off was that I could see the emotion and expression of the actors, something that you just can't get from the play.

Anne Hathaway, who usually kind of bugs me, was spectacular and utterly believable as poor Fantine. Hugh Jackman was an amazing and perfect Jean Valjean, and I loved Marius, Eponine, Gavroche, and the young Cosette as well.  My only real complaint about this movie is Russell Crowe, who I usually love as an actor, but who fell totally flat for me as the unbending Inspector Javert.  Javert only knows justice and the strict letter of the law, but Crowe's portrayal of him was nothing like in the book or the play. I read an interview with Crowe where he stated that when we watched the play for the first time he hated the character of Javert, and thought that it was "too black and white."  He said that he wanted to "explore" the character, and portray him in a way that has never been done before. Didn't work for me.  But that is my only minor complaint, I thought that everyone and everything else was brilliant!

If you have not seen this amazing movie yet, you need to go.  Just remember to bring along a few tissues.  And you might want to pick up the soundtrack on the way home, because you will be singing the songs for the next few days, and you might as well sing the correct words, right? ;)

Here's an extended trailer for the movie.

Samantha Barks as Eponine singing "On My Own."

And I just couldn't resist...  Here's the Polish cast of Les Miserables doing a flash mob in the mall!

I'd love to hear your opinions about the book, play, or movie!  Are you a fan too?

Have a great weekend!!  Is it really the weekend already?!

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday Christmas Edition: She & Him

Do you guys love Zooey Deschanel as much as I do?  She is quirky and funny, and has her own unique voice that I love.  My brother recently introduced me to a Christmas album by Zooey and M. Ward, when put together make up the group She & Him.

Their Christmas album, "A Very She & Him Christmas," is a lot of the traditional Christmas songs, but sung with a fun vintage twist to them.  Check them out!

Here's the classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside," but with a little twist- the girl is the one trying to get the guy to stay!

Here they (mainly she) sing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,"with Conan joining along on guitar.

Merry Christmas!!  Can you believe it's only 6 days away?!?  Time to start wrapping...

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Mumford & Sons

It's Friday (yippee!), and time for another edition of Favorite Music Friday.  My pick for the week is the very talented Mumford & Sons.  Their music is so catchy and contagious, and once one of their songs is in my head I just can't get it out, which is a good thing.

My kids love singing along in the car, too, except for the couple songs I have to skip due to some profanity.  There's a good chance you have probably heard of them (they are more mainstream than some of the other bands and singers I've featured), but hey, good music is good music, right?

This is the video for one of my favorite songs of theirs, "The Cave."

This is their live Red Rocks performance of the song "I Will Wait" from their recent second album, Babel.  So jealous of those screaming fans at the concert.  Wish I were there!

Hope you enjoyed these songs.  Check out their albums, they're great!  Happy Friday!!!

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Vampire Weekend!

Notice the exclamation point in the title?  I am thrilled to be featuring my absolute most favorite band ever, Vampire Weekend.

Vampire Weekend has two albums out, and I can (and do) listen to them every single day and never get tired of them.  Their music is so fun and upbeat, and I am in an instant good mood when I am listening to them.  I went to their concert last year and my husband and I both agree it was our favorite concert of all time.  AMAZING!!!

Their music is really hard to describe because they have their own unique sound, so check them out! Some of my favorite songs of theirs don't have videos to share, but here are a few good ones...

Oh, and I dare you to be grumpy during this first song... it is seriously IMPOSSIBLE :)  This song has been my ring tone for a while now.

A-Punk

Giving Up the Gun

Cousins

Go check out the rest of their songs on i-tunes, because like I said, some of my favorite Vampire Weekend songs don't have a video to share.  The lyrics to their songs are so witty and intelligent, and their songs are so darn catchy.  Instant happiness.

Leave a comment and let me know if you love them even a little bit ;)  It would make my day.  

Happy listening!

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Andrew Belle

This week's music artist I want to share with you is named Andrew Belle.  His music is so heartfelt, and he has such a wonderfully relaxing and unique voice.

Here are the videos for two of my favorites, The Ladder and Static Waves (which features Katie Herzig). 

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

XO, Laura

Favorite Music Friday: Elizaveta

Happy Friday!  I recently discovered an amazing singer named Elizaveta.  Her album is called "Beatrix Runs," and I can't. stop. listening.

She has such a beautiful, haunting voice, and her song "Dreamer" is so addicting that my husband has even had it on repeat for about a half hour now, no joke.  You've got to listen to this song!!

And here's one more song of hers, called "Armies of the Heart."  This is the itunes live version.

Be sure to leave a comment below if you love her music as much as I do. 

Have a great weekend!!

XO, Laura