Salty Halloween Pirate Mirror

Halloween has been in full

swing here for a while.

As many of you know we are 

building a new house, and 

most of the Halloween 

decor boxes were already 

taken to storage.  

(You may not believe that 

if you see my house all 

decorated!)

But Beaulah and I decided we 

had to decorate to be happy 

while we pack endless boxes!

It has really lifted my mood 

to have the house decorated 

and it opened the way to 

having the house ready 

for all of the last parties 

we want to have in this 

Haunted House.

In the thrift store pile was 

this old frame - that I had 

no place for in the new house.

The pirate skeleton was also 

being tossed!  

Then I decided - since I wasn't 

busy at all - haha - that I 

wanted a Halloween Craft 

Project.  

We had the pirate skeleton 

for years and only used him 

once.  He is undersized and 

had a peg leg and I just didn't 

like him much.  

So I got out my bread knife 

and sawed his lower body 

off - ZZZZ  - and then took 

his eye patch off and gouged 

a hole - trying to sound 

Halloweenish here!  

Then I stripped him of 

his headband and he was 

ready to be transformed 

with some gold paint. 

I didn't have to do 

anything to the mirror.  

A crystal knob that I had 

around the house became 

his eye - my favorite part!!!

Then I glued his headband 

back on.  I tried him without 

and he just wasn't the same. 

And we are in love with him. 

My three year old 

granddaughter was oohing 

and aahing over the 

Halloween decor in the 

living room.  I took her 

back in and pointed him out.  

She said with eyes wide open, 

"OH!  I didn't see that!" 

Now instead of the thrift 

pile he will have a place 

in our Halloween home 

for years to come.

I will be posting with 

Metamorphosis Monday

Show Your Creativity

Happy Haunting Kitchen

Halloween decorating is all 

done and we are enjoying some 

new things at 

Purple Chocolat Home.  

This will probably be our 

last month here, and definitely 

our last Halloween here, 

but I decided I would have fun 

decorating for Halloween 

anyhow.

You have seen me decorate 

my kitchen counter with 

my boards for years, but 

this year I decided to elevate 

them.  My son had made me 

this small board several years 

ago and I purchased acrylic 

feet and glued them on the 

bottom to create some 

height, interest and bling.

After he had given me that black 

board, I decided I wanted a large 

one so I ran to Home Depot and 

purchased a board and painted it 

black and sanded it a little.  

We had these feet that I got on 

Amazon and I asked hubby to 

screw them in.  It literally took 

less than 15 minutes to elevate 

this board.  Everyone who has 

seen these loves the change. 

I like layering the smaller 

board in front of the 

larger board.  

Most of my Halloween 

decor was already boxed 

and moved, but my two 

Haunted Houses were in 

special boxes to be hand 

carried.  I decided I needed 

some decor out, so I 

got these out and that 

started the decorating!

I also had to display my new 

furry cat pumpkin from 

Home Goods.  The grandkids 

really love the houses and 

the furry pumpkin.  They 

are really good to just look 

and not touch.  

Hubby went with my son and 

grandson to a Jet's game in 

New York and he asked what 

I wanted him to bring back.  

I said, "Oh, go to the 

Mackenzie-Childs store and 

get me something!"

So he went and took pictures 

and I chose this.  What a great 

guy!!  

Beaulah is happy with all of the fun new changes and she is ready to party.  We are advertising all of our parties as our "Last Halloween Party Here" but we are excited to move.  

I will be posting this withTablescape ThursdayMetamophosis MondayLove Your Creativity

Happy Painting for the New House

Life has been extra crazy for the past year and a half because we are building a new house.  We have had this property for over 35 years and lived out here in the old house for 3 years in the 90's.  Our oldest daughter lives next door with her darling 7 children and we can't wait to live next to them.
It seems to have taken forever, but when I looked at the date on this picture, it was just a year ago, so I guess we have made good progress. 
Cabinets are in, painting is in progress and railings are starting to be installed. 
We are hoping for a move in by the end of the year.  I told them I wanted to be in by Halloween, but no one ever gets in by their move in dates, do they?!!

Besides sorting and boxing, I 

have had a few painting projects.  

I ordered these balloon chairs, 

but the color was way off from 

my table and the other cane 

chairs I had purchased.  

I am always nervous to try to 

paint something like this, but 

I started with Country Gray 

acrylic paint on a sponge 

brush and had a microfiber 

towel in the other hand to 

wipe off where I needed.  

It went really quickly, 

and I even did the second 

one while a darling three 

year old granddaughter 

played down in the basement 

by my side. 

This Orangerie is the room 

that will house these chairs 

and a gray washed table. 

An Orangerie, if you aren't 

familiar with the term was 

a place where tropical plants, 

including citrus plants were 

brought in during the winter.  

We have had palms that we 

bring out during the summer 

and bring into the basement 

for 20 years, so we will use 

it for that, but it will also be 

a room for entertaining.  

It is one of my favorite 

rooms in the house, and 

you will find me here during 

the cold winter months 

soaking up the south sun!

I will be posting this with 

Metamorphosis Monday

Tales of the Traveling Tote #36 and A Giveaway

Welcome to our September 2023

edition of 

Tales of the Traveling Tote.  

Here at Purple Chocolat Home 

the summer has been consumed 

with building our new home 

(now into it 20 months!)

and trying to go through 33 years 

of too much stuff! 

It is mind boggling and we 

are so sentimental that 

we want to bring most 

everything with us! 

Well, not really, but way too 

much! We have already done 16 

Suburban loads to thrift stores 

and tons of trash can loads, 

but between entertaining, costumes, 

tablescaping and decorating, 

we have so much to sort through.

I am so busy I haven't blogged or 

even read emails.  I searched my 

emails the other night and discovered I 

was to create the sidebar for 

Tales of the Traveling Tote 

for December!  Good thing I 

checked!!

Well, then I couldn't find my 

tote and wondered if I had 

left it on my last trip.  I was 

wondering if I would be kicked 

out of the group if I couldn't 

find it - a bit of a panic!  

After searching everywhere I 

could think of - and mind you, 

it isn't a small item - I thought 

of my purses which were already 

packed up in five boxes.  

Lucky me, it was at the top of 

the first box I checked!

I thought I might have left it 

on the houseboat down at 

Lake Powell, and since we are 

done for the year, it would have 

been until next May before I 

would be able to check. 

Good thing I found it!!!!!!

We were able to sneak away for three 

Lake Powell trips this year so that is 

where Miss Madi K and I were able 

to go.  

Miss Pansy got to travel along 

too as she makes a nice bag 

for boating. 

We invited two families from our 

neighborhood for the August trip. 

We had ten kids and 6 adults.  

One of our favorite games we 

play with kids is 

The Candy Bar Game. 

The basic idea of the game is 

you place 3-4 packages or pieces 

of candy in the center.  Everyone

takes turns rolling the dice inside 

a bowl.  If you roll doubles or 

7 or 11, you get to pick a candy bar,

announce what you picked and 

then hide it behind your back 

or under a pillow.  People can steal 

it from you if they win a turn, but 

they have to remember what it was

and who had it.  After three 

possessions it is permanent.  

When the last piece leaves the 

table, the game is over. 

Oh, and if the dice fall out 

of the bowl you skip your turn, 

and if you don't pick your 

prize before the next winner, 

you miss your turn! Lots of fun.

Well, we had one darling boy 

who is 8 years old and he gets 

seizures if he eats sugar, so I 

had to come up with a 

new plan.  I decided on the 

Dollar Store Game. 

We decided it was even more fun 

than just candy.  Everyone had a 

blast and we didn't tempt him.

Miss Madi K helped carry all of 

the prizes down and keep them a 

secret.

Of course, sugary desserts are a 

huge part of our Lake Powell 

experience, like this chocolate chip 

Pizookie, or Skookie, with homemade 

ice cream and homemade hot fudge.

So I found a Pillsbury Sugar Free 

Brownie mix and sugar free 

chocolate chips at the grocery store, 

and I made him sugar free vanilla 

ice cream using powdered Swerve.  

He was such a happy guy!  

His mom had said she would 

go without sugar with him, 

but at 8, how hard is that, so 
I had fun experimenting.  I even 

made his hot fudge with 1 T. 

sugar free chocolate chips 

melted with 1 T. cream. 

I think besides the Dollar Store 

game one of the kids' biggest 

surprises was that I got on the 

water rockets to battle it out!!

(My favorite thing to do at 

Lake Powell!)

Our final night was a 

Copacabana Party, 

where everyone dressed up 

for dinner in tropical clothing.

Summer fun is over, but 

we were glad to get away, and 

the best thing was, the builders 

kept working while we were 

gone each time. 

When I get time I will post 

our Lake Powell menus.  I 

just ran into someone the 

other day who requested I 

keep posting those.  We love 

to eat, so food is a big part 

of our Lake Powell experience.

Now for the fun giveaway.  

I am hosting this month, 

so leave me a message and the 

winner will be chosen randomly 

on September 8th. 

Include your contact information 

if you don't have a blog so you 

can be notified.  

Ooh, this is such a fun, fun prize.

Visit our other fabulous 

travelers and see where they 

have been off to.

 Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box  

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home (you are here)

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader