Add a bit o' glitter

We decided to accessorize the porch for Fantasy Fest -- and no, these aren't neon chasers. It's a lizard's eye view of the beads we knotted around the railing.

As you saw the other day, we've got plenty of leftovers from previous years; but we were looking for particular colors. And tracking down beads in bulk proved harder than we'd expected. K-Mart used to sell them -- pre-Wilma, anyway. This year they just had a few strands in tacky Mardi Gras colors. The costume store next to Sears hadn't gotten theirs out of storage yet -- if they had any to start with.

The party store was the obvious solution -- the one across from Office Max, with the blond out in front dressed up as a French maid, boogeying next to two huge speakers blaring R&B. We took that as a sign.

Back on the porch: Loop two strands together. Drape the joined strands over the railing. Slip the long end through the short end, and 72 strands later it's looking festive.