Decor I Love - On My To Do List

I have found so many fun Halloween things this year - I am putting them on my to do list for next year. Here are a few of those projects - I will save the rest for next year.

~*~*~*~*~

Star Photo Halloween Ornaments I love these! I want to take the photo's of our kids when they were little and make these stars for my Halloween Twig tree that is in the Halloween Village - if I have a minute I might try to get to them this year, have to wait and see. www.bhg.com/

Candy WreathI found this on a blog and I can't find the address - argh! I am so sorry about that. If this is your's please leave a comment so I can leave a link to your blog.

I have made Chirstmas Candy Wreaths before but never Halloween. Isnt' this so fun! As I remember she used pins and pinned this to a styro wreath.

People Feeder

This was shared with me by my friend Tamy, an online friend - isnt' it so fun! I have a Christmas Feeder, but not a Halloween one and I love this!

Ghostly Goodies to Try!

Love this tablescape over at Zoulah's!

http://redcouchrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/10/jell-o-popcorn-ball-halloween-cats.html
Taste of Home has all kinds of fun Halloween recpes - the index is at
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Holiday---Celebration-Recipes/Halloween-Recipes

Here is one of them:


Get ready for an assembly line because these no-bake marshmallow witches from our Test Kitchen are easy to prepare, and kids will love helping. They're perfect for gatherings because a dozen can be put together in just 30 minutes. TIP: Whip up an extra batch, put them in plastic wrap, and tie with curly orange or black ribbon for festive party favors.
Ingredients
1/2 cup vanilla frosting, divided
36 miniature semisweet chocolate chips
12 large marshmallows
1 drop each green, red and yellow food coloring, optional
1/4 cup flaked coconut
12 chocolate wafers
12 miniature peanut butter cups
12 milk chocolate kisses
Directions
For the face of each witch, place a dab of frosting on the bottom of three chocolate chips; press two for eyes and one for nose onto each marshmallow.
For hair, combine green food coloring and a drop of water in a small resealable plastic bag; add coconut and shake well. Spread a small amount of frosting on sides of marshmallows; press coconut hair into frosting. Place 3 tablespoons of frosting in a small heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; tint orange with red and yellow food coloring. Set aside.
For hats, spread some of the remaining frosting in the center of chocolate wafers; press peanut butter cups upside down into frosting. Lightly spread bottoms of chocolate kisses with frosting; place on peanut butter cups. Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert a small star tip. Fill the bag with frosting and pipe stars around the base of each peanut butter cup. Secure a hat to each witch with a dab of frosting. Yield: 1 dozen

~*~*~*~*~

This darling recipe is from Cyndi T from one of the holiday lists I am on.

1 Batch Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

36 chewy caramels in milk chocolate
Black or red string licorice
1/3 cup (72) miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
Black decorating gel (from 0.68-oz tube)

Total Time: 30 min
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately press 1 chewy caramel in center of each cookie. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
4. Cut licorice into 8 (2-inch) pieces for each spider. Attach legs by sticking into chewy caramel. Use baking bits for eyes and black gel to make pupils in eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*

CANDY APPLE RECIPES

We have 8 apple tree's with lots of apples, this is one of our favorite fall treats.

Old-Fashioned Red Candy Apples

8 medium sized apples

8 wooden sticks

3 cups white sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon red food coloring (optional).

Wash and dry the apples. Remove any stems or leaves and insert a wooden stick into the end of each apple. Set apples aside. Heat and stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved. Boil until the syrup reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer, or until a little syrup dropped into cold water separates into breakable threads. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and food coloring, if using. Dip one apple completely in the syrup and swirl it around a little with the stick to coat. Hold the apple above the saucepan to drain off excess. Place apple, with the stick facing up, on a well greased pan. Repeat with remaining apples. If syrup thickens or cools too much, simply reheat briefly before proceeding. Let cool completely before serving.

Variations:

After coating each apple, quickly dip the end or press and swirl apples in shredded coconut, colored M&M's, chopped nuts, granola, gummy worms or colored sprinkles.

~*~*~*~*~

Creepy Cupcakes

With chocolate bodies and licorice legs, these cute spiders on cobwebs will "catch" attention fast! They're easy to scare up, too—our home economists simply put a Halloween spin on cupcakes they baked from a purchased mix. Prep: 30 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling

Ingredients:1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix1/4 cup butter, softened1 (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened3 cups confectioners' sugar2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk, divided1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractRed and yellow liquid food coloring or orange paste food coloring1 tablespoon baking cocoaRound pastry tip #39 chocolate kisses9 semisweet chocolate chipsBlack shoestring licorice, cut into 3/4-inch pieces18 white nonpareilsDirections: Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Fill greased jumbo muffin cups with 1/2 cup batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Cut a thin slice off the top of each cupcake. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla; mix well. Remove 1 cup; tint orange and frost cupcakes. To the remaining frosting, add baking cocoa and remaining milk. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip. Fill with chocolate frosting. Pipe a web on each cupcake; set remaining frosting aside. For spider, insert chocolate kiss, point side down, next to edge of cupcake. Insert chocolate chip, point side down, next to kiss. Place four licorice pieces on each side of kiss. For eyes, pipe two small circles of chocolate frosting on chocolate chip; insert nonpareils. cupcakes.http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Creepy-Cupcakes?pmcode=IIJDJ07T&_mid=808&_rid=808.1000.43662

~*~*~*~*~

Nasty Spider Cake

The boys love this cake!

1 Cake mix

1 pk Green jello prepared

Black frosting

8 Licorice sticks

8 Gumdrops

Mix up cake mix and bake it in 2 metal bowls--1 bigger than the other. Once unmolded, cut the bigger one (the "body") in half, horizontally.CAREFULLY scoop out an adequate cavity in each half. FILL with well-whipped set green Jello, and reattach the halves. Frost black, arrange on serving platter. Use licorice stix as legs. Use 2 BIG green gumdrops and 6 little ones as eyes. When the cake is cut into, it spurts green goop, just like a real spider when stepped on. Why not add a red hourglass to the back and make it toxic?

~*~*~*~*~

Halloween Gingerbread House

This darling gingerbread house has it's instructions at: Halloween Gingerbread House - Allrecipes http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Halloween-Gingerbread-House/Detail.aspx

~*~*~*~*~

A few links with funstuff:

http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/candy-corn-cupcakes/

Try this swamp Juice!

15 Healthy Spooky Treats

Halloween Is Coming!

It is Halloween time and I am ready to work on projects - "The Witch is In"

Halloween 2009

I will be back for Halloween 2009! See you then!

Halloween 2008 ---------->Welcome to Our Home - Our Front Entry Area

We made this pumpkin for our Family Home Evening a few years ago. Everyone made one so they have their own Jacki the Jack O Lantern to hang on their front doors. So great to hang mine up knowing that some of our children have them hung up too!

Because so many people have asked me about this, you can get a pattern at http://bucketsofideas.com/Buckets-of-Products.html.

Halloween 2008----->My Grandmother's Pillows

Wednesday, October 8, 2008
This year I have been getting things out of boxes, closets and corners. I either use them or they go to D.I. I was looking in the cedar chest and found these two pillow covers. My paternal Grandmother made them. I knew they were her's by her handiwork. What a fun surprise to find them. They are orange and black...perfect for Halloween, so out of the chest they came and they are currently living on my couch. Perfect!
I also found a bunch of hankies that were several grandmother's hankies. I am going to make Christmas Ornaments out of them for our ancestor tree. You can see them on my Christmas blog....when I get them done that is. (See link on the right bar.)

Terror-Ific Costumes

This blog wouldn't be complete for Halloween without a resource for some costume ideas!

Yummy Halloween Recipes

Ready for a few ideas to spice up your Halloween cooking?

I have a plethora of fun Halloween recipes on my Buckets of Family/ Grandparents Ideas at
Buckets of Halloween Recipe and Party Ideas Some of the fun stuff over there includes Invisible Suckers, Halloween Gingerbread House, Creepy Cupcakes and much more.

Witch's Kitchen

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Our Witches Kitchen is finished!
My darling little grandson's hve been helping me make things and assemble all the goodies for it!
We put it in our hutch in the dining room.
Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of how it looks.


This is the top right shelf.

Left Side Top Shelf
Close Up
Top Two Shelves Bottom Shelf
Middle Shelf -Left Side


Middle Shelf Left Side
Middle Section - Middle Shelf Through the Side Window
Notice the spiders that "My Boy" and I did.
Middle Shelf - Right Side
Through the Window - Middle Shelf - Right Side

Because of the many requests for Witch's Kitchen labels we can provide them for you - see http://www.bucketsofideas.com/Buckets-of-Products.html

Ghost Ornies

I needed to make a bunch of ghost ornaments for some friends and ended up with a few exta. Our Halloween Village usually has a tree with flying things in it and this year I used the decor in other places. So I turned the extra ghosts into our village tree. Ghost pattern is a cookie cutter, the Happy Halloween is a tag I received in an e-mail, I added a pom nose and a little glitter on the edges.

Witches Curtain's

Look at this fun Witches Curtain! I made one for the kitchen and the bathroom windows - they are so cute!


Listen well, my pretties. If your home inspires anything short of sheer horror, you must shroud your entrance in darkness: strips of torn plastic to twist in the wind.WITCHES CURTAIN INSTRUCTIONSLay a heavy-duty black garbage bag flat on a work surface, open end toward you. With scissors, cut 1 1/2-inch vertical strips from the bottom, stopping a few inches from the top. Cut open one side seam, then unfold bag. Use masking tape or tacks to hang. Then, with hands a few inches apart, grasp each strand and pull; stretch strands in several places for a decrepit effect. http://mso.marthastewart.com/cgi-bin9/DM/y/hmjA0PdPLD0cSG0Em6G0EB

Pumpkin Light

I taught a class on these at our church craft day last year. When I pulled it out again this year, our little grandson, said that it felt like it was pumpkin coming time and he loved the light! If that is the only reason I have this in our home it is worth it! Our little darling boy has a memory of our house at Halloween! I love it!

Our Home Is Halloweeny!

Living Room Fireplace

My husband used to work long hours during harvest. I started getting projects to do after the kids were in bed to work on until he got home. This is one of those projects. I love her!

This is our hod podge village.

One Family Home Evening every October we made a Halloween Decoration. This village is proof of all those projects. It is so fun to look at them as I pull them out. Each year things were painted or made and matched that year's trends or thoughts of the children. A good example is one of the ghosts has a ninja turtle mask on.

Piano with the spider garland and lights. So fun at night!

Close up of the spiders...our grandson is going to love these lights - he loves spiders.

Looking from the living room into the entry area. Front door is to your right

These are made using latex gloves, a candy at the end of the fingernails and stuffed with popcorn. Add a ribbon and your done!

I had a bunch of "decoration crumbs" and didn't know what to do with them. So I found an old wreath and started gluing things everywhere...kind of an "Eye Spy" wreath. Some of the things are things that our children made when they are young. I have a few more spots to fill in so it will be a "work in progress" wreath.

This is Brumhilda. My friend Lorraine and I made witches together about 20 years ago. She holds the candy for our trick or treaters.

Witch on entry room table. She is stirring a pot with eyeballs in it.

Frankie! I love pulling him out of the box every year. I made him when we lived in Utah and he has made through all our subsequent moves. WOO HOO Frankie!

Pumpkin Shelf. Filled with all the pumpkin and ghost wood projects we have done over the years.

Cats in the window. These were made also at Family Home Evening when the kids were little. A mom and dad cat and 5 kittens. The kids each painted their own kittens. I know I am a hopeless romantic!

Spidey! We made him out of some black garbage bags. His legs have gotten shorter over the years. It wouldn't be Halloween without him in the corner!

My stack tray centerpiece! I love it. I gathered the plates at garage sales and used leftover Halloween and Fall stuff to decorate it with. Then I added some jewelry and half marbles to fill in blank spots and here it is!

Other side

A Few of My Halloween Projects from 2008

PUMPKIN LIGHT - http://bucketideasforholidays.blogspot.com/2008/09/pumpkin-light.html
WITCHES CURTAINS - http://bucketideasforholidays.blogspot.com/2008/09/witches-curtains.htmlG
GHOST ORNAMENTS - http://bucketideasforholidays.blogspot.com/2008/10/ghost-ornaments.html