Pumpkin Faced Oranges with Cloves!

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Did you ever make clove studded oranges for Christmas when you were little?  We did.  These might be two of my favorite smells in the world.  When my boys started asking to carve our pumpkins, I kept telling them no, that it was too early.  Too many years we cut in to the pumpkins, making adorably spooky faces, only to find them all moldy and gross before Halloween.  So in order to have them feel like they were making pumpkin faces I decided to give them oranges and cloves.

Here is the very detailed tutorial:

Get an orange and some whole cloves.  Shove cloves in orange in any face or pattern you want.  Enjoy.

And the kitchen smells amazing when you are done.  I will let you know that these lasted all of 5 minutes with my boys.  They have some sort of inner driving force that prompts them to take apart anything they just finished making. 

Don't want faces?  You can create any kind of pattern or polka dot look from the cloves too.  I call this one Charlie Brown's shirt. 

For some reason I decided to google and see if anyone else had already done this craft AFTER I did it (duh). And of course there are others.  Check them out for more inspiration here and here.

Sharon

all photos are mine. 

Kid's Halloween Books with Great Graphics

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So this afternoon I volunteered in my son's classroom.  There was another mom in there as well so I had a quick second to glance through the Scholastic order forms.  I was delighted to see some books with great graphics, humorous stories and Halloween themed (even though I don't enjoy it.  And seeing as both my kids are having afraid-of-the-dark-issues right now, I picked these books because they appeal to my aesthetic.)  Here are some of my faves:

The Hallo-Wiener  {by Dav Pilkey} 

My oldest son was a hot dog for his very first Halloween so I was especially drawn to this book.

Oscar is a dachshund forced to wear a hot dog costume on Halloween which he does begrudgingly but in the end saves the day from some kind of peril.    "Oscar proves that he may be short on height, but he's long on heart." HA!

Jeremy Draws a Monster {Peter McCarty}

Similar to Harold and the Purple Crayon, Jeremy draws and the images come to life.  After drawing a monster who demands that Jeremy do things for him, he realizes that while he can get lost in his drawings and the solitude it provides, he would also like to experience real relationships with other kids and without this bossy monster.  

Stinky Poetry:  Halloween {Elizabeth Krych}

This book comes with scratch and sniff stickers that the kids have to put in the proper spot throughout the story.  I am not sure what smells they are and seeing as it is a Halloween themed book, I have to assume some of them might be pretty rank. But I love kids poetry books and think the colors and graphics from the cover are outstanding!!  This was available in the Scholastic catalogue I found in the classroom but I couldn't yet find it on Scholastic's website. :(

Welcome to Monster Town {Ryan Heshka}

What happens in Monstertown when the son goes down?  This book will tell you all about what the different people found in town do for work and what else goes on there.  A little bit of humor, creepy but cool illustrations.  Probably best for older kids.  Again, this was in the Scholastic brochure, but not on their site.  

ABC Spook Show {Ryan Heshka}

When I was researching the book above, I also came across this ABC book.  Sort of a dictionary of creepy (G is for ghouls...) From the sample pages I could see, this seems a little darker than the previous book.  And for some reason I think Jenny would love this book.  Do you remember her zombie party from last year? 

Vunce Upon A Time {J. Otto Seibold}

I LOVE the Christmas book 'Olive the Other Reindeer' so it is no surprise that I was drawn to this book by the same illustrator.  This story is about a vegetarian vampire who loves candy.  But he is afraid to trick-or-treat on account of the scary humans.  It is a non-scary story about overcoming fears and I am pretty sure this one will be delivered to my house shortly. 

Again, I haven't read any of these but was drawn to them for their graphics and story concept.  If anyone has read them, I'd love to hear your thoughts!  Now, if you would, please tell me what your kids are going to be for Halloween, I'd love to hear.  Do you dress up too? 

Maybe I really am starting to like Halloween.  After all, it took me about 30 years to like guacamole.  

Sharon

Washcloth Ghost Tutorial From Camp Spooky

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My readers who are local should go check out Camp Spooky for themselves.  But for my readers who are out of town, you too can create these adorable and super easy washcloth ghosts.  They are cheap to make and would be the perfect activity for a kid's Halloween party.  

Supplies needed:

Washcloth (could also use felt, scraps of fabric, old t-shirts, even a napkin as long as it is fairly tough)

Cotton balls - just a handful per each ghost

White yarn - string or rubberbands would also work

Markers to embellish them

SO easy!  But really cute! 

First, lay out your washcloth, fabric, what have you in front of you. 

Next, place a handful of cotton balls in the center of the washcloth. 

Next, cut a small piece of white yarn.  Gather the washcloth around the cotton balls and tie off with the yarn. 

Of course if you were going to have the kids embellish them, you could have them draw on the washcloth before you added the cotton balls, or once it is complete so they could add a face, etc. 

I know I just shared the link last week for my Halloween ideas from last year, but here is a similar craft I did with fabric and styrofoam.  I have to say, the cotton balls would be WAY cheaper!  

Thanks again Knott's Berry Farm for a fabulous event at Camp Spooky!  

Sharon

all images are mine. 

Snoopy's Costume Party at Camp Spooky

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Me (in pastel jumper) and my sis with Snoopy - circa 1984.  Boom

I grew up in Orange County pretty close to Knott's Berry Farm and went a lot.  But I have never ever been to Knott's during their Halloween Haunt.  I hate Halloween.  It's the Vegas of holidays.  I don't understand why, just because it is a "holiday", that it is ok for children to be shown dismembered babies, zombies with blood coming out of their eyes and way too many "naughty" nurses.  All in the name of Halloween.  This wouldn't fly in March.  But in October, allowed.  Plus I am a sissy and don't like surprises or to be scared.  In high school, when my sister and all my friends were heading out to Halloween Haunt - year after year - I wouldn't even ride in the car with my mom to drop them off.  Even the drop off point was too close to those made up monsters.  So Knott's is not the first place I would think of to take my kids for Halloween fun.  BUT I was recently invited to check out Snoopy's Costume Party at Camp Spooky (get it! How cute is that!) so I decided to give it a try.  Besides, at 8 o'clock in them morning, how much evil could there really be?  Monsters have to sleep too, right? 

It seems like there are very few places where kids can wear their costumes now, aside from trick-or-treating.  Knott's encourages the kids to come dressed up.  The Snoopy's Costume Party event is such a cute idea.  Every Saturday and Sunday in October, for the regular price of admission, your kids will be treated to some extra special activities in Camp Spooky (does not include any food or drink).  

My mom and my youngest son were my dates for this fun VIP event.  To start the morning off, we were treated to breakfast at Lucy's Lunchbox.  I don't think they usually serve breakfast, but the restaurant is cute and you can have birthday parties here if you choose to celebrate in the park.  And characters roam around while you are there.  How fun are those kid's meals?  They are served in a really cute plastic lunch pail that you can take home with you.  

Camp Snoopy, I mean, Camp Spooky is decorated really cute.  You can tell that there are some decorations meant for the super scary Halloween Haunt but for the most part, they really make an effort to keep the area kid friendly. 

After breakfast, we checked out all the rides in Camp Spooky.  Because we got to go in before the park was open to the public, we were pretty much the only people on the rides.  Which is awesome since my son has zero patience for lines.  We were the only people on the first 5 rides we went on.  All the ride operators were SO nice.  They always asked him if he had a good time and wished us a good day.  I'm sure they were not happy to be up early just for us, but they were awesome.  Fun fact:  My sister once worked as a ride operator in Camp Snoopy...

One of the fun activities the park offers just for Halloween is trick or treating.  They provide this cute map when you enter Camp Snoopy, along with the bag, and there are stops throughout where you can get candy.  One stop was Dum Dum suckers, which delighted me because my allergic son can eat them.  

How cute are these washcloth ghosts?!  Tucked just inside the entrance to one of the rides, there were two craft stations set up for the kids to make their own ghosts.  They put out markers for the kids to personalize them with faces, scribbles, whatever.  They were even willing to make them for the kids if they were too small.  I loved this!  Be sure to see the separate "how-to" post on this!

I'm sorry.  But my son is THE cutest thing on the face of the planet.  That face gets him whatever he wants.  Sorry, family.  This one is spoiled and rotten all because of me.  And that face.  

We somehow skipped the other maze and purposely skipped something called "Creepy Crawly Cave" (listen, I will do Halloween for my kids if I have to, but I'm never going to be down with bugs) but we had fun in Haunted Harvest.  I must have asked both people working there 30 times if it was scary.  They assured me it wasn't and they were right (aside from a kind of sketchy one eyed scarecrow near the end that I glanced at but held it together for the sake of my child - and it he didn't even flinch at it so...)  I ADORE the Charlie Brown movies that come on TV around each holiday especially The Great Pumpkin.  One of my favorite things about this maze was all the character cutouts throughout.  So cute!  

I highly recommend bringing your kids to Knott's for Camp Spooky!  We had a blast!  

The temperature steadily rose while we were there prompting my son to abandon his fleece costume.  When we were done with Camp Spooky, we decided to walk around the park to see what has changed since the last time my mom was there (years!).

Aside from a few very creepy clown heads decorating light poles, crazy big fake spiders and evil pumpkin men hanging off buildings, it is still safe to walk around the rest of the park in the day time.  In fact, how cute is that bone wreath?  I decided to further spoil my son with an Icee that was almost as tall as he was.  And my research shows that I am the only person who wants a funnel cake before noon.  Because NO one was selling them.  I had to settle for the lady holding a fake one.  It was not tasty.  

We had a blast at Knott's and more specifically, Camp Spooky!  A huge thank you to Knott's Berry Farm and GIGASAVVY for putting this together and hosting my family for the day!  I love being able to share things with my kids that I shared with my mom growing up.  And Knott's is a place we know and love.  

Sharon

all photos are mine

*Disclosure:

I was given entry in to the park for myself and a few guests, treated to breakfast and given cowboy hats for the kids.  My opinions can not be bought, though.  They are all mine. 

Three Little Birds Adorable Bob Marley-themed 3rd Birthday Party by Jackie Culmer

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Maybe it is because my family is infatuated with Rastamouse ever since we saw it on YouTube last week.  Maybe it was because I had a very brief phase where I wanted to dreadlocks, wore a lot of red, yellow and green and bought incense (from the swap meet) in high school.  Or maybe because it is just freaking awesome but I had to share the most adorable kid's birthday party that I came across the other day.  Not only is Jackie Culmer a kick-ass photographer (I will be sharing the pics she shot at my neon and neutral bday party on Wednesday!) but she also rocks the house with her party design.  

This is absolute perfection for me.  The theme is totally original, casual and cool.  The graphic design is crisp and fresh.  

It is the perfect balance of kid and adult friendly and is styled without being fussy or too themey.

And what music inspired party would be complete without a cd favor?  I want one!!! 

Check out the rest of the party on Jackie's blog, The Silver Spoon and Paper Plate.  And check out what she did last Halloween while you are there here, here and here.  

She knocked my socks off with the photos she took for my party a month ago, can't wait to share!!! 

Sharon

all photos via Jackie Culmer

October Inspiration Board Challenge - The Final Board

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I don't know about you but I am really enjoying this inspiration board challenge. It has really given me an opportunity to meet some fabulous blogging ladies and to find some fun inspiration pieces to inspire them. A lot of us don't get the opportunity to put mood boards together so it is fun to have the chance. I was so excited to see what Kori of Paper and Pigtails would come up with. And when I saw it, I knew I had to post it early! I think it turned out so great and is another really creative way to do Halloween.

There are so many ways a party could go based on this amazing non-traditional Halloween pillow. You can't help but get excited at the potential awesomeness of the board! And it doesn't disappoint!

Are you loving this as much as I am? I am beyond thrilled with what Kori came up with. This is such a sophisticated yet rustic party but could easily be kid friendly.

Photo Sources:

Burlap Wine Gift Bag - Burlap Works

Burlap Witch Pillow Cover - My Adobe Cottage

Burlap Sippy Cups - The Browns Mudroom

Brown Witches Hat - Country at Heart

Burlap Pumpkin - Middleburg

Polka Dot Burlap Favor Bags - Funky Shique

Bat Cake - Twig and Thistle

Date Markers - Twig and Thistle

Pumpkins for Sale sign - Southern Hospitality

HUGE thank you to Kori!!! I adore you! :)

And as I look back at my posts for the week, they all were about food or drinks!!! Totally wasn't planned, but it happened. And then I saw this great Halloween inspired recipe that I think would go so well with Kori's party. A sort of creepy Panna Cotta. Elevated for an adult's palate but themed. And it kind of sounds super easy to make...should I attempt it?

Brains! Panna Cotta recipe is courtesy of Chef Richard Ruskell, Executive Pastry Chef of the Montage Beverly Hills.

Ingredients:

4 cups heavy cream (or half-and-half)

1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 tsp)

6 TBSP cold water

1 pint fresh raspberries

1 TBSP sugar

To make:

Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan or microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Lightly spray 8 custard cups with a food release spray.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Divide the Panna Cotta mixture in to the prepared cups. Then chill them until firm which will take at least two hours; its recommended to let them stand at least four hours.

To Serve:

Put the fresh raspberries in a bowl and add 1 TBSP sugar and crush the berries.

Remove the Panna Cotta from the refrigerator, flip them out into bowls. Add the berries and loosely mix the custard with the berries (so it looks like...brains!!)

MMMMMMMmmmmmmm!

Check back on November 1 when I reveal the November Inspiration Board Challenge participants!!!

Sharon

Don't miss Dessert First with Anne Thornton on Food Network!

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Where has this show been all my life? I mean, Dessert First is like my unspoken motto. Food Network is premiering the new show 'Dessert First with Anne Thornton' this Sunday, October 24 at 12 pm Eastern and I can hardly wait! First off, how darling is the graphic? I've been totally into blue and pink for party themes lately and this is the perfect mix of cute, retro and modern. But who is Anne Thornton? You can view her full bio on the Food Network site here, but most recently she was Executive Pastry Chef and Event Coordinator at Hotel Griffou (I want to go to there) in New York. I got a chance to ask her a couple of questions to get to know her better.

Q: Growing up, what was your ideal birthday treat?

Anne: I always asked for ice cream cake. It had to be chocolate pound cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream and decorated with pink roses. I still love ice cream cake. I'll show you how to make a chocolate peppermint ice cream cake on my Christmas show which airs December 5th.

Q: What is your favorite dessert that you make and favorite dessert to eat out?

Anne: It's so hard to choose a favorite dessert but my signature dessert is my Salted Caramel Banana Pudding Pie. My favorite dessert when I'm out is Baked Alaska, it's hard to find but if done well it's divine.

Q: I saw the dessert you made on The Nate Berkus show. Will your show feature easy treats like those carousel ice cream sandwiches or will they be more detailed?

Anne: On "Dessert First" I'll show you how easy it is to make simple and elaborate desserts. You'll learn tips and tricks that I've developed to give your desserts that "WOW" factor without a lot of work.

Q: What trends in party treats are you liking?

Anne: I'm a big fan of cupcakes and cake pops. I think we are going to see a lot more macaroons in the future. I'm a huge fan of these glamorous little treats.

Q: Puff pastry. Is it as hard as it looks?

Anne: Making puff pastry from scratch isn't hard it's just extremely time consuming and labor intensive. I love frozen puff pastry. It works beautifully and save a great deal of time and energy.

Q: Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Anne: Both! I have a special place in my heart and in my recipes for both of them. There is always room in my pantry for dark, milk, and white chocolate. No chocolate, no matter if it's bittersweet or semisweet, will ever be turned away.

AMEN, sister.

Anne's first show will show off some scary sweet treats for Halloween including these Red Velvet Brain Cupcakes. She'll also feature a whimsical Milk Chocolate Graveyard Cake with chocolate trees, cotton candy and pretzel candy bones!
She'll also feature a twist on an old standard with her Couture Caramel Apples. With toppings like salted pecans, toasted coconut and candied ginger this treat would surely win best dressed.

As with most of the Food Network shows, the recipes are available online. I can't wait to watch this show each week to see what Anne has in store. Set your DVR's so you don't forget and watch this Sunday, October 24, 2010 12pm Eastern.

"Like" Anne on Facebook.

Follow her on Twitter.

Sharon

All images courtesy of Food Network

A Halloween Inspiration Table and your new favorite candy

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ALLERGEN STATEMENT: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS NUTS. REALLY, REALLY TASTY BUTTER CRUNCH CANDY WITH NUTS

Are any of you surprised to see a post about a candy with nuts on here? I kind of am. But obviously you have never tried P.O.P. Candy Butter Crunch Treats. P.O.P Candy Butter Crunch is made in Santa Monica and is made with the best, all-natural ingredients. My son has multiple food allergies and since nuts and peanuts are the most severe I make every effort to keep them out of our home. But when I tasted the P.O.P. Candy, the Rosemary Almond flavor, at Unique LA I had to bring some home. It is treated as though it is a nuclear warhead and stuffed way up in a cupboard until well after bed time. It is only then that I get out the candy, savor it's buttery amazingness and then sanitize my hands to within an inch of their life. I am dying to try all the flavors and I just saw that they have granola bars - the perfect late night snack. When I sawP.O.P. Candy again, this time at Unique OC, I saw that they had various labeling options available including the most delightful, happy Halloween, "boo." I was drawn to the orange color, with pops of other bright colors that are not always seen in Halloween color palettes. It seemed happier, and less creepy then most holiday items and I instantly knew I had to create a Halloween theme to go with this candy.

I didn't want to copy the circles shown on labels but I wanted to keep it happy and light with lots of modern touches. The candy shown above is a "taster" size (see here for taster optionsand Halloween "pop ups" options) which are perfect to pass out for Halloween. While on the site, browse around and check out all of their flavors and gift and favor options. I want to warn you, the taster size is like a gateway drug. You're going to want as much as you can get your hands on.

Have I mentioned that I don't like Halloween? It's all dark, and scary. I knew what I wanted my Halloween to look like and instead of putting together the standard inspiration board, I decided to do an inspiration table. I didn't really go about this as a standard photo shoot, but wanted to emphasize the details. When I came across Paper and Cake's Creepy Chic downloadable party I shrieked. Literally yelled out loud. It totally had the look I wanted. I changed the colors a bit to go with my palette but all of the paper items you see in any of the shots are their design with my wording. See, their parties really ARE customizable. I know it is hard to see in the above photo but they even created a paper chandelier! And you can only see a bit of it, but this kit includes their paper doilies again!!!!!!!! (I seriously LOVE those!)

I made little surprise balls out of rings cut from a paper towel roll and orange crepe streamers. A good tutorial is here. I wrapped them with twine from Whisker Graphics and thought that if someone wanted to opt out of handing out candy at Halloween, this could be a great alternative. I liked the idea of going against the dark side so I made the 'Can of Courage' and the 'Evil Be Gone' to brighten spirits and help ward off evil. I made ghosts out of Styrofoam balls, dowels and cute, bright fabrics as a nod to the actual holiday. But you may agree, these are the happiest ghosts ever. I covered the table with white eyelet because ain't nothing spooky about eyelet. :)

Aside from the butter crunch candy, I kept snacks simple and easy. I took Nilla wafers, squeezed a dab of ready made vanilla frosting until it oozed out the sides and then coated with sprinkles. I found these bright green gumballs at Michaels and the ready made sugar cookies, complete with orange sprinkles at Albertsons. FYI, these sugar cookies are SO GOOD! And then quickly dipped pretzel sticks in white chocolate.

Here is my sweet baby boy. He would not take kindly to me using the word baby. He is a big boy. He never lets me take pictures of him so I was so surprised when he pretty much tried to get in every shot. He and I would like to wish you all a truly HAPPY Halloween!

And go buy some P.O.P. Candy butter crunch and tell me how you like it!

And follow them on Twitter and Facebook!

Sharon

All photos are mine.

Apple Spice Sangria

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I love Martha Stewart's Dreamers Into Doers website because it is a great way to connect with all kinds of creative people. Yesterday I was contacted by Taryn Sisco of Poppy Chic Designs (her flower accessories and adorable flasks, yes I said adorable flasks are amazing!! Check out her shop!) to see if there was an actual recipe to go along with the apple spice sangria I featured in my fall photo shoot. There is! I'm happy to share it with you all and I hope you can all enjoy it with friends, old and new.

Here it is. Please enjoy responsibly.

Apple Spice Sangria

1 red apple, cored and cut into chunks

1 green apple, cored and cut into chunks

1 cup apple juice

15 whole cloves

4 dashes of cinnamon

1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise

1 bottle red wine

1/2 cup cognac

1/3 cup simple syrup

cinnamon sticks, for garnish

In a saucepan, combine the apples, apple juice, whole cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla bean over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until apples just begin to caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside. Let cool. Combine the wine and cognac in a large ceramic or glass container. Add the apple-spice mixture and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve over ice and garnish with cinnamon sticks.

Serves about 6.

I think this is the perfect sangria as the weather starts to cool.

Sharon

Photo by Sadie James Photography

Recipe from 101 Sangrias and pitcher drinks by Kim Haasarud

The zombies are here (insert scream!)

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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...I give you...the most adorably creepy zombie party EVER! created by Jenny of Hank and Hunt. Take your time and look over these amazing details. She's simply amazing and I can't get enough of her party style (remember these?).

Are you dying? Words can not express how much I love this party. It is such a cool vibe while still being totally fun and kid friendly. I think the color palette is absolute perfection. The web and netting on the wall...so cool. And look at those zombie pops!

I'm going to stop with the words now and just let you enjoy the party. Or maybe I just need a moment because I am crying from joy.

The flowers! I mean...

The box...the plates...insert any extremely positive descriptive terms that you can think of here. Because I think them all.

Show your love with comments for Jenny! And I want to send her a huge thank you for going above and beyond and putting together this whole photo shoot for little old me. I heart you Jenny!

Here are her sources for the zombie party (because I know you all want to recreate this at home!)

Zombie pops - Recipe from Cake Pops by Bakerella

3 striped bowls, styrofoam cone, creepy sign - Michaels

Test Tubes - Martha Stewart crafts at Joann Fabric

Black 3 tier wire dessert stand, bone munch (skeleton bones) - Cost Plus

Zombie hands, sugar eyes on zombie pops - Bake it Pretty

Gummy eyeballs, black licorice - Target

Striped pumpkin, wire spider web - Lavender Ridge Gift Shop (Reno, NV)

Flowers - Costco

Cream creepy fabric - Walmart

Glass milk bottles - Red Hill General Store

Black cake stands - Rosanna

Soda Crate - Vintage (similar available on Etsy)

Tablecloth fabric - Pottery Barn (past season)

Small clear glass cake stand - vintage (Etsy)

Large clear glass cake stand - vintage (Etsy)

Black melamine platter - Target (past season)

Apothecary jars - Martha Stewart for Macy's (past season)

BEST PARTY EVER!!!

Sharon