Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Halloween is almost here!! Enjoy these fun decorating ideas and recipes!!

                                                       

Spooks and spectres and things that go bump in the night…
Halloween is almost here, with it’s grinning Jack O’ Lanterns and trick or treaters roaming the neighborhoods…..

What will I be this year?  A ghost, a fairy princess? Dracula?
Whatever you choose, no matter your age…
Have a happy and safe Halloween boys and ghouls!!


                                         Jack O’ Lanterns...the star of Halloween!
old fashioned halloween graphic




Picking out the family pumpkin is sometimes a pretty involved operation!  Some want big and round, others like oblong and warty…whatever you choose, this orange orb holds a special place of honor on Halloween.
The internet is full of wonderful sites for you to download and print off Jack O’ Lantern stencils.  Some of my favorites are:


http://www.bhg.com/ (the Better Homes and Garden site) just click on the 100 days of Holidays and type in pumpkin stencils.

Also, if you type in Halloween central in your search engine, it is a great site for all things Halloween!!  Happy surfing!

*****CARVING TIP******

for preserving your carved pumpkin a little longer is to rub Vaseline or spray WD-40 around the cut edges.  You can also rinse the inside of the cleaned out pumpkin with with weak bleach water to keep mold and bacteria from forming.


PAINTED PUMPKINS, A SAFE AND FUN ALTERNATIVE TO CARVING:


If you would rather decorate the pumpkin, as opposed to carving it, painting is a great alternative.  Set up a tray with water based paints, washable markers, glue, glitter and any other decorations your guests may like to use. 

Pumpkin Painting Ideas:

*By tipping the pumpkin on it’s side you can use the stem as a nose. 
*Old wigs, glasses, witches hats, masks…so much can be used to make your pumpkin become a Halloween show stopper!
*As with any holiday decorations, they can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish it to be.
*Whatever you do, I know it will be Spooktacular!!!!


                                 GETTING YOUR HOME INTO THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN!!!

    

*Cobwebs are always a fun and eerie way to create a haunting look.
*Very inexpensive, bags of “spider webs” come in white, green and black.  I found great deals at the local    *Cheesecloth is another inexpensive way to create a creepy draped effect.  Hang some off of mirrors, pictures, even furniture.  Attach little plastic spiders or skeletons and add a little extra BOO!

Every year I make a Halloween tree.  Mother Nature helps me out on this one…in our side yard I can usually be assured of finding some downed branches.  I take 3 or 4, put them in a container filled with stones for stability. A large coffee can spray painted black, works very well too. I use a small strand of my Christmas twinkle lights, add some green spider webbing, little black plastic bats and I have a Halloween tree worthy of a visit by the Great Pumpkin!


                                                              HALLOWEEN TABLESCAPES


Table Cover:

Our first step setting our table is the table cover.  The stores are full of plastic Halloween tablecloths this time of year…they come in all sizes. Buy crepe paper in the color of your choice, cut it to fit your table.  Use pinking shears to cut the bottom edge, or cut strips an inch apart with regular scissors to create a decorative look.  You can do the same with fabric if you would rather use cloth.  There is a wide assortment of Halloween fabrics out there.

Centerpiece:

I like to use a different centerpiece every year.  One of my favorites is to take a witches hat, stuff the inside with newspaper or batting, place it in the middle of the table, drape some black net around it, sprinkled with some silver glitter.  Cut an artificial pumpkin in half and fill with Halloween candies, or fill with reindeer moss that can be purchased at any craft store and put in a few “Halloweenie Eggs” colored orange and green and purple?  Simple food color is used and the instructions on how to get the colors you want are printed on the back of the box.  Twist some gauzy material down the center of the table and place little battery operated votive candles in and out of the curves.  This way you do not run the risk of the fabric catching on fire or little ones burning themselves.


                                                                 TEMPTING TREATS

      

                                                             Howling All Hallows Eve Punch
You will need:

1 Ice cube tray
1 dozen gummy spiders or other type of creepy gummy bug..
Fill tray with water or fruit punch, add gummy bug to each compartment and freeze about 6 hours.
In large punch bowl mix together 1 large can of tropical fruit punch
2 liter bottle of Sprite
1 Qt. of raspberry sherbert slightly thawed in refridgerator for a couple of hours before event (you can use rainbow sherbert if you like)
Directions:

Mix the fruit punch and Sprite together.   Add thawed sherbert to the punch mixture.  Stir thoroughly.
Take frozen “bugs” from the freezer and drop on top of the punch…
Drink it if you dare!!    

 
                                                          Quick Halloween snack mix:

Ingredients:
6 cups of bagged caramel corn or Chicago style popcorn.
2 cups of salted mixed nuts
1 ½ cups candy corn
½ cup of raisins

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.



    Popcorn balls:
What is Halloween without popcorn balls?
This is my favorite recipe to use, it has never failed yet!
5 Qts. Popped popcorn
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups water
½ t. salt
½ cup light corn syrup
1 t. vinegar
1 t. vanilla

Keep popped corn hot and crisp in oven at 300 degrees.  Butter sides of a heavy saucepan.  In this combine sugar, water, salt, corn syrup, and vinegar.
Cook to hard ball stage (250 F)
Add vanilla.  Pour slowly over popped corn, mixing well to coat every kernel,
Press into balls, butter hands if necessary.  Be careful not to burn your hands.
I like to use latex free gloves to form the balls, much easier and cleaner to use.

 
Rocky road Halloween squares:

1 12oz. Package of chocolate chips
1 14oz. Can of sweetened condensed milk
1 T. butter
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 package (10 ½ oz.) of white mini marshmallows.
Assorted Halloween candy such as candy corn or candy coated chocolate pieces.

Line a 13x9 baking pan with waxed or parchment paper.  In top of double boiler or in microwave, melt chocolate with milk and butter, remove from heat.  In large bowl combine peanuts and marshmallows. Fold in melted chocolate and press into paper lined pan. Top with candy pieces.  Chill until firm and cut into squares.  Store at room temperature.



                      Wishing you all a Haunted, Happy and Safe Halloween from the ghouls at Blondie's ;)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

So this is the world of blogging?

I've been a crafter, well, nearly my entire life.  As long as I can remember I've been gluing, sewing, bedazzling or painting every surface known to  mankind.  Through the process of trial and error (and drained bank accounts) I've searched for my niche in the craft world.  I've spent countless hours and many nights in my studio, putting the final touches on my prized creations.  I've traveled to many craftshows and set up my booth in the rain and wind, only to break even in sales.  After years of chasing my tail, I came to the conclusion that I need to move into the current century and get with the times.  A friend of mine at work one day mentioned putting my items for sale on this site called Etsy.  Etsy...what in the world is etsy?  I got online and checked it out.  I about smacked myself on the forehead thinking, duh, why didn't I think of this?  Where have I been all of this time?  I was hooked!  I began researching shops and seeing what competition I had. In mid April of this year I took the plung and I set up shop, or should I say shops... ( I set up four).   I loved being able to see people "heart" my work that I had invested so much into.   My heart jumps when I'm added to another treasury. Just that reassurance alone was enough to keep me working hard into the night to create more inventory and carve out my place in the world. 

I have set up a shop for my abstract artwork-The Artist's Hands, a shop for my handpainted childrens items-Lucky Deer Designs, a shop for my paper creations such as banners and party supplies-Blondie's Bits 'n' Bobs and a shop for my favorite photographs I've taken on my journey-Mi.Pix.  So here I am, a few shops and a few sales later, intrigued and ready to take this further.   I decided to do the Facebook, Blog and Twitter deal to see what it does and where it takes me.  One thing I know is that it has taken me out of the the stone ages and moved me into modern times with no sign of turning back!  What's that they say...slow and steady wins the race?  Well this turtle has been treking for a few years and is ready to see where this race ends up.