Thanks for voting...Butter Beer Won!

I just want to thank you all for voting for my Butter Beer Blog entry.

It won the Halloween Recipe Hop!

Thanks for all your votes and support!

And yes, the Butter Beer is excellent...so try it for Halloween!

Favorite Halloween Recipe Voting

So I was asked to enter the Butter Beer Recipe, from our Harry Potter Party, on this Halloween Recipe Contest.  I just entered it yesterday, and found out the deadline for voting is tonight.

So, if you liked the Butter Beer Recipe...or just want to show your loyal support, Go Vote!

Vote here: RecipeLionBlog 

Scroll Down until you find the Butter Beer Recipe and click the "like" button.

The Story of Booing

This is another one of the many times I should have taken a picture but I forgot.

A year ago I got some goodies and this cute poem from a friend ...

But the picture of the ghost and the typing were really blurry and just a bad copy.

So this year I decided to start this tradition up with our family and I revamped the paper.

These are what I came up with.

I cut out the ghost and the Story separately and attached them to some goodies.

Then we took the boys "ding-dong-ditching".

Although I ended up in the car with a crying baby, our older boy loved it.

So here they are.  I doubled it so you could print two per page.

free download and printable Story of Boo-ing found: here

*The ghost image I found for free at: freedigitalscrapbooking.com

Printable Halloween Recipe Cards

With all the fun fall recipes and goodies we have been baking and delivering

I decided to put together some festive recipe cards to share.

free download and printable fall recipe cards found: here

Take Along Car Mat

 Both the Travel Car Mat  and this Car Caddy  have been huge hits with my boys.

So for this last birthday, I combined the two ideas and came up with this Take Along Car Mat.

I like how it only holds 4 cars.  The "Car Caddy" I made held 8...which was bulky and too many to keep track of at restaurants, appointments, etc.  Then the Travel Car Mat, didn't tote the cars along.

So combine the two ideas...and perfection!

Well, I made mine with all the scraps from both previous car mat projects and it was quick and simple...The entire project took less than an hour. And for me cost virtually nothing.

Directions below and printable link at bottom.

Printable Directions found: here & here

Very Hungry Caterpillar 1st Birthday Party

 We enjoyed all the food described in the book

and lots of treats.

White Board Calendar

I am all about calendars, planners...anything to keep me organized. But if it is going to be out or seen, I want one that looks cute. And, I like it to be reusable. (Less cost and effort).

So, I took an old picture from a garage sale. Removed the picture, painted the plain oak frame black. 

Used some Scrapbook paper for the background. 

Then glued on this Calendar, this Grocery List Square & Reminder Square.

And there you have it...a Calendar, Grocery List, Reminders, Meal Planning, etc...all in one place.

For more information on how I use this calendar for Weekly and Monthly Meal planning click: here

Peach Cinnamon Rolls

These were amazing Cinnamon Rolls and perfect for fall.  We have had so many peaches around which I love.  Then with my love for this peach cupcake frosting, I have been looking for more ways to use both of them.  And I came up with this combination.

Make dough from this Recipe: allrecipes.com's Soft, Moist, & Gooey Cinnamon Buns

Roll out dough. Spread softened butter over dough. Sprinkle with Cinnamon. Mix 3 tbsp of sugar & 3 tbsp of brown sugar in small bowl. Sprinkle all 6 tbsp over the dough. Peal and dice 3-4 peaches, sprinkle over dough. Roll up and slice. Place on buttered pan, spaced 1-2 inches apart.  Cover with towel and let rise until about double in size. (About 45 min to an hour)

Bake for 18-22 min at 350. Let cool until just warm.  Spread this Peach Frosting over buns when warm.

Fall Jars

Filling Apothecary Jars.

Nothing brilliant or super creative here, but just a simple tip...

Use a drinking glass placed upside down in the center of the jar.

This takes up space and you don't see it.

Less Candy Corn needed, more money saved and less to store.

*I also save my candy corn and reuse it each year.

No, we never eat it...but saves money and effort on my part.

Book Pumpkins

So I saw this cute idea from Craftberry Bush and fell in love with it.

Whether it is the love for books, or the soft look they give on the traditional pumpkin...

I don't know but I loved them. So I made my own.

I did mine a little different than Craftberry Bush explained, but still very easy.

Materials:

-Old Book

-Tea

-Stick

-Ribbon

-Scissors

-Glue

-Stapler

Instructions:

1. First take an old book (or buy one at good will)

2. Rip off the cover.

3. Trace and cut the cover to make the template for "half" of the pumpkin

4. Cut the edges of the book with scissors, regularly referring to the template.

*I liked cutting thick sections so it roughed up the edges

5. Dip all of the page edges into pot of tea.

6. Glue and/or staple 5-10 of the front and back pages together.

Securing the book into a pumpkin shape.

7. Insert stick with hot glue into the binding.

8. Add Ribbon for the bow.

*I didn't glue mine.  I only stapled the pages and pushed the stick in without glue. 

This way I can easily undo it and store it.

Boo Pumpkins

Simplest project yet.

Some gourds, and a Sharpie.

(The gourds I used are actually from last year.  I just dried them out.)

Halloween Ideas

I love Holidays and I love Halloween...

So I have been collecting and working on several different ideas for this year.  

Some have been completed but most are still just on my list of to do. 

White Chocolate Covered Cookie Ghosts: here

Cookie Candy Corn:  theidearoom

Ghost Bags: bhg.com

Mummy Candy Jars: Parents.com

Dare You to Eat It: eighteen25

And for the decorations!!!

  Halloween Newspaper signs: deckthehallsofhomewithjoy

  Vintage Halloween Signs: RhonnaDesigns (similarly at Tia Pan)

  Witch Legs: 1.bp (similarly at Tia Pan)

  Vintage Halloween Party: hostessblog

  Pumpkin Spiders: goodhousekeeping

  Candy Corn Pumpkins: bhg.com

  Orange Wreath: etsy.com

  Fall Wagon: bhg.com

  Book Pumpkin: Craftberry bush