Leftover Candy Corns...

It's not a problem I normally have, to have a slew of leftover candy corns.  But if your stash isn't dwindling, as quickly as mine did, I thought some of these ideas were adorable ways to use them up, that aren't all "Halloween-y".

These candy corn penguin cup cakes are from Naomi's instagram (of the fun blog, Love Taza).  From what I can tell, they are oreos, candy corn, and mini chocolate chips.  They look easy and fun, for any time of year!

These are adorable little pretzel turkeys, that look simple and easy!  They would be a fun place setting for the kid's table at Thanksgiving!  For some more "turkey" inspiration using candy corns, I can't get over how cute these nutter butter turkeys are, or try out variations of the Reese's peanut butter cup turkey, here or here!

And if your candy corns are stale, or you are all sugared-out, you and your kids can make a sweet little card, inspired by this handprint turkey, or this Thanksgiving card.

Have fun using up that leftover candy corn!  Now I wish I had some left...I will have to plan better for next year!

Stuffed Pumpkin: Bacon Jalapeno Dip

On Monday night for family home evening, we had our good friends, the Mertz's over.  James and Jenessa  recently moved here from Tucson.  Brett and James have been very good friends for years, they grew up in Willcox together.  We like that they live close now!

Jenessa offered to bring tomato soup and bread bowls (you can buy the bread bowls here, they are so worth it!).  I gave my first attempt at baking something in a pumpkin, and whipped up some apple crisp.  It was a fun and relaxing evening.  The stuffed pumpkin was a hit!  I'll probably make it again...this week!    

And can I tell you how much I love eating on the back patio!  We eat out there nearly every single night, and I can't get enough of it!  I'll be disappointed when the evenings are too biting to enjoy the patio, but then we can make s'mores around the firepit and Christmas will be here--so I won't be that disappointed :)

Landon was in a goofy and happy mood, so we had fun interacting and engaging with him a lot.  He was so smiley and corny the whole night long.

So, in case you want to test the waters, and try baking "something" in a pumpkin--give this easy appetizer a try!

Bacon Jalapeno Dip baked in a Pumpkin

original recipe found here

2-3 pound pumpkin, cleaned out

16 oz. cream cheese

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 T. finely chopped jalapeno

2 T. finely chopped onion

1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon

3/4 cup salsa verde

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place cream cheese in large, microwave-safe bowl and soften

Stir in the remaining ingredients

Place the dip in cleaned pumpkin and place it in a baking dish with 1 inch of water.  Lightly cover the pumpkin with foil.  Place the pumpkin and baking dish in oven and bake for about one hour, or until the dip is hot and bubbling around the edges.  Put the top of the pumpkin in the last 20 minutes, so it looks "baked". 

We served it with the "insides" of our bread bowls and tortilla chips--both were delicious!

Enjoy!

Decorating with Paper

I decided to jump on the "batty" trend and make a statement on my wall this year for Halloween.  Paper is a really inexpensive product and can make such a statement!  All of the decorations here are made of paper (the bats and banner).  I made the banner years ago at the scrapbook store using their die-cut machine.  So I really didn't need any special equipment.  Paper is an easy thing to use to add a lot of drama for your upcoming Halloween get-together!

Here are some fun links using paper to decorate for Halloween...

I want to replicate this spooky idea for a centerpiece

simple and fun banner chains

the perfect cake topper 

eery silhouettes 

And if you are wanting to give a bat collage a try, here are a few of my inspirations...

bat collage over a door

in a living room

and a template if you want to cut out some of your own bats!

The perfect project to do while watching a suspenseful movie!

Spooky Banner and Wreath Tutorials

Remember my post on simple ways to decorate your mantle for the spooky holiday?

Well here are two simple tutorials to help you.  Both of these cost $10 or less.  You might even be able to make both of them for $10 total, depending on what you have on hand!

First tutorial, for the simple feather wreath.  You'll die at how easy it will be to make this.  It will take you less than 5 minutes!

All you need is a feather boa, a wire wreath form, a dollar store skeleton, and a few scraps of ribbon or lace.  Simply wrap the feather boa around the wire.  Use hot glue if you need it, but I found that I could secure it by putting a section through the wire pieces that stick out along the circumference.  Simply attach the dollar store skeleton using some yarn or ribbon, and then run a wide piece of ribbon around the wreath to hang it wherever you need to add some festivity!  

The second tutorial is for the simple burlap banner.  

If you carefully cut out the triangles and maximize your fabric, you really don't need much. 

I used my silhouette machine to cut out the shapes, but don't worry if you don't have that!  You can go to your local scrapbook store and use their die-cut machine, if they have one (they do here, if you are a local AZ resident).  Or, print off your desired shapes and use scissors or an x-acto knife to cut out the shape leaving a stencil to use.  I think this method would also work super well (it's also really inexpensive) and be fun for kids to help!  Maybe next year I can do this method with Landon.  

I didn't have a foam brush, so I just used a wadded up paper towel to dab on the paint, and it worked just splendidly!

After they thoroughly dry, secure them to yarn, ribbon, or twine and drape around wherever you please!

I hope these simple tutorials inspire you to add a little "umph" to your decorations without breaking the bank.  Our homes, however big or small, decked out or minimal, they are ours!  And I love that having a few decorations out can lift our spirits and keep us excited about things, even if it is just the small things!

Halloween Decor: Dollar Store and Thrifting

I can't even begin to explain how excited I was for the weather to start changing and for the autumn activities to begin in full-swing!  However, I pulled out the tote full of my autumn and Halloween decor, and was sadly disappointed in the very little bit I had tucked away.  Thankfully, real pumpkins and gourds can really add a lot without hitting your wallet too hard (and last all season if left uncut/carved too).  However, I wanted to have some more festive Halloween and spooky decorations.  But having just moved and spent a nice chunk of change on that, the spending had to be minimal.

So, I decided to peruse a couple of my local Dollar Trees, and was pleasantly surprised at the loot I found!  Between that and a few thrifted items and things I already had on hand, I was able to pull together a pretty festive and spooky mantle above my fireplace!

I was thrilled that I scored the creepy crows and adorable glittery jack-o-lanterns for $1/piece!  Once Halloween is over, I plan on turning the jack-o-lanterns around so you can just see the pumpkin.  The skeletons, skull, and spiders were other fabulous dollar store finds.  I was so impressed with this decor being only $1/piece, because I noticed nearly the exact same items in other craft stores for at least quadruple the price!  I also picked up a package of cobwebs to have strewn across the final product.  I was impressed with how realistic they look, and one package has proven to be more than enough!

The books are thrifted, and I pick them up over time.  If you can't find a vintage/beat up book, even just different sizes of books in neutral colors will give you the same type of look.  I'm sure you can also rip at the book spine and take some sandpaper to rough up the edges on a book that looks too "new".  The books work great to give different height and dimension across this huge mantle!  Plus, I use the books year-round for decor, not just during the holidays, so to me, they are worth picking up when I see them!

The banner and wreath are both homemade and super simple and inexpensive!  I will have tutorials up on both of them in the next couple days...so stay tuned!

If you don't have a fireplace or mantle, don't worry!  I used to decorate the top of my piano similar to a mantle-top.  You can also do the top of a bookcase, small entertainment center, or shelf.  I'm sure there is a spot in your home to glam up if you are dying to decorate!