Halloween Snack Attack

 

Vintage crate label

It’s Tuesday. You have a Halloween party to go to Friday night.

You are supposed to bring ‘a snack’.

HELP!

No need to worry, 

I have a blog just for that!

Let’s start with a couple super easy, super fast snacks to make -

You have probably all had this at a party sometime between 1950 and now. Yet, it is tasty and remains a favorite.

You could google a recipe and let it bubble in a crock pot all day, 

Or

Buy a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. Warm it up in the microwave; pour into your party travel dish.

Skewer drained pineapple chunks onto cut up little sausages, sliced kielbasa or even all-beef hot dogs. Place on a foil covered cookie sheet and cover with seran wrap or foil. Remove cover and 

pop in the oven when you get there for 5 minutes. Do watch for flaming toothpicks. Arrange on a platter with BBQ dipping sauce, or layer the picks on top of a layer of sauce, poured right on your foil covered cookie sheet.

Whew!

Next one up:

This is a quick take on those roll-ups you may find at parties. This recipe avoids the cream cheese and tortilla aspect.

Gather mini dill pickles or (shudder) sweet pickle gerkins. (😝) Either cut up or buy prepared chunks of mozzarella cheese. Cut slices of cold meats into half or quarters, depending on how many you are going to put on each toothpick.

Now skewer away! 

1 half pickle, 1 or 2 slices of cut up deli meat and top with a mozzarella cube.

Variation: try other cubed cheeses.

For this quick dessert you need strawberries and pre-made pound cake. You will also need some white chocolate.

Cut your pound cake into bite size pieces. Remove stem and leaves from strawberries. Follow the photo and use longer skewers than a regular toothpick. Next put your white chocolate into a bowl and in the microwave. Zap it only a couple seconds at a time until it is runny. Too long and you can burn it.

Pour into a ziplock baggie. Cut a SMALL bit off one bottom corner. Now squeeze it over your dessert kabobs.

Cool!

This one takes a bit of fiddling, but not much.

You will need chocolate frosting filled Oreos and M&Ms.

Separate Oreo cookies. Take one half and cut it in half. Arrange on bottom of cookie and press into the chocolate filling as much as possible. Press 2 M&Ms into filling for eyes.

That’s it! You’re done!

I had to include these cups as I thought they were really cute.

Next up we have a bread bowl spider.

You will need a green pepper, a bread bowl and some spinach dip. Also 1 slice of cheese and 1 black olive. You can buy the spinach dip pre-made in several places. The bread is a round loaf that you cut the top off, and scoop the bread from inside, making a bowl. Right before your party spoon the spinach dip into the bread bowl. Poke holes in the top sides of the bread bowl and insert strips of green peppers for ‘legs’. Cut the olive in half. Cut 2 circles from the cheese. Put them together and insert with a toothpick. This dip is great with heavier crackers like Triscuits. You can also cube a loaf of bread and put toothpicks out with them.
Yum!

What a clever idea, and good for you too! Peel a large carrot. Make wedge slices along the side of it, as shown in the photo. Then slice and you have pumpkin shaped carrot snacks! These would also go well with a dip.

Now we have a mix both sweet and salty. All you have to do is purchase the ingredients and mix them together. I found this on Pinterest.

The nice thing about mixes is if you can’t find an ingredient, it’s easy to substitute.

I chose these deviled eggs to show how you could make them in to pumpkins. Some posts on Pinterest were making the filling out of puréed pumpkin.

Hmmm, did not sound tasty.

This one is just your favorite deviled egg recipe. Then sprinkle paprika for a pumpkin look, and add a sliver of green onion for the stem.

Let’s end with a quick and easy sweet treat.

You will need Reese’s peanut butter cups and Oreo cookies. For the eyes you can purchase them (seasonal) or make them with dots of frosting.

Simple!

I hope you try out one or more of these recipes. Let me know how the party was!

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Halloween Groupies

 Welcome!

Kaleidoscope by inkspired

It’s that time of year again where the nights get colder, the leaves put on their Fall fancery and all the little goblins dream of a new costume to wear.

coolest-homemade-costumes.com

Perhaps you are part of a group - 

An office department,

A team of teachers,

A class of students…

You need to coordinate!

I am here to help!

Bored Panda

A group of Japanese art students came up with this clever idea!

Bored Panda

From the labor intense to the last minute quickie, I have all levels of costumes to share with you.

Here is perhaps the easiest:

MaridFashion

Basic black is usually in everyone’s wardrobe. If not you can find black sweats just about anywhere.

This is a great starting point for those who just do not have a lot of time to devote to making costumes.

The Pac Man game characters above started with basic black. Then all you need is some rope/twine and poster board. Black and white paint for the eyes, a pair of scissors and you are done.

This next one is almost as easy.

Grab some white duct tape and a pair of scissors.

Judy Saxton Rader

I think the domino earrings are a nice touch!

Next up -

I cannot say enough good things about these young kids. Clever! Creative! Caring!

This could also work with adults.

BuzzFeed 

This next one will take a bit more work, but not much. It is limited to 3 however!

You will need 2 poster boards, one black trash bag, small amount of gray paint and assorted colored construction paper. A yard stick and permanent pens, some twine/ribbon to hang the items from and you are pretty much done.

Mary Davisson

I saw several variations of this set. I liked how these girls made headbands to match. Certainly not necessary. To coordinate even further they could have worn matching base colors such as the all-purpose black.

I love this next group, perfect for a family of varying heights:

Becky Hullett

Matryoshka nesting dolls!

I saw several variations of color schemes but with this group you get a good idea of what to put together. Use an extended apron pattern and iron on fusible web to make the base costumes quick and easy. Squares of matching scarves and bright round pink cheeks complete them. Everyone wears a long sleeve white top and matching color bottoms.

Matryoshka dolls, posted by Gillian Peat on Pinterest

Here’s another great idea for a family of different heights and shapes:

Brittany Jepson

You can certainly use sweats for this one, provided you can get the colors you want. The crayon hat is simply made from construction paper with matching ribbon to tie under the chin. If you want, poster board or heavy card stock will hold up longer. The black anklets are a nice touch.

Large group? How about 101?

Pocket of Preschool

Black bottoms, white t-shirts and black construction paper completes the Dalmatians. You could also use iron on fusible web and black cloth circles, or black duct tape.

These girls added white netting tutus. Headbands with felt ears glued on are a cute plus.
And oh, Cruella!

Have fun with her black & white costume. Don’t forget the red lipstick and long cigarette holder.

This next one really needs no explanation. It’s been around several years, but I still find it adorable for a threesome!

Vanessa Cellotto

Back to larger groups with this one:

9Gagger

Now go back and look at that photo again! Those are fake legs!

I see cardboard boxes cut up, foam pool noodles and stuffed pants. Fun! That one took a lot of planning and work.

Not so much this one:

Rhondagannon

Yay basic black! A hobby store will probably have the yellow t-shirts, or order them online. Still can’t find them? Buy a bunch of white ones and dye them. It’s not as scary as you think.

I would use fabric paints for the emoticons. They are quick and easy to use. Cut some simple stencils if you want from heavy plastic. Or sketch out your designs with a fabric pencil (these can be erased with water usually).

Another clever group costume idea limited only by what colors you can think of:

tinybeans

Use yellow poster board for the base. If you have a Cricut or other brand cutting machine, make your Play-Doh symbol and just cut as many as you need. If not sketch out the symbol and enlist family members to copy and cut out.

The ‘lids’ appear to be a knit cap (lots of patterns out there for these) with a disk attached to the top. Paint the lid the same color as the t-shirt and the cap. I am not sure what was used. You could make one with a strip of poster board and a circle. Perhaps a pizza round cardboard insert? Or a large plastic lid?

Give me your ideas on this one!

Another simple costume idea that turns out very cute:

Hikendip 

Small touches like the matching color socks and the leafy headbands are what will pull this one off from amateur to great!

This next one needs a good artist or crafter to make those t-shirts look great.

Sandy Crow

 

I saw several different variations on a theme with the candy bars. So pick your favorites and get out those fabric paints!

Last, but not least, is from a photo taken on a bus. These young men came up with a great costume idea that can be expanded on as often as you have people to costume.

They used pink long balloons but I would suggest to use shades of blue and green to mimic seaweed.

They found Nemo hats, and they look super. Why not go further and add fishy stuffed animals to the top of a baseball cap? A few stitches will keep them in place, and make them removable later. This opens up the ocean to you! Octopus, blowfish, crab, Beta - you can find them all in stuffed animals. I would suggest you check out your local thrift store first.

The balloons appear to be held in place with packing tape. Again, use your basic black or go with blues and greens for your sweats base costume.

🎵 Under the sea! 🎶

I have had a great time finding group costumes for you. I would love to see your ideas, and your photos!

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Seeing Technicolor Dots

 Welcome!

Zazzle, Pinterest

I’m seeing dots…

Technicolor dots…

Polka dots!

Shinoda Design Center

It all started out with an innocent question -

‘I wonder why polka dots are called 

polka dots?’

Then things started to snowball…

More questions -

‘I wonder if polka dots were around before the polka dance?’

‘What is a polka dot, anyway?’

‘Do you think there are polka dot quotes?’

Instagram

…and more questions -

‘Is it a polka dot if it’s in color?’

‘Are polka dots just for fashion fabrics?’

So, I wrote a blog on the history of polka dots - and had so much fun!

But,

Now I see dots…everywhere!

They cover couches, bounce on bedding, shuffle over shoes, fondle fingernails and glam up gloves!

Posted on Pinterest by JAN

Nothing is safe from these dots!

Damian Hirst’s mini                

So, like any good friend would do,

 let me share them with you!

Fulton umbrellas

I’m seeing polka dots 

in nature:

Sheila Kazzazz, Pinterest

Math House Academy, Pinterest

Bubble tip anemone 

And in the office:

Refinery29 Australia

Humgard

They are in the water:

Boxfish, Ken McWilliams

1930’s style retro stage

Guinea Fowl Puffer Fish

And in the desert:

Glamping, posted Pinterest by Lee Berry

Tomas Castelazo, Flickr

I see polka dots inside:

Posted on Pinterest by Humberto Chacon

Homesthetics

Remodelaholic; Pinterest

And outside:

Art installation

There are dots on feet:

Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusuma collection

Tablescapes by design

And dots on hands:

Ultimate Innovations

And more dots for your face:

Zerouv

Walmart

You can find polka dots on top:

SHEIN

Poshmark

And polka dots on bottom:

Poshmark

Retro Stage
 

And even dots top and bottom:

Lotstrends

Charlie jumpsuit; K. S. Garner

There are dots in the kitchen:

Vintage blue enamel, Wendy Corning 

Pinterest 

And dots in the den:

Koltuk

East urban home; Wayfair

Now when I go out 

all I search for are more dots!

I find them too:

On magazine covers -

At sporting events -

Duchess Sarah Ferguson, Who, What, Wear

They even flip flop around!

Old Navy

Yes, it’s time to stop all this dotty distraction -

but then I see -

More!

And more!

I think I’ll relax, and just go read a magazine.

(Anne Hathaway in People magazine)

Sigh.

‘Til next time,

Inkspired