It's a Matter of a Fun and Healthy Halloween Dinner....

Yes, the day is finally here!  Little ghosts and goblins are excitedly anticipating the candy haul of the year!  Caring parents want to keep a balance between sugar, excitement, and spooky characters!  

So, how about sending our family off right with a Halloween inspired dinner before they go door knocking tonight?  Many of these items came from my Pantry and my refrigerator.  You may be surprised about how many of these items you actually have on hand!

Halloween entrees from your Pantry and Fridge!

I used Garbanzo beans and Tahini from my Pantry to make some delicious hummus!  I had a particularly dark colored Tahini, so it made things look particularly haunting!

Next I put grapes on scewers.  Then I added mini chocolate chips as eyes (using cream cheese as the 'glue').  These became delicious caterpillars!

Using some of the hummus I put dollops on grape tomatoes or small cucumber slices topped with olive slices to make...

A Spooky-eyed Salad!

Instead of traditional breadsticks, cut the ends and shape the bread into bones! They sure tasted great with Pumpkin Soup that I made from my canned Pumpkin chunks!

What is Halloween without some spooky ghosts!  I put Rooster Senior in charge of making these.  He was asked to cut the bananas in half and use mini chips for the eyes and a big chip (pushed in backwards) for the mouth.  Let's just say we got some free form ghosts.  I also put some mini-chocolate chips on the plate for people to dip their ghosts in if they wished.  (See the cute caterpillars above?)

I added peeled Clementines and inserted a piece of celery as the stem. The hummus above has 'witches fingers' (made from celery sticks and an almond fingernail tacked on with a bit of hummus) sticking out from the bowl of Hummus.  Fun, easy, and healthy!

Fill up your Trick-or-Treaters on this delicious, quick and healthy meal before they head out of your Front door!

Have happy and Safe Halloween!

For Some of My Favorite Little Goblins.....

Trick-or-Treat Bags made with Machine Embroidery....Perfect for little Goblins this Halloween!

Look what I did.....last Saturday.....when I had this wild idea....and just a little time to execute it. 

I will be having a Halloween Party at my home tomorrow for a few little Goblins that I love to pieces.  These Goblins are local, and thus a last minute idea happens to work.

I created this pattern because other Trick or Treat bags that I have made were just as big if not bigger than the little Goblin who would try to carry it. So, I made these a bit smaller. They are not as wide, but they are super cute!

We have a little fabric store in my little town, so I decided to support it and bought some coordinating fabrics.  In the black, I cut 2 pieces 11" x 14".  I then downloaded this sweet Jack-o-Lantern design to program my Embroidery Machine. I loved that this design is....free!  I also embroidered the name of each little Goblin just under the Jack-o-Lantern.

I used some left over piping from another project and covered it with coordinating fabric.  Using my zipper foot, I stitched the new fabric closely to the piping.

For the little "Goblin-Princess", I made a ruffle.  The width of the ruffle is 3 inches and the length depends upon how tightly you want your ruffle to be.

See how great the Orange pumpkin stands out against the black. The downloaded pumpkin pattern turned out very well!

I made a 'cuff' from coordinating orange fabric that was ~5 inches x 11 inches.  Here you see that I am stacking several layers.  After sewing the sides of the bag (black fabric), I pinned the piping (or ruffle) and the cuff together and used a zipper foot to sew along side of the piping.

 The lining (same size as the black fabric) is also sewn along the same seam as the piping stack. I didn't sew all 4 layers together at once as the lining was slippery and I didn't want to unpick anything unless I had to.  Next, you can see that I pinned the seam together and sewed along the side and bottom. I serged all edges to finish them off.  In case you are asking why I finished the inside of the bag that way. Well.....let's just remember that it is a "Trick or Treat Bag"!  It is not a fashion bag!

Here is a bag with piping.  I made handles and sewed ric-rac on the handle for a sweet and funky look.

Here is a close-up of the ruffle embellishment.

I love how they turned out. However, the downside is my insanely busy schedule. I didn't think of doing this until a few days ago. That means that I didn't have enough time to make more for the other Goblins who live out-of-state. Sooooo, I will let the parents of these Goblins decide if they want me to make more for them next year.

I really need to plan ahead a bit, don't I?

It's a Matter Of ....... A Little Halloween!

I have a few little goblins that will toddle through my house this year....and I love it!  I have always decorated and celebrated every holiday in my home.  I wanted my children to have fun and fond memories of our time together over the years.  

Now, I have another generation that I would 'spread the fun around' with.  So, I have plans for our party this year, and I would like to share some of the fun things that I will have at that family gathering.

Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Jars....from Canning jars and Vinyl Cut-outs.  

Well, if you have been reading my blog for any time at all, you know that I can lots of different things. As such, I have jars...and jars...and jars in my storage room.  I decided to try a little project this year.

I cut out some fun faces using my Silhouette.  I put them on to transfer paper.  I then cut the individual faces apart.

I found a smooth side to my jar and rubbed the design/transfer paper on to the jar.

I initially had the plain jar and put in a flame-less candle.  You know the ones that are sold at Christmas time. They work just great for these, and little hands can be curious and not get burned if they try to touch them.

I decided to put on some raffia for fun!

Aren't they sweet?  I think all the little Goblins will love them when we 'party-hardy"....(well as much as you can with a 3-year old and younger party!).

Take Home Message:

• I had all the materials to do this project.  I had the Vinyl from another project. The cost for me today was just my time.
• The Canning Jars are from my storage...again I had these items on hand.
• I used flame-less candles for safety.  I had used these candles in my Christmas decorating. They are perfect for this little project.

Simple, Easy, Cute, and Fun!  Who can ask for anything more?

Goblins abound.....at Halloween!

Scary?  Not necessarily.  What is it?  Let's look!

This little "guy" comes from a pattern called "Goblin Greetings" by Gayle Lambert.  (Her website has great stuff....you can find it here!)  I happened to be perusing a quaint local quilt store when I saw this pattern.  I had to buy it.  It wasn't until I got home that I realized that my friend and neighbor is the creator of this adorable quilt pattern.  

I didn't want to cut the original, so I made a copy and cut out all of the pieces.

My daughter and I chose some very fun fabrics.   

I then cut out each pattern piece.

I followed the instructions until all the pieces were in place.  

I also sewed buttons on for the eyes.  Isn't he cute!

Because this is a "Trick-or-Treat" bag, I only used Nylon Thread to do the applique work around the edges.  That way, I only had to use one thread, it's durable, and it doesn't show.

Decide the size of the bag you wish and cut sturdy fabric to size (or sew the design on to a purchased bag).   I sandwiched the 'monster' between both  squares and sewed the sides and bottom.  When I turn it inside out, I had a bag with a rough edge on top.  I cut a lining that of the same size.  I then sewed the side seams together only.  I cut handles out of ribbon and sewed them in place.  I sewed the top edge of the bag and the lining together.  Put the lining inside the bag to make sure it fits.  Then pull the lining out and sew the bottom edge together (I used my serger to make it quick!).

Top Stitch the upper edge...and you are done!  Aren't they adorable?

For more quilting ideas, go see what Gayle has put together.

Happy Halloween!!!!  

(I have condensed this post to protect the designers specific instructions.  I can, however, tell you that this is an adorable pattern that any beginning or intermediate sewer can do.  Visit Gayle's site for more cute patterns),  

A "Spooky" project....for the little ones.

Well, Halloween is quickly coming upon us.....and I wanted to make something special for our littlest family members who live far away from us. These are pillowcases that each have a different cuff so that each little person has their very own! The body of the pillowcase is the same 'jack-o-latern' fabric. 

For directions on how to make these, please see this link.

Just as an FYI, when I made the Patriotic Pillowcases earlier this year, I was unsure how they would be received.  However, when "Nonnie" (that's me) went to visit and take care of one set of grandchildren earlier this year, I was surprised to see these pillowcases on each grandchild's bed.  My daughter said that they really liked them.  So, I am about to send the next installment. 

Happy Haunting!

Fun Halloween Treats, meals, and snacks!

(Image courtesy of (Image courtesy of christmas.organizedhome.com/topics/halloween)

I love, love, love holidays. Halloween is coming soon, and so the opportunity to do fun things with your family is here! I wanted to give you some suggestions of things you may want to plan for and consider doing this week. By doing fun things like this, you are "Making Memories".

Here are some links you may want to explore:

15 Healthy Halloween Recipes: http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/best-halloween-recipes-786790/

Spooky Snacks and Treats: http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/halloween-snacks-treats/

Halloween Desserts: http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/halloween-cakes-cupcakes/

Monstrous Meals: http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/halloween-entrees/

Halloween Drinks: http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/halloween-beverages/

(Source: http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/)