How Many Days 'til Halloween?

 

Holy Moly! I just about missed the entire day.

I had my project ready days ago but long morning appointments and a missing camera didn't help me to get it up and posted.

 

{Forgive me, please.}

 

I LOVE this project. Here let me show you...

 

Isn't it fun?

In all honesty, I stumbled across a similar project last year on pinterest--it only took a year to bring it to life OH! but it was worth it. I would credit the designer but it was only pinned as a google picture, so if you know who please tell!

It was pretty easy to put together.

I started with a bunch of scrap wood cut to different lengths, laid them out in a random pattern, and then glued/nailed them onto 2 1x2 that are about 5 feet tall. {picture top right}

 

From there I painted the base an off white and then gave it a good sanding once it was dry.

I free handed the letters using black, orange, and gray paints. You could use a word document to type the words and then trace them onto the board or even use vinyl. {middle picture}

 

I cut small rectangles from 1/4 inch MDF, drilled a hole in the top center, paper covered them, and then added numbers on both sides for the countdown pieces. I drilled two small screws into the sign base. And tied ribbons through the holes in the tiles to hang them. {bottom right picture}

 

From there I added a few extras...the crow and spider, and the paper pennant banner across the top.

Sheer Halloween happiness going on here!

 

The excitement just builds as we change out the numbers each day, we can't wait for Halloween!!!

Thanks to Candace and Nicole for a super fun theme {and for getting one more project off my "To Make" board!}

 

Happy Crafting-

 



Monday Munchies...Pecan-Caramel Spiders!!!

I ran across this recipe over the weekend while trying to find a fun treat for my girls. While they wouldn't eat this because of the pecans, I certainly would...I think.

How about you?

 Can you handle eating a spider, even the chocolaty variety? It might be worth a try...

Pecan-Caramel Spiders

From Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional

Directions

Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.

Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.

Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.

Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.

Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

Let me know if you were braver than me!!!

Happy Crafting.

Guest Posting for Howl-oween Tidbits at the Rhinestone Beagle!!!

This is the post I shared at the Howl-oween Tidbits Series on the Rhinestone Beagle...enjoy!!!

Hello and Happy Halloween to all you Beagle buddies out there! I'm so excited to be here today sharing a little bit of Halloween magic.

My name is Wendy and you can find me crafting away my days over at Craft Goodies...

I am thrilled to be included in this group of Halloween-loving ladies but must make a small confession-I HATE being scared!!!

So yes, I am one of those lovers of "cute" Halloween goodies because basically, I'm a total wimp. 

My project isn't the spookiest but it sure was a lot of fun and best yet SUPER EASY!!!

Here's what you'll need to make one yourself:

A large clear holiday ornament

thick craft wire *16 gauge

(I used a thinner wire on my first attempt and while do-able it was a lot harder because the wire didn't hold it's shape as well as the thicker stuff)

wire cutters

Get started by twisting the end of your wire through the ornament topper to keep it in place:

From there, start wrapping the wire around and around the ornament-like making a ball of yarn!

Top too bottom, side to side, keep going until it's as covered as you like it.

Once you're done wrapping the wire, snip the end with your cutters and tuck it around another piece of wrapped wire to keep it in place.

Next cut 8 long strips of your wire to make the legs. Mine were about 24 inches long. Thread the end of the wire under the wrapped wires and pinch in half. Then Twist the two ends together tightly to  form a leg. Do this 4 times on each side of the ornament:

Make the head by forming another smaller ball of wire. I wrapped the wire around three of my fingers to get a good size started and then just kept wrapping until I liked the size and shape. Again, just like you would do to make a ball of yarn. Clip the end when you reach your desired size.

Cut another small piece of wire and use it to "tie" the head to the body.

Bend and shape the legs. You can use your cutters to gently pinch the folded ends tighter to hold the legs in a more "crawly" position.

Tie a length of thread through the ornament hanger and dangle your new little friends where they'll definitely get noticed:

Not to creepy, right? My girls think they are pretty awesome!

I still have a few left over ornaments and am thinking it would be fun to color the ornaments a bright shade of red or green before wrapping them...see, I'm slowly edging toward scary.

Thanks so much Rhinestone Gals for having over, and Beagle friends, don't be shy-

drop by Craft Goodies any time for a visit.

Until then have a wonderful, SPOOK-tacular HOWL-oween!!!

Happy Crafting.

Happy HOWL-oween!!!

I'm over at the Rhinestone Beagle today taking part in their Howl-oween Craft-a-Thon series.

Stop by, say "BOO!", and check out how I made this...

See you there...

Halloween Hoots and a Goodie to Go With!

Hello there friends!

Happy Monday to you all, hope your weekend was full of rest and fun. Just a little quickie to share with you today. I found these little cuties a while back and immediately fell in love.

from wipkits.blogspot.com

Can you think of a little munchkin that wouldn't love getting one of these? So much fun! And how perfect for a class Halloween treat.

My kiddos are super picky when it comes to any sort of "trail mix" so I've been searching for the perfect one and think I might have found it...finally!

Popcorn Scramble

recipe from CountryDoor.com

6 c. freshly popped popcorn
2 c. Rice Chex ^®
2 c. Cheerios ^®
1 c. salted peanuts
1/2 c. butter or oleo
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix popcorn, Rice Chex, Cheerios and peanuts in a large bowl. Preheat oven to 250 ° F. Melt butter in a large saucepan; stir in brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, to boiling. Cook without stirring another 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in soda and vanilla. Drizzle over popcorn mixture and toss until evenly coated. Spoon scramble into a shallow pan and bake, stirring several times, for 1 hour. Cool. Store in a tightly covered container.


Still going to have to omit the peanuts but the rest is a keeper! Let me know if you try it too.
Happy Crafting.

It's Wood You Like to Craft Time!!!

I got an email from my sister the other day stating that clearly I must be dead because I hadn't updated my blog in over a week! HA! Not dead just super busy, it's a crazy but wonderful time of year.

So while my posts have been lacking, I haven't slowed down any.

In fact you can jump on over to Wood You Like to Craft? to see what I threw together this morning...

It's pretty "SWEET", at least my 4 year old thinks so!

Stop by and say hi and have a super Tuesday.

Happy Crafting.



October Blockheads...Round 2!!!

So just when I think I'm getting back on my game, life throws me a curve ball! A curve ball in the form of lightening that is.

Long story short, we have been experiencing several lightening storms over the last few days and they're not expected to go away until this weekend.

My vonage device apparently does not like lightening, it has been on the fritz since Sunday.

The bad news, my post schedule got a lot messed up.

The good news, I've seen some REALLY cool lightening over the last few days!!!

So on to that promised second posting of October Blockheads...

Monsters and more monsters, I love it!

The cute kind anyway- have I ever mentioned how much I HATE to be scared?

This little man will be bringing more smiles than screams...

meet Count Block-ula!

(His eyebrows make me giggle!)

So that makes the witch, Frankie and the Mrs., Dracie here, what could be left?

MUMMY of course!

This one's so easy, it's a crime to sell him! Simply wrap your block with a piece of torn muslin, blush your cheeks, glue on a nose and some spider friends, dot the eyes and your mummy is good to go!

Every monster needs a few accessories to help with that "SPOOKY" look, so why not start with one of these...

Black Cats are all the rage this fall! Do you have yours yet?

And last, bats in the attic? Definitely...

I have several and I'm thinking I need a few more.

So there you go, eight fun little critters all ready for Halloween tricks and treats!

Keep your eyes out for the tutorials to make your own little herd of monsters.

Because of the technical glitches, these aren't in my shop yet, but will be soon.

You can always drop me an email if by chance you can't wait!

Kits retail for $5 each and include (almost) everything you need to finish them.

Happy Crafting.

  

Look What Showed Up in the Shop this Weekend!!!

Can I tell you a little story?

Last year about this time, I started this blog and opened up my etsy shop. About a month later, I made this cute little guy...

...it started this crazy idea in my head.

 "I could make one of these for every month of the year, it'll be great!"

And it has been great, and so much fun.

But the ironic part of it was, the next set of Blockheads I designed were going in the wrong direction, I made a set of Halloween ones.

And it has been killing me to sit on them for almost an entire year! So why then would I wait until the end of September to show them to you? I don't have a good answer, so instead of waiting any longer let me introduce you to my Halloween Blockheads...

Up first is my First Lady of Halloween, Miss Witchie-Poo!

I am absolutely in LOVE with her, right down to the warts on her nose!

And then there's my leading man, Frank E. Stein. So simple, but SO cute...

and don't forget his super sweet young bride,

meet the Mrs...

...don't you just LOVE that hair!

And last for today, what Halloween is complete without a creepy crawly little friend?

Too cute to be scary! but absolutely necessary!

(He he, dorky rhyme)

Did you catch that last part..."last for TODAY..." yep, that's right, I've got FOUR more to share with you tomorrow.

I dare say, I'm a little obsessed with these blockheads of mine. But they were so much fun, I couldn't help it. Sharing these also reminded me that I never put up the tutorials for the scarecrow and owl...whoops! sorry.

{Have I mentioned that I've been a little crazy lately?}

Okay here's the business end of things:

You can find all the kits for these little friends in my shop...Well Good! or wait for the tutorials to appear here on Craft Goodies.

So lots to do, lots to look forward to...

I'll see you tomorrow, happy crafting.



Halloween Goodies!

Holy Cow! What a week-and we still have a few days to go! It's been a busy but fun one. Just wanted to share a few of the Halloween treats that appeared around our house this week...so much sweetness, so much fun!

A tray full of sugar cookie dough and pretzel sticks became a table full of "hairy" green spiders for preschool. These went together fast and easy. I used a basic sugar cookie dough, broke 4 pretzel sticks in half, stuck 4 on each side to make the legs and then baked as directed. Once they were cool, I piped green frosting onto the cookie and then dipped the entire thing in brown sprinkles. Added M&M's for eyes, and dot of white frosting and TA-DAH! Tasty, not-so-scary spiders!

 These little monsters were on the menu at our end of the season softball party. The idea comes from the amazing book, What's New, Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. It's the follow-up to their New York Times Bestseller Hello, Cupcake! They are both chock-full of so easy and seriously amazing cupcakes. If you are a home birthday/party baker you need these books. These cupcakes were a HUGE hit with the team-and their parents. {Get the books! You'll love them!}

Soccer snacks were up next! I purposely chose this week to do snacks because it is Halloween weekend and that made snacks way more fun!

I covered the front of their juice pouches with a silly little witch face made from paper and then made brooms out of brown paper lunch bags. I sent my girls out to collect sticks for broom handles-told them they had to work for their snacks. They helped me fill and tie the bags and we are ready for game day!

And last, a few treats for the neighbors. I wrapped paper pumpkins around orange soda cans left in a 6-pack. Tied on a fun ribbon {Yep, it's burlap! Go Wal-mart.} Then attached a note that said "Hope your Halloween is packed with fun! Happy Halloween from our patch to yours..."

Wow! It's been busy, but oh so fun. I love this time of year! Happy Halloween to you all, hope it's way more treat than trick!

Recycled Trick-or-Treat buckets

It's my week to teach preschool and we are having a party!!! I love little people and parties, and the fact that Halloween is this week only makes it better. But this little craft is serving a double purpose. We are also making these for FHE tonight. Our lesson is on gratitude (a very re-occurring theme at my house) and it is also teacher appreciation week so we're making a little something for our wonderful teachers.

Theses little tricksters are just up-cycled 2L soda bottles!

They are super sturdy and so long as you can tie a solid square knot, they hold a good amount of candy as well. Here's what you'll need to make one:

2L soda bottle

scissors

Hole Punch

Hot Glue Gun and Glue

Felt or Fabric to cover bottle- a 9x15in piece is perfect for the bottle, you'll need a little

 more to cover the bottom

felt or fabric scraps to make faces

ribbon or fabric for handle

Any spooky accessories you want!

{I've also done these with the smaller 20oz bottles-super cute! Great for a neighbor or friend, in fact my daughter's soccer team are getting the smaller ones for snack on Saturday}

First, get yourself a tasty flavor of soda, and finish it off. Then rinse out the bottle.

With a pair of scissors, following the top of the label as a guide, cut off the spout portion of the bottle. Then remove the label.

{Hang on to the top, you'll need it soon}

Using your handy dandy hole punch, punch 2 holes, one on each side of the top of the bottle, about 1/2-1" down. These are the guides for your handle so be sure they are directly opposite of one another, and equally spaced apart.

Lay your felt/fabric out in front of you. Place the bottle on it so that you have an inch of fabric above the top of the bottle. Run a length of hot glue down the short edge of the fabric and attach it to the bottle.

Keeping the bottle centered, roll up the bottle in your fabric.

Run another length of glue and seal the fabric onto the bottle. You should now have a fabric covered 2L soda bottle! Sit the bottle up right so that the bottom is facing you...

Using the hot glue gun, fold down the fabric and glue in place. I like to work my way around the bottle so that my edges tuck under each other. It helps it to stand upright better.

Grab the bottle top that you saved and a scrap of matching fabric. Using the top as your guide, trace and cut out a circle. Glue the circle piece onto the bottom of the bottle to cover up all your folds.

Turn the bottle up right, and re-punch your handle holes going through the fabric.

Fold the fabric over the edge of the bottle and glue down. Be sure not to cover up your handle holes!

Run the ribbon/fabric through the guide holes. Play with the length of your ribbon before you cut it!!! Your little ghoul doesn't want a handle that reaches the ground or one that's too small to comfortably carry.

Once you've determined the length of the handle cut it and tie it together. I usually tie a couple of knots just to be safe...

Using your scraps of felt/fabric accessories create a face. It's like carving a pumpkin without the goo! Anything goes, spooky, silly, scary. If you can cut it, he can wear it. Once you've gotten your pieces cut out, glue it all in place.

Ta-Dah! Bring on the candy, you did it!

The best part of this is you can make your bottle into anything. Get creative and have fun. For the ghost and mummy I used already green bottles.  Torn strips of muslin wrapped and tied together for the mummy, and I only glued down the top of the fabric for my ghost. One year I made one of these for all 10 of my preschoolers to match their Halloween costumes! I had a spider, a mermaid, a fireman, a ballerina, a princess, a pumpkin...the possibilities are only limited to your imagination!

Happy Crafting!!!