Easy Pumpkin Shaped Cake – Great for Thanksgiving!

Here in Canada, Thanksgiving is long over but my American friends are gearing up for their turkey day next week. For those of you on dessert duty this year, I’ve got you covered! If you’re in Pinterest then you’ve probably seen this idea done a bunch of times but here’s my take on the pumpkin shaped cake.

This really could not be easier. Simply bake two bundt cakes and then stack them together like a two layer cake (with the bottom one upside down, of course). For my cake I used boxed mix and, though I admitted it, if you don’t want to tell anyone then no one will know the difference ;). Cover the whole cake in orange frosting and then add stem and leaves. For a stem I just rolled a brown paper bag. I’ve seen these made with an ice cream cone stem and that looks great too but I didn’t want to buy a whole box of cones that would just go stale in order to use one for this cake. The last step was to pipe on some leaves. If you’ve got icing tips then go for it, if not you could make your leaves out of paper or, if you prefer edible, cut them out of green fruit leather.

Such a simple idea that makes a really big impact!

Happy Halloween! Salty, Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

It’s here! Happy Halloween everyone! The weather here isn’t exactly ideal but we’re still hoping for a good turn out of trick or treaters this evening. Otherwise we’re going to have an awful lot of candy to eat! Here’s a peek at my little trick or treater – his no sew costume was inspired by the unicorn costume here.

If you’re leaving your pumpkin carving for today then you’re going to love this recipe from One Hungry Dude for awesome pumpkin seeds. Have fun tonight, everyone!

Pumpkin seeds are a favourite treat for me, around this time of the year. Since Sarah enjoys carving at least one pumpkin for Halloween, there's always a big batch of leftover seeds to work with. Try this simple recipe, and you'll be rewarded with a tasty and healthy snacking option, while your kids are taking advantage of their Halloween spoils.

Ingredients
• Seeds from one Pumpkin
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Juice from about 1/4 of a Lemon

Place a cookie sheet in the oven, and preheat to 375 F. Once the oven is hot, take the sheet out. Spread the seeds on the sheet in a single layer. Lightly drizzle the olive oil over the seeds, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squeeze or drizzle the lemon juice over the seeds, then place them in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the seeds begin to lightly brown around the edges. Pull the sheet out of the oven, place the seeds in a bowl, and serve.

Halloween Vase from a Salsa Jar

I have to admit that I have more than enough Halloween decorations. I believe I told Chris about a month ago that my collection was verging on “ridiculous”. But that didn’t stop me from wanting to make some more this year. The catch was that I wasn’t going to spend any money so I had to use only things that were already in my stash. So far I’ve showed you Luminaries, Painted Pots and Painted Pumpkins. Today I’m showing you a painted vase I made from an empty salsa jar.

This one was really simple. I just used a sponge brush to apply silver craft pain to the outside of the jar. I painted lightly so you can almost see through the paint and it has the great textured lines. Once it was dry I mod podged on some Halloween shapes and then tied on a big black and white bow.

It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Painted Pumpkins

I’ve gone paint and glitter crazy this Halloween – it seems nothing can escape my sponge brush. That includes these mini pumpkins that I decided needed a bit of dressing up.

If orange and white aren’t your style a little bit of paint can go a long way towards transforming your pumpkins and Halloween display. I started by making a glittery pumpkin using the leftover mixture from my Halloween Luminaries and Painted Pots. I used a sponge brush to paint on the mod podge and glitter mixture and then just let it dry.

Next up I used a sponge brush to lightly add some black paint to this orange pumpkin. I wanted the orange to show through and I liked the texture the sponge brush made. I dabbed a little silver on to the top of the pumpkin for extra dimension.

Lastly, I painted this white pumpkin a bright blue but decided it didn’t really fit in with any of my other Halloween decor. The fix was to sponge some silver paint on, leaving just a bit of the blue peeking through. I like that it looks sort of weathered and antique.

All told it took me about 15 minutes to paint these little guys. I was using real pumpkins so I didn’t worry about what would work and what wouldn’t since they’re just going to be thrown out in a week or so anyway and it was fun to just be creative. I’m tempted to paint our full size pumpkin after it’s carved!

Guest Post – Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Wow, it’s Monday already! One Hungry Dude and I had a busy weekend with lots of running around so I’m a little late posting his recipe. But don’t worry, you’ll forgive me once you read it. And you’ll really forgive me once you try it because it is darn good!

When the weather begins to get cooler, I love moving cooking indoors. After a summer of barbecuing, it's nice to regularly turn on the oven and stovetop burners, and revive recipes that have been stored away for months. This recipe is based on a soup that I made during a cooking competition last year. It's got plenty of harvest and fall flavours, with a slightly sweet touch.

Ingredients
• 1 Large Butternut Squash, peeled, seeds discarded
• 1 Yellow Onion, peeled
• 1 Green Apple, cored
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tsp Thyme
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 3 to 4 Cups Vegetable Broth, warmed
• Cream and Parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut the squash, onion and apple into one-inch cubes. In a single layer, place the squash, onion, apple and garlic in a large baking pan or casserole dish, and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle the brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper over top. Place in the oven, and cook for about 40 to 45 minutes, until tender.

Remove from the oven. Place the mixture in a large pot, add about half of the broth, and puree until smooth using an immersion blender. Add more of the broth, until the mixture becomes a thick soup. Bring the soup to a simmer, and add more salt, pepper or broth, if needed.

Serve in bowls, topping the soup with a touch of cream and a sprinkle of parsley.

* This soup can be served immediately after it is brought to a simmer, if time is a constraint. But I prefer to let it simmer for about an hour or so, to let the flavours meld together.

— This recipe yields about six servings

DIY Painted Halloween Pots

I have a ton of craft supplies and very little space to keep them all so lately I’ve been trying to use up what’s in my stash. I’ve had a stack of paper mache pots sitting in my basement since forever so decided to turn a couple of them into a fun Halloween craft. I love the way these painted and mod podged pots turned out! They were so easy and require hardly any supplies. I got my inspiration from here.

 

Supplies

• Pots (paper mache or terracotta)
• Craft Paint
• Mod Podge
• Cardstock
• Glitter (optional)
• Scissors
• Paint Brush
• Sponge Brush

Start by painting your pots. I made a cat and a pumpkin but use your imagination. You could make monsters or vampires or any other Halloween themed creature. While the pots are drying cut faces out of your cardstock. I found keeping the faces simple was easier and also more effective. For example, my cat just has eyes and a nose but you know exactly what it is. At this stage you can also cut out ears and/or stems depending on what kind of pots you’re creating.

  

Once the paint on the pots has dried use your sponge brush and some Mod Podge to attach the faces. I then gave the whole pot a coat of Mod Podge so it was shiny all over but this is optional. I sealed my pumpkin pot with glittery Mod Podge left over from my Halloween Luminaries. Click over to that post for the how to. The picture doesn’t do it justice but the whole pumpkin pot is lightly shimmery.

 

The last step is to Mod Podge on the ears and stems. To do this just cut into the bottom of each piece and then fold the paper on one half backwards and the other forwards. This gives you two little tabs to adhere to the top of the pot. And that’s it - cute little painted Halloween pots! Including the paint drying these took me about an hour to complete. I used only materials I already had in my stash AND this is another idea I pinned ages ago and finally completed!

Pinned It – Did It Count: 4

DIY Paper Halloween Wreath

Last October I guest posted over at Clean & Scentsible sharing my DIY Paper Halloween Wreath. For those of you who missed it, I’m re-posting here today. These wreaths are so quick and simple to make – you can literally put one together in half an hour!

Here's what you'll need:

• 12 inch Styrofoam wreath form
• Two 12 x 12 sheets of Halloween paper (double sided if you want extra pattern variety)
• Halloween ribbon
• Tissue paper
• Halloween stickers
• Paper cutter or scissors
• Stapler
• Pipe cleaners

Except for the paper, I had all of this stuff in my crafting stash so hopefully you will too!

Start by cutting your paper into 1 1/2 by 6 inch strips. If you're using double sided paper you can flip half your strips over so that you end up with 4 piles of different patterns. If you're using single sided you can stick with 2 patterns or just cut only half of 4 different sheets.

Next, start wrapping strips around your wreath form, one at a time, overlapping them slightly and stapling them at the back. Don't worry about how the back looks, just make sure everything is lined up nicely at the front of the wreath. Keep stapling on strips until your wreath is completely covered. Don't worry if things don't line up exactly right on the last strip as you'll be covering that spot with ribbon. Here's the front and back of my finished wreath.

The next step is making the tissue paper flowers. You need 8 squares of tissue paper - the bigger the squares the larger your flower will be so consider the size of your wreath when cutting your squares. Pile the squares on top of each other and fold them like an accordion. When you've finished, twist a pipe cleaner around the centre to secure your folds.

Using scissors, cut the ends of both sides of your folded tissue into points. You can cut rounded edges for pretty flowers as well but I think the spiky kind look a bit more spooky!

Now spread your accordion out and start pulling the layers of tissue away from each other.When all the layers are separated, adjust them so that there is a flat back to your flower - that's the side with the pipe cleaner tails. Use the pipe cleaner to affix the flower to your wreath or you can hot glue it on. Repeat this process until you have as many flowers as you'd like. I only made two for my wreath because I didn't want to cover up too much of the paper. Once your flowers are in place, stick some Halloween stickers on to them.

The last step is to tie some ribbon around the top of your wreath for hanging and you're done! Wasn't that easy? You can use this same idea to make wreaths for all kinds of holidays - just switch the theme and colours of your paper, tissue and embellishments. I made one for Valentine’s Day a couple of years back and I think I’ll do a Christmas version this year!

DIY Glittery Halloween Luminaries

I think I might have a Halloween decorating addiction. I seriously have so many decorations for Halloween it’s ridiculous. And yet, I couldn’t resist making a few more! Tonight I’m sharing a really easy DIY luminary project. I love anything with glitter lately and this method makes sure that the glitter stays put.

Supplies

• Glass jar (I used a baby food jar)
• Glitter
• Mod Podge
• Patterned Paper
• Tags, Stickers etc. for decorating
• Ribbon
• Sponge Paint Brush

Start by pouring some Mod Podge into a disposable container (I used a clean margarine container) and then add glitter and mix well. There’s no exact measurements here – the amount of Mod Podge you’ll need depends entirely on the size of your jar – but trust me that you’ll want to go heavy on the glitter. The more glitter the less opaque your glass will end up. Once you’ve got your mixture use the sponge brush to paint it all over the inside of the jar. Make sure the entire surface is covered with Mod Podge – don’t worry, it’ll dry clear.

While your Mod Podge and glitter is drying inside the jar cut a label out of your patterned paper. I added a Halloween tag and sticker to mine. Mod Podge your label to the outside of your jar (no glitter this time).

Once the whole thing is dry, tie on some ribbon, insert a tea light and enjoy! I wasn’t lying when I said it was easy. The Mod Podge keeps the glitter in place so you get the sparkly effect with zero mess. If your jar doesn’t turn out glittery enough the first time you can always add additional coats – just mix even more glitter into the Mod Podge.

I’ve got a couple more simple Halloween crafts coming up so make sure to check back soon!

DIY Kids Turkey Headband

I admit that I am one of those mothers who likes to dress my kid up in silly outfits for all of his “firsts”. We gave him a bowtie and a leprechaun hat for his first St. Patrick’s Day; I turned him into a paper bunny for Easter; I even made him a podium and a gold medal for his first Olympics opening ceremony. Yep, I’m that mommy! So with Thanksgiving coming up I’ve been searching for something cute I could make for Nathan to wear to commemorate the day. Enter the turkey headband!

Isn’t it cute? It’s inspired by this one I pinned from Pottery Barn Kids (which is no longer available) except, since I can’t sew, mine is made entirely of paper instead of fabric. Slightly less durable but since it’s really only for a couple of photos it doesn’t matter that it probably won’t make it through dinner.

Want to make your own? It’s super easy! Start by cutting a feather template out of cardboard (think cereal box). Depending on the age and head size of your child you can make the template smaller or larger. Then trace your template onto 8 different pieces of scrapbook paper or cardstock. I chose paper patterns that were Thanksgiving-y but you can use any colours or patterns you like – just make sure you choose thick enough paper that your feathers won’t just flop over once they’re attached to the headband. Once your feathers are traced, cut them all out and set them aside.

To make the turkey’s body you’ll need to trace a medium circle and then a smaller one onto brown paper. I used a cappuccino mug and traced the mouth for my medium circle and then flipped it over and traced the smaller bottom. Overlap your traced circles so they look like the picture below and then cut them out as once piece – there’s your turkey head and body!

 

Snip the corner off a piece of orange or yellow cardstock to create your beak. Then add the snood – the dangly red thing over the turkey’s beak – by cutting a kind of wobbly candy cane shape out of red paper. Glue these parts onto the head of the turkey and then add eyes with black marker.

Next you need to attach the feathers to the turkey’s body. For this step I just fanned my feathers out as evenly as I could, laid them down on the table and then added glue to the body of the turkey and pressed it down on top of the feathers. To reinforce things I cut a piece of cardstock and glued it on the back.

The last step is to attach the turkey to a headband. If you have a girl then you probably already have something on hand you can use. I happened to have some stretchy baby headbands leftover from making diaper cakes so I used one of those and stapled the turkey to the bow on the front. If you don’t have a headband you could always safety pin your turkey to a toque or similar hat that doesn’t have a brim or peak. I tried hot gluing at first but found that when the headband stretched the turkey popped right off. If you’re worried about a staple or safety pin near your child’s head you can hot glue some felt on the back side.

I am so excited by how this turned out. I think it’s so cute and I can’t wait to do our Thanksgiving pictures this weekend. As you can see, Nathan is thrilled too ;)

And as an added bonus: Pinned It – Did It Count: 2

Thanksgiving Table Decor

From what I can tell the majority of my readers are located in the US so this post may seem a bit early but, here in Canada, Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. In fact, it’s this coming Monday! So before we get to the big day I wanted to share a couple of simple suggestions for table decor or centerpieces. The nice thing is that both of these displays are already part of my fall decor so you get some bang for your buck by creating these centerpieces and then using them for a month or more in the dining room or living room.

 

For this one, start with a cake stand and then add leaves and pumpkins. That’s it! My pumpkins are fake (I bought them on clearance after Halloween last year) but you can use real pumpkins if you prefer. You can paint them to look shiny and metallic like mine or you can just leave them au naturel. My leaves are fabric but if you’ve got a tree in your yard then go ahead and gather up some real ones! Cover your cake stand with leaves, making sure there’s some overhang, and then place the pumpkins on top.

This one is even easier – it’s just a bushel basket that I filled with fall themed potpourri. It’s mostly leaves with some pinecones and pumpkins mixed in. Again, if you wanted to use the real thing you could gather most of these elements outside. For me, I’d rather have fake because I get nervous about insects. I bought this mix on sale at Michaels a few years ago and, because I seal it up every year when the season ends, it still smells so good!

These centerpieces are easy to scale up or down as well. Having a lot of people at a large table? Use a big basket and stuff the bottom with tea towels so you don’t need to use as much filling. Just your family of 4? Opt for an 8 inch cake stand instead of a 12 inch and choose gourds instead of larger pumpkins. Simple as that :)

Last Minute Glamour Pumpkin

Does your front porch need a little last minute Halloween flair? Nothing is easier than this pumpkin project. And with Halloween supplies on sale at craft stores this week you can make it on the super cheap too!

I started with a black craft pumpkin that I got for 50% off at Michaels. I gave it a thin coat of silver craft paint to make it streaky and let the black come through a bit. Then I hot glued some sparkly black ribbon around it, topping it with a big bow. The whole thing took about 15 minutes including the time it took the paint to dry.

The best thing about decorating craft pumpkins versus real ones is that I can use this year after year. It adds just a bit of glamour to our Halloween decor :)

DIY Grapevine Halloween Wreath

The people in our neighbourhood have really ramped up the Halloween decorating this year. I certainly couldn't have the barest front door on the block so I threw together this easy Grapevine Halloween Wreath over the weekend.

I started with a bunch of orange and black paper pinwheels that I made using this tutorial from Striving to be More. They are super easy to make if you have a scoring board. Mine is from Martha Stewart and I got it when it was on sale for 50% off at Michaels. I would definitely recommend using a coupon and getting one of your own as these pinwheels can be used for a bunch of different projects.

I finished each of my pinwheels with a sparkly foam sticker. I bought these on clearance at Winners a week ago. I knew I'd find a use for them!

Next I painted a wooden S with black craft paint. The S stands for our last name and it used to be white spring décor. I decided to paint it figuring I could always paint it back next year! I hot glued a pinwheel on for some extra Halloween flair.

The last step was to put it all together. I hot glued the pinwheels along one side of the wreath, hung the S in the middle using some striped ribbon and then tied a big bow and hot glued that on as well. I'm pretty happy with the results and even happier that it only cost me about $10 to put the whole thing together!

Free Halloween Printables Round-Up

Halloween is little more than a week away - are you all set? If you're looking for a few last minute ideas nothing says cheap and easy (but still awesome) like printable freebies from around the internet. Here are a few of my favourites.

These mini Halloween cards from Babalisme are too cute and so easy. All you need to do is print, cut and fold in half. Be sure to check out her Halloween paper dolls while you're visiting - so adorable!

The Martha Stewart website has a ton of Halloween templates and clip art like these Jack-o-Latern Party Favours. Visit Martha's Halloween page for many more great ideas.

Freak out - or just entertain - family and friends with these free printable labels from Funkytime. Your kids will love eating Brain Jam or a jar of Spill Your Guts. And I love that Sibylle even took the time to put nutritional information on all the labels as well!

Another great place for free Halloween printables is the HP Creative Studio. I'm loving these awesome pumpkin carving templates. I think I just might try the owl this year.

And this is just a small sampling of all the fun and easy printables and projects that are available all over the web. Seriously, do a Google search and get busy crafting this weekend!