Zombie Makeup with Household Kitchen Items

So, we are trying to get on the Martha show again with a segment from my co-worker and friend, Barry. They had me cut this piece, so I just stuck it up on my You Tube account...and I just saw it and thought I could share this great idea with you!

Barry is an AMAZING special effects artist...so talented! He was on the Daily Buzz last Halloween demonstrating how to do Zombie Make up with toilet paper and Karo Syrup! It is super easy, check this out:



Don't you guys think Martha's audience would totally dig this idea?! I do!

Blood Dripping Candles: How To

I have noticed as we get closer to Halloween, people have been searching for Blood Dripping Candles and coming to the post I made a few weeks ago.

I actually made mine today, and made this how-to vid:



This is so simple! Try it. Here is the final product:


I am already starting to set my table...it is still early and nothing is final, but this is how it is shaping up so far...

Taking tips from Caterers

I love looking at photos of beautifully displayed food. It is a great way to get ideas for your next party. I stumbed upon a website forKimberly's Catering and there were some great pics I had to share. Here are some great examples of displaying food beautifully!

I am SO making that Gorgonzola Cheesecake for my Halloween Party. Though, I might switch the Gorgonzola for Goat Cheese. I will share the recipe soon!

Feeling Inspired

So along with all this cooking and entertaining I do, I also scrapbook and make cards. I have this whole room filled with papers and punches and stamps...but I have to say I have neglected my craft for a while. Over the last few years, my boss has discovered my crafty talents and put me on projects that were monumental in size. It kind of left me not wanting to craft at all.

Until now...

I am a member of Two Peas In a Bucket, which is this huge papercrafting community. Whenever I can't find an idea for a card, I go on to Two Peas. For me, it is an amazing resource for ideas.

This Friday, my weekly newsletter featured something called FINALLY FRIDAY. It was actually a You Tube video of this sweet faced young woman named Kristine Werner. Here is the vid:



Don't you love her? She is just cute and I am TOTALLY HOOKED on her vids! Her cards are adorable...and they are all step-b-step. I had to see more. Kristine also does another video series called MAKE A CARD MONDAY'S.


Don't you love that song!!! it is Hey Ya! covered by Obediah Parker...I just bought that on Itunes cuz I had to have it!!

Also check out Kristine's blog. She is so talented and happy!

I just subsribed on You Tube, because I need some inspiration, to do more, to be inspired because I love all this stuff, and I can't let work stop me from doing the things that I love, right?!

I Heart Nigella: Chocolate Mousse

I am making cupcakes, and I want to make them a little special...because they are for my sweet friend, Viviana, who is leaving her job tomorrow for bigger and better things.

I mad a sheet of Devil's food cake, and after it has baked, drizzled it with about 1/2 cup of Almond Syrup. The kind you put in coffee, it is so good! This syrup is my trick to make cake extra special.

I also made 18 cupcakes and I want to fill them. My amazing brother Louis suggested Chocolate Mousse. All the recipes I found have eggs, and they are raw. I am making this for a crowd, so I don't want to give them raw eggs. So I kept looking.

I found this recipe from Nigella Lawson...I HEART NIGELLA LAWSON. She is gorgeous and has a way with words...and this recipe is so simple! Check it out:

Little Beasties

I can't figure out what to call these little guys...but I love them!

This is a Martha craft and I knew when I saw them last year, I wanted to try to make them.

I ordered the heads from Dian Dolls. They are actually bisque heads...like terra cotta pots. I thought they would be plastic...so it was a nice surprise. When ordering Dian asked me if these were for the Martha Stewart project...I guess a lot of people have ordered these!

They arrived a few days after I ordered them.




Instead of using a candelabra, I bought these wooden candlesticks at Michael's for about 3 bucks each.


These were really simple to make. Just paint them a kind of grey color,




Then you darken the eyes and cheeks with a bit of black paint. The instructions say to use black eye shadow...but I didn't have any of that...so I just used black paint mixed with a little white to make it a grey color.

I also painted those candlesticks black. Looks cool huh? The best part is putting a light inside their heads. I didn't glue the heads to the sticks, but instead used old wine corks...they fit snugly into the opening of the doll head, they are not permanent, and the bottom end fits nicely into the candlestick. I did this so that I could attach and remove the heads to drop in the light source...which is a little led light that is made for balloons...I found them at Michaels 2 for $3 bucks. They are really bright:


The last step is to create a collar for them. I used some black sheer fabric I had lying around, and I even put on some black glitter for a bit of sparkle...I am glittering everyhing these days!

I put in orange glowsticks...It is hard to capture that light in a photo...




I think they will make a great addition to my Halloween decor!

Bang Bang Shrimp

A while back, I posted my Mongolian Beef inspired by PF Changs recipe. In that post I mentioned that my neighbors Heath & Dena made Bang Bang Shrimp inspired by the Bonefish Restaurant recipe. We ate it too fast to take a photo, so they made it again and shared the recipe.



1-2 pounds Medium shrimp

Peal and Devein
Rinse thoroughly.
Mix 2 eggs with some milk and whisk together.
Dip shrimp into milk mixture.
Let excess drip off and then completely cover shrimp in corn starch. try to make it as thick as possible.
In a wok pre-heat peanut oil.
ensure that the oil is hot enough before putting shrimp in the the oil or the corn starch will fall right off.
put shrimp in oil about 15 at a time depending on the size of your wok. and cook for approx 3 minutes.
once cooked place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
after cooking all of the shrimp place shrimp into a large tupperware bowl and pour bang bang sauce on top of shrimp.
Place lid on tupperware and lightly shake.
serve over a bed of chopped romaine lettuce.

Here is the link to the Bang Bang sauce.

This is so good, you have to try it. The sauce is kind of a mayonnaise and chile sauce: spicy and creamy...and makes this dish irresistible.

Hot Olives

My friend Kim has told me about Hot Olives before, and I just found this recipe on Rachael Ray...I have to try it. It is super easy! Great for a wine night. I will be having a wine tasting get together with my awesome neighbors soon...it is such a winter thing to do, and so fun...we always drink WAY too much wine! :) I will post pics of that when we have it too!



Hot Olives
Rachael Ray

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
October 2006

MAKES TWO CUPS

2 cups mixed olives
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 long strip orange zest
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 350º. Layer 2 sheets of foil, each 18 inches long. Place the olives in the center of the foil and toss with the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. Add the orange zest and drizzle with EVOO. Pinch the foil together and seal to form a pouch. Warm the olives in the oven for 15 minutes.

Chicken Cigars

Frankie's Chicken Cigars
Rachael Ray

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
March 2007

FOUR SERVINGS



1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or ground ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick Grill Mates Montreal steak seasoning
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it)
Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (a generous handful)
8 sheets phyllo dough
6 tablespoons melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the cloves, cumin, chili powder, poultry seasoning, paprika and grill seasoning. Add the chicken, shallot, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and parsley, and stir to combine.
2. On a nonstick baking sheet, brush a sheet of phyllo with half of the melted butter and top with a second phyllo sheet. Form one-quarter of the chicken mixture into a log the length of the pastry. Roll the log tightly in the phyllo. Repeat with remaining chicken mixture and phyllo. Cut each log into 3 "cigars," for a total of 12, and brush with the rest of the butter.
3. Bake the cigars until evenly golden and firm, 15 to 20 minutes.

Pita Chips

Mediterranean Pitas
David Tamarkin

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
September 2007



EIGHT SERVINGS
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 5 min

16 mini pita pockets, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound each hummus, tapenade, pesto, sun-dried tomato spread, black bean dip and spreadable goat cheese
Olives, for garnish
Paprika (optional)

1. Preheat the broiler. Split each pita pocket in half, forming 32 disks total. Place the disks, cut side up, on a baking sheet and brush with the olive oil. Place under the broiler and cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

2. Top the pitas with the various spreads. Place an olive in the center of some of the pitas. Sprinkle lightly with paprika, if desired.

Barbecue Beef Cups

Ok, here is another great one from Rachael Ray...this is super simple and will be great at my next party! I will make mine with ground turkey breast...I never use ground beef. I might even try some mushrooms, bell peppers and some pasta sauce instead of the barbeque filling!


Barbecue Beef Cups
Byron Kasper

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
November 2007

3/4 pound ground beef
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
One 16.3-ounce can refrigerated biscuits
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat the oven to 400º. In a skillet, brown the beef over medium heat; drain off excess fat. Remove from the heat and stir in the barbecue sauce and brown sugar. Grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan and place a piece of biscuit dough in each cup, stretching the dough up the sides. Divide the beef mixture among the biscuit cups, sprinkle each with cheese and bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Goat Cheese Appetizer

Don't these look good! Just found this very simple recipe on the Rachel Ray website...and I looks like a keeper to me! Looks great on the plate too!



Goat Cheese Rounds
Tracey Seaman

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
August 2008


Cut one 11-ounce goat cheese log into 6 equal rounds. Lay flat on a serving plate and drizzle with 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle 2 rounds with 1 teaspoon of herbs de Provence and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, another 2 rounds with 1/3 cup of toasted chopped pecans, and the remaining 2 rounds with 1/4 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

Spooky Labels from the Love Manor

I was just visiting the Love Manor Flickr site, and they created these awesome spooky labels for your drink bottles! Or you could use them to dress up potion bottles as decor. Be sure to save these pics for yourself, to dress up your bottles for Halloween!






Check out the Love Manor and the Flickr photostream for some AMAZING Halloween inspiration and ideas!

Halloween Inspiration

Just some gorgeous photos of store displaying their Halloween Wares...


Here is the Pottery Barn


and Pier One. I really love how they wrapped the chandelier with tulle, isn't that cute?!

Make your own creepy candles

Ok, I just read this post over on LITTLE ANT DESIGNS and I totally had to share. This idea is so great and you can make it with things you already have! Check it out!



This is totally a MacGyver craft, because basically it takes one of those little led candle flame lights, a toilet paper roll, matchsticks, some white paint and a glue gun! I love this idea and I am totally going to make these for my upcoming party!

Full instructions on the Dave Lowe Design Website. And it looks like he has lots of other ideas, so I will be checking and posting more ideas soon!

Thanks Little Ant Designs for the great find!

Hallowindow by Mark Gervais

I am still trying to figure out how he does this, but a friend just emailed me a link for a product called Hallowindow by Mark Gervais.

It is a DVD that you project at the window to greet your trick or treaters! Check out these demos:


This is what it looks like outside a real window


I am thinking you need a projector and DVD player...but it is still very cool!

Here is the link for his site: HALLOWINDOW

Dazzling Tabletops

I have been seeing these amazing tabletops from the Diffa Foundation Event (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids):






Check out the Official Diffa Website for more info.

Buffet Tabletops

Whenever I come across a buffet set up, I save the image on my computer...which is kind of the reason I started this blog, to catalog things like this so when I need them again, I can find them...so sorry, but I have no reference for these images:

Countdown to Pikelween: Decor

So, I am prepping for my big halloween bash...my last name is Pikel (PIE-KEL) and 5 years ago, we dubbed this party Pikelween, not even sure why, but it stuck...it is kind of funny to hear other people call it Pikelween instead of Halloween...

Here are some of my favorite things from Pikelween's past:




My Martha witch is in the front yard. My husband groaned a bit when I asked him to help me make her, but he loves her now. She just looks so cool! Last year, my awesome neighbor and friend Heath put this high power flood light behind her and coupled with the $20 fog machine we picked up at Walmart a few years ago...it was so awesome!!


I had this big blank wall last year, so I printed and cut out Pikelween in big creepy letters (8.5x11 sheets of regular paper).


These are a Martha Idea. I bought these cute little glass eyes at Dept. 56 last year, and they fit perfectly in the holes I cut for the eyes...totally transformed them. They have so much expression!


I saw the Martha caution labels at Michaels, and they were so simple, so I just made my own and printed them on sheets of label paper.


You can see the letters I cut out in the background of this photo. I had a black light in the light above them...so the edges of the letters were glowing. So effective and it was FREE!


The wreath I made for my front door.




My gorgeous glittered pumpkins. I LOVE THESE. They are so sparkly and l can't recommend enough, if you haven't gotten on the glitter bandwagon...get on it! So worth it, and Martha's glitters are just like diamonds! I am addicted!


I found this sign at HomeGoods last Halloween and I use it to theme my bathroom as the Bat Room, I put bat cut outs all over the walls. This year, I am putting up glittered bats! That boa wasn't part of my decor...just a reminent of someones costume...oh and don't you love my Pikelween towel...a gift from my dear friend Dena at Written In Thread. She actually made me a few of these and they were the gifts for our costume contest. They didn't have Pikelween on them, but were Halloween themed...so cute. People loved them.






I have been moving more towards Halloween decor that looks more like real items you would have in your house already...I stopped going to those pop up Halloween shops...they are just gory and everything looks cheap. I found one of the skulls in this pic at Target, and the other at HomeGoods, both under $10. The little skull under glass was a bit pricy, but I had to have it! I is actually a salt and pepper set! It is from Dept. 56. I love him!

I am working on a website that should be up in a few days with all my pics...I will be sure to post the link so you can see the amazing costumes!