halloween
There are 15 entries for the tag
halloween
Go nuts with home cooked treats for your own Halloween party. All night long you will pass candies to the kids ringing at your door. But what about your family?
I compiled a list of 3 treats that are easy to make the day of the event. Beware, your family will ask you to cook it again during the Holidays. All recipes are from Food TV Canada.
1 | Almond Croccante
This is a recipe by the attractive David Rocco. You only need sugar, water and almonds to make this treat. The recipe takes about 3 minutes to make plus 20 minutes to let it cool.
On top of the written recipe, there is a video online where you can see how is is done. So you have no excuses to not make the Almost Croccante.
Categories:
FOOD + drinks
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
DINING
posted @ Tuesday, October 30, 2007 10:06 AM | Feedback (0)
You wish to have friends over on Halloween's day, why not plan your gathering around a stylish haunted house affair? This elegant dinner party is simple enough to prepare that you can host it in the middle of the week.
The decor by Martha Stewart
You start with a few decorative elements that I found while digging Martha Stewart's Web site.
To set the ambiance and to encourage people to stay until the end even on a work day, you can set up a dessert station in advance. This way, you do not waste energy and you have fewer things to do during the dinner party.
Candelabrums are a must to achieve this look. The Haunted party theme was published in 2000 on Martha Stewart Living with the instructions to build the Coffin Table and the Moth-Eaten Curtains. I selected this set because several elements go along the entertaining trends.
Categories:
EVERYDAY
FOOD + drinks
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
DINING
posted @ Sunday, October 28, 2007 12:59 PM | Feedback (0)
If you are invited to a Halloween party, you need a costume. You can rent one but the look is clichéd. If you opt for a special effect makeup, you will get a unique look.
With a strong makeup disguise, you can be subtle with the clothing. But you still need to find the right apparel. When it comes to special effect makeup, the artists at M·A·C are there to help you.
Absinthe Minded, Zombie Chic, Rising Sun and Machineman are my favorites out of the 25 looks shown on M·A·C’s Web site.
Categories:
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Saturday, October 27, 2007 7:09 PM | Feedback (0)
A few days ago, Lara of ready2spark featured beautiful floral arrangements designed by an amazing Dallas event studio. Curious, I went to browse their gallery. I found a few inspiration materials for your next parties.
From these pictures, it is clear that Todd.event design.creative services caters within the high end party business. But with some skills and imagination, anyone should be able to recycle these ideas on a smaller scale and budget. In any case, these pictures are a pleasure for the eyes.
I arranged the pictures around three themes. Keep in mind that these pictures come from several parties.
1 | Masquerade
If you planning a Halloween party but do not wish to fall within the usual theme, why not host a masquerade party? Guests should wear chic epoch clothes if you throw a Masquerade ball. I would have loved to be there.
Categories:
PARTY ideas
FORMAL entertaining
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Tuesday, October 23, 2007 12:31 PM | Feedback (1)
With a few days left until the celebrations, I am giving you my last suggestions for Halloween decorations. This time, let’s talk about bringing the Halloween spirit to your kitchen.
These looks target the family. The first stop is the cleaning center in the kitchen or the bathroom. The Halloween Critters Jacquard Guest Towels and the spider Web soaps make a cute match.
What can you do?
Every family fridge that I know is filled with children drawings, photos and reminders. The Magnetic Spider Scatters is a fun way to hang them up. A package contains 12 small spiders and 4 large spiders.
Bake cookies in shape of an owl, a cat, a broom, a witch, a pumpkin and a bat for the joys of the kids and adults. Let go your imagination to decorate your own one-of-kind Halloween cookies.
Put half a dozen cookies in a clear cellophane bag or a paper bag, glue a sticker and distribute them as treat favors to your friends and colleagues.
Categories:
PARTY supplies
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Tuesday, October 23, 2007 1:54 AM | Feedback (1)
Tuesday night on my way home from a conference, I passed by the front store of Petits Gateaux, one of the few cupcake shops in Montreal.
Their Halloween cupcakes on the front window caught my eyes. Look at them as a source of inspirations to bake and decorate your own cupcakes for a Halloween party.
I guess that these looks can be reproduced successfully if you possess some skills in cake decorations. I really like the RIP designs and they can be a hit with children. I am predicting that the eye would not go unnoticed.
About Petits Gateaux
Located in the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal, Petits Gateaux store design is another retro style concept. I am tired of the retro old-fashioned concept for cupcake shops. Are you? Still, this little cake bakery got fans in the city.
For their simple Halloween cupcake designs, Petits Gateaux won points on my book. Especially, since these seems like good DIY projects. If you give them a try, do not forget to share your tips with us.
Categories:
HOLIDAY
CAKES
ENTERTAINING
DINING
posted @ Thursday, October 18, 2007 1:32 AM | Feedback (2)
I want to share some Halloween ideas that I got from Martha Stewart. They provide inspirations on how to set up your room, food and drinks for a Halloween party.
Setting the mood right away
Everyone will pass a comment about the Spooky Arachnophobia Porch. Be prepared if you do this one. You set a high level of expectations for the rest of your party.
The Candy-filled Headstones can continue the ball. For the setting, place the black paper bags placed in a tray filled with black sand. Pay attention to proportion when selecting the paper bag size and the tray. Pour red and blue food coloring in water to simulate a realistic blood.
Categories:
FOOD + drinks
HOLIDAY
DISHING tips
ENTERTAINING
DINING
posted @ Friday, October 12, 2007 7:11 PM | Feedback (4)
While reading How about orange (my favorite color by the way), I noticed a post on pumpkin carving. I particularly like the stencils from Parents magazine.
These designs may be simpler than other I have shown you earlier but these designs are not less fascinating. To make those drawings more special, I recommend that you add decorative items to strengthen the theme.
Sourcing:
Learn more: Pumpkins All Aglow on Parents.com
Via: Pumpkin carving stencils on How about orange
RELATED POSTS:
+ Etched and carved pumpkins by Martha Stewart
+ Dry ice Halloween tips
+ Decorate your kitchen for Halloween
Categories:
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Saturday, October 06, 2007 12:57 AM | Feedback (1)
This year, why not show your support to a cause when making your Halloween decorations?
For more than 45 years, World Wildlife Fund has protected our environment and ecosystems, making Earth a home where humans and animals can coexist. WWF came up with an artistic way to get their message across.
They partner with Snapfish and HP for a fun contest. Carve a pumpkin with a wild animal design, and capture your creativity in great photos! Then upload your photos for the chance to win prizes from Snapfish, HP and World Wildlife Fund.
On HP's Web site, you can find printable stencils to carve the WWF panda, a gorilla, a polar bear, a turtle, a dolphin, a Monarch butterfly, a tiger, a rhinoceros, Africa and a coral reef on your pumpkins.
Sourcing:
Learn more: WWF's Wild with pumpkins contest on Snapfish
Learn more: WWF pumpkin carving stencils
Categories:
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Friday, October 05, 2007 5:47 PM | Feedback (1)
I have been obsessed about the Happy Pills Candy shop since this morning.
It gave me the idea of a DIY party favor to seal trendily my Mad Scientist party. It is trivial to give candy party favors at Halloween, so be original with the containers.
What do you need for this DIY project?
- An assortment of pharmaceutical jars. The brown ones fit better into the Mad Scientist party theme. If you cannot get a hold on pharmaceutical jars, opt for the basic spice jars and attach a dark poisonous label to look more macabre.
- A box of printable sticker labels at the office supply store.
- A color printer and a program to design your labels. You can also go at the art & craft store. They should have on stock lots of patterned labels. Simply handwrite the text on the decorative labels with a large black pen.
Categories:
ALL occasions
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
GIFT IDEAS
posted @ Monday, October 01, 2007 11:34 PM | Feedback (1)
Halloween is a celebration for kids but grownups can have their fun too. Instead of a typical party costume party, why not organize a Victorian Gothic bash this year?
Everyone can dress up nicely. You can host a formal dinner or opt for the food station formula. The 2007 October issue of Martha Stewart's Living proposes wonderful ideas for decorating your space.
To not be stressed out, you can start planning your Halloween event soon. At least, send a Save the Date note to your friends.
Making our own floral arrangement
Going Dutch teaches you how to reproduce a floral display reminiscent of the seventeenth-century master gardener.
I am aware that it is before the Victorian era, but I think both styles complement each other. Since Halloween party is about the paranormal, there is no harm done in mixing periods.
One trick to save money and space if you put the floral arrangement against the wall is to leave the back bare.
Categories:
TABLESCAPE
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Tuesday, September 25, 2007 12:32 PM | Feedback (1)
The naive jack-o'-lantern of your childhood does not suffice anymore. Like everything else in life, Halloween decors took on a sophisticated trail.
We may have to thank Martha Stewart for putting more pressure on us. But when you look at the results, the extra efforts are worth it. You start by grouping pumpkins to make a table centerpiece or an outdoor vignette.
With a little skill and patience, everyone can reproduce these striking pumpkins. The October issue of Martha Stewart Living comes with all the templates and a full set of instructions with the tools you need. A version of Denizens of the Dark is also available online.
A few shopping tips
Look at your space and select the best place to set your vignette. Use the provided templates or draw your own. Figure out how many pumpkins you will need based on your overall composition and your space layout before you hit the farm stand or the pumpkin patch. Bring your templates with you. If it is your first attempt at etching, buy a couple extra pumpkins to practice.
Categories:
TABLESCAPE
ALL occasions
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
GIFT IDEAS
posted @ Wednesday, September 19, 2007 10:28 AM | Feedback (4)
My husband Jerome really likes the idea of a Mad Scientist party theme. So he went online to gather tips and tricks on making drinks and decorative items with dry ice. I share his best finds with you.
Awesome Dry Ice Experiment Videos by Steve Spangler
The first experiment by Steve Spangler for News9 is cool. The graduated cylinders work so well with our Mad Scientist theme. Basically what you need to do is to pour the hot water and pour 2-3 small cubes of dry ice.
Add coloring tablets to look more mysterious. Or you can drop a bent light stick into your bubbling dry ice potion for a great eerie effect.
To have a continuous flow of bubbles, just a little bit of dish soap. Make sure to put the cylinder on larger container to catch the running bubbles. If you only have time to watch one video, I suggest watching the last one on the list, the one named More Dry Ice Experiments.
Categories:
PARTY supplies
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Friday, September 14, 2007 2:06 PM | Feedback (0)
Halloween is the celebrations where you can invent wild looks. It is your chance to play with fear and the unnatural. So have fun and let the flow of your imagination dictate the look of your party.
If you throw a party for grownups, why not play create a theme around a mad scientist on a scary inhabited island? Decor wise, the possibilities are vast. People can wear a wide range of costumes. For a unified overall look, you could write a script for the party and give in advance anyone a role.
Concept of this Halloween Party
These decorative items by Martha Stewart and by Horchow lay out the foundation of my Halloween themed party. Then add your personal touches. Accentuate the decor with a vignette made of flasks and laboratory instruments. Dress up as a mad doctor in a lab research center.
Categories:
PAPER goods
HOLIDAY
ENTERTAINING
posted @ Thursday, September 06, 2007 12:09 PM | Feedback (7)
For the past two weeks, I am seeing wonderful Halloween decorations on the Web. I started gathering amazing stuff for several Halloween boards that I cannot wait to show you.
My initial thoughts were to start posting Halloween tips around the second week of September. I got this principle that you do not talk about Halloween before the back to school season is over. It is only me or do you already making plans for Halloween right now?
Crafting decorations take time
If you want to send printed invitations for a Halloween party, it is not too early to start now. You will be able to get your hands on the best Halloween decorations. And if you make your own decorations to complete the look, it is best to not wait until the last minute. You spot an exceptional party in the details. As we all know details take time.
Categories:
HOLIDAY
DISHING tips
ENTERTAINING
DINING
posted @ Wednesday, August 29, 2007 1:26 PM | Feedback (0)