Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Friday, October 14

Favorite Things Friday: Fall Edition by Simply Marvelous Miss Dawn

Happy Favorite Things Friday everyone! I'm so excited to introduce to our guest blogger today, Kelsie from Simply Marvelous Miss Dawn! Kelsie and I have the wonderful privilege of living across that parking lot from each other and working together with our church callings. She's also great because we've made a tradition of going to Cafe Rio's Taco Tuesday every week.
Her blog is a great one to read for funny stories and beautiful images that she takes herself! Here's Kelsie!


Hello lovelies and fellow Blog-buddies I am excited to be guest posting on Awkward! My name is Kelsie, I am the creator, writer and stylist of Simply Marvelous Miss Dawn. I am a hopeless romantic who is studying communications at Utah State University. I love it, I love people and I love communicating with them- hence my reason for blogging.

October is beautiful. The smells, the colors, the chilly air that invites hand holding and cuddling- it is perfect. Not only do I have the honor of celebrating my birth during this golden month it also hosts Halloween, the night we celebrate our fears and pretend to be creatures of the night.

Night has already started to come earlier, and I love the rush of gold that bleeds through my windows at about six o'clock. The light gives everything a eery yet majestic feel, that taunts my senses and lures me in like the last few chapters of a mystery novel. I only wish the sun would stay suspended in that sky like that for hours on end- Because when the sun goes down, the moon comes up and werewolves come out. . .


Now I am a summer-activist. All winter long I am begging for warmth, I am craving the smell of chlorine and all I want to do is let my body soak up some UV rays. However, when the chilly air starts to move in I get excited. This weather is boot weather. Sexy boots might I add. I also love wearing my long sleeved shirts, scarves and jackets- yep, my wardrobe is rockin' this season. Just sayin'


Finally, yet probably the most important. Food. When Halloween comes harvesting is well underway. The kitchen is once again my best friend and all I want to do is bake, eat and repeat. . . Which isn't a good thing, especially when working on my "Sophomore Slim" so, I have put myself on a Mormon-Girl diet plan. In the my kitchen I have hung a sign that says, "BEWARE OF THE NATURAL MAN" this way when I get bored and head to the cupboard I look at the sign, and leave.


Recipe:
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 Pumpkin Pie Filling
1 bag chocolate chips

Stir all ingredients together
Place on cake pan in cookie dollops
Bake at 350* for 13 minutes

Happy Harvesting. Happy Scaring. Happy Loving.
Thanks Awkward!

Cheers,
Miss Dawn

Thursday, October 13

Guest Blogger: Ramblings of a RedHead

HEY GUYS! Today we have a very special guest today. I would love for you to meet Janelle from Ramblings of a Redhead. She is so awesome, period. Shes got advice for, I swear, everything. Need a good reading, check out her ramblings cause they are so fun! Love her. 


Hey guys! I’m honored that Awkward would want me to guest post! A little about me: I’m Janelle, and can be found over at JanelleRambles.blogspot.com. I live in Salt Lake City and work a corporate/financial job that doesn’t provide much of a creative outlet…so I blog on the side to keep my sanity.
I’ve been asked to write something regarding Halloween…which is my FAVORITE season of the year!!! Don’t get me wrong, Christmas is awesome and all…but Halloween is where it’s at. Dressing up, eating copious amounts of candy, and watching old horror films is the best ever. But one of my favorite to-do things this time of year is BAKE.
I highly suggest you make a pumpkin roll at least once in your life. It’s a labor of love, but so worth it in the end. I have a killer family recipe that I’d be happy to share with you…but you gotta ask. I can’t just give that family secret out to anyone.


Apple pie with homemade caramel topping is also another favorite. Add this topping to anything (seriously, your oatmeal, ice cream, anything) and you will be amazed.


Caramel Topping
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream (you can use less if want. ½ cup maybe…)
Bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil in a sauce pan. Stir consistently. Once the sugar has totally dissolved, turn heat down to low and stir in the whipping cream SLOWLY. Wa-la! Delish! Enjoy!
I also recommend heading over to Pinterest for some great fall recipes. I am addicted to Pinterest. Don’t act like you aren’t! We all are. We need to start a support group….anyway – Pinterest has great recipes, ideas, tips, and do-it-yourself projects for the Halloween season.

Some of my favorite ideas from Pinterest are:
1. Leaf Art. Simple, beautiful, festive. What a great way to spend a rainy October Saturday!


2. Apple cider in an apple! Um, awesome! And eat the apple afterwards…soft and delish!


3. Fashion Ideas – I am on a serious budget right now and it does not allow for a new fall wardrobe. I’ve found Pinterest to be incredibly helpful in mixing and matching outfits that I already have! For instance, just type in “White jeans” and you’ll have a whole page full of new outfit ideas with stuff you just might already have!!!


Thanks for letting me drop by, ramble a while, and share my favorite things with you. Have a great Halloween and try not to do anything too awkward!

Wednesday, October 12

New and improved Pumpkin decorating

Oh man, I love Halloween, isn't our Halloween week going fantastic!
One part of Halloween that I absolutely love is, of course, the PUMPKINS! To me carving pumpkins never gets old. Its simple, fun, and anyone of any age can do it. But these days it seems some people just cant get into the traditional carving of pumpkins, and that's totally fine! There are plenty of other ways to twist up the tradition of the Jack 'o lantern pretty easy. Here are a few ways Ive discovered:

Well ya first off gotta start with a few pumpkins. My mom picked these out and she loved the warts all over haha, creepy. 




Gut those puppies out the best ya can like usual. Saving the seeds is sometimes a good idea cause there are some fantastic recipes to bake those. Mmmmm so good.

OK here is where we are gonna twist things up a bit. (For the rest of this entire post, please forgive me of the horrible pictures I have haha, I have a crappy piece for a camera and it just goes to show that just because I blog doesn't mean I have mad picture skills).
I'm gonna show you that your never to old to paint your pumpkins. Its totally back in.
So what I did was draw out my design first, then carve out the part I wanted to glow. (the moon)

Then, since I was gonna spray paint the whole pumpkin white and didn't want to lose my drawing, I just used tape to kinda create a stencil.
When I do this again, Ill probably paint first, then draw the design. It was a trial and error project so there ya have it.

Give that bad boy a few good coats. You don't even have to use white for this, any color might be fun.

Once it was really good and dry I went back and peeled all my tape off and with a small brush, filled in my bat with black paint.

And vwola! A painted, but carved pumpkin.
Tip: If you scrape the inside of the pumpkin really really good where the bat is, it may glow better when you get the candle inside and faintly see a spooky bat. Ya just gotta make that inner wall much thinner so the light can penetrate through. (maybe that's where you enlist the neighbor boy or the husband heehee).
Pretty simple.

I like to watch a good Halloween movie while I do this (but no TV in the kitchen). So laptop works great too haha, I love technology.

OK here's another different idea for you college students that wanna save money, and space. Even for you parents who wanna involve the kids.

Mustache Pumpkins:]
I went to walmart and these minis came in a pack of 5 for around 3 bucks. That comes out to each pumpkin being about 60 cents each. Not too shabby.
These are super easy and so cute. Just get some friends together and paint your fav mustache on em. They look funny when grouped together. Perfect for a Halloween laugh.

When it comes to any holiday I swear Mod Podge comes into play. You can Mod Podge anything these days, yes even a pumpkin. I got my big bottle and a an old newspaper and went to work creating a pretty spooky pumpkin
First cover your orange friend with the adhesive. Then just stick your torn up newspaper anywhere and everywhere.

When its all covered put another thin coat of adhesive on the surface to give it a nice shine.

For people who love books and to read I thought these would be super cute with a small book display or if instead of newspaper it was old music sheets, it'd be cute atop a piano or whatever. Just a cute twist.

Here are some other ideas that I got off Pinterest. I know you all love it, don't deny it.
More painted pumpkins! I'm so glad to see this isn't for kids anymore.

This is absolutely perfect for a Halloween party. Put your punch bowl inside your pumpkin! GENIUS! I confess and say I haven't yet tried this one, but I'm going to the store soon to get a giant pumpkin so I can haha. It doesn't even have to be for punch, it'd be a cute candy bowl or salad...endless possibilities.

These little guys are both funny and cute. Maybe even a little creepy. Haha, just throw in a carrot nose and have fun.

For those who aren't into the super spooks of Halloween but still love the colors and smells of fall. This is PEERRRFFFECCT! Carve in a small whole, just big enough to put your fav fall candle in and decorate with small leaves. Perfect center piece that could even go into Thanksgiving.

Last but certainly not least, what do you do if your in a bind, your Halloween party is soon, and no pumpkins anywhere?!
No need to fret
Run to the dollar store, grab a bag of balloons and have fun drawing funny jack 'o lantern faces on them! I love this idea, and the set up is super cute.

I never knew there were so many ideas for pumpkins! Have fun this Halloween and tell us what you've done with your squash.
Happy Halloween

Tuesday, October 11

Guest Blogger: Megs Craft Creations

Hello hello all my dear friends. We are sooooo happy to welcome our awesome friend Megan from 'Megs Craft Creations.'

She is a super crafter and has the funnest ideas. Best thing is that its all on a budget. Affordable decor for anybody! (even you whose college dorm needs a little pick-me-up, you can do this). We have known Megan for a long time and just cant get enough of her, so we are so glad to introduce her to you and to have her visit with us today. Enjoy...


Hello “It’s Only Awkward if You Make It” readers! I’m Megan and I blog over at Meg’s Craft Creations! I am so happy to be here today with you all!
First of all, Chelsie and Randi are awesome…they are a couple of the coolest gals ever and I’m so glad I can share in their awesomeness!

I love Halloween! Except I can be really picky with Halloween decorations…I love the spookiness of this holiday but I can’t stand the dark, freaky, decorations. This was so fun for me to throw this together! So, let’s get started :]


First, you will need a dead branch or two…I think of this as pruning my trees :] The branches I grabbed had a grayish color to them so I sprayed them dark brown…black would also work great for this!
I found this candle holder at Michael’s for 50% off…I love the look it has. Perfect for Halloween :]
And you will need some rocks…rocks from your yard would work great too, I just had some left over from my terrariums a few months ago so I thought I would use some up :]
Then you will want to pour the rocks into the candle holder, then plant those branches right into the rocks.
And the spooky tree comes alive!

I also used some little Christmas bells and just painted them orange, green, and purple…another option for this would be colored ribbon or even beads on a string.
Hang those babies up and…
Your Halloween tree is DONE! I also couldn’t resist the sparkly crow…not too freaky but it still adds some awesome Halloween vibes :]
Thanks for letting me spend some time in your neck of the woods today! Thank you Chelsie and Randi! Hope you all have a super day and enjoy your Halloween trees!
Meg



      Monday, October 10

      Halloween Thrillers

      Im a movie person. I love to sit down and randomly watch a scary/spooky/scare-you-pants-off/cute/funny Halloween movies, anytime of the year. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays hands down. So need a good movie for your Halloween party, the family, or just for fun?
      Here are my top recommendations that are all pg-13 or less:

      (In no particular order)


      This is such a great one for anyone of all ages. Im 19 and I still look forward to watching every year while we carve pumpkins. Jack Skeleton is like my dream guy...ok maybe not but still I love him. The music is so catchy and I sing to it for days! I just cant say enough how much this movie rocks!
      5 stars in my book

      The Others. Nicole Kidman does a fantastic job in this film. Its pg-13 and goes to show that good scary movies dont have to be rated R. Its good clean scare and has an killer twist in the end. No pun intended, but seriously I love this film. I wouldnt exactly say this one is good for small kids, it can be nightmare material but great for Halloween.

      Oooooooollldd School! This film was made before there were even any rating systems out there haha. I like it though. Its good and clean so you know its safe to show at any party. Its easy to laugh at but Im a horror film lover through and through so I suggest actually watching and try to enjoy the wonders of old school cinema. The plot is different then modern day films so its nice to mix it up once in a while.

       The 6th sense. Ok so you know the twist at the end but that doesnt mean its not worth seeing again and again. (which I dont recommend, seeing a movie too much can make it lose its sparkle). Bruce Willis is always a good choice. So pop this puppy in for a good Halloween flash back.

      Another flash back. I remember watchin this one as a kid and hated it because it was a little too spooky, plus I just hated it all together as a film but as I got older Ive come to love it becuase its fun but does have a little creepy vibe to it.  


      Well there you have it. Just a few of some of my favorite classic scary films that are great for everyone! Especially on a dark, rainy night, with the lights off, and all your closest friends. So thats a wrap...get it? haha

      Have a good Halloween
      Muuwwaahahahaha
       






      Halloween Week: Fall Food

      If there's one thing that's great about fall in general: the food.
      These are some of my favorite things to make when the leaves start dropping!

      Baked Oatmeal

      1/2 cup vegetable oil
      3/4 cup white sugar
      2 eggs
      1 cup milk
      1/2 tsp salt
      1 TB brown sugar
      3 cups of old fashioned oats
      2 TB brown sugar
      1/2 tsp cinnamon
      1 TB baking powder
      1/2 cup raisins (optional)
      Beat together oil, white sugar, and 2 TB brown sugar. Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, and oats. Beat well then stir in raisins (optional). Pour in lightly greased baking dish (I used a (9x13 when I double the recipe). Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 35 minutes or until firm.
      Ah, I crave! I like to put mine in a bowl with milk, soy milk, or almond milk. My roommate from last year gave me this recipe and they would put creamer in it which sounds delish! I love that I can double the batch, make it the night before, and then I have leftovers for breakfast for days. Seriously, so good.

      Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

      1 box of spice cake mix
      1 can of pumpkin (like Libby's)
      1 bag or 1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

      Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix cake mix, pumpkin, and chocolate chips (sometimes I used half a bag if I want more pumpkin flavor, sometimes more chocolate chips if I want more chocolate) into a large mixing bowl. Spoon onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until finished.
      Yield: 24-36 cookies
      For reals, this is a staple recipe in my apartment. Last year, I can't count how many times we made these cookies. They're just so good and (lowfat)! The best thing is that you can make cookies or spoon them into muffin cups in a muffin tin and make muffins. Now I really want these.

      Now for some of my favorite must-make recipes around the web. For serious, Pinterest is killing me with all these delicious ideas:
      Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
      Pumpkin Scones
      Crockpot Apple Butter
      Candy Corn Whoopie Pies
      Halloween Candy Bark
      Candy Corn Pudding