The Decorations...

Well, The big event came and went! I hurried to snap a few photos of the decorations before the guests arrived. I am not sure where I was in all of the preparations at the point I took these pictures, but I hope you love the look/mood I hoped to create! I think one of my favorite things about the room is this....

No not me, Look closer... The Fence! Gives a creepy outdoor, cemetary vibe. The best part. Totally Free. My neighbors had this on the side of their house. They had it up and functioning at one point, but took it apart and down. So while it was sitting there I snagged it up and used it as my Halloween decor. It really brought it all together. LOVE IT! Too Bad I have to give it back and cannot use it year after year. *Sniffle Sniffle* That is me all decked out as "Dame Allison Bigh" for the party! I look like a vixen... ahhaahaha
Anyway...
Here is a look at the "treat" table... so much fun!
I didn't get a picture of the cauldron bubbling with the root beer/dry ice... and for good reason. I didn't realize that the second you add the dry ice it is going to bubble and practically explode all over the place... Of course right before the guests are about to arrive. hahaha oh man! But I got it cleaned up just fine! Do you remember this frugal find I posted about this summer? I was going to make my own "cupcake stand" for the caramel apples to sit on and then I saw the little tree thing and made my own Caramel Apple tree. It is silver and black and went perfectly with the rest of the decor. My skull cupcakes did not turn out as cutesy as I was hoping, but They tasted yummy!
The FAMILY Portrait Wall... I added a silhouette of me and my puppy Kapri.

The Table...

Mercury Star Ornaments hung from the ceiling with care!

Each person had a personalized Tombstone at their seat. I made these out of foam and spraypaint. Totally free. I got the foam scraps from work. (We use the foam to ship glass.) I just carved, painted, and affixed each name in vinyl. You can see Alex's better in the picture Below. I let each of them take their tombstones home.

The plates I got from... you guessed it, the Dollar Store. I made the placemats out of paper and spray glitter. IT really helped the plates pop off the table. Got the idea from Eddie Ross.

The fireplace... oh sweetness. It looks so warm and inviting! I love how it all turned out.

The rest are just little things that I added here and there to give it a ooky, spooky touch! ENjOY!

Every witch must have her broom and black cat! Love the framed silhouette to sit beside it.

I made the spell book from a Family Medical book. It was chock full of creepy body part pictures. I am going to jazz it up more before Halloween. I will post on that later.

What would Fall be without a Caramel Apple?

You know me... I like things to be easy, fast and inexpensive! The less I have to measure the better!
I made caramel apples yesterday for the party tomorrow and thought I would show you how I do things. Be prepared to be amazed. No measuring or sifting or counting involved!
Ingredients:
* Apples (I made 12)
* Store bought individually wrapped caramels (I used the Kraft caramels in the yellow bag)
* craft sticks or popsicle sticks (The Kraft caramels come with 5 in each bag)
* two cans sweetened condensed milk
That is it, Seriously! You don't need anything else, I promise.

* * * * Step 1 * * * *
Remove all the wrappers from the caramels... this can be kind of tedious, but if you have little ones they will love this step.

* * * * Step 2 * * * *
Put the caramels and the sweetened condensed milk into a sauce pan and put it on low heat. Stir constantly. This is quite tedious and takes a bit of time, but it is SO worth it! IF your heat is too high, it will scorch the bottom and you will have chunks in the caramel. Believe me I know. I have tried to cheat time before!

* * * * Step 3 * * * *
Now you can take the time to peel the stickers off your apples and wash them. Dry them thoroughly so the water does not get into the caramel. insert your sticks at least half way through the apple.

* * * * Step 4 * * * *
Haha, Keep stirring... Oh look at that pretty caramel color! My mouth is salivating

* * * * Step 5 * * * *
Check to see that the caramel is done and ready to coat the apple. I do this by dropping a dab of caramel into some cold water. If it is chewy and the consistency that I want, it is done. No Candy thermometer needed!
this is the best I could do as far as a picture of this step is concerned! I was working by myself and had to juggle hot caramel and a camera.
* * * * Step 6 * * * *
The best part... DIp your apple!
I use a spoon to help coat it. Pushing the caramel up the sides.

* * * * Step 7 * * * *
Place on wax paper and let cool. I love this caramel. IT is really chewy and smellicious! It perfumes the whole house!

So there you have it, your basic Caramel Apple!
I had left over caramel, so I just cut up an apple and ate it with it. You could make more covered apples though.
Everyone have a wonderful Fall Season! I hope that you enjoy your time with family and friends!
IF you do make this recipe, please comment and share with me how things turned out. I love and appreciate all comments! They warm my heart!

Really Fast and easy Fall Decor

Fall is in the Air... I love the sights and sounds and COLORS!

This is what Ronda has on the counter in the Kitchen upstairs... so purrty!
So I put this together really fast this morning. It is really easy and really inexpensive. You can make some using the items I am sure most of you already have lying around.
This is what I already had sitting on the countertop in my bathroom.

I removed the candles... Took my bag of these... Again Thank you Dollar Tree.

Put the leaves in the Glass and fill with water. Yes it really is that Easy!!!

And Then I just added some red berry and fake gourds! Love it!

These look really great when the light hits them just right. You can see through the glass and the leaves just look beautiful.
I love this. Super Fast and super Easy!

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