Remember this Spiders + Spirits themed Halloween party I styled and shared for Tuesday Morning a few years ago? 

Well I got to thinking about the fact that I've never shared all of the photos here on the blog and since it's still one of my very favorite themes for a Halloween party...well...it's just time the details were no longer kept under wraps..."mummy" wraps in this case since it's a Halloween party.  *wink*

Besides, I wanted to make sure you had access to the FREE "Spiders + Spirits" sign and matching food labels in order to make hosting your own party easy peasy lemon squeezy.

And let me just say, I'm not even a drinker and yet these Pumpkin Bourbon Milkshakes slay me. ("slay" is the current trendy term used to imply you are impressed or amused by something - my kids keep me on point folks). 

Links to the FREE "Spiders + Spirits" sign and food labels along with the recipes for the milkshakes and pumpkin bars are all at the bottom of the post!!  

Did you love all of the details?

Sure hope you're feeling inspired to host your own Spiders + Spirits themed party?

Or at least try out the spooktacular recipes for some added Halloween fun! *wink*

xoxo my sweet friends!!

Jessica

LINKS I KNOW YOU'LL WANT:

Pumpkin Bourbon Milkshakes Recipe <-------click

Whiskey Caramel Glazed Pumpkin Bars <----click

Spiders + Spirits Dessert Bar 12x24 Sign  <---click to download

Spiders + Spirits Dessert Bar food labels <----click to download

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Aside from wanting to provide you with the free printables from this party, the main reason I decided to post this on my blog is because the links to the original post on the Tuesday Morning site don't work anymore and although I was able to finally find it, who wants to have to do all of that digging around every time you want to see it again? *hand raised*

SHARE | Something Wicked This Way Comes

It just feels SO wrong to be posting something about Halloween when Summer isn't officially over until September 21st. It seems wrong to me anyway…

HOWEVER…Halloween is coming…and it's coming fast.
The industry I'm in...you really have to be working 2 months ahead of each season in order to stay ahead of every holiday. I've been working on some Halloween stuff over the last month, (so I'm actually a little behind), but I'm already full focused on Thanksgiving and will be starting Christmas stuff soon. I don't LOVE it…but it's the nature of the industry.

Anyway…since Halloween is coming whether I want to say goodbye to Summer or not…
I'm forced to share one of the printables I've been quietly working on for you…

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Halloween Art Print

I actually had a customer reach out to me about designing a "Something Wicked This Way Comes" sign for her home…but she ended up thinking this version was too "pretty"- which I completely get.
But I'm okay with "pretty" more than "spooky"…so I'm sticking with this version here at my house.

I thought you might like it too so I'm offering this FREE 5x7 Art Print to all of my sweet blog readers.  It gets better though…how about this...

CHALKBOARD "Something Wicked This Way Comes" Art Print

Use this free 5x7 printable to get a headstart on decorating and perhaps even…party prepping.

Do you all host Halloween parties? I typically don't…
unless you count the playful meal I serve my family on the night of Halloween just before heading out for trick-or-treating. Ya know…the "mummy dogs" served with individual bowls of ketchup and a mustard spider web spun in the middle of the ketchup.

I love decorating the inside of my house for Halloween but the outside is usually pretty sparse, except for this cluster of really cute signs I bought years ago that I stick at my front door.

They really need to be spruced up a bit…or maybe the fading black paint adds to the "spooky" vibe of the season? Haven't completely decided yet.

I got the Cobweb sign from an Arts and Crafts festival like ummm…10 years ago?
And the two smaller signs, "Boo" and "Mr. Skull" were from Target. I'm a sucker for creamy white and when you add black for Halloween…well…you know I'm going to cave.

I also stay away from all of the "scary" stuff. I've tried turning Halloween into more of a "light-hearted" holiday for my kids instead of focusing on all the yucky "wicked" stuff. (Remember our annual Phantom Pumpkin tradition)?  I don't allow scary costumes typically…no masks…no gory stuff. I think I'm just a wimp so I guess I'm passing all of that along to my girls. Ha!!

On a good year, you might find a giant inflatable stack of lighted jack-o-lanterns in our yard. I picked it up on clearance at a grocery store years back and if I'm feeling the urge…Mr. Jack comes out to play.
I wasn't feeling it last year…maybe this year though?

Anyway, if you like the FREE 5x7 you are more than welcome to DOWNLOAD IT RIGHT HERE.
Also available in my Etsy Shoppe are the 16x20 and 24x36 sizes of this same print.
And stay tuned for the Monthly FREE Printables Blog Hop coming next week - all about…you guessed it…Halloween!! *wink*

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I do have to say I grudgingly let Clara and Ema dress up as Vampires one year and we recently stumbled upon those photos on my computer. Clara actually asked me, "Why did you let me go out looking like that!?" Ha!! I think they liked the way they looked at the time…but neither of them liked the way they looked when looking back at photos. They were pretty creepy. Ha!!

SHOPPE | Pink + Gold Baby Love Collection

I really love when I'm able to work incorporate a new design concept into two totally different party themes and that's exactly what happened when I created this new Baby Love Collection.

I was in the middle of graduation party preparations when...

FREE | 4th of July FREE Chalkboard Art Print

Well hello friends - here's that little something I promised to share with you from Friday's post.
Remember the hand-lettered artwork I posted?
Well here is PART of the the surprise I've been working on...

"As American as Apple Pie and Ice Cream"  5x7 Art Print

Download your FREE favorite version right here:
As American as Apple Pie and Ice Cream 5x7 Art Print - WHITE background 
As American as Apple Pie and Ice Cream 5x7 Art Print - CHALKBOARD background 

You get two 5x7's on one 8.5 x 11 Sheet so you can print one for yourself and share one with your friend. OR keep one at home and take the other one to the office! *wink*

Hope you love it!
Stay tuned for more hand-lettered artwork as well as more 4th of July fun!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
We are celebrating over here!!
Sweet Ella Pie no longer has dermabond attached to her forehead!
See the details RIGHT HERE on my Instagram Feed! Yay!!

iNSPiRE | 100 Happy Days :: Days 1 thru 14

The last 14 days have gone by quickly since having started the 100 Happy Days Challenge.

For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram I wanted to post an update here on the blog to share with you the "happy things/moments" I've been documenting via photography and posting to Instagram. I shared DAY 1 HERE and now here are Days 2 through 14...

SUGAR | Bewitching Hi Hat Cupcakes

Hi Pen N' Paperflowers Friends!

Looking for a creative treat for spreading some Halloween cheer?
These bewitching Hi Hat Cupcakes are so darn cute...it's SCARY!!

Remember the No-Bake Hi Hat Cupcakes I shared with you last week?
Since the Hi Hat resembles the peek of a witch hat, I couldn't help myself by turning it into the perfect Halloween Treat.

1. Start with a No-Bake Hi Hat Cupcake (or Hi Hat Brownie Bite)
2. Wrap the cupcake with a cute cupcake wrapper. 
3. Attach a ribbon using a dab of hot glue under the knot and some tape in the back to keep it from sliding down.
4. Add a mini novelty witch broom from your local craft store or create your own using a toothpick or wooden skewer and some raffia. (see tutorial HERE).
5. Use some orange striped straws and then cut out black witch shoes to attach. Insert your silly DIY witch legs into the hi hat cupcake!

Ta Dah!!
You've got the most adorable cupcakes on the Halloween Party Block!!

Add these to a decked out cake plate on your Halloween Party Dessert table, pop them on top of The Pastry Pedestal, or surprise a co-worker, family member, or teacher by delivering an individual cupcake to them packaged in a cute cupcake box wrapped in coordinating fabric or ribbon.

These are an impressive treat without a lot of fuss.
I hope this idea has left you SPELLBOUND!

You can find the adorable cupcake wrappers , darling white cupcake boxes and cute orange striped straws at The TomKat Studio. 

KEEPiNG iT REAL
The chocolate cupcake (or brownie bite) base with the peanut butter frosting PLUS the chocolate coating is an absolutely amazing combination!!
Just saying!! *wink*

iNSPiRE | The Party Dress Magazine - Summer 2012

The next three days mark the very last days of school this year for my girls.
I'm sure some of you have already...
• expressed heartfelt gratitude and final farewells to some fabulous teachers, faculty and staff members
• participated in end-of-year parties
• attended an awards ceremony (or two)

and perhaps even...
• shed a few tears during milestone graduation ceremonies...
from kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and perhaps even college.


Well wipe the tears away...
Summer is here!!!
It's time to get focused on how to make it magical!
Whether you are looking for some much needed "lazy days of summer"...
or if you are looking for some clever ways to keep busy...
Check out some of my favorite images from the latest issue of The Party Dress Magazine...
you're sure to spot something you'll be inspired by to help make your summer memorable...

The Party Dress Magazine • Summer 2012

Sponge Waterballs by Casi Densmore-Koon of CupcakeMag

Snow Cone Cupcakes by Melissa Johnson of Best Friends for Frosting

Ice Pops by Charynn Olsheski of Two Sugar Babies

Flavored Ice Cubes by Kelly Lyden from the WH Hostess + The Party Dress

Festive & Fun Drinking Straws by Casi Densmore-Koon of CupcakeMag

Star Watermelon Pops by Kelly Lyden of WH Hostess + The Party Dress

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes by Tori Spelling

View the entire issue of the magazine in digital print
or order a printed version of it right here.


Other fabulous contributors and features included in the Summer 2012 Issue include
Jeff Peabody & Jennifer Billingsley, Honeycomb Events  |  Lynlee Beckett, Lynlee’s Petite Cakes
 Kathy Wolfe, Kathy Wolfe Photography |  Katie Nguyen Wells, Petite Social
 Leoni Jena, Just Call Me Martha  |  Jenny Steffens Hobick, Everyday Occassions

I hope you're inspired to get the summer started right...
I know I am!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

First on my list of things to try will be those snow cone cupcakes.

I can totally see those displayed on The Pastry Pedestal...can't you?

And yes...I'll be doing the wooden spoons as well!! *wink*

the Pastry Pedestal™ | A little something extra...

If you follow The Pastry Pedestal on Facebook...
Then you know that yesterday I announced a sweet little deal...

I promised the next 30 customers of The Pastry Pedestal™ Starter Kit a little extra something in their package...

In addition to the Starter Kit...
Those 30 customers would also receive some adorable striped straws with their order(s)...

(if you didn't know, you can use the straws as "sheaths" - like this - on your Pastry Pedestal rods for some added pizzazz)!

The response was awesome and I felt I should do the same for all of 

my sweet faithful blog readers.

So...

starting right now...

The next 20 people to order The Pastry Pedestal™ Starter Kit...

will receive the same deal as all of those lucky Facebook Fans from yesterday!

Things went rather quickly yesterday...

just to warn you.

So if you've been considering placing an order but just haven't done it yet...

Now's your opportunity to receive a little something extra!!
GO HERE TO ORDER!!

If you already own The Pastry Pedestal Starter Kit...
check out my Pastry Pedestal Pinterest Board dedicated to all-things-Pastry Pedestal!
You may find a few new FUN styling ideas to try out!!

And for those of you anxiously awaiting the announcement of pre-sales for the
NEW PASTRY PEDESTAL PLATFORM...
Some key design changes have pushed back the pre-sale date
but the changes will be SO well worth the wait.
TRUST ME!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

My brain is fried...

I have been on the computer for days on end...

trying to catch up on Etsy orders.

There have been many late nights lately...

Last night it was another  2:30 a.m. bedtime.

*sigh*