Glittered Pumpkins

These decorations bring sparkle to tables and serving areas -- and they last far longer than jack-o'-lanterns. To make one, use a medium-size paintbrush to spread a layer of white glue over the surface of a small pumpkin. Hold pumpkin over a paper plate or a sheet of newspaper to catch excess glitter. Sprinkle powder glitter over pumpkin in several colors (we used penny, persimmon, orange, and pink champagne), covering completely. Let dry for about one hour; shake off excess glitter. Coat stem with brown acrylic paint; let dry. Pumpkins will keep for months. Found via Martha Stewart (of course!).

Candy Corn Cake

Is there a Halloween party in your future?  This super adorable cake would be the hit of your party. 

The complete recipe and a link to purchase the checkerboard cake pan can be found at Wilton.

 Checkerboard Cake Pan rings are used to bake the 3-color cake layers. When you slice cake into wedges, they’ll look like giant pieces of candy corn!

Ingredients:

• Orange Icing
• Lemon Yellow Icing
• Petite Ghosts Icing Decorations
• Buttercream icing
• Assorted Halloween Candy
• white cake mix

Makes:

Cake serves 6.

Tools:

• Checkerboard Cake Pan Set
• Tip: 16

Instructions:

Step 1

Place Divider Ring in one 9 x 2 in. pan from set. Tint 1 cup of white batter orange and 1 1/3 cup yellow; reserve 1/3 cup white.

Step 2

Fill inside small center ring with white batter, inside medium ring with orange batter and inside large outer ring with yellow batter.

Step 3

Carefully remove Divider Ring before baking. Bake and cool 1-layer cake.

Step 4

Divide cake top: mark 2 inner circles, one 1 in. and one 2 1/2 in. from edge of cake.

Step 5

Cover sides and top to 1 in. mark with yellow tip 16 stars, cover area to 2 1/2 in. mark with orange tip 16 stars, fill in center with white tip 16 stars.

Step 6

Attach icing decorations to cake sides. Position candies around cake.

Caramel Apples

Ingredients

• 6 apples
• 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly.
3. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set.

After dipping in caramel, you can then use your imagination to decorate them!  You can use the leaf sprinkles as shown in this pic (which are available in our Etsy shop), or M&M's, Reeses Pieces, chopped peanuts, milk chocolate, chocolate chips, coconut, the possibilities are endless!

Our Halloween Treat Table

So today at the store I decided to rearrange the front of the shop, and switch our Fall table with the Halloween table.  So far, I am happy with how the Halloween display looks.  I still need to add a few things (I'm dying to make orange and black poms to hang from my chandelier) but I thought I would share what I have so far.  Many of the ideas can easily be modified for a home Halloween party. DISCLAIMER:  Obviously, I am not a professional photographer.  Not even close. 

Here is our Halloween table.  I took the photo from a ladder looking down on it, otherwise I get too much of the back of the store in the pic.  From eye level, it doesn't look as empty.  See the black and orange cloths on the back of the display ~ they are simply kitchen towels!  We use a lot of towels and napkins in our displays, as inexpensive ways to tie in to the holiday and if we need some height in our display, we just place an empty box under the towel.

I'm loving my tiered tray.  I found the so simple directions at Joy's Hope.  I've used it to display cocktail napkins, but at home it would be so cute for cupcakes or hor'derves.  For some added height, I have one of our Halloween figurines sitting on top.

I'm bummed I couldn't get a better shot of my branch display. I found some "good" branches in my backyard and spray painted them black.  I then bought a glass vase at the dollar store and sprayed that black as well. I placed the branches in, put some stone in the bottom, then used newsprint to pack around the branch and then more stones of the top(they came from the dollar store too).  I hung my "BOO"
banner on there, a few decorations, and then I have some chocolate pumpkins and lollipops hanging from the branches!  I have the vase sitting on a clear glass cake stand, then I surrounded it with bags of candy corn. 

Our hand decorated Oreos.

In most of the photos I see for dessert tables, the treats are all unwrapped, like our pretzels above.  While I love the way that looks photographed, I think in reality, you would want most of your treats (especially chocolate ones) wrapped, like the pretzels shown below.  It doesn't take long for chocolate to melt in little (and big) hands, so unless you like hand prints on your furniture, place your treats in cello bags and then tie them up with a cute favor tag.

I'll post some updated pictures in a week or two when I have all our gift baskets and tins ready. Are you having a Halloween party?  I'd love to see your pictures!