It physically pains me to admit to this, but sometimes Pottery Barn just gets me. They also never fail to surprise with unique (mass produced) pieces like these unstretched encyclopedia skull and bones canvases. Of course they consider them Halloween decor and I consider them Every Day of the Year decor, which is how I keep my wits about me.
Posted In halloween, holidays, house and home, walls
I’m tempted to buy one of these Dry or Die! tea towels for every member of my family. During the holidays after meal clean-up always turn into a battle of who gets to wash and who has to dry. Being the youngest, I inevitably get screwed every time. How rad would it be to oh-so-casually toss these at everyone as I take the reins at the sink? I assure you, very.
Posted In kitchenI want candy, and lots of it. I was lucky enough to grow up in a complex of town houses, which meant mucho sweets come October 31st. Everything was close in proximity and it wasn’t unheard of to have 500+ kids stop by your house come Halloween night. So for me, well, it was all about quantity. It also wasn’t unheard of for there to be lingering Halloween candy come Easter. What kind of trick or treater were you as a kid?
{via ffffound}
+ Hoping these Apple Nachos find my face soon.
+ Why can’t my roof grow a forest?
+ Halloween dessert table, party of one!
+ Great article about chefs, their scars, and how they got them.
+ I love a good bow tie.
+ I automatically don’t like anyone who refuses this Halloween party invitation.
+ Pretty excited about these Pittsburgh tees.
+ Love this Halloween invitation download!
+ Helvetica + Cross-stitch = Awesome
+ A scratch-n-sniff print that smells like the moon!
+ This woman chronicled her life in fairground shooting gallery photos.
+ You should pick up a copy of Dick and Jane and Vampires for your favorite kiddo (or kiddo at heart).
+ Some ideas on what to do with the rest of October!
So, while I spend the majority of my time photographing cookies and spaghetti and bacon cinnamon rolls, I do venture out of the kitchen from time to time to take pictures of other delicious things. Like puppies. A little while back I was lucky enough to photograph this dynamic due of adorableness:
Can you STAND the cuteness???
Anyway, their owners are almost as sweet as they are, and on the day of our shoot they brought me a delicious box of Fat Witch Brownies. Which in case you haven’t had one, are the Most Delicious Brownies On Earth. And just for the record, the Fat Witch people have never heard of me, did not pay me either in brownies or anything else to say this, this is purely my own love and adoration speaking. This is why I was so excited to hear that the Fat Witch Bakery Cookbook had just been published, full of recipes for unbelievable brownies of every kind… I couldn’t get my hands on it fast enough. And now that I have a copy, let’s just say that there will be a steady stream of brownie making in my house, and I started out with the incredibly easy, amazingly scrumptious recipe for No-Bake S’mores Brownies.
That’s right… no bake. I had my doubts, but I promise you, it’s really true! You crush some graham crackers into tiny crumbs, and mix in some mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips. Then you melt some butter with some beaten egg, sugar and vanilla, stirring over low heat until it thickens just a bit. Cool it down a little, then pour it over your graham cracker mixture. Toss in a few more chips and marshmallows. Mixmixmix. Now spoon the whole thing into a pan that you have lined with foil and pop the whole thing in the fridge. (I love using a fridge in place of an oven!) Thirty minutes later it will have set into a pan full of s’more brownie wonderfulness.
Fat Witch Cookbook! I have my eye on the Molasses Brownies next…
from Fat Witch Brownies Cookbook
• 10 graham crackers, crushed (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 3/4 cups chocolate chips
• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Line a 9 inch square pan with foil, leaving some hanging over the sides and grease the foil with butter.
2. Mix graham crumbs, 3/4 cup marshmallows and 1/2 cup chocolate chips together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in small pot and stir in sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir over medium low heat until slightly thickened. Cool slightly.
4. Add sugar mixture to graham mixture and stir well. Fold in remaining marshmallows and chips.
5. Press mixture into pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from pan using foil overhang, cut and serve.
Is this National Awesome DIY Project Week? Why didn’t anyone tell me?! I’ve come across some of the very best do-it-yourself projects ever over the past few days. Today it’s all about decorative arrows. I know you’ve seen them, priced them, then most likely run screaming for the hills. Lucky for us, Danielle Thompson took it upon herself to put together this phenomenal tutorial featuring three different types of arrow designs. I’ve got it bookmarked for one of those long winter days that are just around the corner.
Posted In accessories, house and home, make it
Birch trees are most likely my favorite tree species. Growing up my grandparents had a huge one in their front yard. I spent hours under its lofty branches, peeling the paper-thin bark off and destroying it of course.These days I have a much higher level of respect for nature in general, especially when it’s cast copper sheathed in silver and takes the form of a vase.
Posted In accessories, house and home
Sometime in the past 24 hours I’ve turned into a person who likes decorative gourds. Particularly tall white ones.
Posted In accessories, halloween, holidays, house and home
Pixel Girl is where I’m drawing this year’s Halloween costume inspiration from. Do you think it’s okay to dress up for Halloween when you’re 75? Because I probably still will.
Posted In halloween, holidays, make it, wear it
photo Nicole Hill Gerulat
Most holidays I like to do a little something for friends. Sometimes it’s a goodie bag, others a handmade card. For Halloween I normally do your typical trick or treat candy packaged in a fun way. Last year I covered clean aluminum soup cans in decorative fall-looking papers and filled them, the cans could then be used for pens or whatever after the fact. (This isn’t exactly earth shattering, I realize.) I knew I wanted to venture into unknown territory this year and go old school with some caramel apples.I just didn’t know which recipe I’d be following until this gem came into my life. If mine end up looking half as photogenic I’ll consider it a success. {I’m also interested in these Peanut Butter Caramel Dipped Apples!}
More Halloween treats:
+ Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
+ Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles
+ Pumpkin Milkshakes
+ Halloween Petit Fours (for the professional orderers amongst you)
+ Pumpkin Spice Latte Martini
+ Candied Apple Cider