EATS :: Easy Halloween Treats

Hey y'all!

Halloween is almost here and you may have started thinking about all of those goodies, treats or food ideas that you will make. Or maybe not so much. Maybe you are hosting a party this year for you or perhaps a kids party (like I am). Or you volunteered to make something for your child's classroom party at school. No matter what it is for, you need a plan or an idea and I am here to help you out with a few ideas today. 
 

All of these ideas I have personally made or recreated myself so I know they are not only easy, they are quick. Oh and they are pretty darn tasty too! ;) Best of all, this kind of food is FUN!

1. Marshmallow Pops

So easy. So fun. And as complex or simple as you want it to be. These ghostly marshmallow pops were simple. I used regular marshmallows, inserted the straws in the bottom, drizzled some melted white chocolate over them, added a couple edible eyeballs and done! 

 

2. Bark

This has got to be the easiest 'go-to' thing to make as it's no bake and super fast when you are short on time. I am guilty of making bark of any kind constantly in my house as my daughter and all of her friends just LOVE it. 

For this one I simply melted up a bag of dark chocolate chips, poured in a pan, added sprinkles and edible eyeballs and the next thing I had was: Halloween Eyeball Bark.

3. Halloween fruit parfait

For those times when we need to make a treat just a little bit on the healthier side, these are perfect! Or a great way to add a fun breakfast item to a sleepover party (like we did with these). Simply stack (drained) pineapple chunks, (drained) mandarins and top with cool whip. Plus they look a LOT like candy corn so it makes them all the more fun!

 
4. Cutie Pumpkins

I love doing these as they are simple adorable! Grab some cuties or clementines, peel them and then add a small piece of celery for the stem. Super cute and super healthy too!

5. Cupcakes

I very rarely ever have a party without cupcakes as I LOVE decorating them! The thing about cupcakes is you can buy them at the store, if you are pressed for time OR bake them yourself. Either way you decide to go, whether they are mini cupcakes or regular size, jazz them up with some fun icing colors, sprinkles, candy . . . anything to make it festive! Oh and if you have some party toppers to add to them, it will make it that much more fun!

Sometimes it's interesting to make up your own thing too. For my daughter's Halloween sleepover party last year, I made these spider cupcakes, which I used a cupcake kit and it was super easy but then I also made these monster cupcakes. I iced some cupcakes orange (since I had leftovers from the spider cupcakes), peeked in my pantry to see what I had and used these candy corn marshmallows for ears, some edible eyeballs and a candy coated ball for a nose and we have the friendliest looking 'monster cupcakes' right? lol

5. Candy Corn

This one is a tried and true favorite of mine and I have made it every year once I discovered it: we call it 'Monster Mash' here but it's a simple two-ingredient treat. A bag of candy corn and a canister of salted peanuts . . . dump them in a bowl together and you have got a great tasting 'grab & go' snack that tastes a LOT like a bite out of a Payday candy bar = BONUS! ;)

 

6. Reese's Bats

I love, love, love this idea for these Reeses bats that I found, so I used the regular size Reeses peanut butter cups for these and gave it a try myself. They are the FIRST treat to go, EVERY time I make them. ;)

Hope you enjoyed these quick and easy Halloween treat ideas! Have you ever made one of these? Have another great idea? Please let me know below . . .

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IKEA :: New Catalog Release Blogger Party

     

Hello everyone! I wanted to share with you an amazing event that I was honored to be invited to and yup . . . it just so happened to be by one of fave stores: IKEA!!! As you may remember I was invited by them to an event last fall and had an incredible time attending that one, so when I got the invite to this party, I was all in!

This one was different this time around as it was a blogger event so I was super excited to meet other area bloggers around where I live. The whole event was set up to celebrate IKEA's launch of their brand new catalog and we got sneak peeks of some of what they have to offer from it. Plus we were treated to an amazing spread of different types of food, sips and desserts to sample. They surely spoiled us but hey, someone has to do it! ;)

 
TABLESCAPES.
Inspire individuality. 
 
Whether you are having the whole family over for a holiday meal, an every day meal with your family or just a simple dinner for two, they showed us a ton of ideas to recreate for our guests that we invite to our homes.  No matter what your style is, you will be able to find something that fits your vibe for sure!

One of the things that I love about these events, are the ideas that they showcase and all of the various ways to use the items they sell. I really enjoy looking at all of the details that they put into their displays as it can certainly spark some creativeness from within - that is for sure! ;)

This event had several areas that showcased recipes from their amazing food items, which include everything from smoked salmon and salad to their new cinnamon bun rusk and coffees.

Guess what people? Do you even know what they have now at IKEA? Hint: its IN the first pic below! All I have to say is this is a game changer! My local store is one of the first so you may have to wait just a tiny bit longer if you don't have one at your IKEA store. That's right  . . . a REGISTRY! OMG!

 

KIDS.
The kids' table is the place to be.

Seriously? If all kids' tables looked like this growing up, I would have never started to be an adult. lol When you plan your next party for a kid or even one for yourself - check out their party section, art and craft supplies in stock as well as all kinds of fun games, costumes for the kids! 

COOKING.
Creativity gets cooking.

Lots of fabulous storage solutions, cooking supplies, baking and more to be had in their new cooking department. I will be coming back for MY haul soon. ;)

 

NATURE.
Tame the wilderness at home.

We were inspired with how to sprinkle bits of nature throughout our homes using greenery, florals, rocks, framed art, plants and more. This is such a fun element to have represented in your home and it's easier to incorporate than you may think.

When was the last time you headed to IKEA for some ideas on how to decorate? Where do you find YOUR inspiration?

Special thanks to all of the staff at IKEA West Chester for planning this event for us and of course for the invite. I will see you SOON! ;)

Have you checked out the new IKEA catalog? Or seen the new departments in the store? Let me know below as I would love to hear . . .

 

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop! 

Looking forward to seeing you again! :)

 

EATS :: Emoji OREO Pops

Hello there! 
I am back and bringing you some more EMOJI FUN, as promised! First I shared my daughter's epic EMOJI party with all the cute details about everything we did, then I showed you how to make those adorable EMOJI PILLOWS at home or for the craft during the party and now today I am sharing how to make your own EMOJI OREO POPS! 

Is there plenty of willing people in bakeries and online that could make these chocolate covered emoji Oreo pops? Why yes, sure . . . absolutely and I would definitely recommend ordering from them if you are not wanting to try this, need them to look super professional or are pressed for time. BUT if you would like to save a few bucks and try them out yourself and don't care about them looking 'perfect' then you should definitely try making these as to be honest, they were NOT hard to make, just a little time consuming. 

I loved tackling this project with my daughter as we had fun trying to figure out what emoji faces to 'try' and recreate! We know they didn't turn out perfect but we made some memories, had some fun doing it and let me fill you in on a little secret . . . they tasted just as good as if someone else did them! Ssshhhhh ;)

 
So let's give this a try, shall we?  Let's make some EMOJI OREO POPS!

1. gather all of your supplies . . . you will need:  
Oreos, lollipop sticks, 1 bag of Wilton's yellow candy melts and then various colored tubes of icing you can write or draw with - colors depends on which emoji faces you are making. Below you will see what I used. I suggest having some wax paper, a cookie cooling rack and also a foam brick (in photo below).

2.  Prepare the yellow candy melts according to the directions on the package and melt in a dish deep enough that you will be able to 'dunk' or dip the Oreo pops into.

3. Separate each Oreo (carefully), take a lollipop stick and dip the tip into the melted chocolate, place in between the two Oreo halves. This will ensure that when you dip the Oreos, in a moment, that it stays together. 
**TIP - I always find when making these that you have to press firmly into the Oreo filling to ensure that the halves of the Oreo can come back together with the stick in the middle of them.

4. Let them dry for a few minutes and then dip the entire Oreo into the melted yellow candy melts until completely covered, then place into the foam brick covered in wax paper (like in photo below) as this will allow them to dry and not touch each other. 
**TIP - full disclosure - I usually have to dip my Oreo pops twice to get them fully covered but it's all good, just know that going in. ;) 

5. Once completely dry, I transfer them to a cooling rack simply for decorating purposes.

6. Have your emoji faces handy on your phone or a print out that you want to 'copy' and go to town decorating all of your fave emoji faces! The different colors of icing tubes I used were perfect for the ones we created. I loved using the sparkle blue gel for the laughing emoji tears and the food writers worked well for blushing cheeks. The red icing I DID have to kind of form my shapes that I wanted by using toothpicks. Yup LOTS of toothpicks and lots of patience! But you can do these, I promise!

The finished emoji Oreo pop! She loved them and they were such a hit at her party!! Plus I loved hearing her tell everyone that we made them. Heart=full!

 

Now how much fun do these look to make? The best part is we made them ourselves and this is something that you can make anytime for any occasion! A birthday party, graduation, a co-worker's party or just simply because!

What emoji face is your fave? Please let me know below . . .

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram or

check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop! 
 
Looking forward to seeing you again! :)