Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

Halloween 2008 - A Carvin' We Will Go

Only a few days until Halloween, so this will be my last Halloween post, because by this point, I just can't help you! Now it's time to turn your attention to most folks' favorite part of Halloween, carving a pumpkin. Check out these celebrity stencils at BHG.com where you can carve a political statement of Senators Obama and McCain, or your favorite comedy host like David Letterman or John Stewart.

Check out Martha's Halloween Workshop on carving pumpkins for lots of inspiration. Her owls and blackened pumpkins require power tools...you've been warned. Also involving power tools, DIY network has an awesome slide show of extreme carvings, my favorites are the dragon and the sun man.

But sometimes, there is that rare creature who doesn't feel the joy of carving, after nearly cutting off a finger trying to carve a plastic pumpkin. Hey, my family didn't do Halloween, so I grew up without the pleasure of sticking my hand into a pumpkin to get all the slimy seeds out. Plus, I know the fun is in the carving, but in a few days, not-so-attractive flies will be swarming. So I offer a few less destructive ways to decorate a pumpkin....

....break out the glitter and sequins and paint them (my family's creations)....

...use markers....

...use ribbons....

...make yarn art....

...make a wreath.

Not Just A Mommy!

Thanksgiving Traditions Contest

It's Easy - Enter HERE >

New! Send Invitation Reminders to Phone & Calender

Sendomatic, the leading 100 percent advertisement-free online invitation service, announces the addition of Send to Phone+ capability. Leapfrogging competitors, Sendomatic's introduction gives users multiple self-send options not available on other invitation sites, which offer only basic send-to-phone (Web content sent as text message to mobile phones only, delivered at an unspecified time).

From one easy, streamlined interface, attendees can immediately self-send their customized, attendee-specific information (e.g., volunteered to bring appetizers, help with set-up, etc.) along with the general event details (date, time, contact, address and RSVP information) to their:

• Mobile phones as text messages (with convenient Web links for Web-enabled phones)
• Online calendars
• Telephones as voice calls
• E-mails (whitelisted delivery)

In addition, Sendomatic offers the breakthrough "Know Later" option where users may schedule a future delivery of event details as a reminder. "Knowledge is most powerful when it's perfectly timed to an actionable moment, whether it's to buy chips for a party or RSVPing to the invitation," said Jennifer Sitko, president of Sendomatic. "With Sendomatic, our users precisely schedule event information to be delivered at the time they know they'll be able to respond to it."

Look for the new button on your Sendomatic invitation:

 

Last minute, easy Halloween DIY decorations

Whether you are hosting a party or want to get your house all decked out for the tricker-treaters, here is a an activity that you can do with the kids that isn't messy. All you need is

• Scissors or an exacto knife


• Orange card stock


• Wooden skewers


• Small votive holders


• Votives


• Imagination

Take your orange card stock and draw a Jack O' Lantern face, a haunted house scene, a spider, or whatever you desire. Cut out your creation with either scissors or an exacto knife. Take your wooden skewer and thread it through the paper horizontally. Place your votive candle holder and candle behind your creation and viola! You have a great decoration piece. Create as many as you desire for a fun grouping and you can have your very own pumpkin patch. If you desire, use white card stock or black card stock to make ghosts, cats, witches, etc. The result? Stunning.

Happy Halloween!

Best,

Meghann Kopecky

www.urbanitystudios.com

New Tricks For An Old Treat

The plentiful and abundant offering of apples at my Central Market and the cool, Texas Hill Country breeze inspired this post about one of my favorite fall treats - the caramel apple.

The fasest way I know of enjoying this treat is to pick up a jar of Cajeta (or dulce de leche if made with cow's milk), a Mexican caramel dessert topping available at gourmet or online markets. Slice a Fuji apple, spread on the cajeta and sprinkle with nuts and the delight that comes from eating a caramel apple is mine in moments.

Here are some other new methods for creating an old standard.

The Finer Things
At the Fine Stationery blog you will find a post on Mini Caramel Apples. Originally published by Family Fun, the folks at The Finer Things share Sakurako Kitsa's photo step by step tutorial.

These seem perfect as a youth activity at Halloween or Fall Festival gatherings or as an unepected posh dessert at adult parties.

Simply Recipes
Elise gives you the how to for making authentic, homemade caramel apples.

101 Cookbooks
Heidi Swanson shares a natural version with a caramel made simply of heavy cream, sea salt and honey.

 Mail Order
If you don't have the time or inclination to make your own caramel apples, you find gourmet versions for yourself or as gifts starting at $11.99 at Amy's Gourmet Apples .

Baker's Banter
The bakers at King Arthur Flour take the beloved flavors of caramel and apple and bake them in a cake.

Halloween 2008 - Treats Not Tricks Pt. 1

We all know that Halloween is all about the goodies. Here are a few treats that aren't too tricky to pull off. Wow them with Martha's fabulous creepcakes. These witch cupcakes will cast a spell on your younger guests. Black cat's paw cookies are the cat's meow....sorry I had to do that. Have Halloween in 3-D with cookies that interlock to make freestanding treats, courtesy of Fancy Flours. Set out cookies, colored frosting and candies and let kids create their own Creepy Crawlers. Good and bad for you, these monster mouths will get eaten in no time! These festive S'mores are less hassle than the campfire variety and just as delicious. Made from a graham cracker, this Frankenstein mask is easy to duplicate.

Need a few elegant treats for a adult soiree or a special hostess gift? Try these eye-pleasers...impress your guests with Williams-Sonoma's assortment of miniature skulls that arrive in a coffin-shaped box, or a delightfully tasty place setting with their personalized bat cookies. How yummy! Big chunks of ooey gooey handmade chocolate chip fudge with marshmallows get the "stick treatment" before being dipped in Belgian chocolate and decorated by hand. Who'd ever guess that this otherworldly creation is actually moist yellow cake layered with mocha mousse, and wrapped in black-and purple-tinted white chocolate? Both the dipped marshmallows and cake are from Dean & Deluca.  Stay tuned for Treats Not Tricks Pt.2.

And while we are talking about Halloween ideas, I've been sharing a few sneak peeks into our Mad Scientist's Lab party over at my blog.  I made this Frankenbag from a brown paper bag and paper, as an example for my Fall Events class, and created a more assembly-line-friendly creation for our party's favor bags. Not Just a Mommy!

Halloween Traditions Contest Winner Announced!

Congratualtions! The winner of the 2Modern.com Halloween Traditions Contest is Jenn S!:

"Before we take the kids trick or treating we have a halloween themed meal where all the dishes are something spooky or halloweenlike. We have a blast preparing and eating our dinner."

Winner please respond to this post with your full name, shipping address, email address and telephone number by Oct 31, 2008. This information will not be published and will be kept private.

Thank you to everyone who participated! Check back often to Create My Event for more giveaways!

Mad Scientist Party Mood Board

My niece is planning her 6th birthday party this October and she doesn't want a Halloween-ish theme; she does want a bit of a mad-scientist theme - bright and "not creepy please", Here's a mood board to get you started...

For favors, a lab coat, magnifying glass and a couple test tubes filled with treats would be perfect. Lab coats, however are expensive, but you can buy white men's shirts and roll up the sleeves and put a nametag on each child's "coat", or you can buy disposable coats here (although they're obviously not terribly sustainable). I found cute buggy magnifying glasses here and here. And my favorite scientific supply store American Science has a ton of petri dishes, test tubes and beakers for all kinds of scientific fun!

Check out Steve Spangler Science for experiments and other goodies! Try shrinky dink sheets, the birthday girl can draw scientific stuff then party goers can make necklaces or rings like the one above.

For food...I'd keep it simple but it'd be fun to put bright colored jell-o in petri dishes and juice in beakers. For the cake, maybe make square cupcake picks (see my diy party pick project) with periodic table elements...I'll try to create some this week for you to download over at my blog www.tangarangblog.blogspot.com

credits: clockwise from top left: super fun ring made from shrinky dink by Broken Fingers Art, beautiful microscope print by Electric Boogaloo, experiment shown in Martha Stewart, colorful beakers from Natural News, This Periodic Table Shower Curtain from Neatorama would make a great tablecloth or backdrop, Love the crazy colors of this table setting by R. Jack Balthazar, And of course how could you do without Albert Einstein, Fun colored snowcones shown on Brides, string of bright colored lights, Cute molecularly-inspired necklace by rickrackrow, setting the scene at Cookie Magazine, Bouncy Atomic Balls from Rhode Island Novelty, Center: colorful petri dishes from Scientifics.

Halloween 2008 - It's What's Inside That Counts

Continuing on with my Halloween series, today's post is all about indoor decor. Although you've tricked out the table, especially if you are having a spooky soiree, you need the rest of your home to be just as festive! Set it all off with my favorite prop, Pottery Barn's rockin' spooky house wall mural. I love, love, love how the contrasting table decor really pops off the black and white setting.

I spied this at Target; the Coffin Mister is perfect for a ghoulish corner tabletop. An easy DIY, check out these spiders that swarm spooky corners lit with votives. Turn the lights down and turn up the spooky Halloween atmosphere with Ballard Design's Halloween lighted bags and spooky candelabra.

I love doing candy buffets. Jean M's candy vases and these voluminous Camilla canisters, can be easily found at your favorite housewares stores. I've found my similar canisters at Marshall's for a fraction of the price (aaack...did that just sound like their commercials?) Horchow's Queen of Mean figurine and skull masks are unique conversation pieces that are sure to give your guests the chills.

Run to your local Pier 1 and recreate their fabulous Glamour Ghouls party; SPOOKY sign, spider web wall decor, glitter candleabrum, Halloween cookie totes, flocked flower pillows, chalk note stemless wine glasses and jars, BOO candles. I can't wait to go and check it all out. Not Just a Mommy!

How to get the drip out of your candles

Pillar candles are a beautiful accent to any table setting...but when they drip and get wax all over your table, it becomes a frustrating mess. 

Surprislingly enough, there is a way to make your candles dripless, and you don't have to buy the expensive candle pillars to ensure a no drip solution.

All you have to do is place your pillar candles in the freezer for at least two hours.  You only have to do this once (not every time you use your candles) and you will no longer have the drip!  I have found, however, that if you freeze your candles, take them out and store them for about a year before you use them, your candle will slightly drip.  So, just freeze your candles a day or so before your party, and voila, a beautiful accent with no mess to clean up. 

Now, if you forgot to freeze your candles and they do drip on your beautiful table, there is a good solution to cleaning up the wax.  Take an iron and turn it on the lowest setting.  Place wax paper on the candle wax and iron the wax paper.  It may take a couple of passes, but your candle wax will begin to stick to your wax paper, releasing the candle wax from your table.

Happy lighting!

Meghann Kopecky

urbanitystudios.com