Halloween DIY

DIY: Halloween Edition 

Fast forward. It’s October 31^st. It’s Halloween. You are probably thinking how did the month of October escape you. Your children have invited friends over and your neighbors might stop by. To top it off, you just got home from work and now you have less than an hour to prepare something fabulous to celebrate Halloween.

Cue the violins... Wait, stop, don’t panic. I have a quick DIY Halloween solution that will take less than an hour of your time and you most likely have all the ingredients in your home right now. 

What is it you ask? Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time you get creative and make your own apple bar!  We all love an old fashioned caramel apple. Halloween is the perfect time to celebrate with this pastime. Your guests will love the endless choices and wonder, how did they do it? Let's get started! 

First, you need apples. The amount of apples needed depend on your guest list. Take the apples and wash them. Any type of apple will work for this project. Wait to cut the apples until the rest of our apple bar is complete. It may be Halloween, but no one likes a brown apple. 

Next, it’s time to cook the caramel. Caramel, may sound daunting, but it is a very easy sauce to make. Here’s a recipe that I use from food.com:

1 packed cup brown sugar

½ cup half and half

4 tablespoons butter

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

Mix the brown sugar, half and half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a dish or jar. Place in fridge until cold.

Now that the caramel sauce is ready to go, it's time to look through your pantry and fridge for fun toppings. 

Here are some topping ideas that are quick and easy: 

Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Sauce

Peanuts

Marshmellows

Almonds

Sprinkles 

Walnuts

Granola 

Rice Crispies 

White Chocolate Chips 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips

Peanut Butter

Let your imagination soar!

This project is open ended. You can use whatever you feel would taste best on an apple! 

Now, it's time to set up for the apple bar. Use jars and bowls to put the toppings in. Have several spoons available for guests to use. You can write out name cards for each topping so guests will be able to identify the toppings with ease. Or you can skip the name cards for a little bit of Halloween mystery. Additionally, to save you from washing forks afterwards, put out a bowl of tooth picks for easy pickings! You can create a fun "BOO" banner using paper, markers, and ribbon. 

For my apple display I turned vases upside down and tied a black ribbon for some added décor. I also found some scrap black fabric and used it as table décor. Get creative and use things around your house. Have your child draw a scary picture, or color a pumpkin to decorate. It can be as elaborate or simple as you would like. It all depends on your time crunch and available resources. 

Right before the guests arrive cut your apples. They should be crisp and ready to go! Enjoy your apple bar and have a spooky Halloween 2012. 

Your Elegant Affairs DIY Guru 

      Rachel Ermitano

Review from Mother of the Bride

Kelly & Jesse's wedding was a wonderful, fun and special day. We pulled off this fabulous event because you helped us plan, calmed us down, listen to our vents and gave us hugs, had our backs; in short: you coordinated us and guided us!

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything leading up to, on the day, and even afterward - I'm so glad we had Elegant Affairs to work with and share a special time!

~Debbie Fitzgerald, Mother of the Bride
September 2, 2012, Port Gamble

Halloween Dessert Table Revisited

FROM 2011:The first thing I found was a great digital kit on Etsy by paperglitter. From there I found the amazing backdrop fabric (the photo is hard to see the intricate spiderwebs design) and a sheer orange fabric both from JoAnn Fabrics. 

To accomplish the very popular popcorn hands, I have to credit Barb from A Tailored Affair for the two large Manzanita Branches and pots. To create, I simply popped A LOT of popcorn and using food handler gloves stuffed them along with adding candy corns as fingernails.

For the actual treats on the table, I had a candy buffet complete with orange slices, gummy worms, gummy pumpkins, mixed candy, chocolate eye balls, candy corn and sixlets. I also made two flavors of cake pops and cupcakes. I used my new Pastry Pedestals to display the cupcakes in a new and fun way. I also made coffin brownies, whoopie pies, Halloween shaped candies, candy dipped Rice Krispie Treats. 

My favorite new treat was make Cauldron Cups. For these yummy treat, I made the edible chocolate bowls and filled it with chocolate pudding topping it off with crushed up Oreos and then adding a skull and bone as decoration. I found the beautiful glass pedestals at the Craft Warehouse.

Vendors:

Party Planner: Elegant Affairs

Candy: Sweet Treats & Design

Rentals: A Tailored Affair

Review from Clients

Where do I even start while describing how wonderful my experience was with Elegant Affairs? All I know is I should have contacted Lori Losee sooner! I am confident I can contribute the success, fun, and beauty of our wedding renewal to her completely.

Lori went above and beyond while working with us. From day one I felt like a priority to her and she made herself available to me whenever I needed. She was great to bounce ideas off of, create unique decoration and themed materials with, and was always thinking of how we could save money while still making our day gorgeous. Because of her great communication skills, her flexibility, and the hard work she put in, the big day came and I was virtually stress free.

As soon as Lori arrived to the TriCities (yes, she even traveled to work with us), she was ready to help however she could. I am not a big fan of attention or asking for help, but even that day Lori made me feel comfortable enough to let it all be about my husband and myself. She kept us on schedule, was continually asking how I was feeling and what my concerns were, and made sure I was snacking and drinking water. I felt so at ease and taken care of that day – I can’t imagine doing our renewal without her. Lori even helped dish us our dinner and bring us any drinks we needed. This special attention is what makes her service so amazing – it is above and beyond what we ever expected.

Lori was also a friendly face during our day – all of our family and friends had a great time meeting her and were so impressed with her work. She did a great job of introducing herself to people, answering any questions they had, and being kind to our special guests. She was part of our group that day, not a stranger, and that truly sets her and her team apart.

Last but not least, Lori was our advocate. When issues arose or things were stressing me, I knew I could tell Lori and then forget about them. She was on top of everything! There were so many little things that I would have never thought to prepare for or be aware of and she took care of them, no questions asked. At points in the day, we had issues with flowers and running out of alcohol and I knew almost nothing about them -Lori and her team did not give me the chance to worry about a single thing.

I know I look back on my special day with rose-colored glasses; it was of course our wedding renewal! But at the same time, I know without a doubt that hiring Lori Losee was the best decision and investment we made for our renewal. Elegant Affairs was the piece that really made everything happen, held everything together, and I look forward to the future and having more events with their team. 

~Cori & Ryan Jones, Vow Renewal, September 15, 2012, Tri-Cities, WA