Talk Crafty To Me Dedicated to all things handmade

Flickr is your friend when it comes to getting inspiration for your Jack-O-lantern. There are so many great pumpkins on there it can almost be overwhelming when deciding on a design.

Once you’ve decided on your design you can either free-hand it on to your pumpkin, or draw it out on a piece of paper first, then transfer it to your pumpkin by placing a piece of carbon paper between your design and your pumpkin, and then tracing over it (I’ve also done this without the carbon paper… just push a bit harder with your pencil and you’ll leave a slight indent in the pumpkin’s surface).

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Part of me feels it’s wrong, and just can’t help but feel sorry for these little guys… but secretly I kinda love it!

From left to right: Headless Horseman; Flying Ferret; Hot Dog; Zelda Bee; Roaring Lion

There are a bunch of great resources out there when it comes to DIY costumes. A couple of my favs are Craftster.org and Instructables.com

From left to right: Sesame Steet’s Yip & Yip; Zombie Lego Man; Headless Marie Antoinette; Nike Shoe; Beaker

There’s definitely no shortage of inspiration out there when it comes to costume ideas for kids!

From left to right: Spring Chicken; Col. Sanders; Kermit the Frog; Snappy Lobster; Giggly Goldfish; Max from Where The Wild Things Are

Subversive Cross Stitch has a new Halloween Pattern Kit. It comes with 4 patterns and even includes Glow-in-the-Dark thread!

Check out this amazingly creepy owl, Ann Wood made from an antique bodice.

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy “Turkey Day”, and say thanks for reading!

If you’re looking for a sweet treat to make this weekend check out these delicious looking turkey cake pops from Bakerella!

Let’s face it, Halloween is synonymous with candy and chocolate. It can be hard to find savory snacks that have a spooky feel to them. Sure there are some out there, but if deviled eggs and cocktail weenies are a little too 1950′s suburban house wife for you, you’re probably looking for alternatives.

With a little imagination and some new creepy names you can turn your favorite party pleasers into spooky snacks.

Salsa and guacamole become “Spicy Brain Sauce” and “Snot Dip”, your favorite chicken wings are now “Bat Wings” and a bowl of mixed olives become “Alien Eyeballs”. Barbecued baby back ribs cut up and thrown in a bucked gives you a “Bucket o’ Bones”, and top some mini tacos with sour cream and green jalapeno hot sauce and you’ve got “Toxic Tacos”. “Brain Dip” could be hummus or your favorite cheese dip, and batch of spinach dip becomes “Swamp Dip”.

You can download these Halloween Labels for your party, or use the template to create your own.

- Download Halloween_Labels

The secret to great Halloween cocktails is all in the garnish! Just like yesterday’s Vampire inspired martini, these cocktails all have one thing in common – ghoulish garnishes. Check out these great ideas, to bring a little Halloween flavor to your party!

1. Eyeball Highball – Martha Stewart uses radishes and olives frozen in ice cube trays to create these creepy looking eyeballs in this vodka drink.

2. Creepy Crawler – A melted chocolate spider web is piped into the inside of this martini glass. For an added touch hang a plastic spider off the edge of the glass.

3. Black Widow – Another spider inspired cocktail. This one uses black licorice strings as spider legs in a vodka, cassis and pomegranate cocktail.

4. Candy Corn Cordials – Combined candy corn and vodka together and let them infuse for several hours. Then add orange liqueur and garnish with more candy corn.

5. Jack-O-Lantern – This Cognac and orange cocktail is garnished to look like a pumpkin. As an added touch, cut pieces of electrical tape in the shape of jack-o-lantern faces and add them to the outside of the glass. Then just peel them off when Halloween is over.

6. Ghoul-Aid – Another creepy eyeball garnish, but this time of the sweeter variety. This one uses lychee stuffed with berry jam and a blueberry.

Just in case you need something to wash down all those sweet treats from yesterday’s post, here’s a great idea for a creepy cocktail from Hostess with the mostess.

The blood rim is made from the same ingredients used to make hard candy, so be sure to have a candy thermometer. Then simply dip your glasses in and let the candy goodness run down. Pair this with your favorite red martini, and you’ve got the perfect vampire inspired cocktail.

- Get the full recipe here