Healthy and Easy Desserts for Valentine’s Day

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Image courtesy of KraftHeinz, where their variation makes a layer of
sugar-free lemon/strawberry middle.

Some people believe: If it’s a special occasion, don’t worry about the nutritional value of a dessert. But that kind of thinking doesn’t help anyone that is diabetic, or on a weight-loss journey. Maybe your loved one is just trying to eat healthier.

Eating healthier means something different, for everyone. As always, respect the dietary restrictions of your loved ones, and they’ll be a lot happier.

Below are recipes that come straight from my own creative kitchen, or one used within my family, for generations. They are all very easy, contain 6 or less ingredients, and are almost foolproof. Plus: A bottom link was added to an amazing strawberry heart idea, I must try sometime. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, and It’s quite ingenious.

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Making and Wearing Masks More Effectively

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N95 masks are still hard to find. Ensure your homemade/bought masks
fit your face snuggly. The CDC now has new recommendations,
for cloth, and differences in respirators. Image courtesy of Mark Morrow.

This site generally doesn’t touch upon such serious subjects. Yet, with the newest, very contagious, variant Omicron, sometimes we need to.

It looks like mask-wearing will be part of our lives, for quite some time. Buying disposable masks, is costly. Buying really good grade, disposable (KN95 or N95) masks, is even more so. With so many fakes out there, it’s hard to distinguish, which are which. Below are a few options, that won’t empty your wallet.

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Making Vines for Your Stranger Things Yard

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One of four types of vines, created for The Upside Down World. Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved, Debbie Morrow.

After creating a Mind Flayer for my roof (tutorials Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), I knew the creature needed something more: Vines. The Upside Down World was filled with vines that hung everywhere, and vines that attacked. They were a part of the hive mind, associated with the monsters of Stranger Things.

After scouring the web for prices on vines, it was clear: My budget couldn’t afford the 100 or more feet needed. Continue reading →

Part 3 of The Mind Flayer Build

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Mind flayer whole body made for roof

This is the third and final installment of how to build a Mind Flayer. In the Part 1 tutorial, you’ll find how the frame body was made. Part 2, goes over the head build. For Part 3, I’ll show you how I made over 200 feet of legs.

Supplies Needed:

  • Poultry Galvanized Netting (150 ft. x 3 ft.), often called Chicken Wire
  • Wire Clippers
  • Green Floral Wire, 22 gauge, at least 3 large rolls
  • Waterproof Filler : Many, many plastic bottles from 16 oz to 2 liters (about 2 or 3, 30 gal. bags full)
  • PVC Pipe 3/4″, 4-5 10 ft. pieces (more if needing to use as filler, instead of bottles)
  • Black Plastic Sheeting (should have plenty, if bought suggested size roll from Part 1)
  • Heat Gun 
  • Foam Pool Noodles
  • Spray Foam (optional for PVC leg filler, but will definitely need for vines hanging on Monster later)
  • Drill or Dremel (for holes in PVC pipe)

Hopefully, by now you know how long your legs need to be, and you know how to use a heat gun. If not, read instructions, and stay focused. You can burn yourself faster than you can imagine. Continue reading →

Part 2 of The Mind Flayer Prop Tutorial

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mindflayer on roof

Part 1 of the Mind Flayer Prop build, covered how to build the torso. Now we’ll move on to the head, and if not too lengthy, the legs.

Supplies Needed for Building Head

  • A Large Cardboard Box (Like from a 45″ or larger, flat screen TV)
  • Extra Cardboard for pointed end of head, and protecting work table
  • Pool Noodles (at least 2)
  • Wire
  • Toothpicks
  • Red/Black Acrylic Paint
  • 2 Hot Glue Guns
  • Glue sticks: Clear, red, and black
  • Plastic Dip or Flex Seal Rubber Spray
  • Plastic bottles or waterproof packaging, and Styrofoam, to add shape to head, and act as filler
  • A Can of Expanding Spray Foam (preferably the type for gaps over 1″)
  • Disposable Gloves
  • Clear Packing or Clear Duct tape
  • Black 6 ml Sheeting (* FOLLOW LINK IN PART 1 FOR WARNING)
  • Heat Gun with Hi/Lo options
  • Scissors
  • 6 ft. or longer table to work on 
  • 2 Plastic coated garden stakes ( approx. 3 feet each, optional, but recommended)
  • Drill 

If you haven’t gone over Part 1 with the body frame, please do so, before moving on. A few tips there can save you some unnecessary steps later. 

Directions:

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Stranger Things Comes to Charlotte, NC

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A close up of the Mind Flayer’s head. It sits on a 10 foot body, with over 100 feet of legs, positioned on a roof. Image Copyrighted 2021, Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved.

With an unrelenting pandemic, coupled with the rest of the world’s chaos, how could I not think of, The Upside Down World, of Stranger Things? It seemed like the most appropriate idea for our 2021 Halloween yard.

After mulling over the size of the Mind Flayer, the next consideration was how to get it on the roof. I’ve seen a few folks have one stand in their yard, and thought, NOT BIG ENOUGH! My husband said, “Build it, and we’ll figure a way to get it up.” Also, it couldn’t just be a Mind Flayer, but the whole yard had to be an Upside Down World.

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Welcome, Dr. Finklestein!

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Dr. Finklestein now joins my NBC family. Image courtesy of Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved

Just a brief post to introduce my latest Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween prop created: Dr. Finklestein. I’ll try to add the tutorials, when I get the chance. He joins Jack Skellington, Sally, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, Oogie Boogie, and the Duck/Vampire prop. Zero, the ghost dog, was sadly showing his age, so I actually found a new one the same size, and is now happily flying in the yard too.

If anyone wants to scramble to make this fella, he stands about 5 feet or less, and I used extra couplers of 40 degree or 90 degrees to have him sit. So if you follow my usual PVC prop skeletons (See Lock, Shock, Barrel), you’ll be able to figure out the sizing.

The tutorial for Dr. Finklestein will be split into a few different segments, because there are too many steps (especially the head), to put into one single post. If you were determined or had help, all could be complete within a week. But alas, it took me at least four weeks to finish. If you want every post sent directly into your email, click the ‘Follow’ and you won’t miss the entire process. Thanks!

Making a Spell Book Cake

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Tutorial on making a spell book cake from the movie Hocus Pocus
Cast a spell with the Sanderson Sisters’ Hocus Pocus cake. Image courtesy of Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved.

After years of watching my aunt make some amazing fondant cakes, my daughter and I thought we’d give it a try. But, instead of store bought fondant, we decided to make our own. It was less expensive, tasty, and easy to make.

This Hocus Pocus Spell Book, is the second fondant cake we’ve ever made. The first was a five-layer Pusheen Cake, that took 9 hours to make, because of so many trials and errors. But that conversation is for another post.

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Lock, Shock, and Barrel Life-size Characters – DIY

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Tutorial of lock shock barrel

Lock, Shock, and Barrel are now full sized and ready to join the Nightmare Before Christmas clan.

If you follow my posts, you’ll remember I made the Lock, Shock, and Barrel masks about two years ago. I’m pleased to announce their full life-size versions are complete and am here to start sharing how I did it.

Since tutorials tend to be long, each character tutorial from The Nightmare Before Christmas, will be split up for easy reading. The first tutorial will be on Lock – the devil costumed character. Continue reading →

An Easy Cauldron Cake for Halloween

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If you are looking for a super easy Halloween cake, this is the one for you. I’ve made this cake twice over the years and one of the first tips I have to offer is: Make sure you make your edible objects a few days before (or purchase them) and give yourself enough time to put it together. I had to rush to make this cake before our Halloween Bash, and I can see ever flaw – but my guests loved it. I had to put this together in about an hour’s time. I seriously would have liked another half hour to perfect the cauldron walls, smoothing them out. But it worked. Continue reading →