How to Make a Real Hair Beard for a Costume or Prop

Are you having problems finding a decent beard from your local stores or online vendors? You’re not the only one. After scouring Amazon, and other places, I felt a little desperate. I was making Hopper, from Stranger Things to go into my Halloween yard. I thought, how hard can it be to find a normal beard, that didn’t break the bank? Continue reading

Fast and Easy Stranger Things Demodog Heads to Make

demodog two liter head

Adding to our second year of our Stranger Things yard, we added a more visible gate, where demodog heads are scattered upon it. I even built a life-size, animatronic demodog that turns his head, when sensors are triggered. No, this is not that tutorial. It was not easy, nor fast. But the demodog heads on the gate? Easy Peasy.  Follow these quick directions, and you’ll have a Stranger Things vibe in no time.

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Making a Life-Sized Barrel from The Nightmare Before Christmas

barrel trio

I’d like to apologize to the frustrated creators, trying to find the link from my original post, Lock, Shock and Barrel Life-Sized Characters – DIY.  It seems a few years back, a glitch deleted content off my site. Here is the long-awaited tutorial for Barrel:

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Easy Last Minute Super Bowl Recipes

Image, courtesy of Home is Where the Boat is. They also offer an easy,
no-bake recipe, for Football cake pops.

If you are still scrambling to figure out some easy, quick menu items for Super Bowl, look no further. These recipes are sure to please a crowd. Best yet, they’re so simple, anyone can make. So, don’t forget to enlist your kids to help.

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Making a Spell Book Cake

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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An Easy Cauldron Cake for Halloween

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

Last Minute No-Cook Picnic Recipes

Easy red, white, and blue Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries. Image/detailed directions at: thekitchenismyplayground.com

Easy red, white, and blue Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries. Image/detailed directions at: thekitchenismyplayground.com

 

 

 

Scrambling for get-togethers can be daunting. Especially on super picnic weekends like July 4th. Here are a few last minute no-cook recipes that can save you time in the kitchen:

 

 

Star-Spangled Mini Trifles

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Last Minute Appetizers

Tortilla Pinwheels are visually appealing, easy to make and you can't eat just one! Image courtesy of appetizerrecipes.blogspot.com

Tortilla Pinwheels are visually appealing, easy to make and you can’t eat just one! Image courtesy of appetizerrecipes.blogspot.com and the Frugal Gal’s own recipe is below.

 

 

We’ve all been there…more people show up at our party or the food is going quick. Maybe it was a last minute effort to have a party. No matter which reason fits your scenario, you can make a fabulous spread quickly.

The Biggie: Asking for Help

No matter what, it won’t help you feel any better if you’re frazzled with stress because you’ve done it all yourself. At least one of those friends and family members that are at the party or coming can help. Understandably, some of us have more pride than others, but swallow it and face reality that you deserve a good night too.

You can also avoid everything on your shoulders by asking people to bring a dish to pass. Yet, this doesn’t always solve the problem since not everyone gets that a dish to pass means one large enough for a crowd. So here are some last minute appetizers that can save the night. Continue reading

Part 4: Let the Baking Begin

If you have a love for sweet and salty together, you'll love Butterscotch Haystacks. Image courtesy of verybestbaking.com

If you have a love for sweet and salty together, you’ll love Butterscotch Haystacks. Image courtesy of verybestbaking.com

 

 

This is part 4 from the series Get Ready for the Christmas Baking to Begin! This is the final installment in the series, where you’ll find the recipes for Butterscotch Haystacks, Coconut Balls, and a Truffle recipe that can be used in many variations.

 

 

 

 

Butterscotch Haystacks Continue reading

Get Ready for the Christmas Baking to Begin!

Homemade Christmas cookies warm just about everyone's heart.  Find your favorite recipe that you can pass on for generations. Image courtesy of Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved.

Homemade Christmas cookies warm just about everyone’s heart. Find a favorite recipe that you can pass on for generations to come. Image courtesy of Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved.

The days are ticking quickly by and if you are anything like me, you already have your supplies on hand. No? Well, I can offer you my most requested cookie/candy recipes that have been pleasing people for over 35 years. Since some directions are longer than others, multiple posts will be needed as follows:

Part 1:                                    Part 2:  Chocolate Italian Balls
Spicy Gingerbread Cookies               Peanut Butter Balls
Italian Butter Balls                                 Almond Sugar Cookies
Rum Balls

Part 3:                                    Part 4:  Butterscotch Haystacks
Chocolate Fudge                                 Coconut Balls
Italian Neapolitan Cookies                  Truffles (multi-flavored)

Part 1: Spicy Ginger Bread Cookies

Gingerbread man image courtesy of What Ronronia Wants

Gingerbread men image courtesy of What Ronronia Wants @ blogspot.

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