being the Morton Salt Girl

Happy Halloween!

I did think to take a few pictures of the set up for our Halloween party over the weekend. Of course I did not think to take any pictures during the party. I should concede the fact that I get too busy playing host to worry about pictures and hand my camera over to Jake. That didn't happen this year. A few other people took pictures so I may get them at some point.

You got a lot of commentary from me about my decorations this month, so I won't get into that again. I used some of my black tablecloths for craft fairs for the dining room table. We already owned all of the party supplies that we needed from previous events this year.

We also served hot food in the kitchen. This is a rundown of the menu:

• Fresh fruit. During summer, I usually serve a variety of fruits, but I kept it simple with grapes this time.
• Raw vegetables with hummus.
• Crackers and cheese. We have been somewhat obsessed with smoked gruyere for the past few years and had a couple blocks on hand so I served that.
• Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese cinnamon frosting. I meant to dye the frosting orange but I forgot. This recipe was still just as amazing as I thought that it would be.
• Milk chocolate and dark chocolate candy packs with the googly eye toppers.
• Barbecue pulled chicken sandwiches. I coat chicken thighs with a chicken rub and put them in a slow cooker for 6.5 hours on low. The chicken will shred really easily. Then I mix it with barbecue sauce and heat it through on high for 5 to 10 minutes. (Sometimes we also make Kristy's Caesar variation.)
• Macaroni and cheese. This was primarily in case we had kids in attendance, which we did not. The adults still enjoyed it.
• Hot cider. I more or less followed this recipe. This was one of the biggest hits of the party. For Jake's birthday, the biggest drink hits were Sprecher beer and root beer so we did those again, too.

We ended the party with a fire in our backyard fire pit and made s'mores. I haven't had s'mores in years, and it was pretty amazing.

And as promised, I did make sure that I got a picture of my Morton Salt Girl costume.

I did not thrift any of this so it was a little bit of an investment, but I will be able to wear all of these pieces on their own and pull it together again for future costume events. My best advice about creating this costume is so shop for yellow shoes and dresses in the spring and summer. I had no problem finding a coat, but it is really tough to find any footwear (even boots) and dresses that are yellow in the fall. Target had the white tights. None of the stores that I checked carried plain white umbrellas, but I found a white umbrella online that was marketed as a wedding umbrella.

We get a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood and passed out six bags of candy on Sunday. All in all, it was a much more eventful and fun Halloween than I've had in years.

How is Halloween 2012 going for you? 

quick Halloween food ideas

If you're looking for some Halloween foods for today or tomorrow, you probably don't want anything too involved. All of these ideas are right up your alley. Enjoy!

Googly Eye Goodie Bags from Madigan Made

Candy Corn Cupcakes from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Great Pumpkin Cake from Kraft Foods

Halloween Mummy Potatoes with Meatballs from Once Upon a Cutting Board

Halloween Muffin Tin from Another Lunch

Apple Bites from Family Fun

Tombstone Cookies from My Recipes

Pumpkin Veggie Tray from Taste of Home

Monster Cello Bag Treats from Cute Food for Kids

Owl Cupcakes from One Charming Party

Newest Articles:

Winter Photo Ideas
Winter Greeting Cards: Homemade Card Ideas to Make

Get Fall Gardening Ideas from Gardeniere!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

This fall head over to Gardenieres to get great gardening ideas. One of the projects that I was drawn to right away was Chris's Container Gardening 101. I am always looking for 101 gardening ideas that give beginning gardeners all of the basics that they need to take on new projects. This was right up my alley. Chris includes everything from the type of potting mix to the appropriate pots to use for this type of gardening.

One of the best parts about Gardeniere is that they make it easy to get all of the products that you need for their videos projects. Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix and Miracle-Gro® Expand 'n Gro Concentrated Planting Mix are both excellent options for successful container gardening. These mixes are ideal for numerous types of container or potted plants. They provide rich organic materials that improve plants' air flow and drainage.

Once you have some projects and products picked out for your fall gardening, head over to the Miracle-Gro Facebook page. This is a great place to network with fellow gardeners. Get your questions answered, provide expertise for others, and share stories. Do you have pictures of your Miracle-Gro® products working wonders in your garden? Feel free to share those pictures with fellow Facebook users.

I have shared this valuable content about Gardeniere on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Feel free to add me on all of these networks to get all of my updates about Gardeniere, gardening, and much more.

Scavenger Hunt and I Heart Macro on Monday (10/29/12)

Welcome to another edition of the photo Scavenger Hunt and I Heart Macro!

1) Pattern(s)

I had to post my paper pumpkins again. If you missed the tutorial last week, it's right here. I used two of my favorite patterns for these pumpkins: stripes and polka dots. Of course it's hard to go wrong with chevrons or plaid either.

2) Machine

Just a close up shot of my sewing machine.

3) Signs or Logos

We've had a fire pit for four months, and I finally thought to get s'mores supplies this past week. Why did it take so long?

4) Rocks or Stones

I had to return to one of my 2012 Wisconsin Dells pictures for this prompt. I am still kind of in love with this shot. I framed it so now we look at it all the time. Pretty cool.


5) Sparkle

I finally restocked one of my most popular designs to date: fall autumn gold. It's available right here.

I'm also using this as my photo for I Heart Macro this week.

Check out Ashley's blog to see what other people submitted for the themes this week. 

Here is your weekly dose of Angel.

This wasn't the picture that I planned to take...at all, but cats don't like to stick to people plans. Surprise, right?

Where Else I Linked Up Today:

Treasury Round Up - 10/28/12

It's been another good treasury week! Please help me thank the curators who featured my work this past week by visiting their shops and checking out their treasuries.

Linda B. (lindab142) included my Beaded Bracelet - Christmas in her Holiday Shopping treasury. You could get a whole bunch of your holiday shopping out of the way with this treasury. Check out Linda's Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree Earrings.

Cynthia (AntiquityTravelers) included my Beaded Cuff Bracelet - Dagger Fringed - Blue in her Aegean Blue treasury. This is a gorgeous mix of blue shades if items. Check out Cynthia's Earrings: Turquoise Hoops.

Judy (JNOriginals) included my Beaded Bracelet - The Leaf Series - Modern in her Sky Meets the Earth treasury. This is a great theme for a treasury, and I love the mix of items that Judy found for it. Check out her Crochet headwarmer with flower, copper, adjustable length.

Deb (storybeader) included my Beaded Bracelet - The Leaf Series - Fall Autumn in her Leaves are falling treasury. Of course I love this collection! Check out Deb's Handwrapped paper pumpkin beads.

Irene (FleurDeIrk) included my Beaded Cuff Bracelet - Multicolored Diagonal Stripe in her Zebra? treasury. This is such a creative take on a classic theme. Check out Irene's Striped agate in swirls setting necklace.

Regina (Reginao) included my Beaded Bracelet - Red in her October trends # 7 treasury. This wonderful mix of items is perfect for the season. Check out Regina's Bead embroidered necklace "Pomegranate wine" Red Rhodochrosite cabochon OOAK.

Thanks to those who linked up with me last week! Here are a few of the items they featured last week. Click on the photos to check out the product listings.

I am really touched by all the people whom I have inspired to start their own treasury round ups with awesome shop features and write ups!  Please link up with me and grab a button for your own post.  I know that not everyone posts these rounds ups on Sundays, which is fine.  I will leave this link up open all week.

If you link up, take the time to visit and comment on at least one other post.  No one benefits from linking up if we don't all support each other.



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Saturday Link List: easy Halloween decor

Welcome to another special edition of my Saturday Link List!

Can you believe that I haven't written any articles about Halloween decor? Maybe I will next year. I had to go to Pinterest and my favorite blogs for this topic today. All of these decor ideas are simple and can come together this week before Halloween. Enjoy!

Chandelier Bats from Designer Digital Details

Halloween Scrapbook Paper Frames from Little Pink Dollhouse

Burlap Halloween Wreath from Craftaholics Annonymous

Glitter Cone Ghosts from Delicate Construction

Ribbon Pumpkins from The Autocrat

Candy Trees from Better Homes and Gardens

Halloween Printable Subway Art from Not So Idle Hands

Happy Halloween Banner from Easie Peasie

Candy Corn Bottle Vases from The Swell Life

Jack O'Lantern Luminary from a Plastic Soda Bottle from Jamie Brock

If you need some more DIY Halloween ideas, check out my Halloween DIY 2012 Pinterest board.

Create your own link list and grab a button for your post or simply spread the word on your blog.

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Did I feature your work here?  Grab a button for your blog or web site!

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Did you use one of the resources, tutorials, or recipes from my link list?  Leave me a link in the comments or send me an e-mail (randomcreative28@gmail.com) with your photos and stories.  I would love to post them here.

Stay tuned next week for a set of brand new November recipes!