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Halloween Treat Sacks — A tutorial (and a free printable!)

By KariV on September 28, 2013 in Halloween, Paper Crafting

I have Halloween on my mind. I know, I know…it’s only September! First, mini pumpkin pies and now Halloween in September! But these little DIY Treat Sacks are so fun to make and share, that I HAD to show you how to make them.

These little sacks are made from 1 sheet of paper and really can be used for ANY occasion. But filling them and decorating them with Halloween is super-fun. 🙂

All you have to do is take 1 sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper and fold it up. It’s kinda like folding up an awesome note to pass around in jr. high, only this time it turns into the best little treat sack (and that’s better than a folded up note, right?!)

I made a video of just how to do this. Check it out:

And for those of you who like simple, I created a printable Halloween tag you can use to dress up your treat sacks! It’s a chalkboard printable with a Halloween bat…a nice little combo. My nephew always says “Spoo-oooky” at this time of year, and that’s just the word I used for this printable! (Hi, Porter!)

To download this tag, first like my page here

Then download the pdf here: halloween tag 6 up

For a little added fun, take a spider ring and cut off the ring part. Attach it to a paperclip with a glue dot or hot glue, and sparkle it up with a little glitter glue on the body of the spider (see picture below). These work perfect to attach the tag to the treat sack. You can also punch a hole in the top of the sack and tie it together with ribbon.

So try your hand at making these little sacks. They would be perfect for a party favor, or to dress up a Halloween themed dinner table. I’m making some for my neighbor kids.

Happy Haunting!

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Trick or Treat Money Card

By KariV on September 27, 2013 in Halloween, Paper Crafting

My college-aged son is not a fan of my crafting. So I thought…if I combined MONEY with my love of card making and send it along to him at college he just *might* change his mind about that. Ha! So we are going to give this a try.

I learned this card technique from Laura Bassen at the Insider Card Class. I am LOVING this class…have I mentioned that?

Laura inspired me to create a card that had a “window” to see through to a money-containing envelope. I thought I’d make a Halloween card for this one:

That trick or treat stamp is a new favorite from Teresa Collins. When he opens the card….there is the envelope.

…filled with a bunch of money!!

Ok, tell me who wouldn’t LOVE a card filled with money? So we shall see if I make a fan out of him with this card. 🙂

That’s all for today! I’ll see you soon with a Halloween Treat Sack made out of one sheet of paper! (I love these little treat sacks!)

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Mini Pumpkin Pies

By KariV on September 10, 2013 in Dessert, Halloween, Recipes, Thanksgiving

I usually don’t start making pumpkin treats until October or November, but here it is early September and I’ve already made my favorite mini pumpkin pies. But I have a good reason! My daughter is pregnant and she was craving pumpkin pie. How can I say no to that?

These are so fun to make, and even more fun to eat! But they are dangerous…you can pop a whole pan of these into your mouth before you even realize it. (don’t ask me how I know this)

But of course, I did take the majority of them to my daughter, who is in the hospital with complications. She NEEDED them!

I bought pre-made dough to hurry this process along, and used a 2″ circle biscuit cutter to make the perfect sized dough circles for the mini muffin pan. (Don’t mind my saran wrap on the dough plunger…I’m a little conscientious that way…ha!)

I used two pie crusts, but I could have used more since I was a little short and had PLENTY of pie filling. This is my grandmother’s pie recipe that I grew up on and just LOVE.

Use a Tablespoon to spoon just the right amount of filling into each mini pie crust.

They come out looking all delicious like this! Try to remain calm as you wait for them to fully cool before adding a bit of whipped cream. But, really…they are still good with melted whipped cream on top, but they don’t LOOK as pretty! (Use the real cream here and whip it up with a little sugar. It’s SO much better!)

Then a little sprinkle of nutmeg (or cinnamon) on top adds just the right amount of yum!

Oh these are so good! But be prepared…this recipe makes about 100 mini pies. Which is perfect for a party, or a girls lunch, but not so good if you are just at home waiting for the rain to pass. (Remind me to go for a walk later…)

Aren’t they so cute? If you are looking for the recipe, come back by end of the day…~~I just have to go dig it out to share with you!~~ It’s live now! Here it is:

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So now I am completely ready for fall. And Halloween. And Thanksgiving. 🙂

And if you like pecan pie, you’ll love these Pecan Tassies!

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Back To School Recipe Favorites (a round-up) #BackToSchoolWeek

By KariV on August 25, 2013 in Back to School, Dinner in Minutes, Recipes

Wow! We’ve had an amazing week of all things Back To School, including crafts, crockpot meals, freezer meals, lunch ideas, and organization ideas. I have loved seeing all the creativity, and I am honored to be participating with such talented bloggers.

**The PinChat is today at 3 p.m Arizona Time, (that’s 6 p.m. EST). Click here to read how it works. I hope to “see” you there.

I want to shout out to all the great talent that contributed throughout the week:

Co-Hosted By: { {i love} my disorganized life } and { Miss Information }

{ Heather’s French Press } { Kleinworth & Co.}

{ Growing Up Gabel } { Cook the Story }

{ The Tasty Fork } { Amy’s Cooking Adventures }

{ Dukes and Duchesses } { The Grant Life }

{ Real Housemoms } { The NY Melrose Family }

{ Crazy & Cool With a Side of Crafty }

{ Lemons for Lulu } { Chase the Star }

{ Yesterday on Tuesday } { Sweet Twist of Blogging }

{ A Night Owl Blog } { Organized Island }

{ Setting for Four } { Sunshine In My Pocket }

Now, take a look at some of the amazing recipe ideas from this week. (I want to make ALL of these!!):

How am I ever going to decide which one to try first?

Stuffed Shells from Growing Up Gabel

Crockpot-Chicken-Arichoke-Lasagna-backtoschoolweek-spinach-lasagna-chicken-artichokes-slowcooker_thumb[1]

Crockpot Chicken Artichoke Lasagna from Miss Information

Easy-BackToSchool-Breakfast-Slow-Cooker-Apple-Coffee-Cake-by-Chase-the-Star-chasethestar.net-CrockPot-backtoschoolweek

Slow Cooker Apple Coffee Cake from Chase the Star

Peanut Butter and Jelly Gluten Free Grain Bars from Heather’s French Press

Southwest Chicken Tacos from Sunshine In My Pocket

Crockpot Pizza Soup from Sweet Twist of Fate

Vegetarian Quinoa Fajitas from Cook the Story

Slow Cooker Red Chili from {I love} my disorganized life

Caprese Chicken Bake from Real Housemoms

Don’t these all look so good? There were so many more delicious recipes! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Back To School Week…have a Great school year.

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After School Snack Ideas (and free printable) #BackToSchoolWeek

By KariV on August 21, 2013 in Back to School, Freebies

I love creative Back To School snack ideas! But I don’t always have time to make amazing snacks that will win creativity contests. Instead, I love to have snacks available and get the kids involved.

The kids love putting their snacks together and they tend to eat healthier, too, if they have some ownership. My own kids are now grown and have moved away, but that doesn’t stop me from having snack parties with my nephews!

To make things easy, I always keep some basics on hand so they can build snacks like:

*Peach parfaits are simple with yogurt, granola, and peach slices. Have you tried that Honey Vanilla Greek yogurt? It’s so good! (I got mine from Sprouts and Trader Joe’s). The kids LOVE to layer their own….it might get a little messy, but it’s fun! I like to keep that granola cereal on hand just for this parfait. And kids love those mini dessert glasses!

We started building fish (or birds, or bears, or worms) on a log because I don’t care for raisins. I never buy them or keep them around for the kids. But I will get Goldfish or gummy treats for this fun after school snack.

When I have some extra time, I love to make a “special” snack that is quite a treat. Like Apple Cupcakes with worms! The kids love to add the worms and apple “stems” (pretzels).

And you can build an easy After School Snack Board, see instruction and download a printable *here!

I put together a list of snack ideas for you, dear readers, that includes a list of some Basics to keep on hand for easy snacks. It also includes a list of “special snacks” that take a little more time and preparation.

This list can be downloaded here so that you can print it and keep it at-the-ready!
Click here to download: Back to school snack ideas page

If you liked these ideas, be sure to check out our Back To School Snack party here to see:

*watermelon sundaes

*ham and cheese picks

*fresh fruit kebabs

And check out this idea that your kids will LOVE: *MonstersU cookie decorating

And don’t forget to enter the Back To School giveaway here!

There’s a whole lot of Back To School Ideas this entire week:

And just a reminder, there is our back to school PinChat coming up:
Join us on Sunday, August 25, 2013 for a PinChat! For more information on how it works, click here

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