Pinterest Party!

By Lindsey Riley (The Crafting Challenged Blogger)

Hello everybody! Let's get the crafting ideas flowing so that this weekend, you can start making those holiday presents.
Last weekend, I went to Indianapolis with my friend Ashley to stay at her house and get away from the craziness of college for a few days. Her mom, a very sweet and avid crafter, planned a Pinterest party for this same weekend. She wanted members of her family and their friends to come together, relax, and have fun creating those projects that they never had the time to do.

Everything at this party was inspired by Pinterest. She made dishes that she found through Pinterest and planned a few crafts for everyone to do together that she found on Pinterest. Here are a few photos of what I made and links to instructions and recipes on how to make the crafts and food.

Let's inspire each other: What Pinterest craft do you want to make but don't have time for? Comment below with your answer.

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/139486/peanut-butter-cheese-ball/detail.aspx

http://www.craftytexasgirls.com/2012/07/christmas-in-july-sharpie-plates.html

http://www.cafemom.com/group/113532/forums/read/15042140/Fall_Crafts_Challenge_Day_6_Show_Us_Something_with_Pumpkins?next=51#replies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chicken-Taco-Ring

Baking with Fall Season's Staple: Pumpkin!

By: Mandy Whitaker

Pumpkins.

Pumpkins definitely come to mind when I think of the fall season.  Well folks, the fall season is upon us and what better way to enjoy this season than with an easy recipe using the fall season staple: pumpkin.

According to the Associated Press, despite the drought, pumpkin farmers are expecting a bright crop.  Pumpkin farmer, John Ackerman, says, "that's because pumpkins thrive in dry weather that holds back fungus, mold and other rind-rotting diseases."  He also says that his crop is looking fantastic and starting to turn orange.

Thank goodness!  There WILL be pumpkins this season! So, now we can all sleep at night....

But, seriously, I have an easy muffin recipe that is perfect for fall!

Like I said, when I say "easy" I definitely mean it, especially when it comes to cooking.  During this whole process: "Just wait a minute, Mandy is baking...Never thought I'd be saying that...," was said by one of my parents. Sad, but true. So, if I can manage to make this happen (of course, with parental supervision), so can anyone else over the age of...probably 7.

 On to the recipe:

What you need:

1 box of spiced cake mix

1 can of pumpkin

1/2 bag of mini chocolate chips

1 egg (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

  Mix all ingredients into a large bowl. 

The egg isn't necessary, but my mom put it in there... I think it's to make the stirring process a little less dusty with the cake mix, but I'm not sure. (Moms know best, right? So just throw one in there to be on the safe side.)

After everything is all mixed, start putting the mixture into muffin tins.  You can either spray the tin with Pam, or use cupcake holders.  I used cupcake holders because it's much cuter that way!

Place the pan in the oven, and set the timer for 20 minutes! (I accidentally forgot to set the timer...rookie mistake!)

Once the 20 minutes are up, take the muffins out of the tin to cool.

And, there you have it! Pumpkin muffins that are simple to make!

                                           Hope ya'll have a terrific week!

Alternative Pumpkin Decorating

By: Mallory Jordan, moderately crafty

I just went to Stuckey's and got my own pumpkin. I'm terrible at carving and have probably carved out the same pumpkin face since I was 10. I have found some alternative ways to decorate a pumpkin to make it look nicer on the porch; not like a 10 year old carved it.

One alternative way to decorate a pumpkin is to paint it. The best way to paint pumpkins is to tape a design or doily on the pumpkin and fill in the spaces with a small brush. It makes for a really simple and classy look.

Or, you can hot glue buttons or beads to make words and cute designs. Gluing glass frit or sequence
is another way to glitz up your pumpkin.

I am going to use spray paint, acrylic paint, and puffy paint to decorate my pumpkin. I found some inspiration on Pinterest, if you couldn't tell from my links.

FIRST, go to a pumpkin patch to get a nice, deep orange pumpkin of any size.

Make sure you clean off your pumpkin so that there is no dirt from the pumpkin patch. Gather your supplies, using colors that match your house. I used gold spray paint, gold glitter puffy paint, and metallica maroon acrylic paint.

To make a stensil for the spray paint, first cut a hole in the center that fits around the stem of the pumpkin. Then, fold the paper in half twice. Draw your design, making sure that you know what space you're cutting. DO NOT cut along the crease/folded lines.

Unfold the cut design. Put tape on the edges before putting it on the pumpkin so it sticks. Notice I altered the shape of the outside of the paper. Don't just create a border on the edges. Make shapes and designs grow from the edges so your whole design is shaped interestingly.

Slip the stensil over the stem and tape it down to the pumpkin. Apply the spray paint only to the top of the pumpkin as much as you can.

Once the spray paint is mostly dry, remove the paper stensil. Then, get the rest of the supplies to start decorating.

I outlined my leaves/flowers with the metallic maroon acrylic paint and painted some extra leaves on the pumpkin. I used the gold glitter puffy paint to outline the diamonds and add some whimsical dotted swirls sporadically.  I added a touch of blue puffy paint around the base of the stem as well.

Now, there is another pumpkin to add to the halloween spirited collection! No stressful carving needed.