Makers Guide | Halloween 2021

BOO! I’ve rounded up my favorite wares from makers for this spoooky makers guide!

My favorite is the Wormy Skull by Jessica McLeod! I stumbled across one of her skulls on Instagram, and then popped over to her shop to find more cuteness — Harold the Pumpkin and Stanley the Ghost are so freakin’ adorable! Sadly, all of her work for the season is sold out, but I’m keeping my eye on Jessica’s shop next year!

I ordered the It’s Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus tee and matching bodysuit for Baby J from Aspen + Company. Hocus Pocus is my all-time favorite Halloween movie — I’ve already played it twice in the background this month, but I’m looking forward to when Baby J and I can put these on and watch it together!

I’m really digging the vintage vibes of the Halloween Fangs print. I’d honestly leave it up all year round. Bonus — it’s currently 40% off!

Everything linked below!

Wormy Skull | Jessica McLeod // It’s Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus Tee | Aspen + Company (onesie + kids tees) // Ghost Tea Light Holders | Vanilya Ceramics // Halloween Fangs Wall Art | Musings of Mei Mei // Cozy Witches Sticker | Uusikuu

Cheers,

K

Crunch Bar Pumpkins

Crunch and Krackel bars are among my favorite chocolate candies, so when I saw a silicone mold for pumpkins at a few years back, I knew I had to make something with it! Enter the Crunch Bar Pumpkins! Am I legally allowed to call them that? Probably not.

Previous to this blog, I had another blog where I shared these sweet treats and I thought they turned out so well that I’m going to share them here so you guys don’t miss out! So here we go:

CRUNCH BAR PUMPKINS

INGREDIENTS

• Rice Krispies Cereal

• Ghirardelli Vanilla Flavored Melting Wafers

• Ghirardelli Dark/Milk Chocolate Flavored Melting Wafers

• Green & Purple Food Coloring

• Silicone Mold

DIRECTIONS

• Melt the vanilla flavored wafers in two separate dishes. Normally, I’d use a double boiler method to melt the wafers, but I was too excited so I just used the microwave. If you’re using the microwave, just make sure you do so on medium power. It took 3-5 minutes for mine to melt.

• Add food coloring to the melted vanilla wafers and stir quickly until you reach desired color.

• Drizzle the dyed melts into the molds. I didn’t use any anti-sticking agent like Pam because I didn’t want the drizzle to drip down and I didn’t have any issues.

• Place the mold in the freezer for at least five minutes.

• Melt your chocolate flavored wafers until they reach desired consistency.

• Remove mold from the freezer and add a thin layer of the melted chocolate wafers to each shape (this will allow the mold design to stay intact and not appear lumpy from the Rice Krispies).

• Mix Rice Krispies into the remaining melted chocolate wafers and fill each mold.

• Gently giggle or tap the mold to even out the chocolate.

• Pop your mold back into the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

• Remove your mold from the freezer, pop out the candies, and voila!

TIPS + NOTES

• The amount of ingredients you’ll need will vary based on the amount of chocolates you want to make and the Krispies to chocolate ratio you prefer.

• I thought I added a lot of Rice Krispies, but afterward felt like I could’ve used more, so don’t be afraid of them!

• I attempted to drizzle the melted vanilla wafers into each individual shape, but realized it’d be easier to drizzle over the entire mold.

• DO NOT OVERFILL YOUR MOLD or else you’ll have a blob around your candy shape.

• And on that note — before placing the mold in the freezer (both times), be sure to wipe down any chocolate that is sitting on top of the silicone mold outside of the shapes, otherwise you’ll have shapes like mine where the bottoms have extra chunks of chocolate.

• I also tried chocolate chips, but the ingredients in chocolate chips help them keep their form when baked. So when you melt them and let them reform, they take on a chalky texture, so definitely go for a chocolate bar or melting discs instead.

Enjoy the crunch!

xo,

K

Cheesy Halloween Round Three

It’s one of my favorite times of the year — Halloween! As usual, I have another round of cheesy horror flicks for you. Check ‘em out!

• DANCE OF THE DEAD | It’s prom night and zombies are on the prowl! But have no fear — there are kids who couldn’t get dates, and they’ve got nothing better to do than to save the student body!

• THE DEAD DON’T DIE | I honestly don’t even know what to say about this movie. Bill Murray and Adam Driver make an unlikely police duo in a small town that’s being taken over by zombies. They break the fourth wall several times, and it’s a damn treat every time.

• EVIL DEAD | Five friends take a weekend getaway in an old cabin in the woods, and so many terrible decisions ensue. As usual, the 80s win with their cheesy horror makeup. I think what I love most about this movie is that for one of my senior photos, I wore the same outfit as Ash’s girlfriend — yikes!

• LITTLE MONSTERS (2019) | Can a class of kindergarteners survive a zombie outbreak? I guess you’ll have to watch this Hulu Original to find out! Perhaps the sunniest zombie movie I’ve ever seen.

• BURYING THE EX | This guy is on the verge of dumping his girlfriend when she dies. While he’s moved on, she’s returned to life and won’t let go.

• THE MONSTER SQUAD | This movie feels a little like The Goonies — a band of unlikely heroes (aka nerdy kids) have to save their town from classic monsters.

• THE BABYSITTER (2017) | Need a babysitter? Just hire the blonde down the street! Your kid will be attracted to his hot sitter, stay up to spy on her and her friends, learn that they’re part of a satanic cult, and spend the evening trying not to be murdered. But it’s all good, because the cult kids are high schoolers and dumb AF. Also, Netflix is releasing the sequel this year, so that’s definitely happening.

Want more? Check out Round 1 and Round 2!

Cheesy Halloween Round Two

If you haven’t been watching Halloween movies every day of October, it’s time to get started! Hate scary movies? I’ve got another roundup of cheesy horror movies for ya!

• THE FINAL GIRLS | A teenage girl loses her once-scream-queen movie star mom in an accident. Flash forward and she, along with a group of her peers, are driven into the world of a campy 80s horror film featuring her late mother. They join forces in an attempt to take down the killer, who *buh buh buuuuuh* is real!

• FRIGHT NIGHT (1985) | This kid’s new neighbor is a charming and attractive… vampire (!), and it’s up to him to take him down. Real 80s cheesy costumes and makeup make it a lot easier to brush off the demons as silly instead of scary.

• KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM | A group of besties and live-action role players take to the woods to participate in a re-enactment game similar to Dungeons and Dragons, only something real is wreaking havoc. Sound too cheesy? Maybe the fact that it stars Peter Dinklage will change your mind…

• ODD THOMAS | First off, Odd can see dead people and uses his gift to help their souls find peace. Secondly, he meets someone who unleashes dark beings into the world that feast on human pain and suffering. Their growth indicates to Odd that something big is coming that could mean the end for all, so he teams up with his girlfriend and the sheriff in an attempt to stop it. This one is daaark, but very good if you’re ready for emotions.

• STUNG | A garden party is ruined by killer mutated wasps. ’Nuf said, and yes it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.

• YOGA HOSERS | Two Canadian teens battle evil Nazi sausages. It’s slower moving, but it’s still great. Mr. Heid and I had the pleasure of attending a screening of this where Kevin Smith spoke and held a Q&A.

If you missed the first roundup, you can find it here! Have a spooky October!

xoxo,

K

Friday Five. | Halloween Edition

#GOALS | This photo is #familygoals and #halloweengoals! I hope to someday have kids, take a photo like this, and put it up in the house as part of our annual Halloween decor.

OOH AHH | Jim McKenzie’s video Friends with Death is Halloween perfection. Turn your sound on and subscribe!

SCI-FI ALERT | Kristian Hammerstad’s pop-gore illustrations are like a throwback to a good cheesy sci-fi or horror flick! Currently this one, this one, and this one are rotating on my desktop.

SHOP TIL YOU DROP | I’m a dog person, but the Beistle Scratch Cat is one of my favorite Halloween symbols and I need these socks! Also, I want this future ghost glow-in-the-dark lapel pin!

THACKERY BINX | Here’s the reason why black cats are associated with Halloween and all things spoOoky…

What has you in the Halloween spirit this month?

xoxo,

K

Makers Guide | Fall 2019

I love autumn so much, I can’t handle it! The crisp air, the beautiful colors, the crunch falling leaves… top it off with Mr. Heid’s birthday, our wedding (and soon to be anniversary season), Halloween, and Thanksgiving — UGH! There’s so much to celebrate!

Whether you’re looking for some decor this season, or a gift for someone special, or a treat for yourself, check out this roundup of fall-inspired handmade or small-batch goods!

ONE | I recently purchased CFL’s Fall My Favorite Things Travel Mug, but I’m also eyeing this Give Thanks camper mug. Use it year-round as a reminder that there’s always something to be thankful for.

TWO | I NEED THIS SWEATER! I LOVE HOCUS POCUS!

THREE | Speaking of Hocus Pocus — yup, I need this candle set.

FOUR | I’ve recently become more and more drawn to yellows lately, so naturally this yellow velvet cushion is calling my name.

FIVE | We ordered this cake topper for our wedding and I’m thinking I may use it to make a wreath like this one after the wedding. It’ll be a nice way to reuse it instead of tossing it!

SIX | As I said before, I love autumn (especially October), and I’d gladly have this print on my wall all season long!

SEVEN | I’ve been wanting a pair of slippers for years, so I finally ordered these ones! Don’t they look cozy? I’ll let you know if I love them once they come in! *Update — they’re SO cozy! Highly recommend!*

EIGHT | These petite wood bar earrings are simple yet beautiful! I like the wood look and tried some studs years ago, but since I'm tan it just looked like my ear loves we're shaped funnily 🙈

However and whatever you’re celebrating this season (even if it’s just the season), I hope you take a breath to pause and savor every moment!

xoxo,

K

Happy Halloween

“The bewitching hour is about to begin…” — name that movie!

Mr. Heid and I are spending Halloween playing games, watching a movie, and hopefully handing out candy with friends! How are you spending All Hallow’s Eve? I hope it’s spooktacular!

xo

K

P.S. The answer is Hocus Pocus! Mr. Dennison says it before they cheese it up for this picture.