alice in wonderlandWith the new release of Tim Burton’s rendition of the movie on 3/5/10, I’m excited to see the new line of Alice in Wonderland costumes available this Halloween. It took me a few days, but I think I’ve included the best selection of Alice, Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts costumes available as well as your other favorite Wonderland characters.

There’s no reason to grab a last-minute Halloween costume, with these great options available this year!

Alice in Wonderland Halloween Costumes


pumpkincenterpieceFall is creeping closer!

Several of our leaves in New England are turning their fiery shades of orange and red, to welcome the cooler days and prepare for the night of the dead…

It’s almost time to decorate your table with festive Fall and Halloween centerpieces. Will you go traditional or spooky it up a little this year?

Here’s 2024 possible centerpiece ideas and a few tutorials to get you started:

Halloween and Fall Table Centerpieces

halloweencandyjars

These apothecary jars filled with black and white Halloween candy create a very unique and elegant display. The full Halloween display is very simple, elegant, and inspiring:

halloweencandyjars2

The photos are from last year’s Pottery Barn Halloween selection, but there are apothecary jars available at many retailers online. I have several listed here for specimen jars, candy displays, and centerpieces along with other glass bottle uses for Halloween: Apothecary Jars

Bento boxes are a perfect Halloween lunch for the kids, but would also be a unique addition as Halloween party food. You can combine your favorite sushi and vegetable arrangements on large platters in between the olive and egg eyeballs for an elegant touch.

halloweenbento
A cat chicken sandwich with skull and crossbones hard-boiled egg combo. Source

hellokittybento
Halloween Hello Kitty – steamed carrots and sweet potatoes used to create the pumpkins. Source

nightmarebento
Nightmare before Christmas – a very cheesy Jack Skellington with macaroni au gratin and ham & cucumber rolls. Source

ghostbento
Spooky rice ghosts and carrot pumpkins. A simple and boo-tiful Bento. Source

Dress up your tweets in fun and spooky Halloween costumes this year using icons and emoticons on Twitter…

twitter-emoticons

Unfortunately, these are only available during Halloween. Personally, I would have enjoyed the option to use these all year round! Closer to my content than most other icons sets available. lol

creepylabels2I created these free printable Halloween jar labels for your creepy party food finds and witches kitchen potion bottles. Definitely a necessity for every macabre night full of gross treats and edible appendages…

Spider Legs – black licorice
Creepy Crawlers – gummy worms and bugs
Drops of Blood – red jelly beans
Dragon Scales – candied pumpkin seeds
Bat Droppings – black M&Ms, jelly beans, gumdrops

Creepy Halloween Jar Labels to Print

roasted-pumpkin-seeds Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Wash and drain your seeds and spread them on a nonstick or greased baking sheet. Coat seeds with oil. Bake for about 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees until light brown. Remove and season with salt.

Sweet or Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Use Worcestershire sauce and butter, salt, or oil before roasting/toasting. For spicy pumpkin seeds, try cayenne, paprika, chili powder, Hickory BBQ powder, or Cajun seasoning. For sweet seeds, use brown sugar, cinnamon, and/or nutmeg before cooking. For candied seeds, stir cooked seeds in melted caramel and sugar then let cool, separated on a baking sheet.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Cook 2 cups of granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved and golden. Keep cooking until golden brown. Stir in 2 cups of toasted seeds and pour your mixture onto a large nonstick or greased baking pan, spreading it into a thin layer. Cool it completely, then break into pieces. Keep in an airtight container.

Other Uses

Add toasted pumpkin seeds to a party mix with crackers, chips, and other nuts. Add them to a soup or salad. Use to garnish your favorite main dishes.