Howl-O-Ween Treats

I am greeting the cooler temperatures with a smile because that means fall is upon us and I LOVE THE FALL. From the change of the season to the rustling leaves and the colors that surround us, I have to admit that I look forward to fall’s magic all summer long.

Since we are on the border of summer and fall, now is the time to get some great photo studies of leaves, full grown hydrangeas, geraniums, zinnias and vegetables.

Each day, I try to take a few pictures of the luscious flowers that come with summer’s end so I have them whenever I need them for reference. I am always amazed at the change in colors as the day wears on, so take your photos at different times of the day.

As a gardener, I can appreciate the bounty of the summer. This year, I harvested sunflower seeds for my bird friends and corn for the squirrels…and dried corn stalks for me to decorate with!

With fall, comes Halloween and as you might know, I love to decorate and dress up for Halloween. I am not sure that my family appreciates my lack of maturity in this respect, but if you have seen some of my crazy get-ups at the tradeshows, you have come to expect this side of my personality.

If you are planning a little Halloween party of your own, you might want to include a mix of candy corn and peanuts –the sweet/salty combination was introduced to me at a gathering of our painting chapter and I make tons of it up each October. It is not just delicious, it looks pretty and festive, too!

I created this quick and easy jar to hold my special mix using a couple of our TransformMASON™ tags, chalkboard paint for glass and a Ball jar. I used a lettering stencil and a chalk pencil to get my lettering started. You could use one of the silkscreen stencils from the TransformMASON line or freehand your favorite saying on the chalkboard painted band. Add a quick border to the top and bottom of the band with acrylic paint and scatter polka dots around the lettering.

To dress it all up, I tied a ribbon around the neck of the jar and attached the TransformMASON wood tags that I painted. I found a glass candle holder that fit nicely into the opening, which held the tags in place. I then filled the candle holder with the candy corn mix for easy access. (Maybe I should have made it a little harder to get to…..oh, boy, am I on a sugar high!)

I hope that you are able to enjoy the vivid colors and fun of October as much as I do! Happy Fall!