My Halloween Table

Happy Halloween!
xx

Photography by one of my guests.

Final days to Halloween!

A spooky brew of cranberry & raspberry juice, with black vodka. Pour the vodka over the back of a spoon so it sits on top!



Black vodka




Skeleton straws



Lace table mat and damask napkin. Black plate, silver napkin and candle from Poundland, pink feather from Kleins.

Tomorrow I have a busy day ahead of me. I need to finish my bird tree, finish my Halloween art and bake some fresh cupcakes to decorate my Halloween table. All in time for the skeletons and vampires who will be visiting us come the witching hour!

Have a sweet day!

Blackberry cupcakes

Blackberry cupcakes (makes 12 muffin size cakes)

Ingredients
125g (4.5 ounces) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon (1/6 ounces) vanilla extract
150g (5.2 ounces) caster sugar
2 eggs
150g (5.2 ounces) self-raising flour
150g (5.2 ounces) blended blackberries
60ml (2 fluid ounces) semi-skimmed milk

Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C (325-350 deg F).
2. Line muffin tray with foil cases.
3. Beat flour, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture turns a pale colour.
4. Stir in the blended blackberries and mix thoroughly.
5. Spoon mixture into cases.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool.

Decorating the cakes

1. Fill piping bag with vanilla butter frosting and pipe in peaks on top of the cakes.
2. Sprinkle with black glitter and place blackberry dome on top.

Wrap cupcake wrapper around case.

Have a sweet day!

Halloween cards & bouquet

Picture Frame





For Halloween this year I decided to design my own cards. I was hoping to make some candy apples that looked like my graphics, but sadly I've run out of time so will save that for next year. Feel free to use my graphics above on cards, gift tags etc.



Large pink acrylic vase, glitter skulls & bones, lace table mat



Black pompom, single stem



Black rose

Have a sweet day!

Halloween candles

Skeleton candle from Pound Land.



Spike top tea lights and candles in jars from Habitat.




Pack of six skull tea lights, from Pound Land.



Pink cube candle holders, from Paperchase.


Some Halloween candles to match my colour theme!

Have a sweet day!

Haunting

This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you these eerie, creepy haunting pics for Halloween. Check back soon for some more of the most inspirational photographers on Flickr.

Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites (clockwise from top left):

• The eerie trees by John Gusky
  
• The haunting gates in ???? by Stuart McMullan
• The mysterious figure in Untitled by BMB Images
• The scary spider web by Corquey

Have a great day!

Macarons

I have been buying macarons recently and trying all the different flavours. I thought it was about time I make my own and I wanted them to be in pink and white to match my Halloween colours. I think they are the hardest sweets I have made! My first batch collapsed! So, before I made the second batch I searched the internet for tips, which I've included below.

Vanilla Macarons (makes 12)

Ingredients
240g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
180g ground almonds
4 egg whites separated the night before (important!)
80g vanilla sugar
Food colouring, if required

Cooking instructions

1. Mix almonds and sugar in a food processor until you have a smooth fine powder
2. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks
3. Slowly add vanilla sugar to the egg whites, all the while whisking.
4. Slowly add the fine powder to the egg white mix with a wooden spoon till you have a shiny mass.
5. Add food colouring until required colour is achieved.
6. Using a parchment bag with about a 1cm opening at tip, squeeze the macarons mixture onto parchment paper lined baking trays. (I used a template under the baking paper of circles 2.5cm wide, to get them evenly sized).
7. Tap the underside of the baking sheet to remove air bubbles.
8. Let them dry for 1 hour so they form a shiny hard crust.
9. Cook them for about 10-12 minutes in the oven at 140deg C, turning them around after 5 mins. Also, leave the oven door slightly ajar and make sure to keep an eye on them.
10. Carefully remove them from the oven and transfer parchment paper onto a cooling rack.
11. When cool, slide them off the parchment paper using a metal spatula.

White chocolate & Blackberry ganache

Ingredients
125g double cream (heavy cream)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
50g blackberries, blended
100g white chocolate

Cooking instructions

1. Bring cream to the boil in a small saucepan.
2. Remove from heat immediately and stir in chocolate until melted.
3. Stir in raspberries and vanilla essence until glossy.
4. Refrigerate for about 45 mins.
5. Spoon a teaspoon of ganache onto half of the macarons and place the other halves on top to form the ganache sandwich.
6. Let the macarons chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

Macarons will keep for 2 days refrigerated in an airtight container.

A few tips

• Always sift and double sift your ground almonds and icing sugar so there are no lumps.
• Use old egg whites that have been left out at least over night, otherwise you can be left with flat macarons.
• If piping the macarons leaves a peak on top, be sure to smooth the top over with a wet finger.
• Use a double layer of baking parchment to prevent burning.

Have a sweet day!

Halloween cookies winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to win a dozen delightful cookies from The Fancy Lady.

My little skeleton helper has picked a winner! Congratulations to Elizabeth of My Crafty Mess.

Black crows

I made and decorated a tree for Easter with hand made birds, so I thought for Halloween I would do the same. Initially I used the same pattern to make a bird but it looked too sweet. As I could not find a pattern for a crow or raven I decided to make my own.

I used a black fabric with subtle black lurex running through it to give them a sparkly touch. I used pink wire and beads to make the feet and black diamantes for the eyes.

Halloween Fabric Crows

You will need:
Black fabric
Black thread
Needle
Crow pattern (below)
Pink wire
Pink beads
Silver rings
5mm Ribbon
White pencil or pen
Pins
Black diamante
Fabric Glue
Toy filling

1. Print and cut out the crow pattern below.
2. Fold your fabric into two, with the right side of the fabric facing inwards, to give the two sides of your crow.
3. Draw around the pattern using a white pencil or pen if using dark fabric (don't forget to mark the opening points).
4. Pin the two pieces of fabric together and cut around the lines leaving a 5mm border round the edge.
5. Hand stitch along the lines, leaving the opening unstitched.
6. Turn crow inside out (I use a chopstick to to fully open the beak, tail and legs).
7. Hand press the seams open.
8. Insert pink wire up through one leg hole and down the other.
9. Stuff with toy filling (again I use a chopstick to get the stuffing into the beak, tail and legs)
10. Hand stitch the opening closed, pushing the needle and thread up through the top of the neck to create hanging loop.
11. Sew small silver loop onto base of neck, thread ribbon through ring and tie in bow.
12. To create the feet, thread 6 pink beads onto the leg wire. Then for each 'toe' bend the wire back on itself and thread 3 more beads. Repeat for each toe. Tie round base of feet to finish.
13. Glue diamantes in place for the eyes.

I will blog about the Halloween tree as soon as I finish it!

Have a sweet day!

Halloween maple apple cupcakes

Maple apple cupcakes (makes 12 muffin size cakes)

Ingredients
150g (5.2 ounces) self raising flour
60g (2.11 ounces) unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
60ml (2 fluid ounces)maple syrup
200g (7 ounces) grated apple
Vanilla butter cream
Pink food colouring
Black edible glitter


Cooking instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160-180 deg C.
2. Line muffin tray with paper cases.
3. Beat flour, butter, eggs, cinnamon and maple syrup in a bowl with an electric mixer until mixture is a pale colour.
4. Stir in apple and divide the mixture between the paper cases.
5. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and place cakes on wire rack to cool.
7. Add pink food colouring to butter icing, mixing thoroughly.
8. Put coloured butter icing into a piping bag with small nozzle.
9. When cakes are cool, pipe butter cream icing in peaks on top.
10. Sprinkle glitter on top using a small paintbrush.
11. Stick cupcake topper in top.

To make the cupcake topper,

1. Download and print the "Poison" label below x2.
2. Place double sided tape on the unprinted side of the label from edge to edge.
3. Press a cocktail stick into tape
4. Place the second label over the top of the stick and press firmly together.

See Halloween cake stands and cases for where to buy cupcake wrappers.

As I have to have a gluten free diet, I substitute the self raising flour for Gluten and wheat free self raising flour.

Have a sweet day!