The Party Dress » halloween

Candy Corn

Kelly — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:00:06 +0000

Happy Halloween! I hope you are all having a SWEET holiday! Do you love candy corn as much as I do? I have a huge jar of it that sits on my countertop from September 1st on…I’m always looking for unique ways to incorporate it into baked goods. I was so excited to find Zachary Confections. They offer flavored candy corn! With bold flavors and bright new colors, this candy corn looks great and I think I am going to have to find some soon to try! (flavors include Cherry, Tangerine, Raspberry, Caramel, Caramel Apple and Cinnamon)

Patterned Pumpkins

Kelly — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:32 +0000

I have totally fallen in love with the idea of creating patterned pumpkins using paper. I found this image and the do-it-yourself instructions on Country Living….think I may just give it a try this weekend with some of our patterns!

Halloween Sock Monkey Party

Kelly — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:00:17 +0000

I came across this darling Halloween party for kids on Better Homes and Gardens, and I just had to share it with you. As you all know, I have a soft spot for monkeys (my god-daughter is obsessed with them, and it’s also one of our best selling party collections!). This sock-monkey twist on your traditional Halloween party is so cute….I love the colors, the patterns and there are some great activity ideas that you could re-create for any party!

Some of the activities include a candy corn relay race, and a matching card game. Totally cute for kids! Whoopie pies are dressed up with monkey faces, and check out these cute pumpkin straws! Check out the feature on bhg.com for all of the darling details.

TPD Magazine: Halloween Cupcakes in a Jar

Kelly — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:00:52 +0000

With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought it was only appropriate to share these darling Halloween cupcakes in a jar that Glory of Glorious Treats created for the Fall issue of The Party Dress Magazine! So simple, and visually stunning – these cupcakes will sure to be a hit among guests young and old. Read on for the instructions from Glory….

Layering cake and frosting in a jar transforms a simple cupcake into an eye catching treat. Top with a lid for easy transport, or a delicious gift.

Directions

Purchase a case of 1/2 pint canning jars, wash and set aside. Bake chocolate cupcakes in paper liners, baking as directed (using a box mix or scratch recipe). Prepare a batch of classic buttercream frosting, or cream cheese frosting, and color the frosting orange (using concentrated gel coloring). Fill a large piping bag (fitted with a large round or open star tip) with the frosting (or fill a large ziplock bag and snip off one corner)

Assemble

Once baked and cooled, cut each chocolate cupcake in half (horizontally). Drop one cupcake half into the bottom of a jar, and top with a layer of frosting. Repeat two more times with cupcake halves, then frosting, until you have 3 layers of cupcake, and three layers of frosting. Top with sprinkles if desired. Serve cupcakes without lids, or cover with lids for a great party favor or gift.

TPD Magazine: DIY Halloween Lantern

Kelly — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:00:48 +0000

Our crafty assistant editor, Charynn of Two Sugar Babies concocted this darling little DIY project for the Fall issue of The Party Dress Magazine and it’s so cute, we are sharing the simple steps here today, so that you can all do one (or four!) yourselves. In fact, with the school holiday today, this may be just the project you are looking for to keep everyone occupied!

Step 1

Gather your supplies: glass mason jars, spray paint, paint brush and patterned ribbon

Step 2

Turn the jars upside down on your painting surface and apply several coasts of spray paint according to the manufacturers instructions. Let the jars dry completely.

Step 3

Paint your chosen designs on the outside of the jars with black acrylic paint. (it may take a couple of coats to get a solid color) We suggest a pumpkin face, spiders, ghost eyes, or bats. Let it dry completely

Step 4

Optional – apply a coat of high gloss varnish to the outside of the jars. Glue a patterned ribbon around the top and place a tea light in them to add a nice glow to your holiday party. Please remember to keep out of reach of children.

TPD Magazine: Halloween Silhouette Wall Lamp

Kelly — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:00:47 +0000

One of my favorite parts of putting together The Party Dress Magazine each quarter is finding those little DIY projects that I just know you are all going to love. I’m crafty….but my contributors are REALLY crafty and they come up with amazing ideas! Today’s project comes from Vana Chupp of Le Papier Studio. She’s create a step-by-step tutorial for making a cute wall lamp for your kids using a FREE downloadable silhouette image featuring a sweet Halloween parade. (download the design here)

Step 1

Gather your supplies: you will need the kids parading free printable, a wall lamp from Ikea, scor-it board or any other scoring tool, and a screw driver.

Step 2

Start by removing the screw from the top of the wall lamp. This will allow the top to come off and release the decorative paper that comes with the lamp.

Step 3

Position the kids parading print on the scor-it board and begin scoring 1/4 inch from the outer edge of the print.

Step 4

Fold the ends over the outer edges of the lamp. You can use clear tape to secure them.

Step 5

Re-assemble the wall lamp and Voila! For less than $5 you created something unique for your nursery or any other room in the house. Wasn’t that easy?

TPD Magazine: Spider Web Glass

Kelly — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:00:48 +0000

Simple, festive Halloween details can bring an instant party to something as simple as a glass of milk! Shown in the latest issue of The Party Dress Magazine, this milk glass was dressed up with strips of black electrical tape. Easy to put on, and easy to take off! You could also expand this idea for ghost eyes, a monogram or stripes!

Parties by WH Hostess: Mod Spider

Kelly — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:20:55 +0000

Spice things up this Halloween season by introducing a new, festive color palette to your celebration: black, lime green and magenta! We paired these three colors together, along with some tonal polka dots and one cute little spider to create a darling collection of party goods and ideas for hosting your next event.

Glittering black chandeliers were a fabulous addition to this creepy, crawly candy bash. Hung above the sweets table, they helped to define the vertical space in the room, but also give a touch of glamour to the party. We show you three different ways to serve everyone’s favorite dessert: the cupcake! Fondant toppers by Two Sugar Babies, cupcake toppers from WH Hostess, and chocolate spider webs to top chocolate cakes.

Spider cookies with sparkling disco dust from Allyson Jane make quite a festive statement. Purple, silver and lime green candy from Candy Warehouse looks darling and accessible in jars dressed up with candy jar tags. One of our favorite additions to this table are the mini chocolate bars wrapped in labels, and the cute little spider stickers on the bottoms of the chocolate kisses!

Bubbling, foggy, green punch was created by adding dry ice into the bowl, and helped to create quite a spooky party!

WH Hostess: Halloween Collections!

Kelly — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:00:29 +0000

Halloween is such a fun holiday….the decorations are up for a short period of time, there is no mad-rush to get the gifts bought and wrapped, and it has a way of bringing out the child in everyone! WH Hostess LOVES a reason for a party….and Halloween is just that. Whether you are hosting a neighborhood gathering, a kids party, or a ladies “Witches Dinner Party”, we have three new collections that are sure to inspire.

Our Mod Witch Collection was designed with my own holiday celebration in mind….time to gather up my girlfriends for a little ladies night! A crisp, orange and white clover pattern with a witch silhouette, this collection just makes me smile!

Our Halloween Carnival Collection is cute and colorful and is perfect for a whimsical Halloween party. Spider webs, a party banner and a pumpkin full of personality, this collection is already a new favorite among my tot friends!

Our Mod Spider collection was featured in the fall issue of The Party Dress Magazine, and we are going to be showcasing all of the festive ideas here on the blog later today. Perfect for kids and adults alike, this collection is playful and modern all rolled into one pretty party package.

The Party Dress Magazine – Issue 3

Kelly — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:00:28 +0000

It is with great excitement that I introduce you to the third edition of The Party Dress Magazine. Each issue is a true labor of love – with articles from amazingly talented contributors – so it’s a true thrill to see the final product. This edition of the magazine is full of delightful parties, simple ideas on how to make everyday a celebration, and Halloween style that you are sure to love.

As I am sure you can tell, producing this magazine quarterly takes a lot of work. So I am thrilled to announce…..The Party Dress Magazine has a new assistant editor! Our contributor and the fondant guru behind the uber-successful Two Sugar Babies, Charynn Olsheski, joined me this issue and I am so grateful. Her style, enthusiasm and ability to talk me down off a ledge has made her an invaluable addition to this team, and will help me take TPD Magazine to the next level.

Our amazing list of contributors this issue include some VERY talented chicks. Beth Beattie, Christi Bennett from P is for Party, Vana Chupp of Le Papier Studio, Chris Nease of Celebrations at Home, Maggie Hemsworth of Delish Catering Chicago, Jessica Kirkland of Pen ‘n Paperflowers, Kara Allen of Kara’s Party Ideas, Kim Stoegbauer of The TomKat Studio, Shannon Helliker & Rebecca Propes of Fresh Chick Designs, Glory Albin of Glorious Treats, and Jill of Modern Cupcake. We have an incredible list of advertisers in the book, and I encourage to check out each and every one of them!

I do hope you enjoy this issue!

You can purchase a luxe, glossy edition in our shop here.