How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Around this time of year, it seems like everyone is looking for an easy recipe for this delicious snack. Here's instructions on how to make roasted pumpkin seeds.

What you'll need: 

• Pumpkin seeds, separated from strings and pulp
• 1 teaspoon Canola oil
• Salt (for seasoning)
• Cookie sheet

Thoroughly wash the seeds and make sure they are completely dry. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Toss the seeds with the canola oil and spread the seeds in a single layer on the cookie sheet. 

Season with salt and cook for 10-20 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to watch them so they don't overcook. 

For spicy seeds; sprinkle with cayenne pepper, thyme, salt and pepper

For sweet seeds; sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and a dash of ginger

Experiment with your own ideas to make any number of variations on this crunchy, yummy snack!

Autumn in New England

In between a lot of baby prepping, I've been trying to get some projects done for my upcoming craft fair in November. I promise to post tutorials and updates soon! While I'm busy doing all this, I'd like to share some pictures from our latest trip to Stowe, VT. There is nothing quite like Autumn in New England!

How are you enjoying the Fall season wherever you are?

Crafty iPhone Apps

When upgrade time for my phone finally came around, I was able to convince my hubby that I needed a new iPhone 4S. No, we didn't run out and pick one up last Friday; I pre-ordered it so it would be delivered to the house this week because, well...frankly, I work from home and couldn't be bothered to fight the crowds. So I will wait a few extra days to get it but in the meantime, here are some fun, crafty apps that you might want to consider downloading! 

• Disney FamilyFun's Craft Finder Application
• find crafts by age, time and season
• shopping list generator
• step by step how-to guides
• share your crafts via Facebook and Twitter

•  Stitchminder (for knitters)

• track rows completed
• pattern rows, increase and decreases
• counters can be configured to count upwards or downwards
• counts are always stored when you close the program or get interrupted by a call

•  Coolibah (digital scrapbooking)
• create scrapbook pages on your iPhone, using camera phone photos or other imported images
• save your pages and work on them later
• with upgraded app, you can export high resolution images to use on your home computer or to print
• Free version of the app includes the Coolibah watermark - semi bummer

•  Etsy Addict

• browse the Etsy site, search, browse by category and add favorites
• keep tabs on your stores feedback and sales count
• don't miss out on Etsy shopping opportunities, no matter where you are!

What are some of your favorite crafty apps? 

Halloween Decorated Cupcakes

A couple of years ago, my parents bought me a (literal) tool box full of Wilton cake decorating supplies - frosting tips, bags, food dye, etc. Since the opportunities to make cakes doesn't come that often, I thought I would flex my baking and decorating skills with these cute Halloween cupcakes - 

I used the thin, flat tip for the mummy heads - those might just be my favorites! What kind of scary desserts are you planning for the upcoming Halloween holiday?

Crafty Links - Babycakes Approved

The theme of this weeks Crafty Links is Halloween! Ok, so it's only the beginning of October but everyone is already looking for ideas. Hopefully some of these will help you...click on the title for the full tutorial, if available.

Pregnant Skeleton Costume by MakeIt-LoveIt

Dwight Schrute from the Office kids costume by Creator Unknown 

(no tutorial for this unfortunately but you can put it together easily enough)

Dot Candy Costume from Prudent Baby via Jennifer Wells

Candy Corn Costume by So You Think You're Crafty

I know most of these are aimed at the little ones (what can I say? I'm on a baby kick) but they can be easily created for grown-ups too. Happy crafting!

Apple Pastry Bars

The chilly temperatures outside tell me that Fall is officially here! One of my favorite things to make (and Bunch's favorite things to eat) are these Apple Pastry Bars. They are easy to make and are a great excuse to do a little apple picking in preparation.

(recipe and picture from MidwestLiving.com, slightly adjusted)

• 2-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 egg yolk
• milk
• 1 cup cinnamon Cornflakes
• 8  to 10 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (8 cups)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 teaspoons  milk

1. In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a liquid measuring cup, beat egg yolk lightly. Add enough milk to make 2/3 cup liquid. Stir well to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture with a fork until combined (dough will be slightly sticky). Divide mixture in half.  

2. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough to a 17x12-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan and unfold dough, pressing to fit into the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle with cornflakes. Top evenly with apples. In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Roll remaining dough to a 15x10-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Place atop apples and unfold dough. Crimp edges or use the tines of a fork to seal. Cut slits in the top. Brush top with beaten egg white. 

3. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 50 minutes or until golden and apples are tender, covering with foil after the first 25 minutes of baking time to prevent over-browning.  

4. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm bars. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars. 

Decorative Fall Arrangement Vase and Frame

I saw a great idea online the other day, to use a vase as a picture frame so I decided to add a twist on that idea by making a fall decor mantle piece that doubles as a frame.

Here are the supplies that I started with:

• Apple ornaments (bought at a tag sale for $0.50)
• Pumpkin accents (can be found at any craft store for about $2-$3)
• Pine cones, in differing sizes (real or decorative, I got these off of Freecycle)
• Raffia decoration (also from Freecycle)
• Krylon spray paint in Caramel Latte color
• Cynlinder vase

I started by trimming my picture with a paper cutter, to ensure straight cuts, and lining it up in the front of the vase. I put two small pieces of clear tape on the sides to keep it in place. Then I started stacking the pine cones, apples and pumpkins on the bottom, with some raffia to fill in the gaps. 

I spray painted a handful of the pine cones and pumpkins to give the arrangement more character. I didn't cover them entirely and liked the way that effect looked.

 I continued to layer the pieces until the vase was just past the top. Here is the view from the back: 

And the view from the front - I love this black & white photo of me and my hubby dancing at my friend Kerry's wedding last year.

This could easily be used for any season; replace the pine cones and pumpkins with Christmas bulbs or plastic Easter eggs for Spring. I just love the idea of using interesting glass pieces as frames!

Painted Boston Red Sox Pumpkin

Tonight is the last night of regular season MLB baseball and like every other Red Sox fan, I'm on the edge of my seat hoping that they can lock up a Wild Card playoff spot. Here's one of my favorite crafts ever - a fall pumpkin that I hand-painted to show my spirit!

Helpful tip - I covered the entire pumpkin with a clear coat of spray paint to extend the life of the design.

Cute & Festive Halloween Cupcakes

My plan is to spend some time this weekend working on a few tag sale/thrift store treasures that need a little love. I'm excited to display them around the house when finished...

In the meantime, I've been discovering some amazing baked confections this week online and if I had all the time in the world - I would definitely be making all of these different cupcakes! Click on the links to view the full tutorials.

Candy Corn Filled Chocolate Cupcakes from The Sugar Turntable

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting 

from Skinny Taste

Candy Corn Colored Cupcakes by Our Best Bites

The strange thing is that I don't even like actual candy corn but there's no denying how cute cupcakes look with candy corn decorations. 

What are you cooking up for the Halloween holiday?

From the Archives - Eternity Sweater Scarf

One of my favorite projects last year was an sweater scarf, made from two sweaters that were no longer in my wardrobe repertoire. The turquoise sweater is a little small and the gray hooded sweater coat is too overwhelming for my short frame.  They both have a ribbed texture so mixing the different colored sections added a fun twist to my final product. 

I cut off the arms, carefully along the seam as well as the hood from the gray sweater, set aside for later. The cut rectangle sections from each sweater using as much as you can. I also used the pieces from the sleeve, which made my scarf extra long, for more looping. Then I pinned all of the sections, edges out and without repeating.

This next part takes a little time but it's not too difficult. Sew all of your pieces together, then match up the two long pieces you'll have and sew them together, leaving one end open so you can turn it right-side-out. 

You can use one sweater to make it all the same color or mix and match like I did. Here are the final results!

I can layer it in the cold weather...

Or for a casual Autumn night.

The best part - it matches my favorite ankle boots!

I originally inspired by a tutorial from Adventures in Dressmaking. Be sure to check out her site for other recycled and upcycled sewing projects.

Crafty Links - Babycakes Approved

I'm back on track and ready to post some crafty links on this sunny Tuesday -

• Perfect for back to school - check out these easy-to-create Apple Shaped Cupcakes from Make-and-Takes. Any teacher would love these!

•  Here is a great DIY gift idea for a baby shower or an afternoon project for a kids room in your own home - thanks to Blue Velvet Chair for sharing.

• Perfect for the upcoming Halloween holiday, here are 25 Ways to Decorate Pumpkins (mostly no carve) from The New Home Ec. My favorite is the chalkboard pumpkin, it's making me excited to buy pumpkins already!

• These Homemade Pizza Pretzel Bites would be perfect watching football on Sundays. They look like they might take some practice but you can't argue with those results... From Sweet Pea's Kitchen 

Hope your week is off to a great start! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is definitely a recipe I will be trying out this weekend! A big thank-you to Oopsey Daisy for posting a delicious recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. I hope Allison won't mind my re-posting this on a rainy Thursday - just the thought of them is brightening my day!

*******

3 1/3 c. flour
2 1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

2 c. pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c. oil (May also substitute 1 c. applesauce instead!)
2/3 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. chocolate chips (I’m not gonna lie.  I usually add many more!)

Mix together first 5 ingredients.  Make a well and add liquid ingredients.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Spoon into muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Makes about 2 1/2-3 dozen muffins.

If you’re in the mood for pumpkin bread, this make a yummy pumpkin bread too!!

*******

I'll be sure to let you know how these turn out - I have a feeling they will be perfect to satisfy any pregnancy cravings I might be having :)

The Unofficial Start of Autumn

With Labor Day having come and gone, along with the fact that the weather is hovering around 65 degrees today - it's obvious that Autumn is upon us! As I get ready to embark on some new, fun craft projects for the nursery, here are some fun Fall crafts to get you in the creative spirit.

Gerber Daisy Decorative Cube tutorial by Save-On-Crafts

Fall Acorn Magnets tutorial by Make and Takes

Leaf Candle Centerpiece by Better Holmes and Gardens

What crafty plans do you have in the works for the changing of seasons?