Halloween — Page 4

Ready for the Best Halloween Ever? Check out CostumeDiscounters.com!

The most important part of celebrating Halloween is the costume – don’t settle for cheap-o, boring, over-priced costumes this year. Get something amazing to impress your friends today at CostumeDiscounters.com!

Are you ready for Halloween yet?

I was SOOO excited to get Abby’s new Halloween costume from CostumeDiscounters.com!! They let us pick our favorite to review, and I tell ya, it was tough to choose – they have super adorable costumes!! You can find something for everyone in your family, from infant Halloween costumes to fun get-up’s for mom and dad – and you can even find some of the cutest costumes I’ve ever seen for your dog. The doggy dinosaur is so great, totally want to get that.

Abby’s first time Trick-or-Treating this year!

Last year she was just a few months old, so we stayed at home – I live in Washington state, and it’s coooold on Halloween here! But this year she’s big enough to go our trick-or-treating with her cousins, and she’s going to LOVE it!

Little Pinkie Poodle!

This little stinker would NOT hold still for pictures at all — she was running around the kitchen, chasing the dog, barking like a puppy! So funny. This is the Pinkie Poodle Costume, and it is just perfect on her. We got our puppy when she was just a baby, and they are the best of friends – she even shares her snacks with him. Her third word was dog. She loves her doggy – and she LOVES dressing up like one too! She seriously had so much fun- love it.

Great Quality

Most Halloween costumes are made so cheap – really flimsy material, and terrible construction. I get it, they’re only made to wear one night, so they don’t need to be really sturdy. BUT – if I paid $30 bucks for a regular outfit for Abby, I’d expect her to wear it for a few months, right? So when I buy a costume, I always look for better quality. And I was super impressed with the quality here – it’s a really thick material, well made, and the details are all amazingly cute! Plus – there are loads of great sale-prices costumes too, as low as $10 bucks!

Halloween is only a few weeks away!

Does your family already have costumes – if so, what are you going to be? If you DON’T have anything yet, make sure to check out CostumeDiscounters.com! Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite! {Oh yeah, and get some AWESOME Halloween coupons for Michaels too – check it out below!}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 14, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews, Holidays | 2 Comments

Share your Best Halloween Creations with Me for a Chance to Win! #giveaway #halloween

Big Savings at Michaels!

I told you ladies the other day how much I LOVE Michaels Craft Store, and how I used to manage the front end and teach classes there when I was in my early 20’s…. So, since maybe it’s YOUR favorite crafty spot too – Check out the awesome sales and coupons this week!

Are you creating some crafty Halloween spookiness?

If so, share your creations with me! I’d love to have you share pictures of your Halloween themed recipes, costumes you’ve made, fun decorations – whatever it is, as long as YOU made it, and it’s related to the holiday, post it up on my Facebook wall, and I’ll feature some fun one’s here on the site the week of Halloween! Need some inspiration? Check out my Spiderweb Spookamole Nachos! – or the super gross, but super fun, Pumpkin Puke!

A Giveaway too!

I’ll even pick a few of my VERY favorite Halloween pic’s and reward their creativity with some fun little prizes! So grab your camera, snap some great photos of your amazing-crafty-spooky-genius, and have a chance to win!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 14, 2011 Filed Under: Giveaways | 1 Comment

Join Me As I Co-Host the #Spookamole Twitter Party!!

Join me for a Ton of fun!

I’m helping to co-host a super fun Twitter Party tomorrow – You don’t want to be the only one missing out! This is my FIRST time co-hosting a party, so I’d love to see you guys there – a party ain’t a party without you guys!

Remember my Spiderweb “Spookamole” Nachos that I shared with you guys a couple of weeks ago? Well, my entry wasn’t chosen as a finalist – But some other AMAZING recipes are now on the site and ready for you to vote on! So we’re having a party to celebrate the finalists, give you some fun Halloween recipe ideas, and give away some sweet Avocados from Mexico prizes!!

Your Party Invite:

Date: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Time: 3 – 4pm EST
Moderator: @MomCentral
Client: @guacgrl
Assistant Moderators: @DadCentral, @sunandsipcups, @kellysluckyyou, @fabfindfoodie
Topic/Focus: Talk about avocado-inspired Halloween party recipes, and the Avocados from Mexico Spookamole contest.
Hashtag: #Spookamole
Prizes: Six people will win $50 Amazon gift codes and an I Love Acodados reusable grocery bag, 2 pre-party winners will receive $50 gift codes and an I Love Acados reusable grocery bag.

Pre-tweet to Win!

Anyone who Tweets this from now until the Avocados from Mexico #Spookamole Twitter Party will be eligible to win one of two $50 Amazon gift codes!

About the party:

Halloween will be celebrated throughout October, with many chances for fun including pumpkin festivals, costume parades, parties, and of course trick-or-treating. Halloween itself is the third biggest party day in the country, behind New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl Sunday.

This fall, as we prepare to amuse little ghosts and goblins and entertain friends and family, festive Halloween snacks come to mind. Although candy may stand as the most popular option, there are lots of opportunities to get creative and offer treats that are wholesome, delicious and guaranteed to not provide an additional sugar rush! Everyone associates pumpkins with this time of year, but most people don’t know that avocados grow in their native land of Mexico all year long, and ripen in abundance during the fall and winter seasons.

Spookamole!!

To celebrate this, Avocados from Mexico created a fun recipe contest called “Spookamole”. Orange and black are the official colors of the holiday, but this year think “ghoulish green!” Participants whipped up a Halloween-themed recipe featuring avocados from Mexico. Avocados from Mexico chose five finalists, and the public voting is now open!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 12, 2011 Filed Under: Giveaways, Fun Stuff | No Comments

Share your BEST Halloween Pictures on my Facebook to get Featured!

Who else Loooooves Michaels Craft Store??

I used to work for Michaels back in my early 20’s, supervising the front end of the store, and teaching classes on beading and scrapbooking. I loved it! So, while there are a lot of other craft stores that have popped up in my area over the past 10 years, Michaels will always be my favorite.

HUGE Halloween Deals!

We were there this past weekend, and my mom went overboard with the Halloween shopping. Again. AFTER having just shopped at the Dollar Store and the Halloween store that afternoon. {Clearly you can tell where I got my love of holidays from, right?} The house is getting totally spookified, and I’m excited to share some pic’s later this week!

Right now most of the Halloween goodies are 50% off, and there’s also some great clearance to be found {at least at my store}. Check out the ad for some cool ideas, great sales, and awesome coupons.

And…. I’d LOVE to see some of YOUR Halloween decorating!!! If you’ve got some cool stuff set up, snap some pictures and come share them on my Facebook page! No, there’s no prizes, but I will be picking some of my favorites to feature in some posts the week of Halloween!!! So share your decor, costumes, how-to’s, whatever– as long it’s Halloween related!

A couple of you have asked how to add a picture to my wall – Just click like you were leaving a comment, and there’s an option to “add a picture/video”. Click that, then go into your pictures in your computer, pick the one you want to add, and add a comment with it too to tell us all who is in the picture!

What’s your FAVORITE Michaels department?

Are you a scrapbooker, beader, knitter, painter? Or….?? Share with me in the comments! I’m kind of a random-do-a-little-of-everything crafter. I’d love to hear more about you guys too!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 11, 2011 Filed Under: Fun Stuff, Holidays | 1 Comment

My Favorite Fall and Halloween Deals and Freebies!

Fall is my favorite time of year.

I love the changing leaves, the crisp mornings after such a hot summer, the new fall hoodies and boots- and the anticipation of all of the great holidays coming up!

So, I wanted to share a few of my very FAVORITE fall and Halloween freebies and deals that are going on right now. You already know that Vistaprint is one of my very favorite deal sites- I get SO much stuff from them, almost every single month. And with their FREE shipping deal right now, it’s a great time to shop. Plus, you can get a special deal that I haven’t seen in a while from Canvas People, and some amazing savings and freebies from my FAVORITE home improvement store, Home Depot!

Vistaprint:

Some EXTRA Great Deals from Vistaprint:

Vistaprint always has some awesome deals going on, but this sale is even better than usual- and there is so much fun stuff to make!

Trick or Treat Bag: Make your own, totally customized, cotton tote bag for Trick or Treating, for only $2 bucks! If you want more than one, you’ll get them all for 60% off!!
Invitations: Throwing a BIG Halloween party? Get 50% off all custom-made party invites!
Other fun ideas: Make cool, Halloween-themed lawn signs to make your house everyone’s favorite destination. Make custom stickers to give away with your candy, or as party favors. Or T-Shirts- designs range from spooky to adorable to funny.

The best part? Get FREE Shipping on EVERYTHING when you spend $20- so stock up today!!

Canvas People:

Turn those Fall Photos into ART!

CanvasPeople.com is offering a free 8 x 10 photo canvas (just pay shipping, which is about $12-$14 bucks) OR you can get 40% off any larger canvas + free shipping as a special introductory deal!
When I buy these, I always upgrade to the 11×14 size- and they are just so beautiful, seriously. The quality is a million times better than I expected for such a low price- ask at your local studio what the would charge you for this– I guarantee it’s 5-10 times higher.

Home Depot Savings:

You do NOT want to miss the awesome savings in the Home Depot newsletters!

They’ll send you savings and sale updates both by email, and in your regular postal mail too. I have gotten so many really amazing coupons and freebies from them this way. I get things like:

Buy one, get one free on Martha Stewart Paint
Free Plant Food with purchase of Garden Tools
Save $10 off a $25 Purchase
Bring in coupon for a FREE sample of the new Gorilla Glue

Especially at this time of year, when there are so many projects to complete, you want to be getting these updates. They’ll let you know when the next free classes are coming up, send you notice of special sales and event, exclusive coupons, and more. It only takes a second to sign up.

Love it?

I do :) These are my very favorite deals going on, and all things that I use myself. {In fact, I cannot WAIT to get the Halloween Trick or Treat bag I made to match Abby’s Pink Poodle costume!!} If you love ’em, use the social buttons to share with your freebie lovin’ friends on Facebook and Twitter!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 4, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Freebies, Shopping | No Comments

More Spookamole Fun- Pumpkin Puke Recipe!

Who loves “Spookamole” ??

I shared my post with you guys last week – Spiderweb Spookamole Nachos – and loved the comments and emails I got from you on it. It was pretty popular in my house too.

Another Fun Halloween Recipe!

I found out that a bloggy friend of mine put together a “Spookamole” recipe of her own, and just had to share it because it is SO much fun!!

The boys in my house would totally go crazy over this one- so I’ll be putting together my own version soon too.

Check out her instructions on how to make Pumpkin Puke Spookamole on her blog, and let her know how much you love it :)

Do you have a fun recipe to share?

If you’ve made a great Halloween or Fall themed dish, leave me a comment to tell me about it! I’m always looking for fun new recipes. And there are always so many fun things to make for Halloween!

More Fall Fun- Get a FREE Canvas Print!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 29, 2011 Filed Under: Fun Stuff | 1 Comment

Halloween Party Foods: Spiderweb Spookamole Recipe

Halloween Party Foods…. Avocados from Mexico can be found at your local grocery store year-round, but this is such a great time of year for them. They’re in season- move from the tree to table in less than a week- and are PERFECT for fall celebrations like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Football parties! Check out their easy peasy tips on buying and storing Avocados too.

Did you know….

The world’s first avocado was grown and cultivated in Mexico countless generations ago?
That Mexico is the only place in the world where avocado trees naturally bloom four times a year?
All Avocados from Mexico are hand-picked and freshly shipped
By packers who uniformly exceed international standards?

If you’re a big fan of avocados too – this is the perfect time of year to stock up on some amazingly fresh ones this time of year, make sure to check out the Avocados from Mexico site for more awesome recipes and tips on how to prep, store, and serve them. And then, if you’re planning any type of Halloween entertaining, check out my Spiderweb Spookamole Recipe that’s super simple, yet super fun.

It’s Spookamole Time: Spiderweb Spookamole Recipe

This is a super fun, super simple, and super yummy dish to make for Halloween parties and entertaining – or just as a perfect snack to fill up on before heading out to Trick or Treat. {A bit of food helps stop those belly aches kids get from sneaking too much candy…} How to make Spiderweb Spookamole for Halloween:

Grab a big plate.
Shmear a layer of refried beans over the plate, to about an inch from the edges.
Mix up some Guacamole- use your own favorite recipe, or use the amazing Spookamole recipe that I used. Then spread a thick layer of this over the beans.
Add some tortilla chips around the edges, and layer with cheese, tomato, onion, and ground beef.
Now, the fun part: Put about a cup or so of sour cream into a zip-loc style baggie. Cut a small corner off, so you can use it like a decorating bag.
Next, use the baggie to draw circles of sour cream, from the edges of the chips, and getting smaller as you move to the center.
After all of the circles are completed, use a knife or toothpick to make the spiderweb- start at the inside circle, and drag it outwards through the other circles. Do this every inch or so through the whole thing, and you’ll see the web appear! Watch a tutorial of how this works- Spiderweb Cake Decorating
Last, make the spider- Place one whole olive on your web, then add olive slices to each side for the legs. To make him extra creepy, use a small tube of red cake decorating gel to dot on two little eyes.
The kids will love it!

It’s seriously so simple to make. And even if you make a minor mistake or two, trust me, it’ll still come out great. I love recipes like this that are deceptively simple, and make people think you’re a master of the kitchen, lol. You can use this same idea for a ton of other fun Halloween food ideas too – cake tops, on frosted sugar cookies, a pudding dessert – {chocolate or pistachio pudding with the web made from whipped cream on top. Add plastic spider rings to top it off!} The ideas are endless.

If you create a spiderweb dish too – come share your fave photos on my Facebook wall!!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a Spookamole blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Avocados from Mexico and received avocado items to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}