Halloween Cocktails

Check out these clever garnishes that turn these simple cocktails into 9 spooktacular concoctions! These are sure to be a hit at your Halloween party! 

I think the "Pina Ghouladas" are my favorite with the speared eyeballs using lychees and blueberries! 

Click here for all the spooky recipes:
HWTM: 9 Ultra-Creative Halloween Cocktails

Nightmare Before Christmas games

I was in Barnes and Noble yesterday and saw these fun Nightmare Before Christmas games! I've told you guys before...I'm a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan! I think I may have to get some of these games for my Halloween party!


Yahtzee - I love the Jack head dice-cup!

 Jenga - It comes in a coffin box!

 Operation - Remove spiders, bats and snakes from Oogie Boogie!

Haunted Nursery Rhymes

I have always found nursery rhymes to be a little creepy. Some have of the rhymes even have some pretty dark lyrics. 

I was looking for some creepy nursery music to be used for my Zombie Nursery display for my Halloween party. I came upon "In A World's - Haunted Nursery Rhymes". It's delightfully eerie with children chanting the familiar childhood rhymes with ominous music and laughter. 

I can only seem to find it available in MP3 format, but it's definitely worth a download if you are looking for some haunting nursery music for your Halloween party or display!

You can purchase the download on Amazon here -  Haunted Nursery Rhymes
Or you can also listen to it on Spotify

Brain Hemorrhage Shot Recipe

Mmmmm...braaaaaaains! Here's a disgusting looking, but delicious tasting shot for all you zombies out there.

1 oz. peach schnapps
1 tsp. Bailey's® Irish cream
2 drops grenadine syrup

Pour the peach schnapps into a shot glass. Slowly add the Bailey's, top with the grenadine, and serve.

Skeleton Wreath

Add some spooky glamor to your front door with this skeleton wreath, using items found at Dollar Tree! This wreath is made using a handful of the larger plastic skeletons but you could also make a smaller version using the garland-style skeletons!

 

 

Find the tutorial here - Skeleton Wreath

Flaming Bag of Poo

It's a gross but fun game based on the classic Halloween prank. All you have to do is stomp out the flaming bag of poo! Send it to your friends for some Halloween fun!

Click here to play - Flaming Bag of Poo!

Oogie Boogie Cupcakes

I'm a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan and I'm so in love with these Oogie Boogie Cupcakes!


He's the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright...It's the Oogie Boogie cupcake...
 

Click here for the full recipe - Spoonful: Oogie Boogie Cupcakes

Glowing Halloween Paper Lanterns

Add some eerie lighting to your Halloween party with these Glowing Halloween Paper Lanterns. 

Get the full tutorial here - HWTM Blog: Glowing Halloween Paper Lanterns

Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookies

I'm a sucker for anything with caramel and these Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookies look amazing!

Get the recipe here - HWTM Blog: Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookies

Spider Web Cupcakes

These spider web cupcakes are so easy to make and so elegantly creepy!

See the full tutorial here - Little Birdie Secrets: Halloween Spider Web Cupcakes

Tiered Treat Trays

I wanted to have something to display all of the creepy goodies we will have at my Halloween party. There are some gorgeous tiered trays available but at a hefty price. I decided to attempt to make my own, with most of the supplies coming from the dollar store!

Here's what you will need:

• Dollar store trays (3 or more)
• Dollar store glass taper holders
• Industrial glue (such as E-6000 or Super Glue's Fix-All Adhesive)
• Spray paint
• Ruler

First spray the front and back of each tray with the spray paint. Two to three light coats is best. I used silver so that all the trays would be the same color. But you could certainly use a black, orange, green...anything to match your Halloween decor!

Be patient with it, the spray paint dries fast, but drips if you spray it on too heavy.

Measure out the center of each tray and mark an with an X. 

Run a bead of glue along the top of the candlestick and press into the center of the top of the tray. 

By using the candlesticks upside down, there will be more room for your goodies on the tray!

 

Flip the tray upside down and glue the bottom of the candlestick to the bottom of the 2nd tray. 

 When the glue is dry, flip the tray and add the 2nd candlestick and the 3rd tray.
 
 I used water jugs to keep the trays in place and press the glue firmly to the trays.

 Let dry for 24 hours and you are done! 

 

Keep in mind that these are not dishwasher safe and are not food safe. You can use cute candy and cupcake liners to to hold your goodies for your guests. You could also use doilies or cheese cloth.

 

Happy haunting! 

Frankenweenie

I'm so excited for Tim Burton's Frankenweenie! In theaters October 5th, 2012.

Candy Corn Oreos

I am a HUGE Oreo fan, so I'm interested to try these Candy Corn Oreo's!

The "limited edition" cookies, featuring vanilla wafers and yellow and orange-colored cream, will be available exclusively at Target stores.

Skeleton Coffin Invitations

I'm loving these skeleton coffin invitations, using a wooden coffin, plastic skeleton and webbing! You can get most of the supplies at Michaels or Dollar Tree.

Click here for the tutorial:
A Spoonful of Everything blog - Coffin Invitation tutorial

Blue Moon Seasonal Ales

My sister brought these tasty guys over to a family bbq today! Blue Moon has some great seasonal ales available for Autumn.

 

Caramel Apple Spice Ale -
Blends apple juice with cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel malts for a warming spice taste to stir up the tastes of fall.

Harvest Pumpkin Ale - 
Crafted with pumpkin and spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice for a taste you’ll want to fall right into.

 

 

I have always loved the Harvest Pumpkin Ale but was pleasantly surprised by the newly released Caramel Apple Spiced Ale. Not too sweet and just the right amount of spice!

Toilet Paper Roll Candles

These candles are super easy to make, much safer than regular candles and are such a cool effect!

Here are the materials you will need:

• Toilet paper or paper towel rolls
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Rocks or stones
• Battery tealights
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks

First tape the bottom of the roll with the masking tape.

Next drop a rock or stones into the roll to weight the candle.

Tape a "well" or "shelf" using the masking tape to hold the battery tealight. Check to make sure the tealight fits. I found battery tealights at Dollar Tree in a package of 3 for $1.00!

 

Use the hot glue gun to drip the hot glue down the side of the roll to mimick the look of melted wax. Build the layers of glue to look realistic.

BE CAREFUL! Don't burn yourself with the hot glue!

Once the glue has dried, paint the entire candle with either one color or two tones to make the "dripping wax" stand out. You'll also want to paint the battery tealights to match your candle.

Stand back and admire your work! These candles will look great next to props, lined up on a mantle, grouped together on tables...the possibilities are endless!

 

Paper towel and toilet paper roll hoarder

I'm working on a tutorial for creepy looking candles that are super easy but an awesome effect. All you need are a few items including paper towel rolls, battery tea lights and hot glue. I should have the tutorial up soon!

In the meantime, I look like a crazy bag lady...hoarding paper towel and toilet paper rolls! Haha

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

It is officially the start of the Autumn season! I was so excited to see that Starbucks released their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte yesterday. Of course I ordered mine iced since the temperatures are still in the 100's here in Phoenix. This is one of my favorite seasonal flavors that Starbucks offers, so I was a very happy girl!

My Very First Post

Greetings! Welcome to the Amber Dawn of the Dead Blog! I am new to the blogging world so I hope you will all have patience with me as I try to figure out what I'm doing! 

The reason I created this blog was to have a place to feed my obsession with Halloween! It has always been my favorite holiday and time of year growing up and even more so as an adult. I love feeling the temperature drop with smells of pumpkin, cinnamon and spices in the air. I love the magical combination of the light and the dark. It's an excuse to act like a kid again, dress up in ridiculous costumes, eat way too many sweets, play pranks and scare the crap out of people! Most of all, I love the endless opportunities to be creative. I'm a crafter at heart and Halloween has been the perfect outlet for my creative mind. 

So stay tuned and I hope to have lots of craft projects, spooky recipes, party tips, costume ideas and Halloween inspiration to share! Thanks for looking, there will be more to come!