It was a birthday weekend (a little belated so dad could be there) for my boys, and we had a monster birthday bash! After a joint party, the boys and I went to the U of Iowa game and ate our way through four awesome quarters of college football. I was more-than-exhausted by the end of the night, but what a fun way to celebrate my big boys!

The boys wanted a monster theme, which I was excited about after seeing this cake on Pinterest. I made a cake platter for the occasion that I thought would be perfect for Halloween decor after the party. . .

Painted Chevron Platter Tutorial
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Supplies:
*Plain plate (mine was $4 at Walmart--check thrift stores, too)
*Vinyl cut into chevron or other pattern (I used my Silhouette to cut my chevron pattern)
*Candlestick or other base for your platter (I found mine at the thrift store for $.88)
*Alcohol and cotton pad
*Acrylic paint suitable for ceramics (like Martha Stewart Craft Paints or Folk Art's Enamel paints)
*Sponge brush or roller
*Ceramic glue (I used E6000)
(Sorry for the weird photos--sometimes I have to craft at night and I didn't bring my photography lights with me to Iowa!)

1. Clean plate with alcohol and cotton pad. Allow to dry.

 2. Using transfer tape, apply your vinyl stencil to your plate.

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If you liked our Halloween wreath last week, you need to hop over to Sassy Style Redesign for wreath week! Our darling friend Tausha is celebrating the wreath all week with wreaths from some of her favorite bloggers. We're thrilled to be her first featured wreath! Visit Sassy Style all week for more fun fall wreath ideas, and don't miss Friday when she'll post a link to her appearance on Studio 5, showing off her own wreath ideas on TV!

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Thanks to everyone who entered the Lella Boutique giveaway for custom made trick-or-treat bags or a free pattern! 

The winner of custom treats bags for her kids is. . .

Amy of A Little Off The Top who said:
"The bar bag is my favorite! I love his cute little eyes! Thanks for the giveaway! My kids are already antsy fir Halloween!"

Congrats, Amy! But wait, there's more! The 5 winners of a copy of the Trick-Or-Treat bag pattern are. . .

Caren who said:
I vote for the raven! they're all so great, though!!!
cadamsworship (at)yahoo.com

A Girl and Three Boys who said:
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the "Olive" bag! The clothes pins, the crow, the colors...too cute! :)

The Lovely One who said:
These are so cute! My son would love the spider and my daughter needs the witch hat and frog!

Jenna Marlow who said:

My girls are going to be pirates for Halloween! I love love love the pirate ship bag!!! 

 

and finally. . .

Patterenti who said:

It is my daughter's first Halloween this year and she loves frogs- The bag with the witch's hat and the frog is darling. I also love the OLIVE bag! What a fun contest. Also I am new to your blog and I LOVE IT!!!

Congrats to all our winners! PLEASE e-mail us at littlebirdiesecrets@gmail.com asap so we can get you in touch with Vanessa for your prizes!

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Now that you have tried the chicken tikka masala that I posted last month, you are sure to have garam masala spice on hand. So here is another recipe to make with it. We made this chicken a few weeks ago and it was delicious! So tender, juicy, and flavorful. What more can you ask for? Oh, well it's easy too. Enjoy!

Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken (from Bon Appetit)

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt (I used lowfat and it worked great)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems
1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 2"piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped


Working with one chicken breast at a time, put chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound to 1/2" thickness. Transfer chicken breasts to a resealable plastic bag.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken, seal bag, and turn to coat. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Build a medium fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Brush grill grates with oil. Scrape excess marinade off chicken; season with salt. Grill chicken, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.

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One thing I can't get enough of is craft supplies (you're not surprised, are you?). The other thing I love is a good deal. Which is why I think Pick Your Plum is so genius. They offer one crafty supply each day at a ridiculous price. Here are a few examples of some of their past deals:

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Chocolate Yogurt Muffins
Omega-3 Kid-Friendly Recipe

This kid-friendly chocolate muffin recipe if a favorite around our house! Which is great, because my kids aren't big fish fans, and I want them to have plenty of DHA Omega-3 to help support their eye, brain, and heart health. Flax seed is rich in omega-3, and it's easy to hide in these dense muffins. Adding chopped walnuts not only ups the yum factor, but it adds even more Omega-3. And if you use milk and enhanced with Omega-3 (like Horizon Organic offers), you've got up to three great sources of Omega-3 in one recipe! The best part? These muffins are delicious! Your kids will never guess they're "healthified." Mine think they're cupcakes!

Ingredients:
 
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. flax seed (rich in Omega-3)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (rich in Omega-3)
1/2 c. dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. low fat or fat free vanilla yogurt
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. milk (try Horizon Organic's fortified with Omega-3)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or line with baking cups.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl, blend together yogurt, oil, and milk.

Add dry ingredients to yogurt mixture and stir just until blended.
Fill muffin cups with batter about 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 16 - 18 minutes or until a toothpicks comes out mostly clean. Makes 12 regular muffins. Yum!
Recipe source: Adapted from HodgsonMill.com
Share how you sneak Omega-3’s into your family’s diet for a chance to win a $500 Grocery Shopping Spree!

DHA belongs to a category of healthy fatty acids known as Omega-3's. DHA is a major structural fat in the body, and has been shown to support brain, heart and eye health. Not only is DHA found in foods like salmon and eggs, but it can also be found in Horizon® Organic Milk enhanced with DHA Omega-3. Learn more about Horizon’s commitment to healthy families at http://www.horizondairy.com/everyday-nutrition/dha-omega-3/

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon.  The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Horizon Organic brand.

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Halloween is creeping up on us--is your house ready? I've been having so much fun making spooky decorations for my house. If you need another cheap and easy Halloween decorating idea, check out our guest post for Halloween potion bottles with aged (i.e. coffee dyed) labels over at Make and Takes today. Definitely spooooooky!
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Time to announce to very lucky giveaway winners! The winner of our ottlite craft caddy giveaway is:

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I love that my kids' school still lets parents bring homemade treats for birthdays, etc., because I love making homemade treats! Last year I let my son choose a cake pop from Bakerella's Cake Pops book, and he chose the robots. So darn cute! A ton of work and supplies, though. He wanted them again for his new school, but the book is in storage in Seattle (I couldn't bring everything, remember?).

So while perusing Bakerella.com for some new ideas, I found these brownie spider bites that she put together for Paula Deen's site. They were just right for my birthday boy (who is 8 today--I can't believe I have a cub scout on my hands already!). Aren't they creepy? Also a lot of work, but not so pricey. And my son thought mine were cooler than the original. Score one for mom!

Here they are all packaged up, ready to go to second grade!

I couldn't find the black licorice wheels for the spiders' legs, so we improvised with Twizzlers red Pull-N-Peel. And there was no way I was going to spend the money to buy the raspberry gumpdrops for a bunch of 2nd graders, so I used red and orange M&Ms. I just colored a little black pupil in with a black edible food marker.

Please forgive the pictures, as I was finishing these up after midnight last night. I won't tell you how long after midnight I was up, but I will tell you I love my kids. A LOT. You see, I had to make something for my Kindergartener's class, too, because his birthday is tomorrow and they celebrated it in class today. He chose the ghost pops, which are about the easiest of Bakerella's pops and one of the cheapest (no crazy candies to buy). I made them out of a brownie mix instead of cake (like the spiders called for), which is awesome because they're not only yummy, but you don't have to mix in the frosting and you can skip the freezer. Yipee!
This is Bakerella's photo, not mine. Mine weren't quite as perfect, but just as yummy. One tip. The Wilton edible markers do not write well on the candy bites for some reason. I have had nothing but bad luck with them. I know Bakerella uses a more professional one (not sure what it's called). So I drew my ghost's eyes and mouths on with a little melted chocolate candy coating and a toothpick. They looked cute! Sorry, no pic. I was too tired to think of it by the time I was done with them. But either of these spooky treats would be perfect for a Halloween party. Try them with a brownie mix instead of cake and frosting--they're dangerously delicious!

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My mother-in-law and sisters-in-law recently made cute tulle Halloween wreaths during a girls' trip and sent me pictures (wish I could've been there!). I decided that making my own was the next best thing to crafting with them, so here's my version, girls! Here's how you can make your own. . .

Tulle Halloween Wreath & Plaque Tutorial

Supplies:
*Embroidery hoop (choose a size just a bit smaller than you want your finished wreath)
*Approx. 3 yards tulle off the bolt in black, purple, orange, or lime green (I used a combination of black rough netting and a softer tulle, both available at most fabric stores or at WalMart)
*Wide ribbon (mine was 6" wide) for bow and to hang wreath
*Wood plaque (ready-to-finish plaques are available in the wood aisle at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby, but I painted one I found at the thrift store)
*Black spray paint or acrylic paint
*Sand paper
*Book pages from an old book
*Computer and printer
*Adhesive (I used Elmer's Craft Bond spray adhesive, but Mod Podge would work, too)
*Clear coat spray or Mod Podge (I like Krylon's Matte Finish spray)

To create the wreath, I started out the same way I did in my Halloween Chandelier tutorial, with an embroidery hoop and about 1 yard of tulle off the bolt cut into 3" x 6" strips. Tie them on the hoop in a square knot. Then I added another two yards cut into longer strips (about 2" by 10"). These longer strips can be tied on the hoop in between the shorter strips until the wreath looks full. 

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A while ago we had a fun guest tutorial series from one of my favorite bloggers, Vanessa at Lella Boutique, for a zig zag quilt. Remember that? It was one of the best tutorials for the zig zag pattern that I'd seen! Some of you noticed that we recently removed the posts from our site as Vanessa has made the pattern available for purchase. (Find it here on Pattern Spot!) She felt badly to have inconvenienced any readers who had bookmarked the pattern to make it later, so she is offering a fabulous giveaway to our readers to apologize! Isn't that sweet?

It's especially "sweet" because this giveaway is for Vanessa's newest pattern--Trick or Treat Bags. One reader will receive custom trick or treat bags for their kids (up to 4 bags), and 5 more readers will receive a free copy of the trick-or-treat pattern to make their own! Just in time for Halloween--that's no trick! Here are the choices (fabrics used may not be exactly the same, but similar):

Leave us a comment about which trick-or-treat bag you love most and you'll be entered to win! Giveaway ends Tuesday, October 11 at 11:59pm. We'll post our 6 winners next Wednesday!

And if you're in love with the fabric she used as the backdrop for these photos, find out what it is and check out the beautiful quilted fall table runner she made using it on her blog! She has a great tip for quilting straight lines, too.

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When I was growing up, recess was one of the best parts of my school day. You would look forward to those little breaks in the day when you could get together with all your friends and play. No work required, just laughter, fresh air, playing, and fun.

There were so many different things we would enjoy. Four square, soccer, playing tag, swings, and more. One of my absolute favorite things was the monkey bars or rings. It was always a challenge with my friends to see who could get across them the fastest and smoothest. I remember I took quite a few falls in my effort to be the quickest, but it sure was fun. I remember practicing on non-school days so I would be better at recess with my friends. So many of my wonderful childhood memories took place at recess. I can see these memories being built in my own son as well.



In the past twenty years, children have lost an average of 8 hours of recess a week. Danimals Rally for Recessis a national initiative designed to create healthy competition, pitting school against school. Go to Danimals Rally for Recess for a chance to win $20,000 for your Elementary school playground. Plus each day Danimals is giving recess-related prizes to keep kids healthy and active. Share your Recess memories below and go to Rally for Recess for more information on how your school can win!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Danimals. The opinions and text are all mine. Contest Rules.

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We are so excited to introduce you to a wonderful site, La Posh Style. They have wonderful clothing and accessories and we know you are just going to love their stuff! Now that it is Fall, I am so excited to pull some different clothes out of my closet. I always love this time of year with all the layers and adorable clothing out there. La Posh Style has some fabulous Fall items.

I am in love with this coat. Love the color. Love the ruffle detail. Love it.

And these boots? Wow. I'm probably not hip enough to pull them off, but they are beautiful!
Ok, I could go on and on, but I know you are dying to get to the giveaway part. This is the exciting part. La Posh Style is giving one of our readers a $50 gift card!! Oh, I am so jealous of all of you. So, if you want to be entered in this giveaway (who wouldn't) then visit La Posh Style and look around. Then come back and leave a comment telling us what item you would get with your gift card if you win. For a second entry you can like La Posh Style on Facebook. Good luck! This giveaway will end Friday, October 7th at 11:59pm PT.

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Thanks to everyone who entered the Baby Blvd. giveaway! I loved that almost everyone who entered said they wanted the turquoise damask. Me too! However, our winner wanted the green & purple flowers tote, which is also darling. You get your wish. . .

Congratulations! Please contact us with your e-mail address and we'll get you in contact with Baby Blvd. for your prize!

If you didn't win, you can still get that turquoise damask fabric (or the pattern to make your own) in the Baby Blvd. shop!

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