Living La Vida Holoka


Spooky Good Pumpkin Spice Fruit Dip

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Thank you to FruitBouquets.com for sending me Halloween treats in exchange for this post. No other compensation has been received. The opinions stated within this post are 100% my own.


Halloween will be here before we know it.  You know what’s spookier than the holiday itself?  Showing up to your next party empty-handed!  Whether you’re the “hostess with the mostest” or heading to a costume party, don’t gather without bringing something ghoulishly good to the table!  Don’t worry!  I’ve got a couple tricks and treats to show you today that will save you from making such a monstrous mistake!

Dips are one of my favorite party foods.  You can’t go wrong with dip!  Sure, you can have your chips and salsa, hot and cheesy dips, and crudite platters.  Those are good, but Halloween is all about sweets!  Since it’s also Pumpkin Season, I decided to create a Pumpkin Spice Dip that’s perfect for Halloween, pumpkin spice lovers, and even Thanksgiving!



I am a total pumpkin spice lover!  Really, I love pumpkin-anything!  This easy dip has quickly become one of my favorite pumpkin recipes!  It’s made with pumpkin puree, homemade marshmallow fluff, and cream cheese.  So good!  It’s delicious to dip into with graham crackers or Nilla Wafers, but I really love it with fruit!  Want to make this Pumpkin Spice Fruit Dip even tastier?  Serve it with a Fall fruit arrangement and some chocolate-covered monster strawberries from FruitBouquets.com!

FruitBouquets.com recently sent me the CUTEST Halloween arrangement!  It was made with strawberries, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-covered apples, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and Jack-o-lantern and candy corn pineapple.  There was even a Halloween balloon attached to the fruit bouquet!  Chocolate-covered strawberries just happen to be my favorite, so I was delighted to also receive a box full of their Monster Berries™!  Everything was so good with this pumpkin fruit dip!



Spooky Good Pumpkin Spice Fruit Dip
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup mini marshmallows
  2. 1 tsp. light corn syrup
  3. 8 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened
  4. 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  5. 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  6. 1/2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  7. 1/2 tbsp. honey
  8. Fruit, for dipping
Instructions
  1. Using a double boiler method, melt the mini marshmallows over a low flame, stirring continuously.
  2. Once the marshmallows have begun to melt down, stir in the corn syrup.
  3. Continue stirring until the marshmallows are completely smooth and melted.
  4. Working quickly, add the marshmallow mixture and Neufchatel cheese to a mixing bowl.
  5. Mix on low speed until smooth and combined.
  6. Next, mix in vanilla, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and honey.
  7. Spoon dip into a dish and serve with fruit.
  8. Keep covered in the fridge until serving.
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My favorite fruit to eat with this pumpkin spice dip was definitely the chocolate-covered apples. It was such a delicious combination of Fall flavors! Again, all of the fruit in this arrangement was so fresh and delicious!

FruitBouquets.com guarantees same day delivery (with orders placed before 11AM)!  Of course, it’s recommended to order ahead of time. Check out all of the Fall arrangements that FruitBouquets.com has to offer. Pair a FruitBouquet with this dip for a ghoulishly good Halloween treat!

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What’s your favorite kind of fruit dip?

DIY Halloween Fairy Garden

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I was provided product samples free of charge from Oriental Trading in exchange for my honest opinion. No other compensation was provided for this post.


I love having a garden, but I have to admit that by the end of the summer I’m kind of “over it.”  At the beginning of the season, I can’t wait to watch our garden grow.  I’ll make a morning routine out of picking berries off our bushes and gathering vegetables in our garden.  But by this time of year, I’m no longer rushing outside in the morning.  In fact, if a squirrel or rabbit ends up in the garden, I’m not as eager to go chase them out.  

Then, it always happens.  We make the decision to rip out the garden for another year and I begin to miss my morning routine.  The disappointment really sets in when I have to buy a tomato from the store.  It’s just not the same as picking one right from the backyard!  

The only thing that’s left to grow in the garden is winter grass that we’ll plant and turn over in the spring.  So I’ll just have to wait another year for my gardening excitement to return once again.  

Or will I?


Outdoor gardening season might be over, but it doesn’t mean you need to put your gardening tools away just yet!  Not when we can do some indoor gardening! I love making fairy gardens and terrariums. They’re a great way to add color to your home and get creative with different objects and plants.  

With Halloween up ahead, I decided to make a creepy fairy garden and work it into my Halloween decor this year.  What better way to make a Halloween fairy garden than in a pumpkin?!  This project was so easy to make with supplies from Oriental Trading!

SUPPLIES

  • Diorama craft pumpkin
  • Hot glue gun
  • Natural moss
  • Halloween figurines
  • Moss foam rocks
  • Stretchable spider webs
  • Creepy ants
  • LED string lights

STEPS

  1. Heat up your hot glue gun.  Then, begin gluing moss onto the bottom of the pumpkin.
  2. Position the Halloween figurines inside of the pumpkin.  Then, glue them into place.
  3. Cover a couple of moss foam rocks with stretchable spider web.  Glue them inside of the pumpkin, as well.
  4. Add an extra creepy touch to the moss rocks by gluing a couple of ants on top.
  5. Next, carefully cut or drill a small hole into the back of the pumpkin, towards the bottom.  This hole will be used to string the lights through.
  6. String the end of the lights through the hole.  Twist and turn them around the inside of the pumpkin.
  7. For a fun touch, glue the lights around the outside of the pumpkin’s opening.  Hide the glued spots by adding an ant on top.
  8. Turn on the lights and display your Halloween fairy garden!



Even though this fairy garden has a few creepy touches inside of it, you have to admit that it’s kind of cute! You can make your own Halloween fairy garden as creepy or as cute as you like!  

Gather the supplies you need to make this fairy garden on Oriental Trading and get started on this spooktacular Halloween garden idea!

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If you like this Halloween project, you might also like these:

DIY Halloween Candy Wreath

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #SpookySavings #BOOItForward #CollectiveBias

Are you ready to BOO your friends and family this Halloween? Hover over the photo below and click through to shop for spooktacular candy from SamsClub.com.  BOO in bulk this year!

 
There’s a part of me that still can’t believe Summer is coming to an end.  But we’re already halfway through September and it officially feels like Fall has begun!  My excitement for Halloween has completely taken over! I’ve been having fun working on lots of spooky Halloween recipes and DIY projects!

Recently, I was talking to my husband about some of my upcoming Halloween projects.  As I was going through some of my old projects from last year, I was reminded of the Date Night BOO Kit that I made for my husband last year.  I mentioned to him how much fun it was to put a BOO Kit together for him, as well as the one I put together for the family dogs!

I had so much fun BOO’ing the family last year, that I wanted to do it again this year.  After all, one of my favorite things about Halloween is sharing some sweetness among the spookiness! So this year, I talked to my husband about BOO’ing our neighbors who do so much for us – and our dog – throughout the year!



I wasn’t always this close to our neighbors.  When I first moved in with my husband, I didn’t talk to them all that much, if at all.  But that all changed when we got Hunter!  Almost everyone on our block has a dog, so he loves visiting with our neighbors and their dogs!  Our neighbors definitely love Hunter in return!  In fact, they’ll even spoil him with treats and toys!

Since my neighbors do so much for us (and especially Hunter) throughout the year, I thought it would be nice to give them something special in return for Halloween.  So during a recent visit to Sam’s Club, my husband and I stocked up on MARS® candies so we could “BOO in bulk” this year!  These large variety packs of candy allow you to get what you need for BOO’ing on a budget!

We purchased the MARS® Mad Scientist bag that’s filled with an assortment of our favorite chocolate candies (check out the MARS® Bat Bag at Sam’s Club, too).  We also purchased a Skittles® / Starburst® Bag to add a little more variety to our BOO Kits! Then, I decided to use some of our candy to make a DIY Halloween Candy Wreath to hang on my neighbor’s door and made small baskets of candy for our other neighbors!

SUPPLIES

  • Foam wreath
  • Orange ribbon
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun
  • MARS® Mad Scientist candy assortment
  • Skittles® / Starburst® Bag candy assortment
  • Plastic spiders

STEPS

  1. Heat hot glue gun.  
  2. Begin wrapping orange ribbon around the foam wreath, gluing into place as you go.
  3. Once ribbon is in place, begin gluing on Halloween candies, making sure to cover the majority of the ribbon.  Leave enough space to tie a loop of ribbon for hanging.
  4. Glue on plastic spiders to add a spooky touch to the wreath.
  5. Finally, tie a loop of ribbon onto the wreath for hanging.


This DIY Halloween Candy Wreath is such an easy way to BOO your friends and family!  My only tip is that you shouldn’t hang it on their door if it’s a hot day.  You don’t want their tasty treats to melt!  

Also, hot gluing the candy onto the wreath won’t harm the candy in any way since you’re just using a dot of glue on the wrapper.  It’ll still be completely edible!  Hot glue is pretty easy to remove, too, so you shouldn’t have any problems taking candy off the wreath!


Next time you’re at Sam’s Club, stock up on MARS® candies for your BOO Kits and DIY projects!  Look for the 2 specially marked Halloween bags – the MARS® Bat Bag and MARS® Mad Scientist Bag – in the candy aisle and their special Halloween display.

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How will you BOO your friends and family this year?

10 Last Minute Halloween DIY Tutorials

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10 Last Minute Halloween DIY Tutorials
The final countdown to Halloween is on!  Do you have your costume ready?  Are your weekend activities set?  If you’re not 100 percent prepared yet, no worries!  I’m helping you out today with some last minute Halloween DIY projects and tutorials!

I have to admit that my Halloween preparations aren’t complete as of yet either.  Thankfully, I have a lot of candy leftover from projects to hand out. While I don’t have a full costume, I have a witch hat and enough makeup in my bathroom to make me look frightfully wicked!

So whether you’re still planning your costume, still working on decorations, or looking for a Halloween activity to do with the kiddos this weekend, check out these Halloween DIY tutorials!  Have a Happy Halloween, guys and ghouls!

DIY Candy Corn Centerpieces | A Spark of Creativity
Scarecrow Family Costumes | The Vintage Modern Wife
Monster High Catrine DeMew Tutorial | Phyrra
Five-Ingredient Spooky Slime | Kendall Rayburn
Glam Half Zombie Halloween Makeup Tutorial | Slashed Beauty
Quick and Easy Pumpkin Goody Bags | My Mommy Brain
5 Little Pumpkins Coloring Sheet | Kendall Rayburn
Halloween Cheesecloth Ghost DIY | Hello Nature
Ever After High Raven Queen Tutorial | Phyrra

What Halloween activities are you doing this weekend?