3 Tasty & Easy Ways to Add Something Fun to Your Halloween Celebrations! #SpookyCelebration #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study about Halloween Celebrations for Collective Bias and their client.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Since I am not usually into Halloween baking, I thought I would share some easy no-bake ways to make your Halloween celebrations more fun.  In our house, Halloween is mostly about creating fun memories for our children.  This not only includes cool costumes and candies galore, but also memorable decorations and unique ways to celebrate.  Nothing makes me happier than hearing the words "Remember one year when . . . ".

Last year, we created some pretty darn cool favors to hand out to trick-or-treaters.  This year, I experimented with a few different ways to use candy to create something fun just for our children. After a week of experimenting (my poor husband was tasked with the job of eating all the failed experiments), I came up with a few cool things that anyone can make, even children.


How to make Eyeballs Ice Cubes . . . 

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 standard ice cube tray

Skittles candy

Step 1.  Fill each mold in a standard ice tray about 90% full with water.

Step 2.  Sort through your Skittles and pull out all your orange, yellow, and purple candies.

Step 3.  Place 2 of the same colored Skittles next to each other flat against the bottom in each water-filled mold of the ice cube tray.

Step 4.  Place tray in freezer and allow to freeze completely.

You will notice that the color coating of the Skittles will dissolve into the water almost immediately.  By the time the ice cubes have completely frozen, much of the candy center will have dissolved also, leaving behind two small pieces of candy that will resemble eyeballs.

How to make Candy Corn Ice Cubes . . . 

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 standard ice cube tray

Starburst candy (yellow and orange only)

knife

cutting board

Step 1.  Fill each mold in a standard ice tray about 90% full with water.

Step 2.  Laying each unwrapped Starburst flat on the cutting board, cut the candy into halves.

Step 3.  Place 3 pieces of cut candy flat into the bottom of each water-filled space in the ice cube tray.  Be sure to line the 3 candy pieces in a yellow/orange/yellow or an orange/yellow/orange pattern.

Step 4.  Place tray into freezer and allow to freeze completely.

Although the Starburst candy pieces do not completely dissolve, the results will be a gradient of color within the ice cubes.

Take a look at our Eyeballs and Candy Corn ice cubes . . . 

Keeping in mind that these ice cubes contain sugary candy in them, you may want to use plain ice cubes to fill 2/3 of the glass and add the candy ice cubes on top.  These taste great served with 7UP alone (which was my favorite) or in a party punch made out of 50% 7UP and 50% Hawaiian Punch.

How to make Ice Cream Sandwich Coffins . . . 

WHAT YOU NEED:

rectangular ice cream sandwiches

M&M candies

tube of white icing (for writing)

knife

cutting board

Step 1.  Lay each frozen ice cream sandwich vertically on the cutting board and cut off the tips of the top two corners.

Step 2.  To form the shape of a coffin, cut off the bottom two corners of the ice cream sandwich, starting your cut about halfway down the left and right sides.

Step 3.  Sort through the M&M candies and pull out the fall colors (brown, yellow, orange, and red).

Step 4.  Push the M&M's into the ice cream all around the sides of the ice cream sandwich, making sure to alternate the colors.

Step 5.  Using the white frosting, write the letters "RIP" on the front upper half of the ice cream sandwich.

Step 6.  Store the decorated ice cream sandwich in the freezer until ready to serve.

I experimented with all types of candy, such as Snickers and Twix Fun Size bars, to finally settle on using M&M's.  If you end up doing some experimenting of your own to make Halloween punch, this ice cream sandwich coffin, or other Halloween desserts, I would love to hear about your results.


For more fun #SpookyCelebration Halloween ideas, visit the Spooky Halloween Celebrations Pinterest board and BrightIdeas.com.  Also be sure to check for coupons on products you may use in these and other Halloween recipes.

Living Green With Jerinda: Oransi Robby Wash Ball

Laundry is one of those never ending chores that seems to suck the life out of you and drain your bank account. Well, that may be a bit dramatic, but laundry really isn’t fun. Finding good laundry detergent that works well, smells nice, is perfect for the whole family, and is easy to use can be a daunting task. The Robby Wash Ball by Oransi is a perfect solution to laundry woes.

The Robby Wash Ball is a very unique laundry detergent because it has pellets, called macromolecules, that fill a plastic ball. One packet of macromolecules can do literally months worth of washing. In fact, their guarantee is that one set of the wash ball kit will last for one year! Between uses, you just have to make sure to set the ball in a well ventilated area and make sure to never put it in the dryer.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

The starter kit comes with several packets of macromolecules, the plastic wash ball, and a stain remover stick along with instructions for use. We’ve been using the wash ball for several weeks and I must say that I really like it! My clothes smell fresh, are stain-free, and the ball is so easy to use. It’s really nice not having to measure out laundry detergent every time. The Robby Wash Ball makes doing laundry much easier and I’m glad we got to try it out.

To learn more about Robby Wash Ball, visit Oransi’s Facebook page or Twitter page. The Robby Wash Ball starter kit retails for $32.95.

Thank you to Oransi for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and of providing an additional product for our contest prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

Inspiration plus an Amazing Promotion from JCPenney Portrait Studio

With Mother's Day and Father's Day coming up, you may be considering a new framed family portrait as the perfect gift, especially if you have not had one done in awhile.  After all, our children grow and change so quickly.  To me, photos are the best way to capture their childhoods.  If you're like me, then you have had some great and some not-so-great experiences with young children and professional portrait sittings.  Let me share what I have come to learn about taking family portraits . . .

The main thing I have come to realize about taking portrait photos is that formal is not always better.  Your children can sit still and smile for the camera against a blue background during their school portraits, but a studio experience should be creative and fun.  Even when I take portraits of the children at home, the best photos are often the ones in which they are allowed to let loose.  Checkout these portrait ideas I have pinned on Pinterest.  There is such an imaginative use of composition, props, and angles.  Which photo concept is your favorite?

If you would like to have a portrait done before Mother's Day or Father's Day, you can snag an amazing deal during the month of April at your local JCPenney Portrait Studio.  Through April 30th, 2012 you can receive 6 Traditional Portrait Sheets for $20 plus one Free Sitting Fee (a $9 sitting fee applies to each person after the first).  You are allowed to mix and match photo sizes and you do not have to limit yourself to just one image.  You can even schedule a session online.

To find the closest JCPenny Portrait Studio to you, simply enter your zip code on JCPPortraits.com.  For even more portrait inspirations, visit the JCPPortrait Gallery and Pinterest page.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of jcpenney Portrait Studio. I was asked to create a Pinterest Board and pin at least five (5) pins. I give jcpenney the right to repin any or all images/original content from this board. I received a promotional item as a thanks for my participation.