Of Candy Boxes & Bars

So, I've been a bit MIA lately...I really like Halloween and I've been trying to get everything in line before the big event, which doesn't happen very easily with 4 kids who go to 3 different schools, living in the house! It's not just school, it's the volunteering at their schools, getting them to and from activities, making "treats" and birthday cakes and all that stuff. Do I have to do all that? No, you're right, it's my choice. Although, kids do tend to be less whiny and sullen when you actually pay attention to them on a regular basis. Even the teenagers, as much as they try to disassociate themselves from Mom, seem to benefit from it in at least small amounts!

And of course, there's the freakin' laundry. I hate laundry, but even more than hating doing laundry, I hate someone else doing the laundry. Yes, I'm a bit of a control freak about that--mainly because MY clothes are inevitably the ones that get ruined if someone else gets their paws on the machine. And more than hating to do laundry, I hate going clothes shopping. My dream is to be able to hire someone to do the laundry and regular cleaning, so I don't have to vacillate between feeling like a rotten housekeeper or a rotten stamper!!!

Anyway, one of my little projects for Halloween is hand-stamped treats. It's not as hard as it sounds, and I found some packages with boxes of candies in them that work like a charm! As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, I am filling up a big bowl with them quite rapidly. All I did was measure around the box, then cut out a piece of Ghostly Greetings Designer Series Paper to wrap around in a sleeve. Then I added a little strip of coordinating card stock to the front, and stamped images in coordinating ink colors from the Eat, Drink & Be Scary stamp set--which fit into the Curly Label Punch, and the Small Tag Punch! Super easy...now, if I can just stop snacking on the treats as I make them up, it would be awesome. (there's a little hint there at why I hate clothes shopping, by the way) Here's a closeup of some of the designs for you:

Speaking of snacking on candy, I found the Nestlé® 100 Grand® Fun Size bars on sale at the store and had to grab some. These were my favorite candy bar when I was a kid, and I apparently still love them because I keep eating them. I have yet to have decorated ANY, but I've eaten like 10 of them. Eeeks, talk about horrifying! But I cannot call them "100 Grand" bars, because they were "$100,000 Bars" when I was a kid. It's like the whole "KFC" thing...I absolutely cannot call it that, it's "Kentucky Fried Chicken", thank you very much. My teenage daughter is disgusted that I won't call these things by their current names. She says, "that's what they're CALLED, Mom!". Hey, not when I was her age. I must be turning into an old dog, because I just refuse to learn that new trick.

And, just in case I don't have a chance to post tomorrow:

HAVE A GHOULISHLY GREAT HALLOWEEN!