Category Archives: Parties

Save the date Marcus & Paula Wedding Announcement Made Free With Adobe Spark

How To Create FREE Wedding Invitations With Adobe Spark

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Yes, it’s true! You can create amazing wedding invitations for FREE!

After living together for more than ten years, Marcus and I just became officially engaged a few months ago. I know, it’s about time! We will be doing a simple ceremony with a small group of our family and friends in attendance. Even though we are a mature bride and groom, this is still a big day for both of us and we want to create an enjoyable experience for everyone. Now that we’ve set the date, we need to plan a wedding. When we began making our budget it became apparent that we needed to find some creative ways to save money without sacrificing what we wanted.

We both want an outdoor event but also know that we will need to have plans for those who need accommodations due to mobility or health. As you know the extreme weather that we experience here in the South makes an outdoor wedding in August unbearable for most sane people. However, a ceremony at the state park in the spring when the flowers are blooming and the temperatures are mild would not only be comfortable for everyone, it would also save us money on decorating. Mother Nature will provide most of the flowers. 

We all know that no southern gathering is complete without food. And, we wouldn’t want anyone saying that we didn’t throw a proper southern party. Good thing we have some experience in this area. In addition to catering my parent’s 50th-anniversary celebration, we have catered two of our children’s weddings and many large family events over the years.

So we will be preparing the food and drinks for our big day, also. Marcus and I both love pulled pork and the fixins’ that go with it. I’m feeling a country bbq theme starting to take form. With a date, a place, and a general idea of what we want our day to be like it’s time to put it in writing. Invitations!

After food and decorations, one substantial cost is often invitations. They are more than telling your guests exactly where and when the wedding will be held. Just like when you meet someone for the first time, the invitation is the first impression of the wedding to come. And we all know, you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. Your invitations will set the mood for the wedding so it’s important that. Adobe Spark is a design app that you can use with your smart devices or web browser. They have some beautiful wedding invitation templates for you to choose from. With free wedding invitation templates from Adobe Spark, you’ll assemble graphics, text, and typography like an expert.  In no time, you’ll be designing your own custom wedding invitations with personality.

How to make your own wedding invitations using the Adobe Spark wedding invitation maker:

  • Get started by going to Adobe Spark.
    Here you will be able to choose from beautiful wedding invitation templates and design your own wedding invitation in minutes.
  • Select a size for your wedding invite
    Whether you’re designing formal printed invitations or sending out informal social media invites, Adobe has a wide range of template sizes for all types of wedding-related invitations and announcements for you to pick from. 
  • Pick a theme that grabs attention
    From fun, funky, and formal to traditional or avant-garde, Adobe Spark’s wedding invitation templates let you clearly communicate the theme of your event. Don’t be afraid to experiment with various options. 
  • Choose an image
    Adobe Spark makes it easy for you to upload and edit your own images. You can even add all sorts of special effects. They also have romantic graphics and free images that you can use. 
  • Decide on a style of typography
    The kind of lettering you choose for your custom wedding invitations says a lot about you. You can try different typography styles with just a few mouse clicks to see which one fits your vision.
  • Download, print or share your invitation
    This couldn’t be easier! You can download or send your finished design to a printer with one click. You can also instantly share it via email or social media post.
   

I had fun trying different styles, fonts, images and really appreciated that I could see the results of my changes immediately. Adobe Spark was new to me and with a little bit of practice, I was able to learn how to make our invitations reflect our personalities.

What do you think of our wedding invitation and the announcement that I made using Adobe Spark? We both love that it looks professional. The invitation isn’t exactly as I had envisioned it would be. That’s because when I got started creating I discovered some awesome features that I just had to have. I created our invitation and announcement using images, graphics, and fonts that were offered for FREE on their site.

Do you have a special event coming up? Are you looking to make a good impression or increase your presence on social media? Adobe Spark offers all kinds of free templates. You really need to check them out!

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas – Eat, Drink, and Be Scary

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Whether your throwing Spooktacular Soiree, planning a Fright Night for a few close friends, or having a Monster Mash for your little goblins you’ll have fun making these Creepy, Creative, Fun and Easy Halloween Food Ideas. Create ultimate Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into this Fang-tastic Feast.

Pretzel Spiders

Shaped into spiders and dusted with poppy seeds, these soft pretzels make a fun Halloween food idea. They are both, tasty and adorable. Get the pretzel recipe and all the details to make them at Will Cook For Smiles.

Monster Eyes

Give sausage balls a spooky look by placing a pimiento-stuffed olive in the center of each one. These “eyes” are a fun breakfast treat on Halloween morning. Get the Southern Living recipe and all the details to make them at My Recipes.

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Make a classic even more fun this Halloween. These cute little Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats make a fun Halloween snack and/or treat! Get the recipe and all the details to make them at Yummy Healthy Easy.

For a Brach’s Indian Corn inspired treat, dip the large end in melted dark chocolate.  Be sure to use candy coating chocolate. This kind of chocolate coating doesn’t require tempering, so you can melt in the microwave, dip, and let it set. Otherwise, you’ll need to temper the chocolate or keep the treats in the refrigerator.

Super Easy & Healthy Halloween Treats

Each one of these treats will take you less than 5 minutes to make. They are really, really simple and require just a few ingredients that you most likely already have at home. So even if you have unexpected guests for Halloween, you can surprise them with these scary snacks. Get all the details to make them at FabLunch.

Creepy Pizza Hands

What is Halloween without something creepy? So hi, creepy bloody, burnt pizza hands!! These hand-shaped pizzas are perfect for Halloween. Get all the details to make them at Kitchen @ Hoskins.

Melted Witches

These melted witch cookies made from Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix, Bugles® snacks, and cocoa candy melts are a bewitching Halloween dessert! Get all the details to make them at Betty Crocker.

Instead of Bugles you can make an easy witches hat with a Keebler® Fudge Stripes Cookie, Orange Frosting, and Hershey Kiss. Just place a dollop of orange icing on the Fudge side of the Cookie and place the Kiss on top. For a melted Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch, you can heat a canister of vanilla icing in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir in a few drops of green food coloring, and spoon over the cookie before adding the hat and broom. Melting witches are also fun on top of cupcakes and brownies. Check out the cool ones at Big Bear’s Wife. That’s where the frosting suggestion came from, too.

Ghost Cupcakes

I know Halloween is about being scary, but these ghost cupcakes are just too cute to scare anyone. Get all the details on how to make these egg-free and dairy-free one’s check out Nerdy Momma. Also, check them out at Leite’s Culinaria. They have an easy recipe using fondant and edible ink for the ghost. You’ll love with how fast these Easy Ghost Cupcakes come together. 

Bone Chillin Breadsticks

When little trick-or-treaters are chilled to the bone, warm them up with hot Bone Chillin Breadsticks fresh from the oven! Break one of these bones, and they’re ready for dippin in a hip Halloween dip! Get all the details to make them and the Halloween Cheese Dip at Rhodes Bake-N-Serv.

Easy Mini-Donut Spiders

Looking for a fun, easy Halloween craft you can do with your kids that won’t take a lot of prep time? These cute mini donut spiders are easy to put together and don’t take too many supplies. Get all the details to make them at It’s Always Autumn.

Brownie Spiders

Cute little brownie “spiders” will make your Halloween all the sweeter! All you need is a pan of brownies (or a box of brownie Little Bites), some chocolate chips or chocolate, chow mein noodles, some candy eyes, and you’re good to go. Get all the details to make them at Gimme Some Oven.

Munster Marshmallows

This Halloween marshmallow project is a fun activity with the kids or for your inner kid. You’ll be surprised at how easy and effective this is-plus the results are delicious! Get all the details to make them at Not Quite Nigella.

Frankenstein Marshmallow Pops

These are scary marshmallows, people. SCARY. They should make you want to cry in fear. If you’re seriously crushing on these creepy Halloween marshmallow pops, get all the details to make them at Just a Taste.

5 Fun & Edible Halloween Ideas – Witches Hats, Strawberry Ghosts, Mummy Hot Dogs, Edible Eyeballs, and Glow In The Dark Frosting Recipe

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Below you will find some of the best recipes and ideas we came across while looking for fun Halloween things to do with our grandchildren. We hope you will enjoy doing some of these fun recipes and ideas with your family this year.

Halloween Witches Hats

Easy to Make with Keebler® Fudge Stripes Cookie, Orange Frosting, and Hershey Kiss
Just place a dollop of orange icing on the Fudge side of the Cookie and place the Kiss on top.
 

Mummy Dogs –  Pillsbury crescent dough and Hot Dogs
Wrap the dough around each hot dog so that they look like mummies. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Add drops of ketchup or mustard for eyes.

Screaming Strawberry Ghosts

Ingredients

30 fresh strawberries            8 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped
1 tsp shortening                   1/4 C miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 tsp almond extract

Directions

    1. Wash strawberries and gently pat with paper towels until completely dry. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate and shortening at 50% power; stir until smooth. Stir in extract.
    2. Dip strawberries in chocolate mixture; place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet, allowing excess chocolate to form the ghosts’ tails. Immediately press chocolate chips into the coating for eyes. Freeze 5 minutes.
    3. In the microwave, melt remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip a toothpick into melted chocolate and draw a mouth on each ghost. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

 

Edible Eyeballs

3.4-ounce box vanilla pudding mix
Black Jelly Beans
LifeSavers Gummies
Plastic Easter eggs (use the smaller half)
2 empty egg cartons

Make the pudding according to the directions on the box.
Fit a jelly bean in the center of a gummy Lifesaver and place it in one-half of the plastic egg.

Do this for each eyeball. Fill the egg with a dollop of the pudding (so it’s the size eyeball you’d like) and place in the egg carton for support. Place in the freezer for about 3 hours. You want them to be firm. To remove after they’re set, let them rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes and then gently squeeze them out of the plastic egg. Ready for use immediately or place the eyeballs into a freezer-safe dish and keep for up to 2 days before use. Makes about 24 eyeballs.

Ghoulishly Glowing Cupcakes

A foodsnots original recipe

Needed:

    • 1 black light
    • 24 prepared and cooled cupcakes

White Glow In The Dark Frosting

    • 7 cups confectioners’ sugar
    • 1 cup vegetable shortening
    • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
    • 5 tablespoons tonic water {diet tonic water works too}
    • mini chocolate chips morsels
Extras Needed for Colored Glowing Frosting
  Note: The darker it is the less it glows
    • Neon Food Color
    • 0.3-ounce package of either Lime or Orange Gelatin
    • 1 cup boiling water
    • 1 cup chilled tonic water

Prepare desired cupcakes and allow to cool. Begin frosting by adding confectioners’ sugar, shortening, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons tonic water into a large bowl. Beat on low speed until no loss sugar is visible. Add remaining two tablespoons as needed to bring frosting to piping consistency. Mix at high speed for about a minute to allow frosting to become light and fluffy. Place half of the white frosting into a separate bowl and set aside. Add neon food coloring to frosting until it reaches desired color {orange for orange gelatin, green for lime gelatin}.

Pipe colored frosting onto cooled cupcakes and place in the freezer for at least an hour. Meanwhile, pipe white frosting on half of the cupcakes using a large round frosting tip. Add two mini chocolate chip morsels for the ghost’s eyes to finish ghost cupcakes.

After lettering colored cupcakes freeze, prepare the gelatin by adding gelatin mix to 1 cup boiling water. Stir for about 2 minutes then add 1 cup chilled tonic water. Transfer to a container that will let you easily dip frosting into and place into an ice bath to cool. Keep gelatin in ice bath stirring occasionally until gelatin is cool but not yet set {about 5 to 10 minutes}.

When gelatin is cool to the touch take cupcakes out of the freezer a couple at a time. Dip into gelatin upside down, submerging the frosting but not the cake {it is ok for the gelatin to drip onto the cupcake, just don’t submerge it completely}. Rotate cupcakes dipping and then returning to the freezer for about a minutes to set gelatin, then re-dip. Dip 4 to 6 times for best results.

Refrigerate until a couple of minutes before serving to keep gelatin set. Then place cupcakes under a black light and watch them glow in the dark!

The quinine in the tonic water causes it to glow under a black light.

   
 

Don’t miss our post about Halloween, the Legend of Stingy Jack, and the History of the Jack-o-Lantern

 

Be sure to check out our post 13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas, too!