Apple Crunch Pie

It has been rainy and overcast lately which means it's time for baking!

Mmmm....smells like fall. :) I have been using this amazing apple pie recipe for over ten years and it never disappoints. In case you are wondering, I am 27. Do the math and you will discover that I was one of those nerdy teenagers who would sit at home on a Friday night baking apple pie and reading Pride and Prejudice. And I am proud of it! :p Writing that makes me think of Taylor Swift's "Thug Story". If you haven't seen it, go check it out now. It is hilarious!

Skeleton Key Necklace

I love skeleton keys and instead of just using them in my decor, I decided to make one into a necklace! This particular one unlocks the hope chest that my parents gave me when I was younger so it is extra special. Check out my tutorial below to find out how to make your own!

First, take about 12" of thin wire and wrap it around the top of the key twice:

$1 Spooky Picture Frame

For the most part, I like my Halloween decor to be sophisticated with a touch of spooky rather than having goofy pumpkins or gruesome corpses. I also like creating things that can be used in my slightly spooky decorating year-round. Which is why I really like this project. Well, that and it was really easy!

Beer Bread

I got this amazing recipe from my amazing husband! It is a moist and heavy bread so it is perfect for fall baking and it goes great with any meal. You can use any beer that you want but my favorite is George Killian's Irish Red because it adds a lot of flavor.

Everyday Spooky

It was actually chilly today! This wonderfully crisp, cool weather has me thinking about my favorite season (Fall) and my favorite holiday (Halloween)!!! As you know I have already started crafting spooky things like my canvas skull print. What you don't know is that my house has a touch of spooky year-round!

Up until now, the only full-room shots that I have shown you are my son's bedroom and school room since they are the only ones in the house that are even close to being finished. This may have led you to believe that our entire home is bright, colorful and playful...when in reality the rest of the house has more of a dark victorian look. Since there is no way I am going to get the house completed in the next couple of months, I thought I would go ahead and share some photos of our spooky(ish) living room and dining room in all of their half-finished hideousness.

Pottery Barn Skull Print Knockoff

I saw this skull canvas in the new Pottery Barn catalog and knew I had to have one! But $79?!?! Really? So instead of handing over all of that money, I came up with this:

How To: Print On Fabric

Printing on fabric is so much easier than I thought it would be! You start with some spray adhesive:

Coffee Fabric Dye

I found this coffee fabric dye tutorial by One Cheap B*tch and decided to try it out!

Dry Erase To-Do List

I have been seeing picture frame dry erase boards all over blogland lately and I decided to expand on that idea and create a dry erase checklist! I started out with this document sized frame from dollar tree:

Cherry Tomato Sauce with Pasta

This recipe is a great way to use some of the fresh cherry tomatoes that are in season. The balsamic vinegar was a little too much for my son though. I told him he had to at least try it and he hated it so much he started crying because he was afraid I was going to make him eat more of it! Maybe your kid's have a more sophisticated palette than my son but if not, I would suggest having something else on hand for them. :)