We have been busy boo-ing since October 1st over at our house! Halloween 2024 has kicked off with a bang! Boo baskets, Halloween baked goods, you name it, we are ALL IN! I love these cute “oh snap” cupcake wrappers from Home Goods and Meri Meri witch cupcake toppers.

Chocolate covered Oreos can either be hand dipped or made in a silicone mold. Add some candy eyes and pipe with chocolate to make them look like mummies.

I picked up these cute cat cups at the Bullseye playground a while back thinking I was going to use them as birthday party favors, but they ended up being even better for Halloween. I used my Cricut to personalize each cup with friends’ names and filled them with fun things like Meri Meri surprise balls, flashing rings, vampire teeth, vinyl ghost stickers and of course, a little bit of candy! Big hit with the third grade girl gang!

Orang Rice Krispie treats were a big hit for boo-ing this year and so easy to make in big batches. We covered with fun colored spinkles and put in Halloween themed cellophane bags.

Using those same sprinkles, we also made chocolate covered pretzels. They travel really well and make for excellent boo-ing. They usually fit about 5 to a bag.

Some of our friends with littles got boo baskets this year from us filled paint your own pumpkin supplies: mini pumpkins, mondo llama paint from Target, pumpkin surprise balls, and a small bag of candy. A fun idea to keep the kids busy for five minutes and when you don’t want to go overboard on the sweets.

For some of the bigger families, we did larger baskets with skeleton coffins from the Dollar Store, filled with candy, light up rings and popper toys, Meri Meri spider surprise balls, glow bracelets from the Dollar Store, a fun honeycomb spider card from Papyrus, Halloween stickers from the Paper Source and the wooden tokens got friends one free Italian ice from Ye Olde Farmstand in Sudbury. They serve Richie’s Italian Ice and have over 20 flavors. You can mix and match, and in my opinion, the best part is that they ask you which flavor you want on top!! New flavors for next season are black cherry and key lime – we can’t wait!! Hurry in, the close November 1st for the season, but will open back up again in the spring.

What’s in your “Boo Basket?”

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Minus the dressing up, Halloween might be my favorite holiday – I mean all the treats and eats make my heart go pitter patter. I put together this eight pack of cupcakes for friends: the pink reminded me of brains, a classic jelly pumpkin, Butterfinger skull, candy eyeballs, black and orange non pareil sprinkles, a Halloween orange colored cream Oreo, Halloween colored crystal sugar sprinkles, and pastel fall pumpkin spinkles.

I whipped up some classic chocolate chip cookies and then topped them with these Pillsbury ready to bake ghost sugar cookies to make a “best of both worls’d” cookie. The kids gobbled these up in seconds flat.

A Halloween favorite is always the spider donuts from Dunkin.

Another cupcake set with cute cupcake wrappers and fun Meri Meri toppers.

Rice Krispie treats are always more fun when you use orange Rice Krispies….and when you top them with fun Halloween themed sprinkles.

And if you’re looking for a little bit of an elevated treat, for your sophisticated adult palate, head over to Heirloom in Weston for these cute homemade Oreo sandwich cookies. Drop a note in the comments about what your favorite holiday is!

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Putting together Boo Baskets is one of my favorite fall activities. I love these baskets from Target, they came in cute shapes like this cat, a ghost and a pumpkin. They remind me of those jelly shoes I used to have as a kid. I filled this one with a bunch of fun things – a little crispy Halloween chocolate from Lake Champlain, ghost pajamas from Hanna Andersson (these were last years, but they have a similar style here), Meri Meri surprise balls, Michael’s bead kit, pen and notepad set from TJ Maxx, Gustavo the Shy Ghost and Bonaparte Falls Apart.

We picked up these craft/paper mache pumpkins at our local craft store and painted them in pastels- it took about two coats. We used these sparkle self adhesive letters to spell fun things like “spooky” and “boo” on them as an alternative to the orange color palette.

Another fun craft idea that the kids can help with is to get wooden pumpkins – we picked these up at Target for around $5 each (or wait until they go on sale for 50% off at the end of the season), and covered them in Mod Podge and stuck on these fun jewels. The Mod Podge dries clear, and you get these glam looking pumpkins. I put them up in my windows!

We like to put together boo baskets for our friends – last year we did these cute skull (and not pictured, pumpkin) waffle makers from Target, along with a fun spatula we found at TJ Maxx, and these fun pumpkin hot cocoa bombs to complete our breakfast themed basket!

Here’s a look at the pumpkin basket from Target, along with a cute ghost pillow from Bullseye’s playground, a paint your own ceramic pumpkin kit from Mondo Llama at Target, a pumpkin shaped notepad from TJ Maxx and for a little something sweet, some Halloween colored m&m’s in that cute viral coffin shaped box that we found at the Dollar Tree.

Target also makes a smaller sized wooden pumpkin, and we used the Mod Podge here again, but this time we used tissue paper squares and glitter, and put layered with a top coat of Mod Podge just to keep everything smooth and give it a nice glossy finish.

No fall season would be complete without a pumpkin stack. I have a little trick that keeps my pumpkins looking fresh and new for over a month – check back for a full blog post soon!

This trick even helps deter those pesky squirrels. But others swear by putting a grape vine wreath under pumpkin stacks. Either way – don’t put pumpkins directly on dirt or mulch, that’s a sure way for them to rot quickly.

I always love to stop at Ferjulian’s to check out their pumpkin patch. Their decorations are always top notch and their mums are stunning. If you do get mums, a good tip is to soak/submerge the bottom of them in a bucket of water for about 20 minutes before putting them into your planter. Also, make sure to deadhead them as the season goes on. Try to pick mums that are not fully bloomed or that still have closed buds on them so that they will last longer.

The pumpkin walkway gets me every time…

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Halloween is my favorite holiday, minus the dressing up part – so here are so fun ideas to make the holiday fun for kids. Boo baskets: big or small, make more significant ones for your own kids and make smaller ones for friends or children in your neighborhood. I put this one together for my kids last year. Skull shaped hot chocolate bombs, ghost light up necklace, glow in the dark Starbucks tumbler, bead kit from Michael’s and a fun pencil case filled with candy.

Here is a closer look at the monster pencil case I filled with candy. A link to a similar one can be found here.

Finny and Dot makes some of the cutest bracelets, and I love supporting small businesses. I picked up this cute Halloween bracelet, check out her Etsy shop here.

I’ve also purchased some cute necklaces from her as well.

Fall is in full swing and is my favorite season. You can find me checking out every single apple cider donut sundae I can find.

I love me some Christmas crack, you know, the recipe with saltines, butter, brown sugar and chocolate chips? Line a baking sheet with saltine crackers, preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan heat 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar until bubbling. Pour over saltines and bake in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips. Spread. Let cool. Before breaking it into pieces I like to drizzle with colored melting chocolate and Halloween colored sprinkles – maybe throw on a few candy eyeballs, and have yourself a little Halloween crack instead!

Another idea for a “Boo Basket” would be picking up these cute pails, I think I bought these from Bullseye’s Playground area at Target, but you could also find some at the Dollar Store, and fill with the candy of your choice. I added some foil wrapped chocolate pumpkins from Vermont Nut Free Chocolates.

Candy eyeballs make everything cuter! Dress up store box brownies with candy eyeballs and melting chocolate for an instant party perfect dessert.

And how cute are these brownie bats? Follow the directions on the box for brownies, but make them in muffin tins. Break Oreos in half or use any round chocolate cookie to make the wings and use candy eyeballs to instantly dress up this dessert!

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I have to admit that Halloween is one of my most and least favorite holidays. I love the baking and the candy, but hate (dread) the dress up part. Halloween snuck up on me this year and I scrambled to get my kids their costumes – they were going to be whatever TJ Maxx had in their size this year…

And don’t even get me started on decor. My things from last year are still in a box in storage and have yet to come out, so it might just have to be the three pumpkins I over paid for this year as far as decorations go. Halloween candy? I’ll have to drag myself to Target this week and get my 800lbs of assorted candy. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me a good Reese’s, and mom tax was the best thing ever “invented”, but sometimes I crave grown up chocolate, you know, the good stuff you hide in a special cabinet away from the kids. So this year, Leah and I rounded up some “beyond basic” halloween candy to share with our readers.

These chocolate covered pretzel rods from Pocasset Pretzel Co. have just the right amount of chocolate to salt ratio – it’s not sickening sweet, and there is just a light layer of dark chocolate (and the pretzels were still super crunchy). Now I know I may have lost some of you on the candy corn (love it or hate it?). Me, I’m not a big fan, but nothing screams Halloween than these super sweet tri colored candies.

Also shown are chocolate moons by Praliné and those deliciously famous mice (dressed for Halloween) from L.A. Burdick, this one was white chocolate with a cinnamon filling.

The dark chocolate mice from L.A. Burdick are a big favorite in our house, filled with orange and finished with two toasted almonds for ears. The pumpkins are special for the Halloween season, and are chocolate covered marzipan with fresh almonds, pumpkin and spices. Those chocolate covered Oreos would be perfect if you are doing a “boo” basket, and are from Pocasset Pretzel Co.

I immediately fell in love with these chocolate ghosts from L.A. Burdick. For their 17th anniversary, they introduced them with a new flavor this season, pumpkin spice cider dark chocolate ganache. Each ghost is hand made with organic pumpkin, five difference spices, and local New Hampshire apple cider. The 5 piece box can be yours for just $18.

Going for something a little more subtle? The marzipan filled chocolate bar from Chocolat Moderne is just a little bit spooky.

Lollipops your thing? How cute is this one by Melville Candy Co.? We found this one, and a scary eyeball one, at Formaggio Kitchen.

Going to a Halloween party? This coffin box of chocolates from L.A. Burdick is the perfect hostess gift – giving you the best of everything (some seasonal, some classic)!

Saving the best for last. After doing some serious chocolate research (hard work right?!), we stumbled upon Beth’s Chocolate,based out of Newton. Beth makes these delicious, small batch chocolates out of her home (where you can pick up by appointment) or you can find a small selection at Vino Divinio and Volante Farms. These chocolates would be perfect for any occasion, not just Halloween. A 15 piece box can be made with all milk, all dark or an assortment of chocolates for $30. Beth doesn’t add preservatives to her chocolates, so make sure to eat them right away!!

While all of her chocolates were delicious, I was most impressed with her hand painted chocolates, they are simply a work of art.

Her flavors are complex, for instance, her ginger 3 ways (top) begins with infusing dark chocolate ganache with freshly grated ginger. Next, she adds a splash of Spiker’s ginger bite shrub. Finally, after hand dipping each piece in dark chocolate, she finishes them off with a sliver or crystallized ginger. Did you know that Beth roasts her own coffee beans for her coffee chocolate? How about her “fig-in-a-box” chocolates? Beth starts with homemade fig puree and a splash of balsamic vinegar. The puree is transformed into a pâte de fruit and then is hand dipped in chocolate. She hand paints on the gold strips for a beautiful end product. The Spicy Hot! (red) chocolate has a subtle chocolate flavor that you get first, and then at the end, you are hit with the cinnamon flavor and a kick from the cayenne. I think my favorite of all of the chocolates was the Maple Liqueur (milk chocolate on the left). This piece is made with Boston Harbor Distillery’s maple cream liqueur, a blend of rum, cream and Vermont maple syrup.

Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

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The Thursday before Halloween, the Good Ones came together for an epic Monopoly inspired party. The event took place at BOND restaurant | lounge  in the Langham Hotel. The space was originally the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston so it fit perfectly with tonight’s theme. Best costume of the night for me was Ron Bembry as Mr. Monopoly! Guest enjoyed Belvedere vodka infused drinks (with the first round sponsored by The Cocktailist) and light bites (fun passed apps served in Chinese food take out boxes!).

Featured guest Lorenzo Geraci was creating his signature piece “The One” on site. A little bit about Lorenzo:

My name is Lorenzo Geraci (LOR3nzo), I was born a few decades ago in Siena (Italy), the cradle of the Renaissance, and now, after a long hiatus as an “adult”, I’m back at making Art, playing with materials, shapes, forms, function, words, colors, textures and the perception of time.

I am trying to make the world a better place, one piece of Art at a time; and I believe that Life itself is the utmost expression of Art. I love creating experiences with my Art, experiences that are visceral in nature where everyone can find their own meaning to my visual language. Through my Art, I tell my stories. Stories of my Life, or stories of impossible DayDreams, anchoring each piece of Art with one or few details to capture the Individual’s imagination and make it soar to their own Impossible DayDreams.

I try to explore, exploit, merge and highlight the boundaries of 2D and 3D Art, painting and writing, conceptual and fine Art, and I am constantly thinking about expending Street Art above and beyond graffiti.

As an introvert (INFJ) I see patterns, connections, and parallels in unseeingly different things. I draw my inspiration from Nature, Arts & Artists and everyday Life. I am equally inspired by Picasso’s prolific output and experimentation and by Einstein’s philosophy of simplicity. I also get inspired by Individuals from all walks of life who take pride in their work; be they scientists who every single day are able to get up and go to their lab to conduct minuscule variations and permutations of the same experiment over and over like a dog chewing on a bone; or be they bartenders who break the rules without sacrificing on quality and craft personalized multi-sensorial experiences for discriminating customers; and everyone else in between and beyond.

From his website:

“The ONE” is my attempt to re-interpret Street Art, mixing it up with a touch of Conceptual Art, and a double helping of Performance Art.

Physically, The ONE is a series of 2.5″ x 6″ paintings, the familiar size of the U.S. dollar bill.  Each The ONE is bartered with, or gifted to, individuals from all walks all life.  So far it has involved street performers, espresso in coffee shops (Chinatown Coffee Company – DC et al), Art for Art, photo ops, Museums (MIT’s List Art Center, ICA Boston, MFA Boston, HirshHorn Museum DC, National Gallery of Art DC), drinks in bars, food in restaurants, friendship (that’s priceless) . . . and the list continues.
The ONE has been adopted in Boston, Washington DC, San Diego, Canada, Italy, France, UK, Poland, and Romania.

Each The ONE is hand painted and one of a kind, numbered in series, and signed on the back. It features the motto Fuck It! as well as the inscription The ONE. The ONE refers to the receiver since s/he is The ONE fulfilling the performance that makes the Art possible by accepting the barter or the gift.

In addition the the live art, Izzy VanHall and Ray Borg were on site to do an amazing live AcroYoga performance. Izzy and Ray recently began a Video Project ​(  https://youtu.be/sJ1oM_AEoNM  ) to inspire and spread a new way of looking at connection. Their desire is for people who view their videos to be experience the beauty of yoga without having to go to a tropical island or be a supermodel to practice. Ray is a scientist who has always been involved with fitness through weight lifting. Once he began his yoga and meditation practice he gravitated towards AcroYoga and met Izzy. She is an artist and has taught Yoga and AcroYoga globally and locally for the last 7 years. Enjoy their creative performing and watch their Urban Acro on Youtube.​

Check out the Who’s Who:

David Bisceglia, Jennifer Brooke, Maggie Ying​

Jeremy Hefter, Sonia Brown

Megha Vadula, Eiei Khin​, Samantha Pappin (Red Monopoly House Costumes)

Megan Hartney and Iva Nikolau ​(Minions)​

​Greg Curran, Amanda Matthews, ​Davide Marini, Jennifer Brooke, Brian Massa

Leslie Heirtzler​, Dan McCarthy​

​Ashley Higgins, ​Vivian Ramos

Mitul Parekh​, Amanda Tambling, ​​Vicki Attar​, ​Vaselika Koci

​Alex Merrifield, Iya Khalil, Amrit Chaudhuri, Nai Ko

Mannish Ghorai (middle), Ian Venskus (right)

Alexa Curtis, Brian Massa

Who gets your vote for best costume?

The post Good Ones: Welcome to Park Avenue Halloween appeared first on A Little Bit About a Lot of Things.

These babies win it for me every year – it’s a cult office favorite. Oreos, dipped in white chocolate. I dipped the oreos first and let them cool a bit before sticking on the candy eyes and then piping on the mummy wrap.

How super cute are these!

They were gone in about 10 minutes!

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