Hey friends,
Just had to toot my own horn a bit!
I was excited to share my idea at "The Shabby chic cottage"
W/the elegant Gina, on her "Transformation Thursday". So check out my Halloween thrift store decor & many other's on her site @http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
Thanks for peeking at my madness!

Halloween decor out of this JUNK? come on ROSIE!

When I found this junk on Monday at my local thrift shop....... I know it ALL had some SCARY, COOL, potential...
Don't scroll down YET..... UNTIL you read what I NEEDED first.......
I needed a center piece for my Witches dinner...I needed some framed Halloween art for my teeny, TINY foyer......I ALSO needed a really cool serving platter.......
for my "Horror"derve'.

YOU ask?....WHAT the crap & I mean CRAP.......are you making RoSiE!!!!

I made everything I needed for only $4.50 with items I found at my local thrift store!!!

Check it OUT!!!!

I spray painted the cheap plastic GOLD "winners" cup. Then I got this vintage looking, crackled glass dome from a old light fixture. I added some battery operated blinking lights & a fist full of spider webbing & a dollar store spider.

I put the ball upside down in the spray painted cup with the webbing & lights......... AND Viola!

I made

A Crystal ball!!!!

AND I now have a PART of my very important center piece for my Witches dinner!
It's hard to see, BUT the lights give it a really erie look! I think for added effect, I will add a hand...or a skull or a couple of light sticks?

The soooo cool plate is a deep, deep chocolate brown & already aged perfectly & I LOVE....no ADORE the pattern on it!!

The copper stand is the bottom part to a very fancy fondue pot! This pair together with some "gorilla glue" made a perfect "horror"derve serving platter, sure to make even "Pickled Brain spread" taste GOOD!!

I have to find a tiny skull for the little shelf on the bottom.
I will "Martha" it up to help it stand out a bit more.....meaning I will "glitter" the heck out of it....you know? Martha Stewart, is GLITTERING every thing up this Halloween!

These two interesting.... ohhhh so cheesy shadow boxes were a must!

I had 2 precious ( I can't find anymore!) glittered Styrofoam, fist sized, Skull heads, I found at the dollar store.

One black & one white.

I really liked the old world Halloween look. So these would be my Halloween wall art!

I sliced the back of the heads in the back in half, to make it flatter, to fit in the frames.

I took the back off the frames & removed the paper Matting, because it had words I did not want to include. I glued the metal framed words over those words. I did not save the the note things, I tore the music back ground a bit which worked to my advantage, because I kinda liked the music back ground. I "antiqued" the background with a black

stamp pad.

These are the finished products....What do you think??? I love their STYROFOAM gut!!!

I am pondering what else, Halloweenie will go in this teeny, tiny foyer!

BUT these as Well as my "SPOOKY" blocks I made at the last crafty day is just the beginning!

Rosie & the adventures of the "Taste Of Home" show

My job does have its perks! One is that our store:
"Maceys food store" is a major sponsor of the famous "Taste of home" cooking shows.
NOW I was told..... if I work my butt off & help think of a theme or booth idea AND then HELP set it up AND help run it....I can get FREE tickets into the show!

NOW mind you, I usually have AT LEAST a month to come up with some ideas for this show.....BUT MY friend & co-worker Lisa
(she's the brawn AND the BRAIN) behind it all!....told me MONDAY night, that we had a show the VERY next DAY!!!!
So we went into warp over drive & was PLANNING what we would do until 10:30 PM that same evening!
Nothing was set in stone EXCEPT it would be a old fashioned bakery AND that we would be at work at 7:00 AM the next morning!

A few phone calls on Lisa's part, to our AWESOME bakery manager JILL...about what we would need THE NEXT day by 2:00 in the afternoon! After some gasping & under the breath name calling from those around us, we parted & we finally hit the sack!
The next morning after stripping my kitchen & other rooms for anything I could use in the show for display & such it was off to work for me!
Lisa & I fiddled around with a few ideas on set up AND and away we went!

This is Mark the muscle loading Lisa's trailer.

This is Lisa & I, 2 minutes before they opened the door!!

The handsome guy, mugging it up w/Lisa is our Store director, Josh. HE approves of our display!

We, Josh, Stephanie, Star & Lisa & I, all handed out samples of Hot rolls w/ honey butter & Donuts AND CAKE! Our POOR bakers, they were awesome!!





This Lovey cake, was done for us, by our own decorator's, ON A moments notice!

WE did not expect such a fancy cake! It was well received, AS was everything!

The rest are just some random pictures.

My daughters & I usally try to hit the "taste of Home" show, when they come into town.

My lovely daughters (only 2 out of my 4 daughters could go on such short notice:(

Shilo & Starlee & I thought the show was just ok! I don't know what was missing...but we were almost BORED! MOST of the recipes looked REALLY bad, or uninteresting!

WE have always enjoyed going....but this year I don't know...... it was JUST OK for us dog!

The crew........after a job well done, representing......MACEYS food store.

Check out it out!

One of my fave blogs to "hang" out is Kim @ http://twiceremembered.blogspot.com
is doing her "make your Monday" post. I relize I am a bit of a odd duck in "her soup" of talent, but I really like to put my ideas on her site, she is awesome to share. SOOOO go cheek her & many of the other wonderful talents there!
Happy Monday>>Only 4 more days until FRIDAY WHOOOO!

HeaDs WiLl roll! MAd MaMa's Halloween recipe #2 &3 w/a teaser ot the end!

What a Innocent little plate of food!
.........It has no idea of what madness awaits in Rosie's kitchen of DOOM!

HOW does a homegrown meal of tender, young "Goblin Noggins" sound? Topped with fresh, shredded Witches wart! And for all those good little "ghouls" & 'Boos" that clean their plates...
A big slice of "Armofdeaden" cake with a dollop of frosty "Ghoul whip"!
Start with homegrown or store bought Green peppers, enough for all the brave souls in your family to enjoy a their very own "Goblin Noggin".


Let these peppers talk to you....In other words round wide peppers make better "heads".

I used four for my recipe,

1 Lb of ground beef(cooked & drained, 8 Snap peas.

1 small onion (diced), 8 asparagus spears, 1 glove garlic (minced), 2 small cans Tomato sauce, 6 slices of bacon (cooked & drained & diced), 1 cup cooked rice, 1 large tomato diced, 1 cup shredded "witched wart" (*note: shredded witches wart, can be substituted for shredded Parmesan cheese.)

Salt & pepper to taste.

Wash & hollow out green peppers. (*NOTE: Red peppers can be used in replacement of green peppers! This would make the "Goblin Noggins" into "Red Devil Noggins")
set a side prepared peppers.

Brown ground beef with diced onion & minced garlic cook until brown, Add cooked bacon pieces, canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Salt & pepper to taste. Stuff peppers and place in a glass cake pan. Pour 1/2 cup water in pan w/peppers. Bake for 1/2 hour-45 minutes depending on your oven.
Peppers should not be too soft! You need them to hold their shape!
MEANWHILE: lightly boil some salted water in a medium pan, place in the asparagus in pan to boil the until BARELY soft. remove from pan & set aside!

REMOVE the peppers from the oven and sprinkle on the wart/cheese to form the yummy "bangs"! Pop back in the oven until cheese is melted. AND NO MORE!

Remove from oven & carefully(HOT!)slice a thin line on the side of the pepper. Insert the "ear"( the UNCOOKED snap peas) on each side. Let the natural curve of the pepper determine the "NOSE" on the face. Next insert the "Antenna"/asparagus though the top of the cheesy head. FOR the EYBALLS take a knife & poke out a longish slit and poke in a green olive. Crave the mouth just in a thin "smirk" & poke in a long piece of red pimento for his tongue.

There you have it!

Now Rosie's family?.....

gave this recipe....3 thumbs up & one "h*#>" NO!
But come on!........how cute are these little guys!? Don't ya just wanna EAT their heads off!?


NOW for your 1st "JUST DESSERTS" recipe!

The Yummy, yet surprisingly "EWWW"
dish!

THE "ARMOF DEADEN" cake

(sorry, I did not get pictures for the start to finish product, so bare with me please!) I will be glad to answer any questions for ANY of my recipes!

Start with a CLEAN and PATIENT "ARM! My daughter was the "MOLD MODEL"!

Crisco( grease) the CLEAN arm up GOOD! Have the "MOLD MODEL" stretch her fingers out as WIDE as possible, keeping that pose for as long as possible.

With the thicker tin foil, line the WHOLE arm past the elbow. SEALING sides down as tight around the arm as possible. PUSHING and MOLDING to the arm constantly as you go up & down the foiled arm. Starting at the fingers, continue push & MOLD in between the fingers you go. Seal around the fingers, as CLOSE as possible to the bottom of the foil. Roll & SEAL edges around the fingers and the rest of the arm, as tight as possible. Don't be afraid to add more tin foil for any where on this mold, that will help keep it firm.
When you are secure knowing the mold is pretty tight & good. Have the "mold model" wiggle her fingers & twist her arm VERY slightly! Hold the fingers & have the mold model carefully pull her arm out! That's it!!! for NOW!
EASY.... CHEESY.... PLEASY

Next you want to Pam spray the inside of the mold as best you can...it won't be easy...BUT it needs to be done. I know you won't be able to get some of the hard to reach places...that's why the MOLD MODEL had to grease her arm up!

You will need a CHERRY chip cake mix. Mixed as directed on the package. Carefully have someone hold the foil arm mold at a tilt. POUR the cherry chip cake batter into the mold. Tip to fill the finger tips & then the rest of the arm. Have the person helping you push down between the fingers to help discourage the batter from taking too much space in between the fingers!

When the mold is filled. Seal edges at the top of the arm & bake as directed on the package.

When done remove from oven AND cool.....Set on a decorated serving plate AND UNROLL edges around the arm AND LIFT off foil from around the cake. Cut any uneven edges from fingers to" slim" them out & do the same to the arm if needed. DO NOT cut the the top of the arm!! YOU want a jagged.."Just ripped off" look!

For added effect.... Puree some strawberry jam to smooth, adding red food coloring for a brighter red. Pour over the cake & "Spill" some on the plate & I paid special attention to the top of the arm! Add a spider ring of course & a few bugs & such. This cake is AWSOME with a dollop of "Ghoul Whip"/cool whip!

And the reaction from Rosie's family?.......

THEY loved it!!!! And ate it all & licked the pan! My Gunny bear LOVES to help me finish them up & get them ready to serve!



I had someone ask me HOW I think of these recipes!! NOT why, but HOW!!!
I dream them!...I know it's weird.....AND I can't explain it...but I just have dreams about this stuff!!! If someone wants to interpret those dreams BY all means do it! AND tell me about it!

This guy?

Is your sneak peek at what I "dreamed" up for that HAlloween

"HORROR"derve menu!
This is MY "DeAD HeAd SPrEad!"

Sure to drive your crackers "crackers! Stay tuned!

FREAKING CUTE, my work Halloween floral display

UGGGG! I was sweaten' this ONE!!! I could NOT figure out what AND how I wanted my Floral display at work to look like!!
Now friends..I am well aware I border on TACKY!!
I know I wear TOO much blinky jewelery.....I mean if 3 brooches match my outfit...why NOT wear ALL three!? Or if I can not settle for those small post type earrings, when my shiny, sparkly, fish lure size earrings are REALLY what turns me on!..does THAT make me a Tacky QUEEN?...or just not afraid to wear my love of all things blingy on my "SHOULDER"??

WHAT I'm getting at. I'm OK with tacky, should I WANT to wear it....HOWEVER....MY FLOWER department, MUST be classy, yet understated, tasteful, WITHOUT being TOO pricey!

SOOO A Classy, Tasteful, understated HALLOWEEN, WAS almost the death of ME!!
This is what Me & my cutie pie assistant Nicole came up with! Check it out!
That is me...trying to sneak in the back way into work.....hoping no one sees me WITHOUT a HALLOWEEN thought in my head!
NOT really, I was just headed out back to spray paint the "COFFIN" Nicole & I folded out of a flower box. The other Picture is the closest thing we have to a BEFORE picture.

This little climbing monkey is Nicole, HOPEFULLY SOON.. my Rosie Jr. if you will, or my Mini me...or my Peanut Butter to my Jelly...My gal Friday...My Chocolate chips in my bland cookie....my Straw in my Pepsi.....my butter on my Popcorn...or Better yet, my new assistant, my boss better let me have if he does not want me to go ALL the way INSANE!

She is just SLIGHTLY less afraid of heights then me, so she got to do the climbing...besides, I used that "fragile old lady" thing on her!...Dang, if that doesn't work all the time! NOW I ask you, does Nicole look, just a little TOOO happy to be up there? Or am I just "BATTY" .......DON'T answer that!

This Black & white Pic, is the SCARY one....This just shows HOW Scary is it to be in my area, when I get a new ideas?
MESSY People proves genius...not bad organizational skills! I have to repeat that one ALOT!!

COOL view from the floor, looking up at our BAT infection...

don't worry, there just CARDBOARD...spray painted black...good ol' Nicole, cut them out a while ago!




Almost there! this is the beginning.. and it only took us, 10 bigillion years, 3 potty breaks, 1, 46 oz Pepsi & 4 chocolate breaks to get to this point...we ARE that fast!

THIS idea was the ONE firm IDEA I had! I wanted limbs to 'hang" over the cooler in a "Haunted" like way...so I could hang scary words, & other nic-naks on it....Again Nicole ...(see why I want to introduce her into "Rosieville"?) to the rescue....she just happened to have these AWESOME branches hanging out in her "back yard"...(she lives on the foot hill!)

Tiny little Nicole, comes dragging them in the store just for the sake of MY INSANE idea!

Bless her tiny little guts!




The tall dude? Is Andrew...Or my human ladder for a bit, that day. Andrew, stepped away from the "Tasty treat" department to help reach the high spots, us "Nome" like people could not reach!
BLESS his Giant size guts!


This is everything AND more for that I wanted for that area in my department. Thanks Andrew & Nicole....WHAT? I supervised!

The rest are just random Picture of the FINISHED display...keep looking....

LOOOK at these labels! I got them LAST year at ALL a DOLLAR store...they are SOOO cool!

I just "bought" some Non-alcoholic, cool looking bottled drinks & had Andrew stick them on!! Rocken huh?

These have been really popular already! (ps the new ones at the ALL a DOLLAR store are NOT near as cool as these from last year!)

This is my area by my desk... My FAVORITE son Levi & his sweetie, Lyndsy are approved vendor for our stores & they sell me ALL kinds of cute stuff, that they make & sell. All the Wood shelves & Wood plax's with saying on them are from them. INCLUDING those ADORABLE 3 piece "Trick or treat" blocks w/the crow on them! I Gotta buy me a set of those! Check their furnture & such out at
http://rustictouch.blogspot.com/
THEY are AWESOME & I'm not just saying that because I gave birth to him! I honestly, really like what he does!



ALSO...HEY you GOTTA check this out....

Levi makes some REALLY classy, nice frames AND Easels...ALL hand-made no less! I really wanted to showcase those....soooo I bought a 3-d picture, from our NON FOODS department. They are plasticy & kinda cheap looking & had a printed "Frame" on them. BUT I LOVED the pictures... They are AWESOME! WHEN you move you see the picture "2 different" ways...Look at both pictures and see the difference! Trippy!

So I just cut off the printed "frame"& popped them in the frames of Levi's, that I sell.

I think they look soooo cool!
AND it classes up those cheap looking pictures!

SAME with this one!

SORRY to say I have only sold one frame (SO FAR) And like ALL those picture from NON-FOOD area!
MORE random Pictures: one of the Finished coffin...Nicole lined (WHAT? I did too do something!) it with rhinestone fabric, I was saving for my own coffin lining (remember.. tacky gal?)The plants were alive!! smarty pants!

That lovey purple lady is my new best "GHOUL"friend!!! Notice I did LEND her some of my fave jewelery, for her debut? She Started out as Purple panty hose AND ended up STUNNING!!! I call her Purple PRUDENCE.

The kids LOVE, yet fear her, MEN fall in love with her wicked ride! ( DUH! her broom)

Women envy her fashion sense! For me, she completes ....my display!

SO there you go.....the finished work of ART!!

12 hours of my, blood, sweat AND tears!!

What do you think? PLEASE let me know...I'm the only one who can pat myself on the back for a job well done, or a kick in the *V#@ if is BAD!!!