{Freebie} - Grateful Mod

{Image Via Hostess With The Mostess}

Want to make your Thanksgiving dinner memorable this year? In support of Operation Give Back, Hostess With The Mostess is offering this modern collection of hip printables to coordinate your holiday festivities. Available for download here, all that is asked is that you consider making an online donation (large or small) to Operation Give Back or incorporating a charity element into the event that you host.

{Make} - DIY Giving Tree

{Image Via Jumpstart}

Thanksgiving can be a hectic time with family arriving, kids under foot and meal preparation. Despite how busy it may be, it's important to take time to appreciate and give thanks all the blessings that your family experiences in their daily lives. Creating a giving tree is a great holiday project to get everyone thinking about what they are grateful for, keeping little hands busy and can be a unique addition to your holiday centerpiece.

For instructions on creating a giving tree from paper, you can find a complete tutorial on the Jumpstart blog here. I think that using funky patterned scrapbook paper would be a great way to jazz this project up more.

{Image Via The Gracious Girl}

An alternative to a paper giving tree is one made with real branches. You can find a tutorial on how to create one with real branches here, on The Gracious Girl blog.

{Bake} - Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

{Image Via Duncan Hines}

These cupcakes bridge the holidays and make a terrific dessert centerpiece for gatherings from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The patch is made from both standard and mini cupcakes baked in white and orange liners. Cupcakes are topped with a bonnet of orange frosting. The icing is rolled in orange sugar and the ribs are shaped by pressing a bamboo skewer into the frosting. The patch is finished off with licorice for stems and tendrils. Then pick your favorite and start eating!

Ingredients

12 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in orange paper liners

24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners

2 pieces of green licorice twists

1 can plus 1 cup of Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Classic Vanilla Frosting

Orange food coloring

1 cup orange decorating sugar

Green licorice laces

Baking Instructions 

1) Cut the licorice twists into 3/4 inch pieces to make the pumpkin stems. Tint the vanilla frosting orange with the food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup of the orange frosting a darker shade of orange with more food coloring. Spoon the darker orange frosting into a ziplock bag; set aside.

2) Place orange decorating sugar into a  shallow bowl. Spread the orange frosting on top of the cupcakes mounding slightly in the center. Starting on the edge roll the cupcake tops in the sugar to cover completely.

3) Use a wooden skewer to mark the ridges in the tops of the cupcakes. Starting in the center or slightly off center, lightly press the skewer over the cupcake tops to create 5 or 6 indentations. Snip a very small corner (1/16 inch) from the bag with the darker orange frosting and pipe lines of frosting in the indentations on top of the cupcakes. Insert the cut green twists for the stems and add the green laces, trimmed into shorter pieces to make the tendrils.

{Bake} - Turkey Cupcakes

{Image Via Martha Stewart}

Gobble, gobble, gobble is all you're going to here when these little cupcake cuties are served up! (And it won't be the turkeys either.) Of course you know we can't get enough cupcakes around here so in honor of the fast approaching turkey day, here are some nifty little turkey cupcakes from (who else of course), but Martha Stewart.

DIY - Halloween Hoot Cupcakes

{Image Via Land O Lakes}

I love these cute little owls! So perfect for a fall birthday or halloween party so they just had to be featured for Cupcake Monday. Also I thought it would be fitting as I will be adding my new owl collections to the shop this week, including a special Halloween themed one.

Halloween Hoot Cupcakes

Preparation time: 1 hrs  15 min  Baking time: 19 min 

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes Ingredients:

1		(18.25-ounce) package butter recipe white cake mix
1 1/4		cups water
1/2		cup butter softened
3		egg whites
1		teaspoon almond flavoring
1		cup sweetened flaked coconut

Frosting Ingredients:

3 1/2		cups powdered sugar
1		(8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4		cup butter, softened
1		tablespoon milk

Decorations Ingredients:

48		butter rum-flavored hard candies with holes
		Milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2		cup sliced almonds
24		whole cashews

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all cake ingredients except coconut in large bowl. Beat according to package directions. Gently stir in coconut. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 19 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients in medium bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.

Frost cooled cupcakes. Place 2 butter rum candies on each cupcake for eyes. Dip bottoms of chocolate chips into frosting; place onto each candy circle to form center of eye. Arrange almonds above eyes for feathers. Add cashew for beak.

Store refrigerated in container with tight-fitting lid.

Recipe Tip
The back of a spoon works great to make decorative swirls when frosting cakes and cupcakes.

Recipe Tip
Butter rum candies with holes are available in bags or rolls. Yellow or orange candies can be substituted for the butter rum.

DIY - Apple Cupcakes

{Image Via Martha Stewart}

Celebrate the fall harvest or back to school with these precious little cupcakes resembling freshly picked apples.

Ingredients

• Red, yellow and green food coloring, as desired
• Simple Buttercream
• Vanilla Cupcakes
• 24 thin pretzel sticks
• Sour green apple candy strips (about 2 1/2 feet)

Directions

1. Using food coloring, tint buttercream as desired.
2. Using an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes with a generous amount of buttercream. Place a pretzel stick in the center of each cupcake to form a stem. Using kitchen scissors, cut candy strips into leaf shapes, and insert one into each cupcake, creating an apple. for each cupcake. Place next to the pretzel stem.

DIY - Little Pumpkin Baby Shower Projects

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{Image Via Creative Party Place}

Use pumpkins to spell out "it's a boy" (or girl) either by writing on them with a marker or carving them and placing a candle inside. Place them on the front steps to greet guests, as a centerpiece on a table or as a focal point of a room.

{Image Via Martha Stewart}

Create unique and seasonal centerpieces by carving out pumpkins and using them as vases for floral arrangements. Also a great idea for fall weddings!

{Image Via Beau Coup}

Delicious pumpkin brownie pops would be the perfect treat for guests. The queen of cake pops, Bakerella has a tutorial here that could be used to create your own.

{Image Via Gourmet Mom}

These adorable pumpkin cheese balls would look fabulous on the table. Just serve with pretzels, crackers or veggies. Grab the tasty and easy recipe here.

New To The Shop - Little Pumpkin Collection

{Images Via Grace Printables}

As promised here is the first of my fabulous new fall collections that are hitting the shop over the next week. As I mentioned before I love fall and pumpkins, so the Little Pumpkin Collection seemed like a natural choice. The invitations can be personalized with the photo of your choice or simply left as is. Look for the rest of our fall themed collections being added to the shop soon as well as lots of great projects hitting the blog.

Inspiration - Pumpkins

{Image Via Flickr}

I love fall! It's without a doubt my favorite time of year (probably why I am planning a fall wedding.) Of course pumpkins are the classic symbol of fall. I am so excited to be working on some fall themed collections for the shop. Look for a sneak peek coming soon of my fabulous new collections for fall birthdays, weddings and baby showers!