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The Addams Family Halloween Party

I’ve been wanting to host an Addams Family Party for Halloween for a long long time and this year managed to make it a reality. This was a large party with lots of decorating, a dessert table and cocktails for the adults. We based this party around the original TV series from 1960’s with references to many of the characters in the show. A set of printables have been created as a free download.

We hope you enjoy. Julie.

The Addams Party Ideas, Gomez’s Train Set and “Thing”

Grandmama’s panty was a joy to create, I collected a lot of eclectic old leather clad bottles, vintage books, skulls and more to create a spooky pantry for grandmama.

The Addams Family Party Ideas Grandmama’s Pantry

We used stone wall wrap and a lot of panne velvet and faux fur to transform the room. It also helps if you have access to a real deer head.

The Addams Family Decorating Ideas, Use Stone and Velvet to transform a room

Panne velvet transformed our curtains and cow hides were used on the floor. We used old leather wingback chairs with tapestry cushions to create an older style room.

The Addams Family Decorating Ideas, Use vintage furniture and cow hides to transform your room.

I had to incorporate Gomez’s train set into this party. I used two working train sets which ran in opposite directions all night and one derailed set, the TNT box completed the train set. I opted for a dark purple table cloth which worked well against all of the black decorations.

The Addams Family, Gomez’s Train Set and “Thing”

I included a small nook with grandmama, two visiting skeletons dressed for the roaring ‘20s and the Addams family graveyard.

Grandmama’s Addams corner

The Addams Family Party - Two skeletons for Halloween

The Addams Family Grave Yard

A vintage peacock chair is a must for Morticia as is Cousin IT. We used a couple of “Thing’s” in the party they were purchased on line as hand mannequins.

Morticia Addams with Cousin It & Thing

Wednesday and Pugsley Addams

Morticia was often featured in her conservatory feeding her beloved Cleopatra, I made Cleopatra with paper mache and glued dissected monster teeth into place, I then placed a collection of severed fingers at the base of the pot. The conservatory had a mix of strange looking cacti and succulents, including a swarm of bats

The Addams Family Morticias Conservatory

The Addams Family Cleopatra

As our guests arrived they were treated to our vintage chairs reserved for moon tanning,

The Addams Family Moon Tanning in the Garden

Morticia loved to use baking powder to give her that all over white glow, we created a small dressing table for Morticia featuring Baking Powder.

The Addams Family Morticia Addams Dressing Table

Our dessert table included “Eye of Newt” and “Cleopatra” cake pops, “Aristotle” Cup Cakes and sugar cookies with poison bottles and tarantulas.

The Addams Family Dessert Table

While Cake Pops can take time to make they are always well received. For the Addams family I settled on creating some green man eating plants to represent “Cleopatra” and some blue “Eye of Newts”. The cake pop border can be downloaded as a free printable, you will require a few prints of the boarder to cover your holder.

The Addams Family Cake Pops, Cleopatra the man eating plant and Eye of Newt.

The Cleopatra Cake pops were made by making a wedge slice for a mouth, We used black candy melts for the interior of the mouth and white nerds “popping candy” for teeth, purple lips and pipe cleaner leaves completed the look. For the Eye of Newt I used baking store eyes and created twisted blue eyelashes created with candy melts, the eyes were completed using mini baking cup papers under the eye.

The Addams Family Cake Pops - Cleopatra

The Addams Family Cake Pops - Eye of Newt

We based our cup cakes on Pugsley’s octopus, “Aristotle”. The tentacles were made 2 days in advance to allow the shape to set, remember to place a toothpick in the base of the tentacle when it is still soft..

The Addams Family Cup Cakes - Aristotle

We made two types of cookies for the party with small bottles of poison and tarantulas.

The Addams Family Poison Bottle sugar cookies

The Addams Family Tarantula sugar cookies

Layered Lurch’s jelly cups were created for the party with cake toppers from our printable range

The Addams Family Party Lurch’s Jelly

Two green punches adorned our table, one for the adults and one for the kids.

The Addams Family Adult Punch

The Addams Family Childrens Punch

Simple blue martini’s were made for the adults, the glasses were topped with black sugar.

The Addams Family Party - Morticia Matrini

Gomez was rarely seen without a cigar in hand so we included some chocolate covered wafers in one of my favourite serving bowls and you can find some original photos on line which look grate in frames for your party.

The Addams Family, Gomez’s Cigars

The Addams Family, Use old images as Photos

We created a range of free printables for this party including various tent cards, mini bunting, room signs, cake pop boarders and oval images that we used to make this party come to life. Please use these links for full downloads.

The Addams Family Free Printables - www.chicpartyideas.com.au

The Addams Family, Morticia, Wednesday and Ophelia

This party was a lot of fun to both create and host. You can collect a lot of quirky pieces from thrift shops and markets to help create this look.

We look forward to your comments.

Enjoy Julie

Volcano Cookies - Natural Disaster Project

This term one of my children is learning about natural disasters at school with and we had an  assignment of "cooking" a natural disaster.  I was really impressed at some of the cakes which arrived at school that day. 

For this assignment we opted for decorated cookies depicting natural disasters starting at the Volcano.

To create these cookies I used a Christmas Bell Cookie cutter for the base shape.  We than made two shades of brown icing and used red and orange glitter decorating gel for the eruption  To add a final touch we added small trees from our Christmas decorating collection.

Enjoy

 

Volcano Cookies

Recipe: Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

  • 250g butter, at room temprature
  • 1 1/4 cups caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted

Method

  1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  I use an electric mixer for these cookies with a paddle attachment.
  2. Add the egg and continue beating.
  3. Add the Vanilla, salt and about 1/2 a cup of flour at a time and mix until a ball of dough has formed.
  4. Pat the dough into a disc shape, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for approx 1 hour.
  5. Preheat over to 180c and line two baking trays with baking paper
  6. On a floured surface, roll about a 1/4 of the dough at a time into a circle about 5 ml thick.
  7. Use cookie cutters to cut into the desired shape.
  8. Place on the baking paper and bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the edges are slightly brown.
  9. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool before icing.

Recipe: Royal icing

Ingredients

  • 500g pure icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • food colouring

Method

  1. Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl with a half of the water.
  2. Continue to add water until the icing is well combined but not too runny.
  3. Divide the icing into smaller bowls and add food colour a drop at a time until you reach your desired colour
  4. Ice and decorate your cookies
  5. Enjoy

Christmas Bauble Cookies

At this time of year I'm always looking for Christmas themed snacks to take to class parties and other Christmas events.  This year I've make Christmas Bauble Cookies, iced them with bright colours and added decorations using a mixture of gel icing and cachous balls.  The children all loved these Christmas Bauble Cookies.

Add Christmas Bauble Cookies to your Christmas recipe box.

Enjoy 

Christmas Bauble Cookies

Recipe: Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

  • 250g butter, at room temprature
  • 1 1/4 cups caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted

Method

  1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  I use an electric mixer for these cookies with a paddle attachment.
  2. Add the egg and continue beating.
  3. Add the Vanilla, salt and about 1/2 a cup of flour at a time and mix until a ball of dough has formed.
  4. Pat the dough into a disc shape, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for approx 1 hour.
  5. Preheat over to 180c and line two baking trays with baking paper
  6. On a floured surface, roll about a 1/4 of the dough at a time into a circle about 5 ml thick.
  7. Use cookie cutters to cut into the desired shape.
  8. Place on the baking paper and bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the edges are slightly brown.
  9. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool before icing.

Recipe: Royal icing

Ingredients

  • 500g pure icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • food colouring

Method

  1. Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl with a half of the water.
  2. Continue to add water until the icing is well combined but not too runny.
  3. Divide the icing into smaller bowls and add food colour a drop at a time until you reach your desired colour
  4. Ice and decorate your cookies
  5. Enjoy

Kerstkransjes - Wicked Wednesday

Today my children's school celebrated Harmony day.  Harmony day is a highlight of the school year and is a day to recognise and celebrate cultural diversity.  

A key part of this day is a special class lunch where the children each bring a dish that best represents their culture.  For our children they drew from my husbands family line (Dutch) and we've made some delightful cookies.  They are actually Christmas Wreath Cookies or Kerstkransjes.   We've made these a few times now, they are easy to make and loved by the children and teachers.

So this week is not so wicked, but a good harmony day option if you have a Dutch heritage.

Enjoy.

Kerstkransjes - Dutch Christmas Wreath Cookies

Kerstkransjes - Dutch Christmas Wreath Cookies

Recipe:

Ingredients:  Makes over 30

  • 160 g Butter (softened)
  • 2/3 cups Sugar
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 cups plain flour (shifted)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Glace Cherries
  • Almond Slivers
  • 1/4 cup milk

Method

  1. Pre heat oven to 180 c.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar.
  3. Add the lemon zest and egg.
  4. Slowly add the flour and baking powder.
  5. Mix until well combined and lightly knead.
  6. Wrap in cling wrap and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.
  7. Roll out segments approx. 5 ml thick.
  8. Cut out cookies using a wreath shaped cookie cutter.
  9. Decorate with a glace cherry (I cut the cherries in half first) and Almond slivers
  10. Brush with the milk.
  11. Bake on a tray lined with baking paper for 10 - 15 minutes.
  12. Enjoy.

 

Saint Patrick's Day Choc Chip Cookies - Wicked Wednesday

Well, we've reached another Wednesday and less than a week to Saint Patrick's Day.

I must admit that when I think about Saint Patrick's Day the first thing that comes to mind is a pint of Guineas, straight from the tap in a good old Irish Pub.  sigh!.

In the absence of Guineas, I've turned to chocolate and made some simple choc chip cookies with green m&m's.  These little treats are a simple and easy way to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.  With the remaining yellow m&m's I've created a pot of gold that should help me catch any leprechauns that are hiding in my garden.

Enjoy

Saint Patrick's Day Choc Chip Cookies

Saint Patrick's Day Choc Chip Cookies

Recipe:

Ingredients:  Makes 25

  • 125 g Butter (softened)
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
  • 3/4 cup m&m's (green) - Buy at least a 200g packet of m&m's

Method

  1. Pre heat oven to 160 c.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar's.
  3. Add egg and vanilla essence.
  4. Fold in flour and green m&m's.
  5. Place teaspoons of mixture on a baking tray lined with Baking Paper.
  6. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes.
  7. enjoy

 

Shortbread - Perfect for Christmas afternoon tea

I still remember my Grandmother making Shortbread every Christmas, but it was not just any Shortbread, but genuine Scottish Shortbread. Over the past few years, I've found myself now also making a batch or two of genuine Scottish Shortbread at Christmas, using her tried and tested recipe.  This is a simple rustic shortbread that goes great with your favourite pot of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Genuine Scottish Shortbread

Genuine Scottish Shortbread

Ingredients:

  • 250g softened butter
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 2 1/3 cups plain flour
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup extra caster sugar for dusting

Method:

  1. Heat fan forced oven to 160 degrees.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the flour and salt.
  4. Turn shortbread out onto a floured board and knead well.
  5. Divide into 4 portions, press each portion into rounds about 1 1/2 cm thick.
  6. Cut each round into 8 equal pieces (don't cut all the way through).
  7. Pinch the edge and prick with a fork.
  8. Dust with the extra caster sugar.
  9. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 30 to 35 mins or until just starting to brown.
  10. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before moving to an airing rack.