2016 - Page 7 of 29 - Pretty Handy Girl

Easy Pumpkin Dip with Healthy Alternatives

When the weather turns cooler in the fall, I can’t help but want to spend more time cooking inside (with pumpkin of course.) There are so many things you can make with it including this easy pumpkin dip to serve for the next few months.

Easy Pumpkin Dip is great for a kids’ snack, a dessert, or a side dish while entertaining. You can switch out a few ingredients to make a healthier version too.

Here’s how to make pumpkin dip with just 4 ingredients:

(Affiliate links are included for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Materials:

15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 3.4 oz box of vanilla instant pudding
1 8 oz container of whipped topping, thawed
1/2 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
Serving Bowl
Hand mixer

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients with a hand mixer until the mix has a smooth consistency. Refrigerate the dip for about an hour. Serve with apples, graham crackers or cookies of your choice. That’s it!

The great thing about this dip is that it takes only 5 minutes to prepare and it’s not too sweet. It’s perfect for those who want a little treat at the end of a meal but don’t want too much sugar.

There are a lot of other ingredients you can add to this recipe to create different flavors: brown sugar, cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.

If you are watching your calories, here are some healthy alternatives to try instead:

Substitute vanilla or plain greek yogurt for the whipped topping
Substitute coconut milk and coconut sugar for the instant pudding and whipped topping
Serve with apples instead of cookies or crackers
Use a lite version of the whipped topping
Use low calorie cream cheese instead of the whipped topping

If you like this recipe, you’ll probably also like Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dip:

For more fall entertaining ideas, you’ll probably enjoy 24 Fabulously Creative Fall Wreaths:

See you at Decor Adventures soon.

~ Read more of Jessica’s tutorials~

October 10, 2016/3 Comments/by Decor Adventures

Landscaping & Gardening

Ghostly Fairy Garden Planter

Hey everyone! It’s Jillian from I Am a Homemaker here today to share a little twist on the typical fairy garden with my Halloween Ghostly Fairy Garden Planter.

Fairy gardens are so fun and they add a little something special to your flower bed or planter.

I chose to add this one to a planter by my front door. It will be the perfect decoration to greet all my trick or treaters on Halloween.

Let’s get started.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Materials:

Patio Planter
Flowers of your choice in various heights
Fairy garden haunted house
Fairy garden ghosts
Other fairy garden accessories
Dried corn cob decorations
Floral Wire
Potting soil

Instructions:

In the fall, you will typically find mums, cabbages and kale to add to your garden. These are great choices and can add perfect fall color to your porch or flower bed.

Choose flowers in a variety of coordinating colors and varying heights.

You can find fun fairy garden decorations for your planter online or in a craft or hobby shop.

I found some corn cobs and adorable ghost decorations but you could use tiny scarecrows and plastic vegetables to make a scarecrow garden or get a little more into the Halloween spirit with skulls and witches. The possibilities are endless!

You will want a fairly large planter so you can accommodate the plants and the decorations. I made this one from some pallets and scrap wood.

Once your planter is filled with dirt, dry fit your plants to see how they will fit with the decorations.

Be sure to plant taller plants in the back, taking into consideration their size when full grown (not just the size they are now.)

Nestle the plants into the dirt. Water the plants at this point to may make it easier for you to settle the dirt and place your decorations.

Place your corn cobs on the front of the planter with some floral wire. You can add a little nail on the inside of the planter to help attach the wire.

Place the large decorations first. These are your anchor pieces that will stand out the most and keep things from looking busy and cluttered.

Add your accent pieces. I used gravestones, a jack-o-lantern and a “Keep Out” fence.

Don’t forget to include some residents! My house came with two cute ghosts sticking out, but having another in the “front yard” is fun too.

If you are using a house, a path is a great addition. For a planter like this you can use sand, glitter, rocks, fish bowl rocks or pre-made decorations. I found giant bottle caps on clearance last year turned them into a cute path. You could upcycle bottle caps of your own with spray paint and glitter.

Now all you have to do is remember to water your planter! I’m not so good at that. But the best part is, if all the plants die you can just say it’s part of your Halloween theme :).

What’s next on your Halloween list? Is the candy bought? If you dress up, I would love to hear what you are going to be!

-Read more of Jillian’s tutorials-

October 5, 2016/3 Comments/by Jillian Grennon

Decorating

Colorful Fall Kitchen Tour : Part 4

Fall Decor in a Rustic Farmhouse Kitchen | Pretty Handy Girl

Hello, come on in! I’m so happy to have you here for the last day of my fall open house tour. Today I’m inviting you into our Colorful Fall Kitchen. Would you like something to drink? I have some healthy sugar busters coffee brewing. It’s decadent, but has very little sugar.

Come get cozy on the bay window bench seat with storage inside. If you have a bay window, I have the tutorial for how to add a built-in-bench with storage!

This year I was inspired by my stepmom’s screen porch makeover to use a green and aqua palette. Do you recognize those fuzzy pillows? I told you I fell in love with them.

Here in North Carolina, we’re still suffering with heat and humidity. Although I’m anxious for cool and crisp fall weather, I’m enjoying all the flowers that are still blooming in our yard.

One change I made to our kitchen was to install a new pendant light over the sink. I fell hard for this wooden pulley pendant light sent to me by Gracefully Restored.

I had to remove a section from the chain to make it fit our eight foot ceilings. You can learn how to swap out your own pendant light or other light fixtures by browsing my electrical tutorials!

Okay, let’s be truthful. I set out the placemats and took photos. When my boys came home they complained that “Mom left all her fancy stuff on the table.” I guess I can’t dress up this table without complaints. I dutifully put them away before they could spill food on them. I’ll save them for guests. LOL.

Our hydrangeas have begun to dry on the bush and are turning a beautiful green color.

Did you like anything you saw in my kitchen? Here’s the quick way to get the same look:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Thanks for joining me for my colorful fall home tour. Hope you have a wonderful rest of your week.

Catch up on the rest of my fall home tour:

Doorway & Living Room | Dining Room | Master Bedroom

Living Room

Dining Room Tablescape

Master Bedroom

You can also go back in time and see my 2015 Fall Home Tour.

Disclosure: This posts contains some affiliate links. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.) The wooden pulley lamp was sent to me at no cost. I was not told what to write about the pendant. All opinions are my own.

October 3, 2016/5 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Decorating

Colorful Fall Master Bedroom: Part 3

Pretty Handy Girl Colorful Fall Home Tour 2016

Hello! Welcome back. Are you enjoying all the beautiful fall home tours in the blog world? I love seeing how others have decorated. It’s pure eye candy to me, especially seeing all the unique color palettes. Today I’m welcoming you back into our home for the Colorful Fall Master Bedroom Tour. This is part 3 of my fall home tour. Our colorful fall living room tour is here and the colorful fall tablescape tour is here. Come on inside.

Our foyer is a sunny spot that is accentuated by the colorful front doors I painted Benjamin Moore Yellow Hilighter. They cheer me up each morning as we descend the stairs and get ready for the day.

The mirror was purchased from Lowe’s a few years ago and I painted it white to match the rustic shabby colorful IKEA hack dresser I made. The little “hello” sign was a gift from SNAP, it’s in the Heidi Swapp line. I just spray painted it aqua on a whim one day. Then rested it on the mirror frame.

Come on upstairs, I’m excited to show you our bedroom. I bought some new bedding to freshen up the look.

Previously, our bedroom had a light aqua and lavender color palette, but I wanted to change it slightly for fall.

Aqua, yellow and coral colors make up the new color palette. It’s definitely punchier.

I pulled out a vanilla candle from World Market and put some fresh flowers by the bedside.

I need to take one minute to give some feedback on our DIY mattress. It’s been 2 ½ years since we put it together, and it is still a dream to sleep on. If you haven’t heard of the benefits of sleeping on a DIY latex mattress (and why I chose to work with Savvy Rest), you need to read this.

Who can resist morning coffee in bed?

Believe it or not, our roses are still blooming. I clipped this one and two more are budding.

I recognize that an air purifier isn’t exactly pretty, but if it helps me sleep better — that’s a beautiful thing! Febreze sent the air purifier to me to test out. I didn’t like the scent cartridge it comes with, so I left it out. But, the purifier helps keep airborne allergens lower in our bedroom. As a bonus, it adds the perfect amount of white noise to help drown out snorers. 😉

Love the look in our bedroom? Several of the items are DIY projects, like the button pendant light. I built our farmhouse bed. And I painted a knotty pine dresser. But, here’s how you can get the look if you don’t want to DIY:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Thanks for coming over today. I have one more spot to show you in our home. The kitchen tour is up on Monday.

See you then, I’ll have the coffee flowing.

Catch up on the rest of my fall home tour:

Doorway & Living Room | Dining Room | Kitchen

Living Room

Dining Room Tablescape

You can also go back in time and see my 2015 Fall Home Tour.

Disclosure: This posts contains some affiliate links. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.) I approached Savvy Rest a few years ago and was provided with a complimentary latex mattress in exchange for my time and a sponsored post. You can read more about why I approached Savvy Rest here.

September 30, 2016/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

copper, DIY, Do It Yourself

Copper Air Plant Display

Hi everyone! This is Lindi, visiting again from Love Create Celebrate. Is it fall where you are? I live in Northern Canada and autumn has definitely come to my neck of the woods! The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and the apple pies are baking. Fall is my favorite season! I know that we all decorate for fall with pumpkins and leaves, but I love incorporating copper into my fall decor. This little Air Plant Display looks great in any season, but really shines during autumn!

We recently had to replace our old dishwasher (long sad story…), that had old soft copper tubing. My husband knows me so well that he saved this without even asking me. He was sure I would want to DIY something with it, and he was 100% correct (for once! haha). My mind was swimming with ideas. Since I’m mildly obsessed with these no-soil, low maintenance air plants, I thought I would combine the two!

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Materials:

Instructions:

This project couldn’t be easier! Just grab your copper tubing and cut it to the sizes you want using the pipe cutter.

Then mold your baking clay into a base for your plants. You can press the edges on a flat surface and use a knife to cut the edges straight.

Set the copper pipe into the clay base. Then bake it together (as per the instructions on the clay package).

Since I’m a visual learner, I made a quick DIY video to show you how to do it yourself:

Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel on YouTube!

Do you like copper as much as I do? What do you think of this project? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

If you love the look of copper, be sure to check out the Copper Fall Wreath I made last year!

For more DIY decor inspiration visit Love Create Celebrate.

~ view more projects by Lindi ~

September 28, 2016/4 Comments/by Love Create Celebrate