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Simple Halloween crafts from pumpkin decor to an apple cider float

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Annette Belnap from the blog, "Tips from a Typical Mom" shared some easy and fun Halloween crafts.

Sunkist TEN Soda Cupcakes

One box Yellow Cake Mix
One can Sunkist TEN Soda
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the cake mix with one can of soda for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put light pink cupcake liners in the cupcake pan. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners 1/3 way full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.

Pink Buttercream Icing

1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2 cups sifted confectioners` sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
1 tablespoons milk or better yet, cream
a few drops red food coloring
In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Gradually add milk; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in red food coloring until you get the pink colored desired for the brains. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

To frost the cupcakes:

I use a sandwich bag. Get a small cup and put the bag tip down in the cup and around the outside, as pictured. Add some frosting, and close bag. Clip off the corner of the bag wide enough to make a pencil sized hole in the bag. Frost around the cupcake (as pictured) then make a line down the middle, don`t stop and make wiggles to make one side of the brain. Repeat on the other side and you`re done.

Apple Pie a la Mode Floats

7Up TEN Soda
Spiced Apple Cider
Vanilla Ice Cream
Add 7Up TEN about 1/3 way up the serving cup. Add Apple Cider until about 2 inches to the top. Add one scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve.

Apple Bobbing Punch
get out your punch bowl and add half and half 7Up and Spiced Apple Cider. Add 3 large clean apples to the punch to make it look like an apple bobbing game.

DIY Wood Block Pumpkins

Supplies needed:
•3 different size wood blocks that can stand on their own. Mine are 7″, 5″ and 3″ heights. You can use 2 x 4`s or any square wood.
•3 pieces of 12 x 12″ craft paper. Each a different pattern
•Mod Podge
•Sponge brush
•Pencil
•Scissors or Paper cutter
•Sand paper
•3 pieces of jute, 12″ long each
•Pieces of tree branch cut to make the pumpkin stems
•Wood glue
•Super glue
Start off by drawing lines around the blocks onto the back of the craft paper. Make sure to measure each side of the wood.  Cut the pieces out with scissors or if you want perfectly straight lines, use a paper cutter.

Add Mod Podge with a sponge brush to one side of a block and press the paper onto it smoothing it with the edge of a ruler or plate scraper to get out all the bubbles. Repeat on the other 3 sides. If the paper keeps bubbling, lay it flat on a table and put a heavy book on it for about 15 minutes
Sand the edges of the blocks to soften the edges of the paper.

If you would like a more finished look to the blocks, add a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the paper. Add the stems with a dot of wood glue and a dot of super glue. The super glue helps the stems stick right away so then you can add the jute bows to the stems.