October 29, 2019

Creeeeeepy Crafts and Treats for The New York Times for Kids

October 29, 2019/ jodi levine

On the last Sunday of every month, the New York Times publishes a special print-only Kids section, and it is always fantastic! You’ll want to keep every issue, with it’s incredible writing , design, illustration and photography. This past Sunday’s issue, just in time for Halloween, is the FEAR issue, featuring “a lake full of bones, how fear drives the economy, why the news is scarier than a horror movie” and more…including my donut hole eyeball croquembouche, lychee eyeball drink, shrunken apple heads, and DIY scorpion costume!!

October 24, 2019

"Stranger Things"-Themed Halloween Party

October 24, 2019/ jodi levine

If your family, like mine, are big Stranger Things fans, channel the creepiness to inspire your Halloween party! I worked with Family Circle to create ST-themed crafts and decorations like the Upside Down portal (below), '80s photo wall and an Eggo buffet (essential)! Click here for the buffet details and here for the string lights wall.

October 22, 2019

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas for Busy Parents

October 22, 2019/ jodi levine

I worked with Parents magazine to come up with easy DIY costumes for busy parents for their October issue …like these sweet donuts! I love working with Parents…and I love the concept of this story! I may be a professional crafter, but as a busy parent, quick and easy costumes have always been my go-to! Here are a few (messy) behind-the-scenes shots of my prep…but do click over to Parents to see all the pretty final photos!

October 28, 2016

No-Bake Spooky Halloween Treats on the Today Show!

October 28, 2016/ jodi levine

On Tuesday morning I had the pleasure of sharing some crafty Halloween treats with Al Roker on the Today Show. (We look very serious here but I promise we had fun!) They're all made using store-bought candy or donuts so no baking required.

October 14, 2016

Half-Homemade Halloween Box Costumes in Parents Magazine

October 14, 2016/ jodi levine

If you're looking for a unique Halloween costume this year, and especially you'd like to make it yourself but not put tooooooo much time into it, check out this story I worked on for Parents magazine's October issue (on the newsstand now) or on their site here. I love working with the editors over there and the concept they came up with is brilliant: all the outfits utilize a store-bought costume base with a decorated cardboard box container. For example, this bird-in-a-birdhouse costume's wings are from The Land of Nod. Instructions are on the Parents site here.

September 30, 2016

Friendly DIY Marshmallow Ghost Cake Toppers

September 30, 2016/ jodi levine

A marshmallow ghost I made many years ago forMartha Stewart Living magazine, which were twisted to get their peaked shape, inspired this simplified version. These get their shape from one diagonal cut, making them fast and easy treats to put together for a crowd of trick-or-treaters.

October 29, 2015

Last-Minute Halloween Balloon Decor

October 29, 2015/ jodi levine

Are any of you doing last-minute Halloween prep like me? If so, here are a few ideas for a craft that will get you a lot of decoration bang for your buck.These balloon projects are from a craft story that I did for Martha Stewart Living a few years ago, one of my favorites! For all of these, I decoupaged thin black construction paper on top of balloons.
Pumpkin instructions and a how-to video here.

November 21, 2014

Caramel Apple Turkeys!

November 21, 2014/ jodi levine

In case you've still got some Halloween candy lying around, specifically caramels and candy corn, you can make these chubby caramel apple turkeys for a Thanksgiving treat! I've been meaning to put up directions since I showed how to make them on the Today Show right before Halloween, in a segment about what to do with your leftover Halloween candy.

October 22, 2014

Boo Cake on Dinner: A Love Story!

October 22, 2014/ jodi levine

We are so honored that our BOO cake was featured on Dinner: A Love Story! I'm guessing that, like me, you guys are already big fans of Jenny Rosenstrach's excellent blog about mastering the family meal. I bought her first book, Dinner: A Love Story and flagged almost every page! The recipes are all excellent but I have to admit that I didn't cook as many of the recipes that I had hoped. I just don't quite have the weeknight dinner routine down. That said, I feel like her new book Dinner: The Playbook, was written just for me!

All Posts