MarthaStewartLivingOctober2015

32
October
GOOD THINGS
CRAFT
Pick of the
Litter
What great luck to
cross paths with one of
these black kitties!
The adorable toothpick
toppers are purr-fect
as mini-cupcake decorations
and point to
the sweet side of Halloween.
Our flower
punches and clip art
add up to a foolproof
design. As for materials,
you just need toothpicks,
black card stock,
and a glue stick.
The flat shape
of acrylic toenails
is perfect for
buckteeth; metallic
tips add fun
gold-tooth accents.
HOW-TO
1. Print out our clip
art of double-sided cats
(at marthastewart.com/
kitty-picks).
2. Cut out each side
and use a glue stick
to secure the two
faces together over
a toothpick.
3. Use a craft punch
to cut out a collar from
black card stock,
then poke toothpick
through center.
Embossed Pop-Up Flower
and Arabesque Flower
large craft punches, by
Martha Stewart Crafts,
from $20 each, joann.com.
CRAFT
Fang Out
Much faster than
carving out teeth—and
scarier (or goofier,
depending on your
jack-o’-lantern’s
personality)—widely
available acrylic nails
give gourds a brilliant
dental transformation.
If you’re using Fun-
Kins (faux pumpkins),
simply poke the
bases of the nails into
the mouth. For natural
pumpkins, hot-glue
a toothpick to the back
of each nail for easier
insertion. Don’t forget
to experiment with
new expressions. (Go to
marthastewart.com/
fang-pumpkins for templates
to help with the
carving.) And try painting
your gourds (as
we did, in black) and
playing with a mix of
tips and nail colors, too.
DIY Dulce de Leche
It’s astonishing that such
a luxuriously smooth, rich,
sweet concoction as dulce
de leche can be made from
just one ingredient. How?
Place a can of sweetened
condensed milk (with
the label removed) on its
side in the bottom of a
stockpot filled with water.
Gently boil 2 hours, replenishing
the water as
necessary to keep the
pot full and the can submerged.
(This prevents
it from bursting.) Using
tongs, transfer the can
to a wire rack and let cool
completely before opening.
Drizzle the caramel over
ice cream, or use it as a filling
for sandwich cookies.
(Leftover dulce de leche can
be stored in the refrigerator
in an airtight container
and rewarmed in a double
boiler or microwave.)