I needed something sweet to distract me from all the leftover Halloween candy, so I was happy when I discovered this pumpkin frozen yogurt recipe. I was all set to make it, but the more I thought about it the more it seemed like it might not taste that great. The pumpkin to yogurt ratio was all wrong, and there’s no way only 1 tablespoon of sugar would make it sweet enough (not to mention the fact that the granulated sugar would give it a grainy texture). So I did some tweaking, and behold, I give you Amanda’s Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt! It’s like eating fluffy frozen pumpkin pie filling. Yum.

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3 cups vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (or more if you have a sweet tooth!)
1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Garnish with a cinnamon stick if you want to be fancy. Eat.

I can’t help but wonder what this would taste like drizzled with hot fudge and sprinkled with mini marshmallows.

I have 2 bits of exciting news to share today!

Now that Halloween is over I don’t feel weird about announcing that the Wit & Whistle holiday line is now available! I added a bunch of new cards to the lineup this year, but you’ll find some of the best sellers from previous years in the shop too.

I’m happy to report that witandwhistle.com is now open for business! You can shop for Wit & Whistle goods directly from the “shop” link above, or from the links at the top left. Of course, my trusty Etsy shop will remain open as well.

It looks like I can cross another item off my Twelve by 2012 list!

I don’t really decorate for Halloween, but I did whip out a marker and turn my eggs into little ghosts. Aren’t they cute? Now I’m going to be sad every time I crack one. Have fun doing whatever Halloween-y things you have planned for this evening!

I’m not usually one to buy fresh cut flowers for no reason at all, but this fall bouquet was begging to come home with me. Isn’t it stunning? I think I should make a point to have fresh flowers around the house more often!

I’ve had these cardboard W’s from the craft store sitting in my studio for a while now.
(W & W for Wit & Whistle of course!) I like the plain cardboard look, but they needed something else. I wasn’t sure what, so I just let them sit there for a long time looking all bland. When I painted my pumpkin last week I decided to tape up one of the W’s and paint some metallic stripes on it, but after I got the tape on I liked it just like that, sans paint.

Would you believe I snapped these photos at the North Carolina State Fair? Not a ferris wheel in sight! We avoid the rides, games, and crowds like the plague. Instead we prefer to walk through the garden exhibits, visit the farm animals, and chat with the crafters at the Village of Yesteryear. I guess we’re just dorky like that. Is there a fair where you are?

This year I skipped pumpkin carving. Let’s face it, it’s messy, time consuming, and pumpkin goo makes my hands itchy.  Instead I got some skinny masking tape, pressed a strip into each groove around my pumpkin, spray painted it, and removed the tape. The tape ripped off some of the paint with it, but I figure raggedy paint is appropriate for Halloween decorations. I think I prefer last year’s pumpkin, but this one should sufficiently welcome trick-or-treaters, and I love that I don’t have stinky orange slime under my fingernails!

Well, I can cross #9 off my Twelve by 2012 list—Daniel and I went canoeing last weekend at a nearby lake. Paddling around the lake was all right, but at the far side we found a hidden stream. It was very shallow and blocked by tree branches in many places, but trying to see how far we could make it upstream was so much fun. We didn’t see a whole lot of wildlife (probably because Daniel kept yelling “RAMMING SPEED!” every time we approached a log blocking our path), but the scenery was beautiful. Just think, we would have missed this entire experience if I hadn’t made my list last week!

I found another owl pellet! I think I must have a strange talent for spotting those.

I’ve been wanting to try porcelain paint for a while, and it’s just as amazing as I anticipated. You have to give it a try. The holidays are coming up, and hand painted coffee/cocoa mugs would make great gifts!

Supplies:
porcelain mug (mine is from CB2)
Pebeo Porcelaine 150 outliner (available at Dick Blick) There are transparent porcelain paints that you apply with a brush and outliners which are thicker and opaque. If you want to achieve the ink-like look that I did, go with an outliner.

How to:
1. Make sure your mug is clean and dry.
2. Paint! I tried using a tiny brush, but it didn’t work very well. I found that squeezing the paint straight out of the tube and onto the porcelain worked best. It looks a little gloopy in places, but I really like the overall effect. If you mess up just wipe the paint away with a wet paper towel. Some porcelain paints are not recommended for surfaces that come in contact with food. So just to be safe, don’t paint the inside of your mug! 
3. Once you’ve finished your masterpiece let the paint dry for 24 hours. Then, bake your mug according to the paint package instructions. After baking turn off the oven and leave the mug inside until it has gradually cooled to room temperature. After you bake it the paint is dishwasher safe.

Danni over at Oh, Hello Friend issued the Twelve by 2012 challenge today—choose twelve feats to accomplish before the end of 2011, and make them public on your blog so you have to do them. I love a good to do list, so I’m joining the fun. Behold my list, in no particular order. Are you going to make one?

1. launch the Wit & Whistle e-commerce site
2. replace the caulk and re-seal the grout in the master bathroom shower  I decided not to do this one, so the new #2 is to repaint the home office!
3. finish designing my dad’s latest book
4. clean out and organize the coat closet (it’s overflowing with everything but coats)
5. add a few more art prints to the shop
6. re-paint our bedroom (the walls are supposed to be grey, but they look dirty blue instead)
7. acquire and install new toilets (a treat for our bottoms)
8. hang house numbers and bird house (that I’ve had for 2 years and still haven’t put up)
9. go on a canoeing/kayaking date with Daniel
10. finish the photo book of our 2005 Kenya trip (I’m a little behind…)
11. introduce charitable products to the shop
12. read Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina