halloween

Remember the posts I did a while back on potato stamps and Kleenex ghosts? Well, for the kiddo’s treat bags at school I decided to combine the two to make a candy-free Halloween craft!

Kleenex ghosts parts

All lined up and ready for stuffing!

Each bag got a pocket pack of Kleenex, handful of cotton balls and several feet of white yarn. I also made a sheet of instructions for how to make the ghosts, which I’ve got right here for you too:

kleenex ghosts

We’ve got to make more treat bags for his friends in his other class and tags to attach to them, but it was a very easy project and can be done quickly. And it keeps some candy out of their baskets, which is a good thing!

Photo from Better Homes and Gardens

Cindy at Skip to my Lou has searched to web to compile a list of links to totally yummy and super, SUPER creative Halloween cupcakes. Also, don’t forget to check out our own Will They Eat It? for recipes for Orange Pumpkin Cupcakes and Pumpkin Cupcake Cake.

Photo from Howaboutorange.blogspot.com

Again, my love of How about orange knows no bounds…Jessica has a short and sweet/spooky tutorial on making image transfers using a laser printer, paper and packing tape. OH! LOVE IT!

Photo from the Craftzine.com blog

Marie LeBaron with the Craftzine.com blog posted a super easy and kid friendly tutorial for cute little paper bag luminariesfor you to use to line your sidewalk and driveway on Halloween night! You don’t have to use scissors, just have your kids decorate the bags with clear stickers for a ghoulish glow.

Marie is a mama herself and also has her own blog called Make and Takes, with great tips and projects for you and your kids.

It’s almost time to carve those pumpkins your kids have so carefully chosen from the pumpkin patch…or Kroger’s. I think this just might be the weekend to get out your knives, spoons and newspaper and get a bit messy! Here’s a few sites with some great patterns and ideas for you-

Photo from Familyfun.go.com

FamilyFun.go.com has some really cute patterns for jack o’ lanterns, like All Stitched Up, Tiered Pumpkin Tower (this would be really cute if they spelled out B-O-O,) and Marshmallow Man. They also have some great ideas for the little tykes who won’t be carving: Freaky Faces, Decoupage Pumpkins and Painted Pumpkins.

Photos from Hersheys.com

Hersheys.com has a bunch of slightly spooky and FREE! carving patterns, from the super easy to really-you’re-going-to-try-that-one?

Lisa at Pumpkinlady.com has posted a video tutorial of how to decorate your pumpkins with chalkboard paint and chalks. She also has tons of very fun carving patterns, mostly for sale, but if you look through the patterns there are some free ones at the bottom of the pages. Very creative and very fun!

And when you are done carving, what will you do with the pumpkin innards? Well, bless my 3R-lovin’ heart, you should save those seeds and whip up some Toasted Pumpkin Seeds with Sugar and Spice…YUM!

I have been slowly decorating for Halloween over the past few weeks, and I had an idea the other day as I was digging through our storage shed. I caught sight of my mini Christmas trees and thought…”wouldn’t they look so cute decorated for Halloween?”

I have a white feather tree, and thought it would look adorable covered in little ghosts. So what did I have around the house to use for little ghosts…ah ha! Kleenex, cotton balls, yarn and a marker. Easy little kleenex ghosts!

Made in 3 steps:

Step 1

Place the cotton ball in the center of the kleenex.

Step 2

Gather the kleenex around the cotton ball and tie off with a piece of yarn, about 12″.

Step 3

Using a marker, color eyes on the ghost’s head.

Optional step 3a

Fly the ghost around the room while making spooky noises.

Little ghosts!

Here they are hanging on my mini Christmas tree! I had some Halloween fabric hanging around so I wrapped it around the bottom of the tree to add some color.

The kiddo's ghost has a belly button.

I kept the strings long because I thought they would be cute tied together and hung as a garland if I changed my mind about the tree. But I like the tree, so it is here they will fly!

Have a spooky day-

Leigh

Photo from FamilyFun.go.com

FamilyFun.go.com has a great article written by Tammy Stables Battaglia on how to plan a pumpkin carving party for all ages.

If this sounds like something you’d like to do for your family or a fall birthday, you’ve got plenty of time to plan out the details; it’s still more than a month to Halloween.

She gives tips on carving/decorating stations, how to make the invitations, music to play, and how to judge the pumpkins fairly so everyone is a winner!

They have a great section of Halloween and Fall crafts. I know I’ve referenced them several times in the past few blogs but, really, their ideas are worth checking out again!

Leigh

Usually the kiddo’s school has a Halloween party and we all bring goodies to eat, but I always like to make treat bags for them to take home with them, too. I’ve started to think about different Halloween treats for him to take up to his school, so I thought I’d share what I’ve found so far.

Photo from Craftbits.com

Mummy Treat Cups
Most anyone could make this craft just using what you already have at home. I’m sure any color disposable cup would work, just clear out your cabinets instead of buying more cups at the store. 

Photo from Kaboose.com

Egg Carton Treat Cups
As always, I’m all about reducing, recycling and reusing. This is a great way to reuse your empty egg cartons before they go to the trash or the recycle bin.

Photo from FamilyFun.com

Treat Bag Stickers for Halloween
Have your kids color these sweet Halloween pics then cut, glue them onto a paper bag, then fill with Halloween goodies!

Photo from Kaboose.com

A Handful of Treats
Kids will get a kick out of this treat bag…a spooky popcorn hand complete with a spider ring! Here’s a recipe for making popcorn in different colors…green would be great for a witch’s hand!

I adapted this craft from an old issue of Martha Stewart Kids, but I don’t know the specific one. I can’t find it online either, but here’s a picture of the page-

From Martha Stewart Kids

It seemed like such a good idea, why stop at bats? So I drew a bunch of Halloween standards: witch’s hat and broom, ghouly ghost and a jack-o-lantern to go with Mr. Bat. Here’s the templates:

Witch’s hat and broom templates

Ghost and jack-o-lantern templates

Bat template

You could go two ways with this: print out the templates and let your kids color them then cut them out, or  trace the spookies onto construction or scrapbook paper and cut out the pieces. If you want to trace out the spookies I suggest you print the templates onto cardstock so the it will hold up as you trace around it.

Templates for cutting

Here’s the templates, all cut out and assembled so you will see how they go together.

About to trace

When you get ready to trace your spookie, be sure you trace on the BACK of your paper, and you FILP the template, so it will face the right direction on the pretty side of the paper.

You will have several little pieces that you’ll have to cut, so if you do not own a pair of crafting scissors, like Cutter Bee scissors, I highly recommend getting a pair next time you are at Hobby Lobby (go here to print a store coupon) or even Walmart or Target. And a tip when you are cutting paper shapes: turn the paper as you cut, not the scissors. You maintain control over your cut and it is easier on your wrist.

After all your pieces are cut, assemble them like the photo above and glue down.

Little clips!

To make come bag clips, you can tape or glue regular clothespins to the back of your spookie.

The finished spooky project

What cute little spookies these are! I used mulberry paper for the bat’s wings, and the undried glue dots are showing through them, but they should dry clear. I fringed the bottom of the broom to make it look realistic, and added some gold paint pen to the witch’s hat buckle for fun. Clear glitter on the ghost would be super creepy!

You can have your kids help cut out the spookies, or for the little ones they can color the templates for you to cut out and help glue them together. I hope you can use these terrifying templates for some Halloween goodies in your home!

Leigh

I love themes, and I tend to go a little nutso with them. And when you can get food involved with the theme insanity…even better. This explains why I am already ga-ga over Halloween even though it’s, like, over a month away.

Here’s some gruesome goodies your kiddos are sure to enjoy for Halloween. They’d be great for class parties or treats for neighbors and friends, or for a fun and silly dinner or snack. Get the kids in on the fun as well to help you prep or put together.

Photo from FoodNetwork.com

From FoodNetwork.com:
Caramel Pear Mice
Maple Cinnamon Spider Web Fritters
Ghouly Cupcakes
Pecan Caramel Spiders

Photo from Parents.com

From Parents.com:
Frosted Pumpkin Cupcakes
Batty Cake
Creepy Finger Food
Gummy Mummies
Green Goblin Punch

Photo from Familyfun.go.com

From FamilyFun.go.com:
Forked Eyeballs
Goblin Tongues
Wiggly, Jiggly Crystal Ball
PB and Jack o’ Lantern
Worms on a Bun

Photo from Kraftfoods.com

From Kraftfoods.com:
Scary Pudding Cups
Mummy-face Pizzas
Easy Halloween Truffles
Ghastly Goblin Grins

I hope you can squeeze one of these recipes in your cooking routine in October. Plan now when you grocery shop so you can pick up the specialty items you might need for these treats so you can whip up something at the drop of a witch’s hat!