Happy Halloween!
Haunted House Tour
…Last Halloween post, I promise.
Every year when I was little, my family used to go to a haunted house around the corner. Fully decked-out, the whole garage was set with false doors, strobe lights, hydraulic parts; all of which was guarded by a masked man with a chainsaw. As of last year, this house was still in business, and it is still my favorite place to go on Halloween.
Last Halloween, I put together a tour of 3 haunted houses and 1 fun decorated house. We got couples together to take our tour, girls in one car, boys in the other. We had fun scaring each other and checking out the decorations in the neighborhood. If you’re in my area, you can download this tour of Pleasanton Haunted Houses {you may want to drive by on the day of to make sure all are participating this year}.
You can download my word doc here to use my template. Check out the haunted houses or fun decorations by looking at your local newspaper or radio stations.
Free Halloween Party Decorations
Cover up your existing pictures with images from the internet. I did several Google searches to find my subjects; spider anatomy, skeletons, and brains. I printed them out, mounted them on mat board (you could use construction paper or skip this step), and mounted with earthquake gum. Oh, and I used a gold ink pad to make the paper look a little dirty.
Free and unexpected Halloween decor. Booya.
Spooky Chandelier
I know, it doesn’t make sense, but I’m bananas for Halloween. I think it is so fun. And when I saw this picture {via Curious Sofa Diaries}:
You see how I HAD to make these. Okay, now showing these make mine look a little wimpy, but here’s the deal: I scoured Craigslist and wasn’t willing to drive 40 minutes for a $20 chandelier to make this work. I’m too cheap and too busy. So I created one out of balsa wood and cheesecloth.
The best part? You can store mine easier!
Neener neener. I can take mine apart and stuff it in my storage box {I’m making a big deal out of this because I’m suddenly embarrassed at what mine looks like in comparison to these super-cool ghosty chandeliers}.
So, here’s what I used:
- 2 pieces of balsa wood from the craft store {about $1.60 each}
- 1 pkg. cheesecloth from fabric store {about $5}
- black and white spray paint {hopefully you have something close to this left over from other projects}
- hot glue
- twist ties {you can use string or zip ties, or…}
- chain from the hardware store
- 4 battery operated tealights
Here’s how I did it:
Clear out four containers of baby food, pudding, applesauce, or similar container. I saved these from my baby’s breakfast and dinners, and the way he eats, it didn’t take long. But I also like the idea of getting chocolate pudding cups, popping in a movie and getting your containers that way.
I trimmed them to make them shorter {and a little wavy}, glued them to the ends of the balsa wood and spray painted them white {you see four sticks here because I made 2 chandeliers… I used the container lids for one of the chandeliers}.
And while you’re at it, lay out the cheesecloth and spray paint it unevenly with the black to get a ghosty look, and hit the chain with both black and white.
Shred the cheesecloth by ripping it to get those cool edges, and hot glue to the sticks, leaving them open in the middle so you can connect them.
Mark the center of the two sticks, stack them, and use twisty ties or string to connect them. I used the chain in five pieces so it would hang evenly, using twisty ties for this part too.
BOO!
Enough With The Pillowcases
I know. We’re not even half-way through September… but look how cute this one turned out?!
{Joann fabrics: Dancing Skeletons and Halloween Plaid}
Why so many pillowcases you ask? I had an itch to make them, and I don’t know when my little bug is going to be old enough for a pillow {3?}, so these are for family. Oh, and we just got the baby a jumper and he’s been in it for an hour and he’s still smiling away, so I’m keeping busy!
I also saw that Martha has some awesome halloween products this year: http://shop.marthastewart.com/. I LOVE HALLOWEEN!
Halloween Jars
After collecting jars for the “Cute as a Button” baby shower I threw, I wasn’t sure if I needed to keep them… and then I saw this from Chica and Joe {via Google Image search}. Looks like I have an easy Halloween project ahead of me. So cute!
Pumpkin Stencils Can Suck It
If I hear “Look at this creativity!” regarding a pumpkin that was carved using one of those paint-by-number-esque carving stencils, I’m gonna lose it. Creativity? You mean tearing it out of the book, and tracing it? Pfft. Call me a snob, but that ain’t creativity. Do these people not know that such stencils exist? Do I need to clear the air? “Ya, it’s real nice. He carved it half-drunk with his left hand using a stencil, but ya… it’s creative.”
Here are the pumkins I painted for our non-contest at my work. Somehow the stenciled pumpkin still got the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs.’
Halloween Decor
I have been excited for Halloween for at least a month. And just so you’re warned, I start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween.
One of my favorite places for day-after-holiday shopping is Pier 1. I love their holiday decorations because they are at a reasonable price to begin with, and once it’s on sale, it’s a steal! Yes, I know they have some fug, but in general, you can find some gems {like the feathered angel wings I got for my Christmas tree last year}. Here are some of their Halloween decorations that I’m liking {and I’m giving them a thumbs-up for their slightly-corny, slightly-funny captions}:
And if you mix this cheap crap in with some of your vintage pieces, spooky fabrics, and pumpkins, it should look pretty cute. I, myself won’t be buying any of this on account of we have to buy zillions of dollars in baby crap. But, please, you still enjoy. Oh, and send me pictures.
Happy Halloween!
Looks like I found this one a little late… maybe next year!
Picture taken from junie-moon.