Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Tangled Trick or Treat Bag

I finally finished my daughter's trick or treat bag (talk about waiting until last minute). She is going to be Rapunzel from Tangled- I bought her the beautiful wedding dress costume from the Disney Store and she looks so cute in it!

I was having trouble thinking of a matching bag to make her but then I came up with the idea of putting Pasquel on it. I did the same thing for this bag as I did for my son's bag- I used a printout of Pasquel for a template and went crazy with the felt and tacky glue.

Now to just get through trick or treating...

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Brains!

My son is going to be a zombie for Halloween this year; more specifically a zombie from the game Plants vs. Zombies. I have his costume all set so the only thing left was to make his trick or treat bag.

Every year I make the kids trick or treats bags that match their costumes- I love doing it and I hope that it is something that they will remember when they get older though I won't count on it. Because my son is going to be a zombie, I decided to make him a brain bag- zombies just love brains.


To make this I found the above picture of a brain, blew it up to the appropriate size and printed it. I then cut it out and used it as a pattern to trace onto a piece of felt. I cut out the brain and set it to the side. I then took the brain picture and cut out each brain piece within the actual brain. I traced each of these onto another piece of felt that was a different shade than the first one. I cut each brain piece out and place them together like a puzzle onto the original felt brain. Once the pieces were laid out, I cut small bits of felt off of each one so that the color of the whole brain would show through. Once everything was looking good, I glued the smaller felt pieces to the felt brain with tacky glue and then glued the entire brain onto the bag.

As a side note, my original plan was to just cut out a felt brain and then use black puffy paint to draw on all of the brain lines. As it turns out, puffy paint is not something that lasts indefinitely- the stuff I had from a long time ago was no longer good and ended up bleeding when I used it on the felt. I am glad that happened though because I think the felt on felt look is way cooler.



And there you have it- a brain trick or treat bag that any zombie would be proud to carry!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Pumpkins!

I  finally bought the kids their pumpkins yesterday, so when Jilly was napping I let them go postal with the paint and glue.

Allison and a totally fake smile

Tyler's smile is even faker

Tyler painted a zombie on his pumpkin and Allison, well I have absolutely no idea what she painted

And here is my little chunkster Jillian- she has a pumpkin but will not be decorating it because of her affinity for eating things she's not supposed to.

This week I am going to go to the craft store to pick up supplies to make the kids' trick or treat bags. No one gives a crap about the time I put into making the bags but I love to do it so on goes my tradition.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween- Thank Goodness It's Over


Halloween was fun and the kids had a blast trick or treating. This year my daughter was actually old enough to get the whole trick or treating thing and she just thought it was wonderful that people were giving her candy. My son and his friend were running to houses like madmen and loved every second of it.

I am tired from the walking and even though the kids had tons of fun I am glad Halloween is over. The next holiday on the plate is Thanksgiving which I am not hosting so I won't be stressed out again until it gets closer to Christmas.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Decorating Pumpkins...

The other day it was pouring rain out so I decided to let the kids decorate their pumpkins. My kids love paint and I hate carving pumpkins so we were all happy.

This is my daughter and her princess pumpkin- I don't really see how this looks like a princess in any way but she seems happy.

My son made a Star Wars monster pumpkin. He was happy because I let him use my craft paint. His sister used the Crayola paint because she still thinks eating non-food items is great.

We haven't put the pumpkins outside on display yet as the weather has been rainy and it even snowed a bunch last night. Tomorrow I will put them out on the front steps to show off the work of my two little artists.

Friday, October 28, 2011

TuTu Trick or Treat Basket (and wand!)


My daughter is going to be a fairy for Halloween. I bought her a beautiful tutu dress with wings from Three Little Princesses and had to make her a basket for trick or treating to match.

Because my brain is melted from being pregnant the most creative idea I could come up with was to make her a tutu basket. It took me forever to make and because of that I am glad I bought her a tutu dress instead of attempting to make one myself (though I did buy the supplies to make her a tutu skirt for when I am feeling up to it).

So, my little girl will be tutu-ed out for Halloween and will be as happy as a pig in you-know-what.

Star Wars Trick or Treat Bag


My son is going to be Captain Rex from Star Wars for Halloween- he really loves Star Wars which is funny because he has never seen any of the movies and I only just recently let him watch the Clone Wars cartoon series.

When he said he wanted to be a Star Wars guy for Halloween I instantly started to think about what kind of trick or treat bag I could make him. Every year I make the kids a bag or basket that matches their costume- it is my little tradition that I will continue to do until the kids decide I am lame and just want to use a pillowcase to collect their candy.

After much searching I found this picture of R2D2 to use as my inspiration. I went to the craft store (actually two craft stores because why would one store have everything I was looking for?) and bought lots of felt (on sale for .25 a sheet), tacky glue, fabric scissors (I finally splurged on real fabric scissors and I am wondering what the heck took me long) and a cheap $1 bag.

Basically, I cut out templates of all the shapes I needed using cardboard from cereal boxes (I cut the boxes so my kids have "paper" to use during arts and crafts time) and laid them out until I was happy with how everything looked. I used the templates to cut out the felt pieces and started gluing away.

I am very happy with how it turned out because believe me, when I sat down to make this bag tonight I really had no idea how I was going to pull it off. I am sure that when my son sees it tomorrow morning he will love it and that is what really matters in the end!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Halloween Candy is My BFF...

halloween candy 2
photo credit
I'm not too big on Halloween now that I am an adult. Sure, it is cute when my kids get all dressed up and I like seeing how excited they get when they go trick or treating but for me personally it is quite a bore.

That is until now. I am fat, pregnant and have a hunkering for chocolate.

I already busted open the bags of candy that I bought for trick or treaters and because I have no willpower I am not sure if said candy will still be around on Monday night. Luckily, I just bought two huge bags of candy from Amazon (gotta love Amazon Prime) that will be here by Monday so I'll just have to keep my grubby little hands off of them unless I want my house to get toilet papered due to a lack of candy on Halloween night.

The real best part of Halloween for a pregnant lady (once you get past the having to waddle from house to house with the kids while they trick or treat) is when I get to go through their candy when we get home to check for razor blades and hypodermic needles. At that time I confiscate what I don't think the kids should be eating- or should I say I confiscate what I think I should be eating.

I have been so good my whole pregnancy with not pigging out on junk so with two weeks to go until I have this baby, let the floodgates of sugary, fattening and high fructose corn syrup laden food open up!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Trick or Treat (or drive myself crazy)...

2008-Oct-30 Trick or treat 005
photo credit
Every year I make my kids trick or treat baskets that match their costumes. I know that they could care less if they have something that I slaved over or just a pillowcase but I really enjoy doing it and it makes me feel  all mommy like.

The past years have been pretty easy to make baskets for but this year I am kind of stuck.

My daughter is going to be a fairy princess and I dropped a pretty penny on this costume (yes, I know I could have made something like it but it would not have been as cute). My daughter fell in love with it when she saw it and looked beyond adorable when she tried it on. I am going to make her a tutu basket with matching tulle but will iron out the details when I go to Jo-Ann Fabrics this week. Not the most creative basket but at least it will be cute.

My son is going to be a guy from Star Wars which is where my stuck-ness comes in. I am not someone who knows a ton about Star Wars so I did a lot of searching on the Internet for some ideas for a trick or treat basket. Right now I am leaning towards an R2D2 basket made with a bucket, paint and felt but I was also thinking of doing a Chewbacca basket. I guess I will just have to get my inspiration from aimlessly roaming the aisles of the fabric store.

With Halloween about a week away I really need to get going on these baskets and will most likely run to Jo-Ann Fabrics after my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I swear I am going to drive myself crazy between getting these Halloween baskets done and getting my daughter's/the baby's room done. And like I said before- no one else even cares about any of the stuff I am doing but as long as I care it is all worth it.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Brains, Anyone?


I got my brain shaped Jell-O mold in the mail the other day and decided to put it to use since my son was begging me for brain Jell-O.

I didn't actually use real Jell-O to make this- I used this recipe for healthy Jell-O. I made mine out of 100% apple juice and the kids had no idea that they were eating a healthy brain treat.

I love when my kids think I'm a cool mom and at the same time I am giving them something healthy to eat.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

It is so funny how I obsess that my kids have the right costumes for Halloween and then it is over in a flash and the costumes are off and forgotten.

We had fun trick or treating- we just went up our street with the other kids in our neighborhood. My son and his friend were running door to door having a blast and my daughter was just walking around through the leaves with no interest in getting candy.

Here is my son, aka Spiderman. He refused to wear his mask until he saw that his friend was wearing one- then he decided it was ok. I bought the gloves and boot covers that matched his costume because I had to go all out- I also made a pretty cool trick or treat basket to match his costume.

This is my daughter and her adorable costume. I was sad when it was time to take it off because I love it and she looks so precious in it. I do think my son is pretty adorable also but I did not get to pick out his costume so he was boring old Spiderman- I would have gone with something more cute but I guess he is growiing up and doesn't need his mommy picking out his costumes anymore (insert tears here).

So, Halloween is over and we had a ton of candy left over because there weren't that many trick or treaters this year- not that I'm complaining about having an abundance of candy for my husband and I to eat (we will just have to hide it so my son can't find it). I will pack up our decorations and then on to Thanksgiving!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Rite Aid- Last Minute Halloween Candy

I totally forgot that I needed to buy Halloween candy and remembered when I was eating dinner tonight. I was feeling lazy and really didn't feel like thinking of scenarios or watching Video Values or even using coupons in general. Everyone is entitled to having blah moments.


2 Huge Bags of Candy @ $9.99 each
6 Bags Haribo Gummy Bears @ $1.00 each
Less $5 off $25
Less $10 gift card earned from previous SCR

Total: $10.98
Saved 58%

I should have received a $10 +Up Reward for purchasing $25 in advertised candy but I didn't get it. I called customer service and they will be mailing me one.


Thursday, October 28, 2010

How Dare It Be Warm...

I made a beautiful candy corn wreath for my front door but it turns out that candy corn and unseasonably warm weather in New England do not go well together.


I opened the front door today (we don't use this door to enter/exit the house) to let in some fresh air and I found about thirty melted candy corns on the floor. I have been loosing a few here and there on warmer days but nothing like this.

What a mess and what a pain to clean up. Melted candy corns are like glue. Look at that poor little guy who is sliding down the door.

I threw the wreath away. It was a neat project but I suppose the weather would have to be chilly (like Octobers around here should be) for it to not end up in a massacre.

Oh well, onto a Thanksgiving wreath- sans and melty candy.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Halloween- I'm Ready for You!

After dropping my son off at nursery school yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I ran to JoAnn Fabrics to get the stuff I needed to make the kids' Halloween Baskets.


Here is my daughter's costume. I bought the owl cape from Etsy- I am so obsessed with how absolutely adorable it is! I bought a brown sweatshirt and sweatpants at Target and used fabric that I bought yesterday to make and owl tummy and cover the ugly writing on the sweatshirt (the fabric I bought is the same fabric that was used to line the cape). Then I used some leftover fabric and hot glued it to the basket I bought.


My son is going to be Spiderman so I made him this basket. I used a Halloween pail that I bought at Target for $1 and then glued on red felt that I bought yesterday (they didn't have any of the regular felt in red that was on sale for .25 so I had to buy the .79 fancy patterned red felt and glue the pattern side down- grrrr). Then I used some good old black puffy paint to make the web design.

The total costs for the baskets (and my daughter's owl tummy) were less than $5 each.

I really love making my kids Halloween baskets every year- it is my little tradition that I know they don't really care about but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Spooky Ghosts


This afternoon my three year old son and I made spooky ghosts to hang from a tree in our front yard.

We made them out of some ball pit balls and daddy's old t-shirts. I used rubber bands to secure the cloth around the balls (I trimmed the extra fabric from the bottoms) and then used some raffia tied in bows to cover the rubber bands. Then I colored eyes and a mouth on with a permanent marker. To attach the twine to them I just poked a hole in their heads with scissors and pushed the knot end of the twine in.

These are all of the ones I did- the ones that my son did are currently being held captive in his playroom because he decided that they were his friends (he colored his with crayons because there is not was I would ever give a three year old a permanent marker).

Next on my Halloween list is making trick or treat baskets for my kids (Spiderman one for my son and maybe a bird's nest one for my daughter because she is going to be an owl). I also have to sew a "owl tummy" on the brown sweatshirt for part of my daughter's costume (there is writing on it that I want to cover up). Oh yeah, and I need to buy candy- I'll most likely do that at Rite Aid.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Cutest Thing Ever...

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the Pottery Barn Kids website and saw their Halloween costumes. I fell in love with the owl one but, of course, it was sold out. I went to Ebay and they were selling for over $100- I was in love with it but not that much!

After seeing the owl costume I knew my 15 month old daughter had to be an owl for Halloween. Then I found Livvy Loo Who. She made her daughter an adorable owl cape and was selling them in her Etsy shop! She made one for me and I love it!

Isn't it adorable!

The great thing about this is that my daughter can continue to wear it after Halloween whereas the Pottery Barn one was just a costume and looked like a costume.

I swear, when I opened the package I started yelling at my husband about how cute it was and then I ran and put it on my daughter and was yelling at my husband again about how cute she looked in it.

Now I just have to get her something to wear under it- I don't know if I should have her wear a cute dress or keep it simple and have her wear a brown shirt and brown pants. Hmmm. I also have to make her and my son (he is going to be Spiderman) Halloween treat baskets. I make them ones every year that match their costumes- it's my little tradition.

I am so exited for Halloween!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Mommy Son Time


Today, while my daughter was taking her afternoon nap, my son and I made this Halloween banner to hang on our fireplace.

I cut out all of the shapes and my son colored them. He was gracious to let me color a few. Then I used some jute string that I got from Christmas Tree Shops in the gardening section and strung the shapes up.

My son was so proud to show my husband our creation! I really enjoy doing little crafts with him- they don't look picture perfect but that doesn't matter because in my eyes they always turn out beautiful.

Now on to something that is not beautiful...


This is what happens when you make a Candy Corn Wreath and the weather is unseasonably warm.

The candy corns are slowly melting and some are dropping off of the wreath. The weather is cooling down a little so once the candy has stabilized and the threat of a heat wave is over, I will repair my candy creation.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Candy Corn Wreath

I wanted to make a festive wreath for my front door and I saw this in my mailbox.


When my mom had the kids yesterday I went to Michael's and bought a foam wreath and some black wired ribbon (wired ribbon is great for people like me who stink at making bows). Then I bought a huge bag of candy corn at Target.

Last night I got everything together and whipped out my trusty glue gun and came up with this.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Cute Halloween Stuff from St. Jude's

The order I placed from St. Jude's Hope Gift Book arrived today and what cute stuff! I got a great deal and and am helping a great cause!

Halloween Tree $5.00 (reg. $20.00)
Ornaments $5.00

Set of Halloween Plates $5.00 (reg. $19.00)
(sorry about the poor picture quality)

Total: $20.95 (including $5.95 shipping)