Ready for ghoulish fun? I got the above altered jar in the mail the other day, and just could not resist sharing it. I’ll grant it might not be everybody’s cup or tea (or any other fluid, for that matter), but it completely busted me up, and that was before I opened the jar!

Don’t bother asking how my friend got all that in there. I can’t get it all back in. It was so much fun to go through all that bounty, and think about the ways I could use it. (I think I’ll put those skeletal hands in my hair, like barrettes….)

So just a few clues about what my friend did: I’m pretty sure the blood is red dimensional paint. She drizzled that over the plastic fingers, which are glued to a “nest” of black fun fur, and then to the lid of the jar. The jar itself is partially wrapped with Halloweenish paper, with stick on letters spelling “Bad Blood”.

Now, I know you won’t have time to mail one before Halloween, but can you picture the surprise, (and I hope delight!) of the friend whose porch you leave it on? I’m thinking a teenager, myself, especially one of the ones who have gotten into the whole vampire bit. Oh, yessssssss.

We thought we would share a few more Halloween inspired DIY project with you. These little ghosts will add a “spooky” touch to your cupcakes! Your little ones will love them and best of all…they are so easy to make its “scary”!

Materials:

• small Styrofoam balls
• lollipop sticks
• 4″ square of tulle
• 4″ square of lace
• thin black ribbon
• gems for eyes and mouth
• glue gun and scissors

Just take your little Styrofoam ball and stick one of your lollipop sticks in it. If you need to add a little dab of glue to secure it you can.

Place your lace square over your tulle square and lay it over top of the Styrofoam ball, tie with your black ribbon. Then you can trim around the lace and tulle to get it to the length desired.

Next just hot glue two small gems for eyes and a larger one for a mouth and your little ghost is complete! How easy is that!?!

So with Halloween being Monday…we thought we would share one more fun and festive DIY project with you! Buntings are so popular and so darn cute!! This bunting is so easy to create, no gluing, no sewing…what else could you ask for!?!

Materials:

• Decorative holiday paper
• Glitter Paper
• Ribbon
• Brads
• Triangle template (create your own size)

We created the triangle template on the computer and decided we wanted the size to be 3½ x 4½”. (You can use whatever size you want) Using the template cut out the triangles on the decorative paper. Once you have the desired amount of triangles cut out attached them to your ribbon using the brads. They are sharp enough that they will pierce the paper and ribbon, so there is no need to punch or cut a hole!

Voila….you have a festive fall bunting without gluing or sewing!!

This is the time of year for costumes, which is good for me. I never did outgrow loving to play dress-up, and I just love creating costumes. But what do you do when you need a costume in a hurry?

The costume at the top is one solution, and got a lot of laughs at our recent Cousins’ Night Out. We were supposed to dress in “French costumes”. Have you figured Mama and me out yet?

We’re French Fries, complete with the fry baskets!

If you want to go as an order of fries, or let one of the kids do it, these are the “ingredients”:

• A red hat and scarf for “catsup”
• Tan pants and turtleneck for the “fry” part
• A plastic basket from the dollar store, with the bottom cut out. (You’ll be surprised how small a basket “fits”, I bet!) To put it on, just step in and squiggle it up until it hits a comfortable “staying” spot.
• Last step, for extra fun: Get two catsup packets from your local fast food joint, poke holes in the flat edge at the top center of each one, and hang them from earring wires.

This was a fun costume to put together and wear, and we even took first prize–for sheer creativity!

Want a couple more quickie costume ideas?

This one came to me just today, as I was cutting and rolling sheets of bubble wrap to take to a local non-profit: Wear white pants and tee, wrap yourself from head to toe in big-bubble bubble wrap, and go as a bubble bath! Make a cap of the stuff, and “accessorize” with a washcloth or back brush. Just be careful if you sit down, lol!

Another one, a little more time-consuming, but fun, is to go as a Rubik’s cube. I did this for one of my girls when she was about eight. First, get a cardboard box big enough to go from the neck to the top of the thighs. If it’s more or less a cube, that’s great, but it doesn’t have to be. Cut construction paper into rectangles or squares the right size to make three rows of three squares across, in six different colors, then glue them randomly on the sides and top of the box. (Yes, it’s an unsolved cube. Never could put those things back right, myself.) Cover with clear self-stick vinyl (such as Contac paper) to make them shiny. Cut holes for the head and arms.

Another costume I created for one of my girls when she was maybe six was a caterpillar. I took a velour turtleneck she already had and lengthened it with wide bands of velour until it was an ankle-length tube. Then I went to the thrift store and bought six or seven pairs of the teensiest baby shoes (fabric type) that I could find, and safety pinned them in a double row down the front of the tube to be her caterpillar feet. We topped her off with an antennae head-band, and painted her face one of the colors of her costume, with bright lips, and a big polka dot on each cheek.

My favorite time of year, by FAR! Fall…Football…Friends & Fam. The best! I have to celebrate today by posting a little Halloween fun…How cute are these!!

Fake pumpkins wrapped in paper strips from Halloween Paper. Tie ribbon & tulle around the stems. Fill a bowl on your table and that’s it!

What a great way to use those Halloween scraps!

Have you decorated your pumpkins yet? I love using pumpkins for my fall and Halloween decorations. This year I wanted my pumpkins to sparkle, really sparkle. So what did I use? Glitter!

This project is as easy, as it is sparkly. I used a foam brush to generously coat one section of my pumpkin in Mod Podge. Then I sprinkled glitter over the Mod Podge. (I strongly recommend covering your work space before using the glitter). Once the glue seemed dried, I did the next section and so on, until the pumpkin is completely covered in glitter. Once it was dry, fill in any bare stops.

Lastly I sprayed the pumpkin with a clear coat sealer to prevent the glitter from flaking off. Place on your table, door step or porch for a fun, Halloween sparkle!

There’s something wonderful about getting a present in a beautifully packaged bag or box. When you make your own packaging and personalize it to the recipient, it can make the gift even more special. Chances are you have empty food boxes lying around, so rather than throw them out, make glittery Halloween gift bags from them. The sturdiness of the box makes it an especially excellent option for semi-fragile gifts.

What you’ll need:

• Empty food box
• Hole punch
• Green ribbon
• Brown ribbon
• Fabri-tac
• Scissors
• Orange cardstock
• 3 types of scrapbook paper
• Pencil
• Orange, black and green glitter
• Q-tip
• Mod Podge
• Spray adhesive (optional)

Step 1. Find an empty food box that your gift can fit in, then cut the tabs off the top of the box.

Step 2. Choose three colored scrapbook papers. I chose a dark brown patterned paper for the front and back, orange for the sides and orange and beige striped patterned paper to layer onto the front.

Step 3. Put a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the front, back, and sides of the box, place one type of scrapbook paper on the front and back and another on the sides, then smooth out all the air bubbles. When it dries, cut of the excess paper.

Step 4. Cut the third piece of scrapbook paper, which is going to layer onto the front of the box, into whatever size you’d like. Adhere it using the Mod Podge, then trim the excess.

Step 5. Put a thin layer of Fabri-tac on the edges of the front of the box, then attach strips of brown ribbon.

Step 6. Draw a pumpkin onto the orange cardstock, then use a Q-tip to put Mod Podge only on the pumpkin and not on the stem or face. Sprinkle on the orange glitter, knock off the excess, then fill in any bare spots.

Step 7. Use a Q-tip to apply Mod Podge to the eyes and mouth of the pumpkin, sprinkle on the black glitter, knock off the excess, then make any adjustments to even out the lines of the shapes.

Step 8. Use another Q-tip to apply Mod Podge to the stem of the pumpkin, sprinkle on the green glitter, then knock off the excess.

Optional step: If you’re worried about the glitter falling off the finished project, spray the pumpkin with spray adhesive before you attach it to the front.

Step 9. Put Mod Podge on the back of the pumpkin, then carefully press it down onto the front of the box.

Step 10. Punch a hole in each side of the box about an inch down from the top. To make sure it’s even, punch one hole, then put a pencil through, then punch a hole where the pencil meets on the other side.

Step 11. Cut three long pieces of green ribbon that are even in size. Holding the three pieces, tie them together by making one large knot at the end. The knot should be big enough that it cannot fit through the hole punched in the side of the box. Starting from the inside of the box, put the ribbons through one hole, then up and around through the outside of the opposite hole so the ends of the ribbon are back inside the back. Tie a thick knot on the end so you create a three-ribbon handle. To test that the knots won’t pop out through the holes, lift the bag up by the handle and shake it a bit.

A lot of adults have as much fun on Halloween as the kids do. And why not? Why shouldn’t we get to play dress up, and watch scary movies, and enjoy the decorations?

Of course, not many grown-ups get to go Trick-or-Treating! So let’s make up for that a little and put together Altered Treat Jars for our fun-loving friends.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Halloween papers and stickers—black cats, skeletons, Jack-o’-Lanterns, etc.
• Ribbons and trims in Fall and Halloween colors
•  A small jar with a lid
• Treats to fill the jar
• Glue

Now, this is such a simple project, I don’t think directions are really necessary. Just take a look at the photos, the one above of the front, and the one below of the back.

Let your own imagination and creativity carry you along. Cover the jar with scrapbooking paper, or an old Halloween card front, decorate it and the lid with stickers, etc., and you’re ready to fill the jar and give it away.

Need help on what to put inside? There’s always candy, of course, including such yummy adult goodies as chocolate-covered coffee beans, but you don’t have to limit yourself to edibles. My friend just happens to love Halloween, and also does collage and card-making, so I packed her jar with black, orange, and purple buttons, beads, and flat marbles, a bunch of stickers, some purple ribbon, some ostrich feather, and another black feather I found outside, and two small paper punches of a cat and a bat. Get the idea?

Now that you’ve done a Halloween jar, I’ll bet you’re getting all kinds of ideas for others. Me, too! Here’s one I made this week for a friend who loves pink:

My jar had two flat sides, so it ended up having two “fronts”:

Oh, and one last thing: When you’re filling the jar, if you’re careful you can get the contents to show through nicely, and almost become part of the decoration:

You know, I can hardly wait to empty another jelly jar!

Fall fast (5) project, five minutes or less to create, 5 or less materials needed.

Halloween is always such an exciting time of the year. You can make candy bags, invitations, cards or decorations. You can use the Pumpkin Carriage punch art to decorate just about anything you want. With just three craft punches you can create a cute nostalgic decoration. Let the magic begin.

What you Need:

• Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer

• Martha Stewart punch – Bat

• Martha Stewart double punch – Vintage Doily

• EK Success Paper Shaper punch – 1 1/4″ X 2″ oval

• Bazzill orange & black cardstock

• Glue and wax paper

Step 1:

Punch (five) orange ovals, (two) black Vintage Doily pieces and (one) black bat from card stock.

Step 2:

Assembly Pumpkin Carriage by layering center oval gluing on top of one oval under each side. Glue 4th & 5th ovals the same way. Depending on how far apart you space them you can create different size carriages. Glue bat in center of carriage.

Step 3:

Lie carriage on wax paper and coat with 3D Crystal lacquer, set aside to dry. When dry glue wheels in place.

I adore Halloween so I’d thought I would share a Halloween themed idea to get a jump on all of Halloween’s goodness. This card is fast and easy to make.

Materials and Tools:

• Scissors
• Cutting mat
• Suggested Halloween Stickers:
• Jolee’s Boutique – Witches and Cats Stickers
• Jolee’s Pumpkin Embellishment Stickers
• Spooky Tree sticker
• Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page Punch – Eyelet Lace
• Bracket punch
• Spooky Caption sticker
• Bazzill cardstock in white, orange, yellow and black
• Halloween Patterned cardstock

Trim white card stock with Rotary cutter to 8″x10″. Score the card stock in the middle at the 5″ line and use a bone folder to crease the edge of paper to form card 5″ x 8″.

Using Rotary cutter trim Halloween patterned card stock to 5″x8″ and use large Zots or glue to adhere to front of card.

Punch out two orange, one yellow and one black eyelet lace border strips 8″ long. Glue single orange strip to top of patterned Halloween paper. Glue black, then yellow and finally orange on top of each other making sure to overlap pieces so you can see each color. Glue to bottom of patterned paper.

From yellow card stock trace and punch out three yellow brackets. Glue to upper top of patterned card stock making sure to evenly line up the three brackets. Place stickers on each yellow piece to create a scene. Add caption sticker to complete card.

Make this spooky and adorable Paper Witch Hat Centerpiece for your Halloween décor.

To make this hat use any of the DieCuts printed paper stack. I’d suggest the Haunting Paper Stack! Such a great Halloween stack…pretty much love every print in this stack and LOVE the classic colors.

I started with a Styrofoam cone. They make all different sizes so you could really make your hat any size.

I covered the cone with two pieces of 12×12 paper and positioned the top piece so it hung over the top a little bit. That’s what I squeezed together and glued down to make the hanging part of the top of the hat. Then I wrapped another print around the front. I hand cut the brim of the hat and glued two pieces back to back so there is another print on the bottom of the hat.

Then I just embellished the hat with some paper strips, tulle and Halloween Stickers. I think this will look darling in the middle of my kitchen table. So easy and after you have the Styrofoam cone, you probably have everything else you need! Love it when there are projects like that!

Looking for a special way to send a Halloween greeting to friends and family? Let your little one help and create a keepsake at the same time with these ghost footprint cards.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• White craft paint
• Black craft paint
• Black cardstock card blank
• Foam paintbrush

1. Coat the bottom of your child’s foot with a generous layer of white paint.

2. Press the foot carefully onto the black paper in the center of the card, rocking it slightly to make sure a full impression is created.

3. Wipe your child’s foot clean and allow the paint to dry.

4. Paint a thin coat of black paint onto their thumbs and press to create “eyes and mouth” on the ghost. Or draw in with a black marker. Allow the paint to dry before sending.

One thing I love about Halloween is being able to decorate for it.  Each year I try to add something new and different to my things.  My son and I have even had fun making our own decorations to hang in the windows.  This year I was fortunate to find several new things and thought it would be fun to start taking pictures and making them into layouts to see how much the decorating changes every year.  I decided to add to the fun by using the new Echo Park Apothecary Under Your Spell paper and Alphabet Stickers.

I started by taking pictures of the things I’ve added this year and printed them out to 4″ x 6″.  I, then, trimmed the white edges off the pictures to make them look even spookier.  I chose some Orange Bazzill Cardstock and trimmed it to be 4″ x 6″.  Next I used the Pumpkin Patch Punch by Martha Stewart  and punched the top of each piece of cardstock.  The details on this punch are fantastic and I wanted it to stand out more so I rubbed a q-tip over the Black Soot Distress Ink Pad and rubbed the ink onto the pumpkins and then turned the q-tip around, gently rubbing the ink into the grooves of the paper which also helped to remove some of the excess ink off the paper.  It not only helped to highlight the pumpkins, it gave them a shadowed look, as well.  I, then, adhered the pictures to the background pieces and onto the 12 x 12 piece of Under Your Spell paper.  I placed the patterned pumpkin from the Echo Park Apothecary Emporium Elements sheet between the 2 pictures to add some more interest to the layout.  I found that I had some of the Making Memories Toil and Trouble Foam Icons Stickers left from last year and decided that the stars would be great to add a glittery effect to the page.  I knew I was close to being done, but it still needed something more besides the title. 

Since most of my pictures showed my favorite pumpkins I realized I needed to use my newest Halloween punch which is extra special to me because I was able to help name this 1″ Lever Punch by Fiskars.  It’s called, “Laughin’ Jack.”  I used some yellow Bazzill and punched 2 faces out and adhered them to the layout using some mini Pop Dots cut in halves to fit onto the face areas.    The last thing I did was included the title using the Apothecary Alphabet Stickers and what should Halloween decorations say to those who see them? “Happy Halloween!”  of course, so that’s what I named this layout. 

Often as we decorate for the holidays we don’t think to take pictures and scrap them, but if you think about it that’s also a part of what our family memories are so the next time you snap a few pictures of the cute little costumes your children wear be sure to snap a few pictures of the decorations you have put up.  It’s all a part of the fun of the holiday!  Have a very Happy Halloween everyone!

I really love all the aspects of Halloween from the creepy designs to the art of doing costume makeup. I enjoy the holiday so much that I give my loved ones little bags of treats. Although Halloween isn’t typically thought of as a gift-giving holiday, there are plenty of opportunities to use a creepy spider gift tag. Whether you’re giving a hostess gift or a bag of treats to your child, the recipient can also use the tag as a bookmark.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• Orange gift tag
• Ultra fine black glitter
• Mod Podge
• Red glitter glue pen
• Spray glue
• Spider punch
• Newspapers

Step 1. Punch three medium-sized spiders out of black cardstock, then use the Mod Podge to adhere them haphazardly onto the gift tag.

Step 2. Use the red glitter glue pen to make bright red eyes on the spiders. You may have to do this step two or three times so that the glitter shows up well enough. Avoid using regular red glitter – when working with such limited space, the glitter could flake off or bunch up into a single pile.

Step 3. Start from the hole of the gift tag and make a swirly and squiggly line from the top of the gift tag down to the bottom. Make certain parts of the line thicker than others; don’t worry if the line is a little jagged in some areas.

Step 4. Over a spread out sheet of newspaper, sprinkle ultra fine black glitter onto the glue line – don’t sprinkle it all over the glue, only sprinkle it in spots and let some of the red glitter show through. The line will appear as if it’s a thick, disgusting looking worm.

Step 5. Tilt the tag back and forth so the glitter sticks onto the glue and also spreads over the rest of the tag. Considering how fine the glitter is, it may not move easily so tap the tag a bit to shift it. Let the tag sit untouched until it is completely dry.

Step 6. You could leave the fine glitter spread on the tag as is, or if you prefer, use a very light coating of spray adhesive to ensure it sticks on. Don’t touch the tag until it fully dries otherwise you could leave fingerprints.

What’s your favorite handmade Halloween costume you’ve ever created? From kids to adult costumes, funny to scary, we want to see your creativity! Enter our Handmade Halloween Costume Contest for a chance to win one of these amazing prizes…

• 1st Place: $150 CreateForLess Shopping Spree
• 2nd Place: $100 CreateForLess Shopping Spree
• 3rd Place: $50 CreateForLess Shopping Spree

The top costumes will be featured on our Facebook page, and the top 3 winners will be selected by members of our Facebook community. Like Us on Facebook today!

Enjoy some of our favorite entries from the 2010 Handmade Halloween Costume Contest.

Enjoy some of our favorite entries from the 2009 Handmade Halloween Costume Contest.

Enjoy some of our favorite entries from the 2008 Handmade Halloween Costume Contest.

When the weather begins to change with the dropping temperatures, children and parents often find themselves in need of fun, but affordable activities. As a parent, it can be a full time job to keep your children’s busy little brains and bodies stimulated.

It’s important for parents to encourage their children to use their imaginations year-round. Moreover, using the time your kids have after school to keep their bodies and minds active will keep them healthy. Fortunately, keeping your children entertained doesn’t have to cost a lot and unlimited creativity will inspire your family to make memories that you’ll remember forever.

Here is a list of 10 Halloween suggestions that parents can adapt for their children’s ages, abilities and interests.

1. Halloween cookie night: Mix up your cookie dough the day before and refrigerate it for easy shape cutting. Let your children help mix the frosting and add the black, orange, green and purple food coloring. Then let your kids cut Halloween shaped cookies, bake and decorate them. Also, they’ll enjoy bringing their special cookies to neighbors and family members.

2. Decorate the house: Your children will be delighted when you recruit their help to decorate your home for Halloween. If you don’t have a stockpile of pre-made decorations, then create black bats out of construction paper, window silhouettes in the shape of witches and dangle hand-made lollipop ghosts from your trees.

3. Pumpkin carving contest: Within a few days of Halloween, gather your family and place a pumpkin in front of each family member. Bring a timer and start the contest. It is a good idea to use the saws that are sold in pumpkin carving kits for the safety of your children. The saws are manufactured for children ages 6 and up. Also, these kits are sold for under $10 and are available at most grocery and department stores. You can have a fun Halloween prize for the winner such as a plate size pumpkin sugar cookie. Furthermore, this will give your porch a fun decoration.

4. Binder of fun Halloween activities: The internet is filled with a variety of printable Halloween activities such as mazes, coloring pages and word searches. You can stockpile a file full of these papers for each of your children and then pull them out when your kids are bored or need to be occupied when you’re driving around town running errands.

5. Halloween scrapbook: Gather the pictures that you took of your kids in costume last year along with Halloween stickers, scissors and acid-free paper in black, purple and orange. Allow your children to put together a Halloween scrapbook. Encourage your kids to write down their memories of trick-or-treating and parties that they may have attended. You and your family will appreciate this special Halloween keepsake years later.

6. Enjoy the chilly weather: Sit out on the porch with hot chocolate and blankets. Encourage your children to search for Halloween creatures in the stars.

7. Scavenger hunt for Halloween items: This can be a fun neighborhood activity and your children will be delighted to involve their friends. You’ll need to make up a list ahead of time that includes items such as spider rings, pictures of the most decorated house in the neighborhood and a clove of garlic. You can have an inexpensive prize for the winner like a small cellophane bag of Halloween candy.

8. Camping out in the living room with tents: Pick a Friday or Saturday night just in case your kids stay up past their bedtime and need to sleep late the next morning. A small tent is perfect for this fun and memorable activity. Set the tent up anywhere in your home that has the space and your children will be thrilled if you have battery powered lanterns for their campout. You can microwave s’mores for an evening snack and your family can spend the night scaring one another with the retelling of spooky tales. Your children will be surprised when you show them a few shadow puppets that you’ve learned from the internet and don’t forget to roll out your children’s favorite sleeping bags for their night of fun.

9. Family theatre night with a reenactment of favorite Halloween characters: Locate your left over Halloween make-up from last year and watch your children’s theatrical side come to life. They’ll have fun pretending to be monsters and you’ll have fun trying to guess who they are pretending to be.

10. Take A Family Walk Around Your Neighborhood To Find The Best Decorated House: Some of your neighbors probably go all out for Halloween and decorate their homes to look like haunted houses with headstones in their yards or they may have knives hanging from their porches. You and your kids will have an enjoyable afternoon roaming around your neighborhood to vote on the best home.

As a parent, you can use this list along with your own inspired ideas to kindle your children’s imaginations during the Halloween season. Try to focus on a variety of activities including those that will structure their play along with others that allow them the free time needed for complete creativity. Using this system, you will have the steps to succeed in guiding your children toward their personal individualism.

Also, remember to encourage them with activities that are suitable for their ages. Often, children become disinterested with projects that are too easy or overly complicated for their skill level. Activities need to be enjoyable, but interesting, and should be geared towards their interests.

Children know what they like and every child is unique with their own individual pursuits. Also, it’s a good idea to let them plan their own activities and help them find the materials to follow through. Furthermore, children are happiest when they are given the chance to show the distinct qualities that make them special.

Take these suggestions and have a discussion with your family regarding the Halloween season and how they’d like to celebrate the festivities this year.

I love anything with glitter, sparkles or shine so I was ecstatic when I discovered 3D Crystal Lacquer by Sakura Hobby Craft. It goes on smooth, covers well and dries to a great shine. If you want to add more dimension to your crafts just apply multiple layers of the lacquer letting it dry between coatings. You can apply a coating and sprinkle glitter while the lacquer is wet, no need for glue. After drying add another coating and you get a high gloss finish with the pretty glitter encased in the lacquer. There are so many fun ways of using this product you are only limited by your imagination.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer
• Martha Stewart double large embossed punch – Trick or Treat
• Martha Stewart medium punch – Hard Candy
• Martha Stewart edge wing punch – Drippy Goo
• Fiskars Lever punch – 1″ circle
• EK Success Paper Shaper punch – 1 ¼” square
• EK Success Paper Shaper punch – 1 ½” x 2 ½” oval
• EK Success Large Slim Profile punch – 2 ½” circle
• White cardstock or card blank
• Halloween cardstock (front of card)
• Bazzill orange, yellow and black cardstock
• Any scrap patterned cardstock (for candy)
• Art Institute glitter - Lemone
•  Martha Stewart – Bone folder
• Paper Rotary cutter
• Glue, scissors and wax paper

Step 1:

Trim white cardstock with Rotary cutter to 8″x10″. Score the white cardstock in the middle at the 5″ line and use a bone folder to crease the edge of paper to form card 5″x8″.  Or use a card blank. Using Rotary cutter trim Halloween card stock to 5″x8″ and adhere to front of card.

Step 2:

Punch Drippy Goo border along edge of yellow cardstock and trim to create a ¾” strip, place on wax paper and apply a thin coating of 3D Crystal Lacquer over entire surface, use your finger to create an even surface and sprinkle Lemone glitter to lower half of design tapping off excess you may have and set aside to dry.

Step 3:

Punch (two) orange and (two) black Trick or Treat signs and glue orange pieces on top of black ones to create a shadow effect. Lay pieces on wax paper and apply one coat of 3D Crystal Lacquer to entire surface set aside to dry.

Step 4:

Punch (five) orange ovals, assembly pumpkin by layering center oval gluing on top of one oval under each side. Glue 4th & 5th ovals the same way.

Step 5:

Punch (one) black square and with 2 ½” circle punch about a quarter of a circle from black card stock for the mouth. Cut each black square in half then cut that piece in half again to create eyes and nose. Create mouth by drawing a mouth design of your choice and cutting it out of the black circle. Lie on wax paper and apply one coat of 3D Crystal Lacquer to entire surface and set aside to dry.

Step 6:

From solid and patterned card stock punch (twelve) Hard Candy shapes and (nine) ¾” circles. Lie on wax paper and coat each piece with 3D Crystal lacquer, set aside to dry.

Step 7:

Trim Drippy Goo border to fit top of card, then glue in place next glue Trick or Treat shapes under border on each side. Trim and glue leftover piece of Drippy Goo to fit top of pumpkin and glue pumpkin on lower part of card. Glue on pumpkin face and candy to complete card.

As fall approaches, the brightly colored orange, red and yellow autumn-themed decorations are going to start making an appearance. Not to be outdone by real pumpkins, mini paper pumpkins can look just as cute and decorative and take surprisingly little time to make. With a few materials, you can make single pumpkins to put around your home or even make a vine of them for a single area.

What you’ll need:

• Orange, brown and green cardstock
• Gold glitter glue pen
• Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Tissue paper

Step 1. Ball up the tissue paper and compact it as much as possible. Use as many sheets as it takes to make a single ball that’s the size of the pumpkin you want.

Step 2. Cut the orange cardstock into strips. The width of each strip depends on the size pumpkin you’re making, however, the length of each strip should measure exactly from the top center of the tissue paper ball to the bottom center.

Step 3. Put a thin layer of Mod Podge on one side of each strip, then place them over the tissue paper ball. Start each one at the top center and end each one at the bottom center. Work in a clockwise direction slightly overlapping the side of one piece over the one before it until you get all the way around. When you finished putting the orange cardstock on the pumpkin, press the ball in between your hands to compact everything.

Step 4. If the top and bottom center areas of the pumpkin are too thick from the paper, trim them down a bit.

Step 5. Use the gold glitter glue over each paper line on the pumpkin. Put the pumpkin on a plastic surface to dry so you can easily wash off any glitter that transfers.

Step 6. Roll a piece of brown cardstock into the shape of a stem, then glue the end of the paper down to the top center of the pumpkin. The size should correspond to the size of the pumpkin. Roll the brown paper in between your hands until the stem becomes a bit more compact.

Step 7. Cut the green cardstock into thin strips to create the vines, then use scissors and your fingers to twist and curl the pieces. Don’t worry if some of the green comes off, pumpkin vines have varying shades of green with some parts that look white. Dot some of the gold glitter glue on them if you prefer.

Step 8. Glue the ends of the vines to the top center of the pumpkin, then glue the stem directly to the top center.

Step 9. Let everything sit in place until it is fully dry.

I love Halloween so I’m always excited to come up with scarily cute new ideas for projects. One of the fun things about this design is that it can be used either for a card, as a party invitation or even a thank you note just by changing the inside message. You can even hand them out with your trick or treat goodies attached since they are quick and easy to make. The possibilities are endless!

Supplies Needed:

• 3 colors of paper (orange, green and white used here) cut to 3 ¼” x 4 ¾”
• Black cardstock cut to form a 4 ¼”x 5 ½” card folded on left, or a black card blank
• Martha Stewart’s Spider Web Corner Punch or Any Halloween Corner Punch
• Martha Stewart Scoreboard 
• Paper trimmer
• Distress Ink (Peeled Paint and Spiced Marmalade)
• Imaginisce i-rock tool and gems
• Your favorite black ink for stamping
• Your favorite markers or pencils to color stamped image
• Your choice of adhesive
• Halloween Clear Stamps

To create the card/invitation:

1. Cut and form a 4 ¼”x 5 ½” card that folds on the left.

2. Cut the orange, green and white cardstocks to 3 ¼” x 4 ¾” size.

3. Punch left top corners of the three papers and fold right under the web using a scoreboard to get a stiff crease and fold. Glue down the corners making sure the web is left open at bottom to allow next color of cardstock to slide under a little if necessary.

4. Stamp on design and color. On this one I colored around her hat to make it a little more magical.

**To stamp the “Happy Halloween” greeting use the Spiced Marmalade and ink top half of stamp. Ink bottom half using Peeled Paint and overlapping a small portion of what was already inked with the Spiced Marmalade to help blend the colors together. Stamp message on.

5. Attach all pieces to card base making sure to line up the white card stock piece with the bottom right corner of the card.

6. Embellish corner and web using the i-rock tool and stones.

7. Add message to fit your occasion on the inside.

Now it’s your turn to create a little Halloween magic and make one or even more than one of these wonderfully cute, scary creations and be sure to have a spooky good time doing it.

Every child should, at some point in their lives, get to have their very own super cape. Admit it, you’d take one yourself if given the opportunity, wouldn’t you? Capes are magical, mystical, and also, just plain fun. This light and simple cape is a snap to make, requires no sewing at all (unless you want to) and can be tailored to your child’s interests and tastes. So if that special little someone who you are making it for is, say, REALLY into garbage trucks, well then, a super garbage man cape it is.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 XL men’s t-shirt
• Fabric Scissors
• Velcro or ribbon
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Optional:

• Heat transfer shapes
• Iron on patches
• Freezer paper stencils, Click Here to learn how to make your own!

1. Fold the t-shirt in half lengthwise and cut off the sleeves.

2. Turn the shirt inside out and cut out the side seams on both sides, from the hem to the armpits. If yoru shirt has no side seams, simply cut open the sides.

3. Unless the emblem of your shirt is very cool and what you want on the cape, or the shirt is plain, plan on using the back of the T so that you have plain material to work with. Lay the shirt open on a flat work surface and then fold in half vertically. Starting at the hem on the outside edge, cut at an angle up toward the shoulders.

4. At the shoulders, turn and cut in toward the neck. Trim around the front of the ribbing at the neck. Discard the rest of the fabric.

5. Open the cape up and cut a 3-4 inch section out of the neck loop. You can leave the neck as is but it will be most likly be too large for your child.

6. Hot glue velcro or ribbon to each end of the cut neck piece to create a new closure for the cape.

7. Embellish with an iron on patch, embroidery or a stencil.