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Hello,
Today's issue contains Halloween ideas. We have lots of great costume ideas and tips. We also have some photo entries at the bottom. Just click the link to view the photos online.
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Tips
Halloween is right around the corner. This page contains some Jack O'Lantern carving tips and resources. Feel free to post your own tips.
Halloween is right around the corner. This page contains some Jack O'Lantern carving tips and resources. Feel free to post your own tips.
* Cut the hole in the bottom of the pumpkin instead of the top. It makes it easier to deal with the candle.
* Sprinkle cinnamon in your pumpkin for a great smell.
* If you make a mistake carving, use a toothpick to reattach pieces.
* Create elaborate designs by carving with a pattern.
Find some great patterns online at jack-o-lantern.com. http://www.jack-o-lantern.com/
* You may want to consider painting or drawing a face on your pumpkin. Then you can can eat the pumpkin after Halloween.
* Be sure to compost your pumpkin after Halloween.
* Save the seeds and bake them for a delicious snack.
Pumpkin Seed Baking Instructions:
They are quick, easy, healthy and delicious.
1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Rinse seeds until they are clean.
3. Let the seeds dry
4. Coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Once cooked, you can eat the seeds with the shell on or off. Sprinkle salt or other seasoning on the seeds before baking, if desired. For saltier seeds, boil the seeds in salt water for 5 to 10 minutes before baking.
When carving out your jack-o-lanterns, carve a section straight across the bottom then clean out as much seeds and flesh as possible. This serves several purposes, the pumpkin sits straight, the lid does not shrink and collapse and you just lift the pumpkin up to light your candle. Roast the seeds after rinsing and if you have small pumpkins boil the flesh and mash for pumpkin goodies such as pies, cakes, cookies or bread.
By LuAnn from lancaster, Ohio
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Making Masks and Halloween Costumes
My children love to create their own costume's mask for Halloween. I buy foam craft sheets, self sticking cut outs, glitter and glue. Any items in the craft area or around the house works.
They cut the shape and decorate I attach it with elastic string and dress them according to what they choose. Cats get black sweats and a piece of Boa or felt rolled into a tail. It is fun for them and it is cost effective for me.
Left over craft stuff is great for birthday party activities and crafts through out the year. Memories last a lifetime!
By Melissa from Baytown, Texas
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Autumn or Halloween Party Table Decor
For a festive touch at your next Halloween or autumn party, hollow out some mini pumpkins, then fill them with dips, salsa, etc. You could also hollow out a good sized pumpkin, line with foil or plastic wrap, and put chips in it (or any other food you want to serve in a creative way)! I've done this in years past and my guests always commented on what a cute idea it was.
By Lisa from WI
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Pumpkin Pots
By Shauna Smith Duty
Pumpkin pots add personality and charm to Halloween and Thanksgiving décor. If you make them in September, you can add soil and seeds so they will be overflowing with fragrant herbs, just in time for holiday cooking. They can also hold candy, napkins and silverware, or a candle. Used as a gift for dinner guests, they can be incorporated into a table setting.
What you'll need:
Paint the pots and saucers solid orange. Use 3-5 coats for rich, consistent coverage. While the pots and saucers are drying, sketch some designs for faces onto paper (see photo for samples). You can make the faces resemble family members. Use family photos for ideas. Once you're comfortable with your design, pencil it onto the pots.
With fine brushes, paint your face design black. Use white for teeth and accents on the eyes. Add stripes in brown paint to make the pot resemble a pumpkin. Also paint vines and green leaves in place of hair, above the faces. Eyelashes, freckles, lips, moles, and other quirky accents give the pots personality. When the pots are finished and have dried, spray two coats of varnish or clear spray paint on the outside of the pots and the entire surface of the saucers.
If you want your project to be useful in the winter, paint jack-o-lantern faces on one side and snowman faces on the opposite side. When Thanksgiving is over, simply turn your pots around and continue to display them through the winter months.
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For a last minute costume idea, dont forget the good old plain white sheet Ghost costume. Cut 2 holes for the eyes and gather the neckline with a couple of safety pins.
By Kim from Howell. NJ
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Face Painting Ideas for Costumes
Do an internet seach for face painting ideas. Last year I found a great fleece lion costume for $5 and found a site for face painting and simply copied it using cheap walmart facepaint. It looked great!
By Kim from Howell
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A white pillow case (or any old one will do) works really well for trick or treating. It holds lots of candy, won't tear and can be seen by motorists when most costumes are dark. They can be decorated to look more festive. For shorter children, they could be cut down shorter or folded inward to half the size.
By Candy from Hector, MN
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Six Halloween costumes to come up with yearly and wanting to never repeat one was quite a challenge. One of the cutest and EASIEST was a box of detergent that was overflowing with suds.
Buy the biggest cardboard box of detergent available and when it's empty cut out both ends. At the top, punch a hole on either side of the front and back. Then run one long length of yarn or ribbon through, from front to back on each side. Have your child step into the box and pull it most of the way to the armpit, but not tightly against them. That's the only "fitting" they have to do so they like that!
If it was uncomfortable on them, cut a curved piece of box away on the sides to give the arms more room. Using cotton batting, hot glue big globs of it around the top, on the inside. Pull it so it will hang over the top and use hot glue around the outside of the top to secure the batting in place. Use lots of batting to look like soap suds.
When it's time to wear the costume tie it at the shoulders, bobby-pin a big glob of batting to the hair and work a couple smaller pieces into the laces of sneakers. A white half mask could be worn or white face paint used to complete the outfit but my little one didn't have either and it was still a hit.
By Nonie from Berkeley Springs, WV
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Make Your Own Halloween Costumes
Tips and Ideas for Making Your Own Halloween Costumes. Post Your Ideas.
Don't waste a lot of money on a Halloween costume when they are so easy to make. Old lace curtains can be the base for a princess or a bride. Staple or hot glue.
One piece blanket sleepers or a set of sweat pants and matching hoodie are great for animal costumes. This year my friend's child wants to be a hamster. I surely prefer that to something bloody and gory. Brown or tan sweats, little ears of felt pinned or stitched on the hood, and a similar tail attached to her bottom, a few whiskers with a make-up pencil...voila. Look in magazines and books, and improvise from their improvisation.
One year my teen went as a pencil. We were cruising around Wal-Mart and she spotted a pencil yellow sweatshirt, and then we found athletic shirts in that same color. I cut out the letters "No. 2 PENCIL" from stickyback felt and she stuck them on the shirt.
A strip of pink fun foam around her head was the eraser. She wore black tights. It was fun to make, very original and except for the sweatshirt, shorts and tights, which she can wear again, cost about $1.00!
By Linda from Vista, CA
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Keeping the Jack O' Lantern Fresh
Carved jack-o-lanterns only last a little while. You can extend the life of the lil'Critter by taping (double sided tape) black construction paper cut into eyes/nose/mouth shapes until just a day or two before Halloween. When ready to carve, just remove, and have fun : )
By Doggy from SA TX
Skip the Mask and Use Makeup Instead
Skip the mask this Halloween and use makeup instead. Masks are hot and uncomfortable and they limit kids vision. They also really scare the little kids. Use your cosmetics or Halloween make-up and everyone will be more comfortable and safer!
By Linda L from Vista, CA
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Photos:
Trying to find an inexpensive costume for a 7 month old can be hard. I had this idea to make our son Nathan a turtle costume.
For his shell, I used an old bicycle helmet and painted a turtle shell pattern on top using craft paint. The helmet straps fit under his arms and fastened on his chest. The groove of the helmet fit his back and shoulders perfectly! He was able to move about and crawl around (looking just like a little turtle) with no problem.
After Halloween, he wore the sweatshirt and pants for a number of months and we actually have kept the helmet incase we need an extra. In the photos attached, you'll see him receiving his prize for the best costume!
By Lisa Grummer
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I needed a fast and inexpensive Halloween costume and my daughter wanted to be a 'flower garden'. So off to the thrift store we went, where we bought a green adult size M sweatshirt, which I cut at the sleeves. And some green stretch pants.
Then we loaded up on all the plastic vines, flowers, garlands, wreaths, etc we could find. I think I spent $10. I sewed the flowers onto the sweatshirt by hand. I am no seamstress, I just used a big yarn needle and yarn.
To top it off we turned a flower wreath upside down and tied flowers all over the top. I then painted flowers on her cheeks! She was adorable and EVERYONE commented on what a great costume this was. It did probably take about 2 hours of stitching but I did it while watching t.v. and the end result was well worth the effort!
By Jennifer F.
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Halloween Planter from Detergent Lid
I made this planter out of an empty detergent lid. Just paint it and plant. You could use spray paint or I like to use model paint. I used a sharpie to make the face of the jack-o-lantern. Happy Halloween!
By luv2craft from Normalville, Pennsylvania
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Gold Digger and Sugar Daddy Costume
For the woman, wearing black pants and black sweater, using a 3 inch wide yellow ribbon, I made a "Miss America" type banner, and put sticky letters on it saying "GOLD DIGGER" and draped that over one shoulder and secured it over the opposite hip. Using some old flashy, big diamond-type pins, attached several to the sweater.
I spray painted a small fold-up camping shovel gold, added a flashy ribbon bow to the handle and glued some computer generated money to the shovel blade. Also carried and wore flashy jewelry.
For a couples team, I made two computer generated signs that I laminated, made holes in each sign and threaded some yarn through the holes to be worn as a placard over the shoulders by the man.
Decorated a small pail with computer generated money and glued that in and around the pail for the man to carry.
Also made some computer generated money that was taped randomly to both the man and woman's clothes.
Strutted ourselves, arm in arm around the circle for judging.
This was a first place winner in 2004.
By Syd from Dunkirk, MD
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