Halloween is just around the corner!Are you not yet ready for all the fun to begin?What’s a mom to do?Never fear it is as easy as 1,2,3!Here are some quick and easy ideas that will get the party started!
1. Decorations for free!I asked Melissa Gerardi in South Tampa to share some of her secrets to having the best Halloween house in all of Tampa.Here is what I found out; Martha Stewart has some great ideas.You can down load most of her templates at www.marthastewart.com for free or for $6.00 buy her Holiday Halloween magazine
Shadow in the Stairs:If you are lucky enough to have stairs in your house you have got to try this!Download the template from:
Using the templates cut out the pieces of the shadow on a thick matte felt.Arrange them on the stairs.
Melissa Gerardi's Spooktacular Stairs
Feathered Fiends:Cars stop in front of Melissa’s house at night as they see it all aglow in ghastly green.She made it using semi sheer white fabric and black plastic weed barrier.
Cat Candles: My kids love these! The cat's shadow dances as the flane flickers. Get the templates from Martha Stewart and then cut out using black card stock. Attach to candle using 18 gauge wire
Easy Halloween Picutre Frames: Did you know that Halloween is the most photograhpes holiday? Here is a great way to display all those great halloween photos. Get a black frame and then decorate it with items you find in the scrap book isle. What could be easier and you'll love putting out your halloween pictures every year.
2. Food & Fun: Nothing will get the party started quicker than putting out some great Halloween treats.Here are some easy ideas that are sure to please.
Witch Hat Cookies:Place a chocolate kiss on top of an Oreo cookie place a bit of frosting on the bottom of the kiss to hold it place.Pipe orange frosting around the base of the kiss to form the hatband. You won’t have any these leftover!
Witch's Hat Cookie
·Orange and Black Cake:Prepare a white cake mix as directed on the package.Before pouring into the baking pans mix in ½ tsp of yellow food coloring and 8 drops of red.Stir until batter is orange.Bake as directed.When cake is completely cool frost using chocolate frosting with ½ tsp of black food coloring mixed in.You guest will squeal with delight as cut into this cake.You can use this same idea to make cupcakes.
Ghost PB & J:Use white Wonder Bread to make PB & Js then cut into Halloween shapes using cookie cutters.Use black frosting to dot on eyes.
Candy Ring Toss:Spread out a Halloween tablecloth on the floor and place candy and Halloween surprises on top of the tablecloth.Have the kids stand back from tablecloth and throw a ring with the center cut out.Everything in the middle they get to keep.This is fun to have in your driveway the night of Halloween for tricker-treaters.
Doughnuts on a string:Tie a string between two trees.From that string tie various length strings to match the heights of your guests.Attach doughnuts to the string.Without using their hand have a contest and see who can be the first to eat the doughnut off the string.
Worm in the Pie:Boys love this. Into a pie pan place 5 gummy worms in the bottom and top with whip cream.With their hands tied behind their back see who can be the first to get all the gummy worms out using only their mouths.They kids will scream with delight as they watch!
3:It’s time to dress up! Even if you don’t have a costume yet you don’t have to settle for grabbing one off the rack.Start by asking you child what they want to be.Then see what items you already have at home.For example my son wanted to be terminator for Halloween.We used his everyday jeans with a white T-Shirt then found a fake leather jacket on the clearance rake at Bells he put on a pair of sunglasses and scowled.At his party last weekend everyone knew exactly who he was.He are some ideas that might help get you started:
Lego:Be the hit of any party as your kids walk in as Legos.Cute and unique.Buy plastic cups in your child favorite solid color.Spray paint a box to match the cups.Cut armholes in the side of a box and glue the cups on the box to resemble the locking parts of a Lego.Done and ready for fun!
Chicken Little:Buy a chicken outfit and top it with a green strip shirt and tan shorts.Take the lens out of a pair of sunglasses and spray paint them green. You’re Chicken Little and ready to go!
Smarty Pants:This one is for the tween who wants to dress up but doesn’t want to at the same time.Hot glue Smarty candies still in their wrappers to a pair of old pants.That it is!Now you are an official Smarty-pants.
Ghost Buster & Ghost: You can make this in no time. Ghostbuster:Buy some light brown fabric and have your child lie down on the fabric and trace around them leaving a 6-inch border.Cut it out and sew it up the seams so it is a jump suit.Cut an opening down the front to just above the waist line and attach Velcro.For the sleeves and the legs turn the fabric wrong side out and attach the a black jacket cuff (you’ll find these at any fabric store).With red and white felt cut out the 2 Ghostbusters’s emblems. (A red circle with a slash through the middle on top of a ghost.)Attach on the left sleeve.Buy a bike riders backpack water bottle.Attach the other emblem to the back of the backpack.Fill the backpack with green Gatorade.Ghost:Take a men’s large white t-shirt and cut up the bottom into jagged strips. Put on the t-shirt on and paint any exposed body parts paint white with white face paint.Spray hair with white temporary color hair spray.Now get ready to win all the loot at the Halloween costume contest.
007:Put on a dark suit, white shirt and a bow tie.Pair this with a fake gun handgun.And when anyone asks you who you are hold up your gun and say “Bond, James Bond” This was my son’s Sam idea and he won his costume contest wearing this!
Lego:Be the hit of any party as your kids walk in as Legos.Cute and unique.Buy plastic cups in your child favorite solid color.Spray paint a box to match the cups.Cut armholes in the side of a box and glue the cups on the box to resemble the locking parts of a Lego.Done and ready for fun!
What Great Legos the Gerardi Boys Are
Chicken Little:Buy a chicken outfit and top it with a green strip shirt and tan shorts.Take the lens out of a pair of sunglasses and spray paint them green. You’re Chicken Little and ready to go!
Smarty Pants:This one is for the tween who wants to dress up but doesn’t want to at the same time.Hot glue Smarty candies still in their wrappers to a pair of old pants.That it is!Now you are an official Smarty-pants.
Ghost Buster & Ghost: You can make this in no time. Ghostbuster:Buy some light brown fabric and have your child lie down on the fabric and trace around them leaving a 6-inch border.Cut it out and sew it up the seams so it is a jump suit.Cut an opening down the front to just above the waist line and attach Velcro.For the sleeves and the legs turn the fabric wrong side out and attach the a black jacket cuff (you’ll find these at any fabric store).With red and white felt cut out the 2 Ghostbusters’s emblems. (A red circle with a slash through the middle on top of a ghost.)Attach on the left sleeve.Buy a bike riders backpack water bottle.Attach the other emblem to the back of the backpack.Fill the backpack with green Gatorade.Ghost:Take a men’s large white t-shirt and cut up the bottom into jagged strips. Put on the t-shirt on and paint any exposed body parts paint white with white face paint.Spray hair with white temporary color hair spray.Now get ready to win all the loot at the Halloween costume contest.
007:Put on a dark suit, white shirt and a bow tie.Pair this with a fake gun handgun.And when anyone asks you who you are hold up your gun and say “Bond, James Bond” This was my son’s Sam idea and he won his costume contest wearing this!
