Free Halloween crafts

By haLLoWeen12 on October 26, 2010

Halloween is an especially fun time to decorate for this spooky holiday, and nothing makes for better decorations than free Halloween crafts. The Internet is filled with so many suggestions for free Halloween crafts. Most of them are easy enough to do for anyone who has no craft experience, and almost all can be made by children of almost all ages. You are limited only by your imagination and creativity, but it can be good for you to find some free Halloween crafts to get your creative juices flowing. Here are a couple of places where you can find free Halloween crafts to get you started:

* www.enchantedlearning.com – not only does this amazing web site give you free Halloween crafts, but it gives you crafts for all holidays along with books your child can make, stories you can tell them, coloring pages for them to color and so much more. For the most part, Enchanted Learning is a free site, but when you contribute to their costs by making a donation, you are given access to much more than what is part of the free site.

* www.allfreecrafts.com – like Enchanted Learning, All Free Crafts has a lot of free Halloween crafts that are easy enough to do for children of most ages. They also have crafts for other holidays, some freebies for mom like knitting and sewing patterns, and other free crafting projects like candle making, and gifts in a jar.

* www.craftown.com – there are so many free Halloween crafts on this web site that you may have a bit of a hard time picking which ones you want to try first. Almost all of them are easy enough for the inexperienced adult and most children to be able to do. There are also lots of patterns and craft ideas along with free projects and even some free goodies – all for the asking!

* www.familyfun.go.com – free Halloween crafts abound on this web site as well. They range in difficulty from those that can be made with little hands to those that can be made by older children. This web site also has party ideas, recipes, games, printables, and much, much more for you to choose from. This is a great web site when you want to have fun with your family in many different ways.

If you are looking for free Halloween crafts, just get some ideas from the Internet and then let your imagination take over. You are only limited by your own creativity when it comes to free Halloween crafts. You can get some basic ideas from the Internet and then have fun creating your very own designs.

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Adult Costumes – Tokyo Pop Princess

By haLLoWeen12 on October 10, 2010

Adult Costumes - Tokyo Pop Princess

Adult Costumes – Tokyo Pop Princess
Tokyo Pop Princess Adult Costumes for a Japanese look that will be a huge hit this Halloween!! The Tokyo Pop Princess Harajuku Costume is guaranteed to make this Halloween one to remember! Includes Silky Black Dress with Dragon prints, Sleeves with Arm Ties, and Waist Tie with Bow. Available in Adult Sizes Small, Medium, and Large. Shoes not included. Don’t want to go solo? Pair up with our Geisha Costumes.

click here to learn more about Adult Costumes – Tokyo Pop Princess

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Pumpkin Halloween Activities for Toddlers

By haLLoWeen12 on October 7, 2010

Halloween inspires all kinds of activities to do with your toddler, especially pumpkin fun! Visiting the pumpkin patch together, shopping for (or making) Halloween costumes, and decorating the house. But one of the best Halloween activities is doing art projects together.

Here are two very simple pumpkin activities that every toddler can enjoy. Prepare for the activity in advance, so your little ball of energy can dive right in.

Pumpkin Painting by Denise A. Wells
Image by ?Denise A. Wells? via Flickr

Pumpkin Painting
Oftentimes younger children miss out on the fun of jack-o-lanterns, because they obviously are too young to handle a knife. A toddler can scoop pumpkin guts, and draw a face onto a pumpkin, but then the rest must be handed over to an adult for the actual carving.

Here’s an option. Pumpkin Painting. Think of how much fun your toddler or preschooler would have designing a pumpkin from beginning to end. And, don’t stop with pumpkins. Paint gourds, too. Simply put an old t-shirt on your toddler, get out non-toxic paints and he’ll go to town.

Simple Paper Jack-o-Lantern

There’s nothing at all fancy about this idea. Simply cut a few pumpkins out of orange construction paper. Then, cut several triangles and a few big goofy grins out of either black or yellow paper. Lastly, cut a stem out of green or brown paper.

Halloween Crafts
Image by Wendy Piersall via Flickr

Present the pieces to your toddler along with a glue stick and watch his creativity. You’ll treasure those three-eyed jack-o-lanterns years from now.

Spending time with your toddler is not difficult and doesn’t need to be challenging. Just give him the tools, grab your camera, and relax. Your child will feel cherished, and you’ll begin a tradition of making memories together.

Watch out Picasso. There’s a new artist in town.

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A Harvest Halloween

By haLLoWeen12 on October 7, 2010

To take advantage of the last days of autumn, we planned an outdoor Halloween party at our family farm. This gave us an opportunity to bring our friends together in an informal setting before the hectic holiday season.

The kids grew excited as we drove past the harvested fields of rural farmland, the grazing cattle, and brimming roadside stands. The sights and smells of the country awoke their spirits of adventure and they burst from the car as soon as we stopped at the end of the dirt road.

halloween's harvest
Image by pipnstuff via Flickr

As they explored their surroundings, the adults began to set up. Our party centered on the activity of making scarecrows. We brought out baskets piled high with faded denim coveralls, straw hats, and flannel shirts. The children enthusiastically costumed themselves as well as the scarecrows. They collected autumn grasses and flowers and wove them into straw hats to take home as mementos.

The country setting and the crisp autumn air inspired many activities. Sack races, a tug of war, and a scavenger hunt kept everyone busy throughout the afternoon.

As the day came to a close, our guests enjoyed an Indian summer sunset. We bundled sleepy children into cars and returned home with warm recollections of an afternoon shared with special friends.

Do you remember any games from Halloween parties of your childhood? Often the simplest activities create the memories that last a lifetime. This fall, host your own family party.

Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes are the co-authors of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out their website that’s jam packed with family ideas, visit http://www.togetherparenting.com

To subscribe to their online newsletter, go to http://www.togetherparenting.com/feedback.asp

Copyright Nine Twenty Press

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A baby’s infant Halloween costume!

By haLLoWeen12 on October 7, 2010

Are you thinking about a cute infant Halloween costume? The innocence and wonder of childhood are too brief. Infancy lasts but one year. So the opportunity to celebrate Halloween as an infant with your young one wearing an infant Halloween costume comes but once.

Wouldn’t you want the apple of your eye to partake in the Halloween Night festivities too? Halloween cynics amongst us may feel that it’s a bit like walking past a graveyard and detecting among the tombstones a thoroughly raucous party in progress—a bizarre mixture of horrible screams and merriment. Scary things suddenly are embraced wholeheartedly, brought to front porches and displayed. And infants, those innocents whom we most want to protect from death and danger, are an integral part of the annual ritual. Yeah, they can’t take to the streets trick-or-treating, but they needn’t miss out on the fun – thanks to infant Halloween costumes!

Baby Costumes
Image by nathansnostalgia via Flickr

Back in the old days people came up with costumes simply by hunting around the house and seeing what they could turn into a costume! In today’s high-tech Halloween age, that would, of course, be unthinkable! Today we could choose from a vast range of baby infant Halloween costumes and infant toddler Halloween costumes – Animal Costumes, Classic Halloween Costumes, Vegetable Costumes, Bug Costumes, Tom Arma Costumes, Career Costumes, Food Costumes, Disney Costumes, TV Character Costumes, Character Costumes, Renaissance Costumes, Flower Costumes, Angel Costumes, Christmas Costumes……the list is endless!

Consider this – Babies are such a nice beginning. And after this Halloween, you will start believing in angels – because your baby infant is one!

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Trick or Treat –- Planning the Ultimate Halloween Party

By haLLoWeen12 on October 6, 2010

by: ARA

(ARA) – What better way to celebrate the night of fright than to throw a Halloween party? Whether you’re expecting mini-goblins and ghosts or thinking of hosting adult Elvira’s and Frankenstein’s, decorations, frightful food and ghoulish activities will set the right tone for a Spook-Fest fit for even the most menacing vampires.

The first step in planning your Halloween bash is to determine the theme. The theme will set the mood, determine the dress attire and influence the food you serve. Planning a movie-themed party is the most versatile and gives your guests the flexibility to dress as their favorite fright flick character. You can even incorporate your movie theme into your decorating. Borrow your friends’ DVD players and have different Halloween movies playing from the timeless Hollywood horror classics of Alfred Hitchcock to the more modern scares like Scream. James Rocchi, film critic of online DVD rental service Netflix (http://www.netflix.com), suggests his five favorites to show.

* Frankenstein (1931) — the Karloff classic

Couchsurfing Halloween Party Oct 31, 2009
Image by Ramon Stoppelenburg via Flickr

* Halloween (1978) — retro-flavored slasher that launched a thousand imitators

* Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) — a popular horror film classic

* Them! (1954) — a giant insect monster movie with ‘50s camp and timeless scares

* Rosemary’s Baby (1968) — the urban-Satanism nightmare that still chills

For additional decorations, head to your local party store and pick up all your Halloween supplies including cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and skeletons and serving supplies like plates, napkins and cups. While you’re at the store, pick-up a couple of CDs that you can play while you greet your guests the night of your party. Opt to skip the lights and illuminate your house with slow burning or long lasting candles.

When planning your party menu, consider the costumes your guests might be wearing and what will be easy for the dressed-up to eat and whether you want to prepare the food, have your party catered or have your guests each bring a dish. You can feature frightful hors d’ oeuvres such as “deviled eyeballs” — deviled eggs topped with a slice of black or green olive and a main course of “guts and eyeballs” (your own famous spaghetti and meatballs). For dessert, serve orange and black themed cakes, cookies, and other sweets.

If you’ve invited the neighbors, top the night off with an outside werewolf howling or screaming contest. Award the winners with a gift subscription to Netflix so they can host next year’s Halloween party.

For the Kids

If you are hosting a party for kids or kids will be invited to the adult party, you may want to serve food that they will find fun and provide activities that are age appropriate. Since kids love to dress up, host a costume contest. Have plenty of prizes on hand so every child wins in a different costume category. If your party is on Halloween night, take the kids out to trick-or-treat before the adults settle in for their own party.

Kids love gross Halloween treats. You can turn chicken strips into witch’s fingers by adding dagger-like fingernails made of pimientos and for dessert, serve up mud cups: chocolate pudding topped with crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms.

Provide additional entertainment with Halloween movies. For the kids, Rocchi recommends “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown;” “SpongeBob SquarePants: Halloween;” and “The Worst Witch: A Mean Halloween.” Netflix makes getting movies for your party simple. Forgo a last minute dash to the video store, only to find your Halloween favorites already rented. With more than 15,000 titles to choose from, you’re sure to find just the right ones to set the Halloween mood.

Courtesy of ARA Content

SIDEBAR:

Looking for more inspiration? Here are some other suggestions from film critic James Rocchi.

Top renting horror movies (of a supernatural bent)

The Others

The Ring

Ghost Ship

The Sixth Sense: Special Edition

What Lies Beneath: Special Edition

The Mummy Returns

Final Destination

Sleepy Hollow

13 Ghosts

The Exorcist, both the original and restored version

About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content

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Halloween Craft Project: Glowing Goblins

By haLLoWeen12 on October 6, 2010

This project is perfect for the artistically challenged or those who prefer instant gratification. My young sons completed theirs in just 15 minutes.

Supplies

Votive candle
Image via Wikipedia

Glass Votive (any size or shape)
Solid Black Halloween Stickers (bats, witches, ghosts, etc.)
-OR-
Stencils, Stamps, and Black Acrylic Paint
Orange Tissue Paper, Torn Into Pieces
2 TBSP White Glue
2 TBSP Water
Craft Brush

Directions

1. Adhere stickers onto the outside of the votive –OR- If using stencils or stamps, paint heavily enough that no light shines through the shapes. Let dry completely.

2. Mix glue and water. Paint glue onto the outside of glass, on top of the stickers.

3. While the glue is wet, layer pieces of tissue paper and glue until the entire votive is covered and the tissue is saturated.

4. Turn the votive upside down to dry (a hairdryer speeds up the process).

5. Once dry, add a tea light and let the glow from these festive candles welcome the neighborhood spooks.

Sponsored by the authors of: Together: Creating Family Traditions

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Homemade Paper Mache Halloween Masks

By haLLoWeen12 on October 6, 2010

Do you need a fun mask for your child to go with a great costume? Or maybe you want to start with a mask and build the rest of the costume around it. You and your child can have a lot of fun making a paper mache mask from scratch.

You’ll need just a few things to make just about any mask you can imagine. Those items include balloons, newspaper, wallpaper glue and some acrylic paint. A pair of sharp scissors comes in handy to cut out eyes and mouth. Wear old clothing, or put an apron on both you and your child. Making the mask can get a bit messy.

Cover your work area in plenty of newspaper to protect it from glue and paint. Next, cut several newspapers into strips. Blow up a balloon so it is slightly larger than your child’s head. Now dip a newspaper strip completely in the glue and stick it on the balloon. Continue doing this back and forth until you have the entire balloon covered in several layers of newspaper. Work out any wrinkles as you go along. The more layers of newspaper you have, the sturdier the mask will be.

Pumpkin Head Mask
Image by bon_here via Flickr

Finally add any features specific to the mask you are making. For example, if you are making a frog mask, sculpt two ball shapes at the top of the mask that you can later paint as eyes. If you are making a cat, dog, or monkey mask, form the snout and of course don’t forget about ears. The only limit is your imagination.

Allow the mask to dry completely, preferably over night. Once it is completely hardened, start cutting into the mask to pop the balloon. Cut a large enough opening so your child can get his or her head inside the mask, then cut eye and mouth openings. For younger children, you may prefer to cut the back of the mask out completely, and, instead, wrap a piece of ribbon or yarn around the back of the head to secure the mask to allow better air-passage.

Paint the mask in a solid color and allow it to dry completely. Then add details like eyes, nose and lips in different colors. Once that coat of paint is completely dry, it is ready to wear. For a longer lasting and shiny mask, cover the mask in several layers of hodge podge before using it.

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Halloween Craft Projects For Children

By haLLoWeen12 on October 6, 2010

Fall means more inside time for the little ones. Naturally, they’re going to need something fun and creative to keep them busy. Help your kids prepare for Halloween by constructing these adorable craft projects! They’re easy and fun to make and the kiddos will love displaying them for the holiday.

Egg Carton Spiders

Halloween Spider
Image by darkmavis via Flickr

What you will need:
Cardboard egg carton
Pipe cleaners
Poster paint
Elastic thread
Something to poke small holes

Instructions:
Cut the egg cups out of a cardboard egg carton. Cut pipe cleaners into 3 inch sections. To make each spider, poke four pipe cleaners through each cup sideways. Bend the ends to look like eight spider legs. Paint the spiders black or in any wildly creative way you want! After the paint has dried, attach a length of elastic thread to the middle of each spider. Have fun holding your thread and bouncing your scary spider up and down as you take it for a walk!

Plastic Bag Ghost

What you’ll need:
White plastic trash bags
Black marker
Balloons
Some string
Scissors
Masking tape

Instructions:
Blow up/inflate the balloons and cover each one with a trash bag. With the string, gather and tie each bag under the balloon to make a head. Using your markers, draw a spooky face on the trash bag. Be as creative as you can-make a scary face or a funny face. Whatever you want! Attach a piece of string to the
top of your ghosts and display them all around your house and yard.

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Halloween Costumes you Can Make out of a Cardboard Box

By haLLoWeen12 on October 6, 2010

Do you have a cardboard box that is large enough to fit around your child? If so, you can easily make a costume for your child for Halloween – and save a lot of money in the process.

Start by cutting a hole in the box for your child’s head. Or, if the box is smaller, then you’ll attach straps to the edges of the box when the costume is completed (like suspenders) and fit them over your child’s shoulders. Also, cut arm holes if you aren’t doing the suspender method. Then you’re ready to get started. All of these outfits fit perfectly over leggings and a long sleeve shirt (or jacket).

Box of Cereal

Does your child have a favorite cereal? Fruit Loops, Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs? Any box of cereal can be painted onto a cardboard box and turned into a costume.

Computer Monitor

Spray paint the box grey. After it dries, paint a white screen on the front of the monitor. Of course, you can have fun decorating the screen with your favorite website, or print the screen from your favorite website and glue it onto the box for a more realistic look.

Robot

Maker Faire 2010: Giant Cardboard Robot High-Five
Image by blue_j via Flickr

Spray paint the box grey or silver. Then, after the paint dries, find a mish-mash of nuts and bolts and glue them to the box. You may also create attachments from aluminum foil, dryer vents, duct tape, or whatever you have lying around the house.

A Wrapped Gift

Wrap the entire box in gift wrap (whatever kind you like the best) and stick a bow on your child’s head. He or she can trick-or-treat as a wrapped gift.

Invite your child to help with making his or her costume. Spending time creating these costumes together may end up being even more fun than trick-or-treating. Be sure to take lots of pictures.

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