Kids Craft-Halloween Ghosts

This week my kids and I made Halloween ghosts to hang up in our playroom.

I started with white card stock and cut out a ghost shape. My 4 year old actually cut the ghost out himself (part of practicing using scissors). Then I let the kids use glue and cotton balls to cover the card stock. Finally we cut out 3 ovals from black card stock for the mouth and eyes and the kids glued those onto the ghosts. Then I hung them from the light fixture in the playroom using yarn. This way when a breeze comes through the house the ghosts sway. We made 4 total. An easy and fun kids craft that any child over 2 could make.

Tangled Hair

I think my kids finally decided on what they are going to be for Halloween. It is a very difficult decision because they are both totally in love with costumes and dressing up. Finally I put my foot down and told them to choose. Elizabeth chose Rapunzel from Tangled. She already has the dress but in order to really become Rapunzel she needs the long, golden hair.

Enter mom and grandma. We started with golden yarn. We used the entire spool cutting pieces about 90 inches long. Once the entire spool was cut we split the pieces into 3 sections. Then I added a purple ribbon to one of the sections. I twisted each section just to keep the yarn tight and in place. Then I tied the sections together using a rubber band at the top.

Next we braided the sections together, tightly. (This is very important because the yarn comes loose if it is not braided tight. If you want a thicker braid just use more yarn.) I used a rubber band to hold the bottom of the braid together. Then I measured the braid around her head to make a large loop (make sure this is tight or a little smaller than her head because the yarn stretches). I held the loop in place with another rubber band and tuck the end underneath the braid. Then I covered each rubber band with a ribbon tie. You can also add flower clips or glue flowers to the yarn for the full tangled effect.

Elizabeth has been running around the house talking about how beautiful her magical hair is and how much she loves the braid. I think it really completes the outfit, bare feet and all.

Pinterest Fun Find-Halloween Treats

Halloween is just around the corner and I am planning my treat menu for all the parties we will be attending. There are so many Halloween themed treats out there and here are just a few I found on Pinterest this week.

Pumpkin Rice Crispies

 Cookie Fingers

 Candy Eye Balls

 Apple Mouths with Almond Teeth

 Candy Corn Cheesecake

 Halloween Pretzel Bites

These all look so fun and yummy, which one do I choose?

Pinterest Finds-October Fall Theme

I love how October 1st comes and there are pumpkins everywhere. Even though the temperatures are still in the 80s here, fall is coming. And all with fall comes lots of new Holiday themed projects. Here are some of my favorites that I have seen so far on Pinterest.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast. Anything pumpkin flavored and I am in. Plus I am sure it makes your house smell amazing.

 Paper Plate Ghosts: I love how the bottom of the ghost gives the appearance of flying through the house.

Spider Wed Walking Game. Great for home decor and learning balance.

 Swirling Ghosts. This is a great project for 4 and 5 year olds learning to cut.

 Fluffy Pumpkin Dip. This is adorable inside a pie pumpkin. I think it would be great with graham crackers, cookies, or even apples.

What kind of fall items are on your to do list?

Wood Pumpkins

Yesterday we had a girls craft day. I love these days. Great company, good food, the kids played, and we all get to go home with something fantastic that we made ourselves. I hosted and really wanted to make these 2x4 pumpkins from Lolly Jane.

 

It was kind of a crazy day trying to get all the supplies while dragging my 4 and 3 year old along but we made it. I started at Lowes but they wouldn't cut the 2x4. So onto Home Depot where the worker not only assisted me in cutting my 2x4s but gave me the left over pieces so a total of 12 pieces only cost me $1. Talk about a fantasticly low cost craft. I already had the paint, ribbon, glue, and nails and we gathered sticks from our yards for the tops.

There are full directions on Lolly Jane but here are some tips I found.

-glazing with the black paint. Use a wet paper towel and dip it in the paint. Then focus on the sides and crevices of your wood.
-I liked bows instead of just ties for the ribbon on the top as well.

They are rustic yet pretty and I love them outside my door next to my pumpkin sign. I was so pleased with the end product, and all the ladies were happy with their pumpkins they got to take home.

Fabric Find Tuesday-Halloween Theme

I love making Halloween outfits for my kids. Not costumes, but Halloween themed clothing for all our family outings like the pumpkin patch, hayrides, and corn mazes. Here is one of the past outfits I made for Elizabeth:

I don't know if I will get around to it this year but if I do these cottons from Moda are adorable:

I really like Halloween themed but not too literal. These will make an adorable little outfit for all out Halloween adventures.

It's a balancing act...

I'm so happy to report that the stomach bug has officially left our house!  This morning we went to a local pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin.  My daughter was being silly and took a picture while balancing a pumpkin on her head.

We picked a really big pumpkin and can't wait to carve it tomorrow!   

Yes, our pumpkin weighs 30 pounds!   This is, by far, the biggest pumpkin we've ever had for Halloween!  Now we just need to decide what to carve.

 

Spider Web Headband

Tomorrow I'm hosting a Halloween play date for some of my daughter's little friends and their mommies.  In preparing for the party I completely forgot to make sure I had something festive to wear.  This is the first year I didn't spend time putting family costumes together.  My daughter is dressing up as Cinderella and she already had a really pretty Disney Cinderella dress that had only been worn once to Disneyland.  There was no reason for me to make anything other than a blue headband for her costume.

I decided to make myself a quick spiderweb headband to wear to the party tomorrow.  It turned out really cute and I'm sure the kids will think the spider on my head is funny! 

I started by using my sewing machine to stitch a web with black thread onto a piece of white felt.  I completely free handed the web while stitching.  I didn't trim any of my thread until the web was completely finished. 

Don't worry about mistakes...spider webs certainly aren't perfect!  You can always just cover your mistakes with the spider.

Once the web was done I used hot glue to sandwich ribbon between the web and another piece of white felt.

Be sure to glue around the border of the web because you want the pieces stuck together after you trim off the excess felt.  Be careful not to cut your ribbon when you trim the felt.

Use hot glue to attach your spider to the web.

Now you have a fun headband to wear trick or treating!

I'm linking this post here.

 

Kids Pumpkin Craft

There are so many great crafts for kids during the holiday season. I love seeing all the Halloween themed crafts out there and trying to make them our own. I had this idea to make a simple craft for my son and I to make together. I cut out a pumpkin of orange scrapbook paper, and several different shapes for eyes, noses, mouths, and eyebrows. We started with the pumpkin and I told Jack to pick out some facial features for the pumpkin. I was really impressed because he knew exactly where all the pieces went on the pumpkin. He had so much fun he wanted to make more. We ended up making 3 (that's all we could fit on one page) a mommy pumpkin, a Jackson pumpkin, and a Lizzy pumpkin.

What I love about this project is it is a teaching project as well. It taught him where the eyes, nose, and mouth go, how to glue with a glue stick, and the best part was I already had all the supplies. Plus I got to spend some quality time with my son while his sister took a nap.