Halloween Costume and Halloween Party Ideas

Homemade Zombie Costume

2011-10-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Kids' Halloween Craft Projects | AllFreeHolidayCrafts.com

2011-10-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

Kids' Halloween Craft Projects | AllFreeHolidayCrafts.com

How to make your house spectacularly haunted for one day

2010-10-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

(ARA) - Most days, you probably want visitors to feel welcome and secure in your home. But one day a year, it's fun to scare the dickens out of them - so make the most of Halloween and all the good-natured frights that come along with the spookiest of holidays.

While your neighbors may pull out all the stops decorating outdoors for Christmas, an over-the-top Halloween display can also earn you a place in neighborhood lore. The Halloween decor experts at online retailer SeventhAvenue.com offer some tips to consider as you create a spooky playground to impress the trick-or-treaters:

* Know your audience. It might be a good idea to match the level of scary in your Halloween decorations with the age of the children you expect to come trick-or-treating. For younger children, think fun. Older kids might appreciate a good scare.

* Choose a theme. Halloween is the perfect holiday for creativity, so when it comes to the front yard, don't limit yourself. Decorations that center around a theme are the most impactful and will delight children when walking to your doorstep. You could choose something as simple as a graveyard theme, leading visitors through a path of gravestones and creaky gates, with zombie decorations for good measure. Or use ideas from your favorite scary movie. If you need ideas, try browsing outdoor Halloween decor at online retailers like http://www.seventhavenue.com/.
* Direct traffic. Now that you've chosen a theme, think about how you want your guests to experience it, beginning with the sidewalk and ending with your front door. For example, if you went with a Dracula theme you could lead your visitors to the front door with lights that resemble chandelier candles. Solar lanterns could also be used to light the path, as they won't leave you burning through batteries or electricity. Well lit signs could also be used to lead visitors through a scavenger hunt through your front yard.

* Dress the part. To make your theme really work for you, wear a costume to the door that goes along with it. It's a great way to get in touch with your inner child and to thrill the kids in your neighborhood.

* Safety first. While it's great to create the scariest yard on the block, you should also make sure it's safe. Walkways and hazards like ponds or stairs should be well lit.

* Get help from nature. The trees in your yard make a great place to hang spooky decorations. Use old grass clippings to give a spookier feel to zombies and gravestones. You can use leaves as stuffing paper for bags and figurines, filling them with life.

* Treats matter. We all know the number one reason kids look forward to Halloween is the bounty they'll bring home from a long night of trick-or-treating. Considering that everyone else will give out candy, make your house more memorable by giving a toy related to your theme. Or, give glow bracelets that are not only fun but will also keep them safe by making them visible in the dark.

Halloween Everything But the Marshmallows Lollipop Kit

2010-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Where to buy: Halloween Everything but the Marshmallows Lollipop Kit - 66 Pieces Total

Are you planning a Halloween Party? If so, this kit might come in really handy. It includes all kinds of goodies to help you frost, decorate and create edible Halloween treats made from marshmallows.

Included in the kit are 35 lollipop sticks, orange and black sanding sugar to decorate cupcakes or cookies, mini fright sugars, mini spooky sugars, many other assorted sugars and ready-to-use frosting. All you need to provide is bags of marshmallows, stick them onto the lollipop, decorate them with the included sugars and you’ll have Halloween treats your party guests, especially the little ones, will absolutely adore.

I think that this kit is a great way of making fun and spooky Halloween marshmallow treats that young and old will enjoy making and eating. Happy Halloween!

Halloween Popcorn Party Mix Recipe

2010-09-02T08:24:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

10 cups popped popcorn
1 cup raisins
14 oz salted peanuts
16 oz plain M & M’s
1 cup Reese’s Pieces

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Great for a Halloween Party!

Vegan Halloween Party – How to Create “Spooky” Vegan Food

2010-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

When Halloween rolls around, many of us love to throw spooky parties. Throwing a vegan party, however, requires a bit more planning as animal by-products are not allowed to make an entrance at this party. Do not fear (or maybe you want to!), there are many different kinds of “spooky” vegan foods that you can create to keep your guests intrigued.

Because vegan products do not use any meat or animal by-products, you will have to search diligently for some good recipes. There are a few listed below to spark your creative juices!

* Gingerbread men - yes, you read right! Use these gingerbread men and dress them up as skeletons instead of the festive Christmas characters. The twist on this holiday treat will have your guests giggling as they bite the skeleton’s head off.

* Carve up some pumpkins and keep the seeds. With the seeds you can create Dracula’s Teeth. Simply dry the seeds out, then salt and roast them. Several hundred of Dracula’s teeth coming right up! Bonus – the carved pumpkins can be used as spooky decorations. Place a tea light candle inside the pumpkin and you have instant atmosphere.

* Eyes and Blood drops. Peel some grapes so they have that “gooey” texture to them like eyeballs. Place them in a bowl, then separate some of the seeds from the pomegranate and add them to the bowl. Mix the two together for a spooky fruit dish.

* For a good desert, make some red velvet cake and frost it with black frosting. Red cake can be symbolic of blood and you can call it a witch’s cake.

* Want to really gross out your partygoers? Put some dried cranberries in a bowl and label them dried scabs.

* Virtually all fruit punch cocktails are vegan friendly, so place a mixture of juices in a bowl and give it a spooky name such as Creepy Spider's Punch (put rubber spiders in to float around). To add another element to the punch, freeze some colored water in an inflatable glove and cut the fingers off - viola! Finger ice cubes in your punch.

Vegan Halloween parties do not have to lack fun or creativity because of the menu. There are many items that can be modified to become vegan friendly by simply substituting some tofu when a recipe calls for meat, or soy milk instead of using cow’s milk. The above recipes are all vegan friendly and dare we say it – spooky!

Halloween Costumes - Tips to Help Avoid the Fire Hazards

2010-08-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Choosing Halloween costumes is as much a part of Halloween as is the evening itself. Often neglected are the safety considerations, when selecting a costume. These considerations are equally important for children and adults. One of the most important safety considerations is preventing an outfit catching fire.

Fire safe costumes as well as masks, wigs and other accessories are of up most importance. It is not unusual for a Halloween news story to tell of someone, usually a child, being seriously burned on Halloween. Therefore, this should be a top consideration. Look at labels and make sure the costume is flame resistant.

This applies not only for the costume itself, but also to the accessories to be used as part of the attire. Some experts feel that nylon and 100% polyester materials are better materials to choose, because they melt rather than burn. However, they become hot when melting and can cause burns, though possibly not as easily as some other materials. Furthermore, keep in mind that other clothing items, including under garments can still burn. In addition, flame resistant means just that. The flame resistant parts may be more resistant to burning, but they can still burn if the circumstances are right.

There is a second side to the issue of fire safety on Halloween. It is extremely important to avoid open flames, especially candle fires. Although less commonly used now, many people used to put open flame candles in their decorations, such as pumpkins. Some people still do use them. Stay a good distance from such items.

Prior to Halloween it is wise to discuss the hazards that exist on Halloween. Before Halloween have a family discussion and on things to look out for and what to do if a costume does catch fire. Stress how important it is to immediately removing the costume no matter what. Also talk about rolling on the ground, if clothing catches fire.

There are a number of other safety considerations for Halloween. However, because fire during Halloween is such a serious matter and often forgotten about in the excitement of the event, this article focuses selecting safe Halloween costumes and accessories and avoiding open fires.

For more information on safety considerations on selecting Halloween Costumes go to http://halloweencostumes-101.blogspot.com/

Children's Superhero Costumes

2010-08-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Children have a very impressionable mind. They grow up watching cartoon films, comics and films on superheroes that have a great impact on their minds. They live in their make believe world and are greatly impressed by the deeds of these superheroes who are often portrayed as helping others and saving lives. Children imitate the styles of these characters and love children's superhero costumes as they feel they have become one when they get to wear such a costume. Children dream of becoming just like their superhero and act in a way to be seen as a superhero. Such is the power of these characters.

Halloween parties give children one occasion when they can actually take up the avatar of their favourite superhero and impress others present at the party. It gives them immense pride and satisfaction to feel and to be seen as a superhero by those present in the party and they are more than delighted to wear a costume that makes them look like their superhero. It was in the year that Superman, the first superhero arrived on the scene, and ever since there have been a number of superheroes like batman, Spiderman and others which have caught the imagination of children in all parts of the world. Children see the extraordinary powers or the magical powers of these characters and take them to be true which are just an illusion or shown with the help of trick photography and computer animation. But the minds of children are not mature enough to grasp the technicalities involved and so they believe what they see.

In recent years there has been a spate of films with characters that have super powers like the Hulk, Iron man and so on and children like to dress up like these characters which give them so much of fun and the ability and confidence to impress their friends and neighbours. Children's superhero costumes are today available in many local stores as they realize that they can make good profit by selling these costumes.

Parents see no harm in allowing their kids to wear these costumes as long as the child does not become obsessed with them. If these costumes are used to have fun and frolic, it is alright. It is only when these children's superhero costumes make your kids behave in an irrational manner that they pose a threat to their mental development.

Kelly Lane, regular contributor and writer to http://www.batmantoddlercostume.com/, a website that specializes in fun and unique Halloween Costumes For Kids at incredible savings.

How to Make Caramel Apples

2010-08-08T20:01:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

6 apples
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Lightly butter a baking sheet and set aside. Remove the stem from each apple and stick a craft (popsicle) stick into the top of each apple. Unwrap caramels and place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave approximately 2 minutes, stirring half way through. Carefully remove caramel from microwave and let cool for about 1 minute. Quickly roll each apple in caramel until well coated. Place on prepared baking tray and allow to set.

Halloween Safety 101

2009-09-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

Going trick-or-treating is something that kids look forward to every year. But for parents, it's a time of mixed emotions. We love to see our kids all dressed up in cute or scary costumes and having fun, but we also worry about their safety.

With all the activities going on during the holiday, Halloween certainly comes with an increased risk of accidents and injuries. Here are some tips to help your kids stay safe while still enjoying themselves.

* Make sure your child's costume is designed with safety in mind. It should be flame resistant and short enough to prevent tripping, and shoes should be sturdy and comfortable. Masks should have eye holes large enough to allow the child to see well, and should be properly ventilated. If possible, use make-up instead of a mask.

* Costumes and bags should be light in color or trimmed with reflective tape so that drivers of oncoming cars can see your child.

* Accessories should be soft and flexible. There should be no sharp edges on them.

* Provide a working flashlight for each child. Put fresh batteries in each one before sending them off.

* Carry a cell phone if accompanying your child. If not, give him one to carry with him and make sure he knows how to use it to call home or dial 911.

* Young children should be accompanied by an adult or a child who is old enough and responsible enough to watch over them. All children should be reminded to walk, not run, from house to house, and to look both ways before crossing the street. They should walk on the sidewalk if possible, otherwise they should walk on the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic.

* Children should only go to homes of people that they know. They should never go inside unless accompanied by an adult.

* Advise your children not to pet unfamiliar animals.

* Inspect all candy before your child eats it. Throw out anything that is not individually wrapped or appears to have been tampered with.

* Small children should not eat candy that presents a choking hazard. This includes most hard candy, as well as some bite-sized chewable candies.

* If possible, have dinner before sending the kids out for trick-or-treating. This will make it less likely that they will eat candy before you've had a chance to inspect it.

Halloween is meant to be fun for kids, but it also comes with some unique risks. By keeping safety in mind at all times, you can reduce your child's chance of accident or injury and ensure that the holiday is a source of good times and fond memories.

What Are the Historic Superstitions of Halloween?

2009-09-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Around Halloween, we hear increased talk about superstitions. Most of them sound like silly things that someone just made up for fun. But many of today's superstitions have roots in ancient folklore. Here are the stories of some of the most popular ones.

Jack O'Lantern

Most of us carve faces into pumpkins on Halloween as decorations without giving it much thought. But did you know that a lighted jack o'lantern is supposed to keep evil spirits away? There is also an interesting legend about the origin of the jack o'lantern.

The story says that there was farmer by the name of Stingy Jack who was known for being a temperamental drunkard. One day the Devil came to claim his soul, but Jack tricked him into climbing an apple tree. While he was in the tree, Jack carved a cross into the trunk, which rendered the Devil powerless and unable to climb down.

When Jack died, he was not admitted into heaven because he had lived a sinful life. But the Devil would not let him into hell either. The Devil threw him an ember, and Jack carved out a turnip and placed it inside to light his way while he roamed the earth. In the United States, where pumpkins were plentiful, they were used instead of turnips.

Black Cats

The black cat is rather symbolic of Halloween, but folklore about the animal is not directly associated with the holiday. There are many superstitions about black cats, many of which associate them with bad luck. In some countries, however, they are associated with good luck.

One of the best known stories about black cats comes from 16th century England. It says that a father and son were frightened by a small creature crossing their path one night. The creature darted into a crawl space, and they threw rocks at it. When it scurried out, they saw that it was a black cat, which they had injured. It ran into the home of a woman suspected of witchcraft. The next day, the father and son saw the woman with a bruised face and bandaged arm. This story is responsible for the belief that witches can turn themselves into black cats.

Bobbing for Apples

Bobbing for apples is a popular game at Halloween parties. This too has its roots in ancient folklore. Apples were the symbol of the Roman goddess Pomona, who was known for her beauty and fertility. During the Celtic festival of Samhain, the predecessor to the modern Halloween, young unmarried people would attempt to bite apples that were either floating in water or hanging from a string. The first person to bite into one was believed to be the next to marry.

These are just a few of the many superstitions that go back thousands of years. Whether you believe in them or not, they are some of the things that make Halloween so much fun.

Five Fun Halloween Game Ideas

2009-09-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

When it comes to Halloween, the first activity most of us think about is trick-or-treating. That's certainly a big part of it, but what about those who are too old to solicit candy or just don't want to? And how about the parents who prefer that their children stay in one place on the holiday?

In these cases and more, Halloween parties are a fun alternative. They give us a chance to dress in costume and have a good time without going door-to-door. But in order for a Halloween party to be successful, there must be some Halloween-themed activities. Here are five games to consider for your Halloween shindig:

1. Pumpkin bowling – Bowling is a fun game any time of the year. But using pumpkins instead of bowling balls gives it a Halloween flavor. For pins, use empty 2-liter soda bottles. If you like, paint them white and draw eyes and mouths on them so that they look like ghosts. Then you can either fill them with water and freeze them or add a cup of sand or pebbles to help them stand up. Provide a prize for every strike, or for high scores.

2. Bobbing for apples – This is one game that has been featured at Halloween parties for many years. Fill a large tub with water, and add several apples. Have participants hold their hands behind their backs and try to catch an apple in their mouths. This can get messy, so do it outdoors if possible and keep some towels on hand.

3. Pin the nose on the jack o'lantern – Draw a large jack o'lantern, omitting the nose. Cut a nose out of black construction paper, and place a thumbtack through it. Blindfold guests, spin them around a few times, and point them in the right direction. The one who gets the nose closest to the right position wins.

4. Wrap the mummy – For this game, you will need several rolls of toilet paper. Divide players into groups of three or four, and give each group a roll of toilet paper. Each group designates one person as the mummy, and the other players do the wrapping. The first group to wrap the mummy using the whole roll of toilet paper wins.

5. Doughnut on a string – This is another oldie but goodie. Hang donuts from the ceiling with string. Each player must attempt to eat the entire doughnut without using his hands. The first one to finish his doughnut wins. For best results (and least mess), use plain doughnuts.

These games are sure to liven up any Halloween party. Your guests will have a hair-raisingly good time!

The Ancient Origin of Halloween

2009-09-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

Today, when we think of Halloween, we think of kids wearing costumes ringing doorbells and getting candy. We think of haunted houses and parties featuring spooky decorations and fun treats. But do you know how Halloween got started?

Halloween goes back some 2,000 years, and its origins have nothing to do with candy. It is actually based on the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-en). This festival marked the transition from summer to winter, which was also regarded as the Celtic New Year. It was also something of a festival of the dead, as Celts believed that spirits roamed the earth on that night.

Like the modern Halloween, Samhain was celebrated on October 31st. But the activities undertaken on that night were quite different from those in which we participate today. The Celtic priests, called Druids, would build huge bonfires, and the people of the community gathered around them, throwing in crops and animal sacrifices. The Celts did wear costumes, which were initially made up of animal skins and heads, but later included masks designed to look like the faces of spirits. The purpose of the costume was to hide the wearer's identity from the spirits.

Legend has it that on this night, the presence of spirits made it easier for the Druids to predict the future. There were also certain rituals that anyone could perform in an effort to predict certain things. For instance, young, unmarried women were encouraged to place an apple under their pillows at bedtime so that they would dream of their future husbands. They would also comb their hair or eat an apple by candlelight while looking in a mirror in hopes that they would see the reflection of their future husband peeking over their shoulders.

The festival of Samhain was celebrated exclusively by the Celts. But when the Romans conquered most of their territory, Samhain was combined with two of the Romans' festivals. One of the festivals was Feralia, which was also a festival of the dead. The other festival honored Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit, whose symbol was the apple. This is believed to be the origin of the Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples.

The day after Halloween is currently known as All Saints' Day in most cultures. But in the days of Samhain, it was called All Hallows' Day. Eventually, the Romans began to call Samhain All Hallows' Eve. This was later shortened to the contraction “Hallow-e'en.” This was later simplified into today's spelling of Halloween.

The way we celebrate Halloween today is quite different from the way the Celts did it. Yet we can find traces of today's Halloween customs in those from ancient times. And by studying the holiday's origins, it's easy to see why Halloween is regarded as such a spooky and magical time.

Fall decor trends feature rustic charm with homespun elegance

2009-09-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

(ARA) - The air is becoming crisp, colors are changing and cozy sweaters are starting to make their way back into your wardrobe's rotation. Autumn has arrived, and its natural beauty shines radiantly to warm the heart and inspire fresh crafting ideas.

"This fall season, warm colors, rich textures and creative details stand out," says Susan Atchison, manager of trend development for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. "Interest in homemade crafts and do-it-yourself decorating projects has never been stronger."

Clever crafts can help to create an autumn atmosphere that is simply elegant or pure fun for the family. When thinking about your fall DIY projects, try some of these ideas to capture your creative spirit when decorating your home or planning your next festive get-together:

1. Fabulous fall decor with versatility and value

Start by decorating your table with exceptionally affordable wool felt. Available in plenty of mix-and-match autumn colors, felt can be sewn, glued, colored or cut – the sky is the limit.

One easy option that provides a beautiful visual presentation is to cut out shapes on a felt cloth. For example, draw scattered maple leaves all over two different colors of felt and cut out the pieces. Layer the two felt squares together on your table for a windblown, just-fallen look.

What to do with the felt leaves you just cut out? Create a harvest-themed wreath with a classic yet contemporary look. Decorate an18-inch grapevine wreath with miniature lights, felt leaves and any other favorite fall items you have around your house or yard.

2. Classic adornments with surprising details

Need a great fall centerpiece? Rethink the classic pumpkin and try decorating with unique embellishments. For a beautiful fall-themed pumpkin, choose gold-toned wire and bend to create fun leaves and vines, attaching to the pumpkin's top. If you're looking for a Halloween theme, decorate the face of the pumpkin with masks and feathers to create different characters like a witch, owl or masquerader.

One way to save money and create a cherished piece of decor you can use year after year is to decorate a reusable pumpkin like Fun-Kins. These light artificial pumpkins are easy to work with and sure to become wonderful works of art.

3. Fall food made fantastically fun

Food is a must at any fall gathering. When the temperature cools, many of us are turning on our ovens to bake delightful must-taste treats. Rich and decadent brownies are tantalizing no matter what, but how about taking them a step further? Serve them kabob-style with marshmallows, fruit and a drizzle of icing to make them irresistible. Arrange on a tray for a beautiful presentation and watch them disappear in minutes.

If you're looking for a dessert with a theme, use uniquely shaped silicone baking pans. Try baking brownies in a jack-o’-lantern muffin pan. After they cool, pop them out, turn over and decorate their faces.

4. Double your fun with homemade costumes

If a costume party is in your future, you'll need something fun that stands out. The homemade costume is officially back and allows your creativity to shine. Brainstorm with your child to figure out what you both want to be for Halloween and then hit up a craft store to get the necessary supplies. What's the newest trend for costumes? Two-in-one options that have the ability to quickly convert from one character to the next.

For example, a sparkling dress can serve as the base for both an astronaut and a robot. With simple accessories and removable changes, your little girl can attend one party as a robot and then zoom off to another as an astronaut. Plus this is a fun alternative to traditional girls' costumes without losing the glitz. Reversible options also work for double-duty costumes. For example, try keeping one side of a cape black so you can be a witch and the other side gold. Add a feathered boa and you can become a queen in an instant.

For more information and to get supplies for creating homemade fall projects, visit http://www.joann.com/fallfaces.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Spongebob Halloween Fun!

2008-10-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

All Treats Day for SpongeBob in Junction City KS

Spongebob with flashlights at Milford KS

Go Green for Halloween

2008-10-03T15:38:00.001-07:00

(ARA) - Halloween is the season of dress-up, make-believe and fun. Great preparation goes into buying costumes that transform young children, teens, college students and even adults into an array of characters including ghosts, goblins, witches, devils, superheroes and storybook characters. It’s a time when it’s okay to be something or someone other than yourself for a day.

This year some thrill seekers may want to consider Halloween alternatives to provide a new twist on an age-old event. During this season of green witches, slime and other spooky characters, going green for Halloween can extend the positive theme of protecting the environment even during this season of dress-up and make believe.

“Halloween is a perfect time to demonstrate commitment and concern for the environment,” says Dr. Debra Huntley, program chair of the BA Psychology Program at the Argosy University Twin Cities Campus. “Protecting our environment is a year-round effort that is getting increasing attention from people from all age groups.”

While the traditional ritual of trick or treat has its place, going green for Halloween is an opportunity to host a costume party and serve treats without food coloring or preservatives. Guests can enjoy healthier snacks like popcorn balls with salt and butter substitutes or caramel apples and fudge with sugar substitutes. The host can serve juice drinks, flavored water and apple cider instead of sugary soft drinks that are loaded with calories and caffeine. By preparing treats, money and the environment are also protected by not using extra packaging and wrappers. And with fall harvests, it’s a great time to shop at a local farmer’s market for nutritious, local snacks. Buying locally is not only a healthy choice, but patronizes vendors that are nearby as opposed to those that require resources to transport.

Going green for Halloween can also mean deciding not to drive that evening or identifying activities and events closer to home to reduce driving time and air pollutants from vehicles.

Dr. Huntley explains some youth or college-age groups may want to share the green Halloween spirit while lifting the spirits of senior living and nursing home residents. They can visit residents and share wholesome snacks, play music and lead a ghoulish and festive dance around the facility. In addition to enjoying the costumes, the residents can enjoy healthful snacks and the afternoon with friendly little ghosts and characters.

For those partaking in traditional trick or treat activities, Dr. Huntley encourages everyone to remember it is important to maintain safety and caution to ensure this is a fun and safe experience for young trick or treaters. Children should be accompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible older sibling. Costumes should not be too tight or obscure vision. Children must be encouraged to cross streets carefully and always with a traffic light when present. Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods or at homes with whom you are acquainted. Many malls and shopping centers enjoy hosting trick or treaters as a fun community service initiative. Often schools help promote safety by encouraging teachers to let students trick or treat at various classrooms in the building. Some schools host a costume parade in the building or a fun assembly.

Whatever you decide, make this Halloween season a fun, safe, nutritious and tasty experience for all participants.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Halloween ‘Howl To’s’

2008-10-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

(ARA) - As Halloween approaches, the seasonal "to-do" list, typically marked with finding the perfect costume and trick-or-treat route, is a bit more complicated with the growing need to protect the environment and manage household budgets. In preparing for your neighborhood ghosts and goblins, try these easy tips and tricks to "go green," and spend less on your families' spook-tacular celebration.

Howl to be Green

Incorporating small changes into your holiday preparation will go a long way to create an eco-friendly Halloween. Whether you're hosting a party or adding colorful flare to the home or office, take inventory of your decorations and go back to nature by using locally-grown pumpkins, apples or fresh gourds to create tabletop and front porch accents. Organic, pesticide-free produce is widely available at farmers markets, grocery and specialty stores and leaves little waste once the celebration ends.

Also look for ways to "re-use" your Halloween accessories. Cloth or canvas shopping bags and pillowcases are great alternatives to paper, plastic bags and more traditional plastic jack-o-lanterns used by many trick-or-treaters to collect candy. Gather fall-colored scraps of fabric, ribbon, buttons or food coloring and spend the afternoon with the kids decorating a recyclable trick-or-treat bag. Use the custom creation to hand out candy at your door and your house will be the hit of the neighborhood.

Howl to Save

Spend less this Halloween by using old or outgrown clothes, sports equipment or dress-up items to make one-of-a-kind costumes. Unpack your graduation gown and buy a gavel at a thrift or prop store to transform your trick-or-treater into a judge. Dust off a wedding gown or bridesmaid's dress, polish an old pair of pumps and grab a wig from a costume store and you've got a princess. Host a costume trading party and make sure everyone comes with old clothing or accessories to trade. Let the kids use their imaginations and see how many new and different costumes come to life.

You can also save by using recyclable household materials to decorate. Bed sheets hung from the ceiling or tree branches make convincing ghosts, as do balloons covered with a white sheet, tied with a ribbon around the neck and black felt tapped on for eyes. The sheets can be taken down, laundered and returned to the linen closet once Halloween is over.

Howl to Have Fun at Home

Consider baking at home this year to get everyone in the Halloween mood. Find unique recipes for Halloween treats that can be used as decorations or centerpieces before you indulge.

Gather everyone around and make creepy "edible eyeballs" with mini white powdered donuts, Life Savers Gummies, red icing and chocolate chips. Cover the hole in the center of the donut with a thin layer of icing and top with a gummy. Next, dip the bottom of a chocolate chip in icing before layering it on the gummy. Make the eyeball scary by drawing lines from the center of the donut to the outer edge with red icing. Finish the treat by poking each donut with a lollipop stick and arranging them in a bowl of candy corn to make a freaky yet tasty centerpiece.

Howl to Be Safe

Set the seasonal mood by decorating trees and sidewalks with lights and lanterns while making it easier for trick-or-treaters to find their way from door to door. Neat, well-lit landscapes make everyone feel more comfortable and confident.

Another simple way to help ghosts and goblins find their way door to door is to use makeup to finish a costume as an alternative to masks. Face paint makes it much easier for trick-or-treaters to see … especially at night.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Most Popular Halloween Costume For 2008

2008-08-25T12:59:00.001-07:00

Halloween is one of the best times of year to dress up. Most people when looking for an idea of what to wear have two option. You can either shop around at a store or online and search for a variety of Halloween costumes or you can make your own. Whichever you decide to do it is always fun to find out what is popular for this holiday season.

Some of the popular costumes of all time are, Dracula, which comes from the "Lord of the Vampires 1897". people also like to dress up as a witch because it goes all the way back to Salem and the witch trials. Witches and Halloween go together like bread and butter and finding a great with outfit is one of the easiest costumes to find.

For the 2008 Halloween costume season some of the favorite costumes will be Batman because the movie was a big hit this year there are sure to be a variety of costumes that will be available. The Joker outfit form the Dark Night Batman movie will also be a huge hit because of the late Heath Ledger's performance.

Other popular hits will be Indiana Jones and Transformers mainly because the movies came out this year and were also bit hits. There seems that 2008 will also bring a big surge in retro costume. many of these costumes are from the groovy 60's and hip 70's and there will not be a shortage of ideas.

When choosing a Halloween costume make sure that if you are looking for a certain character then you need to shop around and get the best quality costume for the price.

Learn How To Get: Perfect Halloween Costume

Find Great Information for: Your Halloween Season

Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Halloween and Holidays.

Halloween Bingo

2008-08-25T12:54:00.001-07:00

Halloween (sometimes written as "Hallowe'en") is a traditional holiday celebrated on October 31st. According to some, the modern holiday of Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marks the end of the harvest season. The actual word "Halloween" (and the alternate form of "Hallowe'en") derives from "All Hallow Even", which means the eve of "All Hallows' Day" (known today as "All Saints' Day"), which is of course a date of Christian feast day in honour of all the saints, known and unknown.

Nowadays Halloween is celebrated in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, to some extent in Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, the holiday is beginning to catch on in other countries such as The Netherlands and Malta, and many Latin American countries celebrate a similar holiday, "Night of the Witches" (Spanish: Noche de las Brujas, on the same date as Halloween.

There are many traditions associated with Halloween, including bonfires, costume parties, carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins, and of course trick-or-treating. Schools and community groups also celebrate Halloween, and group activities and games such as bobbing for apples and various divination games are popular. One activity that you might not have considered for the occasion is Halloween bingo.

Halloween bingo is just like normal bingo, except for you play using words or phrases connected to Halloween (such as "black cat", "candy apple", "ghost", "haunted house" or "witch") rather than numbers. It's easy to get such bingo cards - you can simply print them from your computer, either by using ready-made free Halloween bingo printables, or by using affordable but easy-to-use bingo card generator software (which can create any kind of bingo cards that you might want in effectively unlimited quantities).

By S. Tanna. For free Halloween bingo card printables, please go to http://www.bingocardscreator.com/bingo_holiday_halloween.php

To create your own custom bingo cards, please go to http://www.bingocardprinter.com/

Halloween Is Coming, Are You Ready?

2008-08-25T12:52:00.001-07:00

Halloween bats :

They are everywhere this time of year. Halloween bats are seen on windows, doors, and sometimes hanging from porches. But here are a few facts about Halloween bats that you may not have known.

* Bats are the only mammals that can fly.

* There are over a thousand different types of bats.

Halloween cats :

Halloween is a time to be someone else. To have fun watching the kids go trick or treating, or to dance at costume parties what may not be known is that Halloween cats have more to do with this holiday than cursing you while it crosses your path.

These days Halloween cats are everywhere. There are plenty of Halloween cat graphics to put up as wallpaper on your computer, to stick on the glass of your windows, Halloween cat costumes and Halloween cat costumes for your cat.

Halloween Treats :

The Halloween season has many ways to celebrate. Often one that seems to fly lower than the plastic bats out on the front porch is the Halloween treats. All sorts of goodies can be found on the internet. This season have your family help make some gory and ghoulish Halloween treats.

Ever heard of kitty litter cake? Here the ingredients. This is a favorite Halloween treat for the kids, once they realize it is actually cake.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 German Chocolate Cake Mix

* 1 White Cake Mix

* 1 package White Sandwich Cookies

* 1 Large package Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix

* Green food coloring

* 12 Small Tootsie Rolls

* 1 *NEW* kitty litter box

* 1 *NEW* kitty litter box plastic liner

* 1 *NEW* pooper scooper

Polina Alley (http://www.besthalloween-costumes.com )raise 4 kids and has written several ebooks on Halloween. Those ebooks are free and You can get them on her Halloween Costumes Site : http://www.besthalloween-costumes.com

Teen Halloween Party Ideas - Things Teens Wished Parents Knew

2007-10-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Decorations set the mood for the party.

You teenager may enjoy having lots of decorations or they may just want one or two items. The best way to find out is to have them involved with the planning and purchasing of items. You do not want to pick something that you think is really cool only to find out that they can not stand it.

Activities are where many parents get into trouble with party planning for teens.

Having games and craft activities planned works well for kid parties but not for teen parties. For teen parties two activities they will enjoy are dancing and watching a scary movie. The rest of their time will be spent talking to each other and eating.

Food does not have to be complicated.

Fixing a gourmet sit down dinner is not going to be as popular as getting pizza delivered. Teenagers want something simple and easy to eat. Have snacks available for them to munch on and bottled water and soda. A cake might be fine but cupcakes or cookies will be better as long as they are not too childish looking.

Teenagers need time to be by themselves with their friends, make sure you do not hover around them all evening. Check in on them every so often but do not join the party. Let them know when it is getting close to the end of the party time by announcing it fifteen minutes before the time is up. They will appreciate that you trusted them to handle the running of the party without your interference.

Having a love of Holidays and parties Margaret Rench was motivated to share tips and ideas she has learned about them on her website Theme-Party Palace

Pot Luck Halloween Party For Everyone

2007-10-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Children favorite holidays are Saint Nicholas (in Belgium) or Christmas, because of the gifts; Carnival (in Europe) because of the costumes, parties and parades; and Halloween.

Why do they love Halloween? Adults assume that children love Halloween because children generally love candy.

But children do not only love the abundance of candy at Halloween. They love partying, wearing costumes, watching torchlight parades...

Adults also love Halloween. Especially Halloween parties.

While reading lots of articles dedicated to Halloween, I noticed that people talk about Halloween parties for children or Halloween parties for adults. But they seldom talk about Halloween parties for everyone.
So this year, why not going for a Halloween party for everyone, adults and children?

Obviously, Halloween family parties are often organized: when the trick or treating is over, children come home with their candies and after verifying the quality of the sweets they received, everybody goes in the living room. While drinking pumpkin juice, parents tell children some Halloween stories.

But there is a way to make your Halloween evening funnier for everyone. What about a pot-luck party? What about inviting your friends and neighbours; married couples or single parents and their children?

Unfortunately, there is a major inconvenient: when she guests a party, the housewife must stay in the kitchen to ensure that everyone has something to eat and to drink and to prepare the meal.

This year, the housewife will participate and enjoy the Halloween party. The principle of this event is the following one: each guest brings different dishes: meal, dessert, pie or drink - alcoholic or not.

Prepare your Halloween party for everyone by creating invitation cards with funny Halloween decorations. Set up a costume theme. Decorate your house. Ask children to help you: they also participate to the event.

The easiest way to guest a Halloween party is by organizing a supper-table. Convert your dinner room table into a supper-table. Place the Jack-O-Lantern on its center and each of the dishes brought by your guests all around it. Each participant will serve himself.

A supper-table is also an excellent way for your guests to be able to talk to everyone and meet new people.
A smaller table in another corner of the room will become the bar area. Fun tip: carve two large pumpkins and decorate them with Halloween theme and fill one of them with sangria or alcoholic punch for adults and the other one with fruit juice for the children. Decorate the drinks with Witch Eyes.

Witch Eyes recipe:
Canned peeled and drained litchis Incorporate a black grape or a maraschino cherry into each litchi
Plan to have enough chairs for your guests and reserve some space at the center of the room to dance. Put the musical mood by creating some play lists dedicated to Halloween.

Here are some Halloween dessert ideas:

Halloween Lanterns:
Ingredients:
Big oranges,
Chocolate mousse
Preparation:
Cut the top of each orange
Remove the pulp or the oranges
Draw eyes, a nose and a mouth as if they were pumpkins
Fill the oranges with chocolate mousse
Cap them with the top you cutted
Keep them in a cool place.

French Pumpkin Doughnut:
Ingredients:
Cut 500 g of Hokkaido pumpkin into small cubes
2 tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoon Soft butter
2 lightly beaten eggs
125 fl oz flour
Oil

Preparation:
Put the Hokkaido pumpkin in a pot
Cover with water and let it boil until the pumpkin is cooked and tender
Drain the pumpkin and combine with sugar, butter and eggs
Gradually add flour while beating
File a tablespoon of the mixture into hot oil for about 4-5 minutes
Serve warm.

Have a fun pot-luck Halloween party for everyone!

More Info On Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Halloween Crafts, Halloween Recipes, Halloween Traditions at Happy Halloween, Your Online Halloween Guide.

Healthy Treats For Little Trick-Or-Treaters This Halloween

2007-10-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Candy and other sweets don’t have to be the only treats you hand out to little trick-or-treaters this Halloween. There are also plenty of healthy options available that will be just as fun without causing a sugar rush and cavities. Here are some ideas for healthy treats you can use this year.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit makes a great portable snack as well as a good Halloween treat. Grab a few bags of dried fruit, like apples, raisins, cherries, cranberries, dates, apricots and banana chips. Repack them in little bags. You can also get raisins and other dried fruit in small individual boxes that are ready to go.

Roasted Nuts & Seeds

Fall is nut season, so why not grab a variety of roasted nuts and seeds (including pumpkin seeds of course) and hand them out for Halloween. Just make sure the parents are aware of what you are handing out in case one of the kids is allergic to nuts.

Trail Mix

Combine the dried fruit and nuts. Add some dry cereal and a few M&Ms and you have trail mix. Use orange and brown M&Ms to give your trail mix that “Halloween Look”.

Juice Boxes

Juice boxes make another great Halloween treat. They are already individually packed and ready to go into pumpkin pails or goody bags. Look for all natural juices without additional sugar.

Stickers

What child doesn’t love stickers? Go to your local craft store, department store, or even the dollar store and pick up some little packs of Halloween stickers. The kids will enjoy playing with these stickers.

Dollar Store Toys

Since we were already talking about the dollar store, why not pick up some small toys there as well. Pick a few for boys and a few for girls and let the kids pick one when they come to your door. If you get a pack with a few little toy cars in them, it isn’t any more expensive than a candy bar, but they will enjoy playing with it for weeks and months to come.

Grab a few of these healthy alternatives for Halloween this year. Just wrap it all up nicely in some little goody bags, or some of the specialty zippered bags you can get with cute Halloween prints on them and they will be ready to hand out. Parents will appreciate these healthier alternatives as much as the kids will enjoy the treats.

Article by:
Enjoy healthy meals any night of the week. We make it easy with the Healthy Menu Mailer at www.healthymenumailer.com - Try It FREE Find out how you can make your child’s Halloween costume – fast, easy and no sewing involved. www.ilovehalloweencostumes.com

Plan a Halloween Party they’ll never forget!

2007-10-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore? It can be a great night for the whole family and particularly if you want an alternative to trick-or-treating. Throwing a Halloween Party is a sure fire way to get both adults and kids excited about Halloween.

Halloween party invitations are very important. They are the best way to get your guests excited about the party. Send out some great hand made Halloween party invitations, it will get the kids involved, and you can be sure your party will stick in people’s minds. Two weeks in advance is the best time to send them. Let them know there will be prizes for the best costume or scariest pumpkin (more about this later *)

- Create a cute ghost card using your kid’s footprint. Use some black construction paper and fold it in half. Have your child dip his/her foot into white paint and stamp the card with the footprint. Let your cards try. With a black marker draw a face to your ghost. Write a message with a gold pen inside your card.

- Use some of our printable Halloween invitations and write your message with a shaky hand, then wrap it in a little cob webbing and enclose little black plastic spiders for extra creepiness.

Create the spooky ambiance Halloween is famous for. Hairy spiders in webs in ceilings and corners is the classic but here are some other decorating tips:

- Cover tables with black table cloths and decorate with pumpkin cutouts and pumpkin garlands (you can get a pattern to make it yourself) Cover sofas and chairs with white sheets.

- Light essential passageways to the toilets or the bar with inexpensive rope lights but try to keep general lighting to a minimum, substituting black or red light bulbs.

- Have a pumpkin contest (announcing it in your invitation). * Ask your guests to bring their carved pumpkins to the party and you will have some of the best decorations delivered to your door.

- Make a pumpkin patch. Put some boxes on a table to get different heights for display, draping dark fabric over them. Add some real vines of leaves or green ribbons for contrast and of course use tea lights to illuminate. This could also be a good place for your snacks.

- Roll up orange napkins with black cutlery inside placing it inside a bat napkin holder.

- Place rows of tombstones with the names of your guests leading up to your door. Use decorated cardboard or cereal boxes.

- You can also hang Halloween lights around your front door and use a fog machine to welcome your guests (available at party rental stores)

Games and Activities can really make all the difference and they encourage people to mix. Don’t forget to have lots of prizes on hand.

- Create a Halloween photo backdrop for everyone to get a picture taken.

- Have an area where kids can create their own frame for their photo.

- Have a dance contest to the Monster Mash song.

- Have a Halloween Lotto giving out prizes of miniature candy bars or party favors.

- Rent Halloween videos for later in the evening.

When it comes to food and refreshments, it’s hard to know where to start. Serving chips and dips in black plastic cauldrons or floating a rubber hand in the punch bowl are just the beginning. There are many sites with great Halloween resources.

Halloween isn't just ghosts, witches and monsters or about candy or costumes. Halloween is a perfect time for spending time with family and friends. Having a Halloween party offers plenty of easy and interesting decorating projects and activities for kids as well as for adults.

Article by:
Jolanda Garcia is a former teacher and educational content designer and runs several websites. Her goal is to provide parents and teachers with great resources to nurture children's health, development and creativity through crafts and activities. Visit her websites at: Kids Activities and Crafts at www.KidsSoup.com, Halloween Party Ideas at www.Halloweenpartybox.com

Halloween Scavenger Hunt for Younger Kids

2007-10-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

A scavenger hunt is a fun activity that not only provides a chance for kids to get outside before the weather gets colder, but it can help them think creatively too. There are a few different ways to do a scavenger hunt. Depending on where you live, you can have different kinds of scavenger hunts. If the children are too young to go on their own, you can team them up with older children or adults or even have small teams.

Nature Scavenger Hunt – If you live in a rural area or have a park near by, you could have a nature scavenger hunt. Make a list of things readily available that are safe for the children to collect, such as a maple leaf (maybe of specific color), pine cones, different color rocks, acorns, etc. Give each child or team a list and a paper bag to collect their treasures. You could even hide some things in the area they will be searching such as mini pumpkins or pre-wrapped treats.

Decorations Scavenger Hunt – This will take a bit more planning; yet can be a lot of fun. Go around your neighborhood looking for interesting and unique decorations. Make note of the address, name of the family or possibly stores. Then give a list describing the decorations and the children have to find the location where the decorations reside and write it down. If they aren’t old enough to write, be sure your teams are split with older children or adults.

Costume Scavenger Hunt – Sometimes businesses, malls or plazas have a Trick or Treat time earlier in the day and have their employees dress in costumes. List several different costumes they might find and see who can find the most costumes on the list. They could have the person sign their paper when they find the different costumes.

Photo Scavenger Hunt – If you have enough adults with either Polaroid or digital cameras, you can have a photo scavenger hunt. This is a good alternative to having the children gather things, especially if you live in an urban area where there may not be many things the kids can collect legally. Once all the teams are back to the starting point, they can compare pictures to determine the winner. This also allows for people to find the same thing and have a more specific list of items. This can be done for more than one age group, by having more obvious clues for the younger children and more difficult ones for the older kids.

If the weather isn’t nice, you can have an indoor scavenger hunt and hide things around the house. Some rules will need to be given such as if a door is closed, that room doesn’t have any of the items in it. Give clues for the items they are looking for and a bag for collecting. Candy, apples, mini pumpkins, small toys and Halloween themed items are great for indoor scavenger hunts and lots of fun for the kids.

Toddler Elmo Halloween Costume and Treat Bag

2007-10-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

From jack-o-lanterns to harvest-inspired linen patterns, fall in love with fall décor from Lillian Vernon. Additionally, our renowned Halloween costume selection is in and selling fast – get yours while they last! Right now, take $10 off your $60 order with media code 557850100.

Accessory elmo treat basket

Toddler Elmo Costume

Jack-o'-lantern Trick-or-Treat Basket

Poodle Skirt Accessories

Battle Knight Accessories

How to Make a Princess Halloween Costume

2007-10-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume: Princess

If you have a young daughter, odds are she will want to dress up as a princess for Halloween. While it may be easy to just go out and purchase a costume, it can be quite expensive in the long run. Making a homemade princess costume for Halloween can be not only affordable, but fun as well.

If you have a pretty pink or white dress, this can be the basis for the outfit. White leotards and a white body suit to wear under the dress are suggested. Adding glitter to the sleeves of the body suit would also be a great idea, not to mention the body suit and leotards would keep your child warm on Halloween. Once you have these basic items, the next thing which has to be addressed is whether your daughter will wear slippers or shoes. White shoes would be appropriate, or if you can find a pair of white slippers and garnish them with glitter; this would be awesome.

Depending on which princess your daughter has chosen, that is, one of the Disney characters such as Cinderella or Snow White, or perhaps a princess she read about in a book, the right accessories will accent the entire wardrobe to create the most enchanting princess of all.

While some princesses wear capes, others wear fur wraps. Whatever is chosen, it can easily be made with fabric. For example, a white cape can be adorned with gold lace around the edges, and a gold jeweled clasp can be utilized to close the front at the neck. A wrap made of fur can be purchased at a fabric store and cut to fit your daughter’s shoulders. You can attach both ends together with either a beautiful piece of jewelry, preferably one with a clasp.

What’s a princess without a tiara? This can easily be made with wire and ribbons. There are star wires available in different colors. Simply measure the child’s head and cut a piece of star wire and form it into a circle. Use the ribbon to wrap around the base of the wire utilizing one or several color ribbons. You can add additional wire to form a three-dimensional tiara as well.

halloween costumes

How to Make a Kid's Pirate Halloween Costume

2007-10-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume: Pirate

Kids love the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean,” so it makes sense that your son or daughter may wish to be a pirate for Halloween. These are not only fun costumes to make, but quite easy as well. So let’s make a homemade pirate’s costume!

Here’s is what is needed: A red bandana and thick red ribbon or large red scarf; old pair of black pants and a white shirt or blouse; an eye patch; hoop earrings – preferable clip-on; black and red eyeliner; cardboard and tin foil; fake bird and wire; and black and brown masking tape.

Fray the edges of the pants and shirt. Place the red bandana on the child’s head and then tie the red ribbon or scarf around the waist. Use some black eye liner to paint the face with a mustache. Use some red eyeliner to paint a scar on the face. Put on the earrings and the eye patch.

To make a sword (every pirate needs a sword), use cardboard and cut out the shape of a sword. Cover it with tin foil. Use black masking tape for the handle.

To make the pirate’s costume authentic to the movie, you can purchase a fake bird and use wire to attach it to the pirates shoulder or sleeve. The funkier the bird, the better.

Here’s another tip: If you wish to have the pirate wear a peg leg, you can simply tape one pant leg with brown masking tape all the way down to the tip of the shoe. Keep the toe part uncovered. Or if this is not suitable for your child, you can always spray paint the leg with brown spray, simulating a wooden peg leg.

Making a pirates costume allows you to be as creative as you wish. Add sparkles to the eye patch, find an old black hat in a thrift store, or instead of a sash, have the pirate wear a belt with a large buckle. There are so many ideas one can use to make a pirate costume for Halloween extra special. Have a happy Halloween…….. Argh!

Halloween Costumes for Couples

2007-09-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

Halloween is normally celebrated by children dressing up in costumes and going from house to house collecting sweets and money. It is celebrated on the 31st of October and is one of the biggest festivals on the American calendar.

On Halloween, children dress up in costumes and from door to door, yelling "trick or treat!" after ringing each doorbell.

Halloween costumes for couples can either be made at home or can be bought or hired from stores. There are a huge number of varieties and ranges to choose from.

Halloween costumes for couples range from the simple to the sexy. The costume chosen purely depends on the couple.

Since Halloween is a festival that's meant to spook people, scary costumes will definitely be more than appropriate. Dressing up as spirits, ghosts, fictional monsters, or long dead characters will allow a couple to showcase the true spirit of Halloween.

However, if a couple wishes to go for something more daring or different, there are again many choices to pick from. Halloween is a time when there are plenty of adult costume parties. Such parties often require that a couple come in daring and bold costumes.

Other themes that one can use for Halloween are Renaissance, Devils and Angels, Medical, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s costumes, sorcerers, vampires, fantasy, and even Japanese costumes.

There are also some quite innovative costumes like a plug & socket couples set, ball & chain costume set, couples' handcuffs costume set, lock & key, nut & bolt costume set, and even a marquis and marquess costume set.

The Internet is an excellent place for finding Halloween couples costumes. A simple search brings up a huge list of online stores from where people can either buy or rent out Halloween couples costumes.

Being a time of celebration, costumes are appropriate attire for celebrations during this holiday.

Couples provides detailed information on Couples, Celebrity Couples, Interracial Couples, Couples Counseling and more. Couples is affiliated with Relationship Advice.

Halloween Cakes

2007-09-27T07:08:00.001-07:00

Delicious Halloween cakes are easy to make. In fact, you will find many different recipes for Halloween cake that taste great and look scary.

You can turn a simple cake into a Halloween cake by decorating it in a special way, usually with yellow and black frosting. You will find many great Halloween decorating ideas online and offline in recipe books and guidelines.

One of the most popular Halloween cakes is the "Spider Web cake." You just bake and frost your favorite cupcakes and put them on a plate. Weave a spider web with frosting by using black licorice and your Halloween cupcakes are ready to be served.

Similarly, you can prepare "Vampire" or "Frankenstein" cakes. There are several web sites that provide information about preparing "creepy" cakes.

One should remember that Halloween cakes are relished not merely for their taste but for how they look. This look should be unique. There is no single rule that needs to be followed. One can be innovative and give a unique look to a Halloween cake, but the tradition is that the cake must look creepy. Some fun ideas for Halloween cake decorations are gumdrops lined up like worms, marshmallows with black licorice in the centers to look like spooky eyes and goofy eyes made with marshmallows with raisins for eyeballs.

There are several companies that offer readymade Halloween cakes. Some help you in choose the creepiest cake by providing you with certain images that can be "drawn" on the cake after you purchase it. These cakes can also be ordered online.

Cake provides detailed information on Baby Shower Cake, Birthday Cake, Cake, Cake Decorating and more. Cake is affiliated with Birthday Cards.

Halloween Themed Baby Shower Ideas

2007-09-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

A Halloween themed baby shower is a great idea for a baby due in October. Halloween is a great holiday to center a party around because it allows for many opportunities. There are so many Halloween ideas that a person could make this a party not soon to be forgotten.

The first step of any shower is to send out invitations. With a Halloween themed baby shower the hostess just has to make sure she puts a message on the invitation about costumes. Every Halloween party needs costumes, but since this is a Halloween themed baby shower everyone should have to wear a baby themed costume. This is only part of the fun.

Decorations should include all the typical Halloween décor. Spider webs, witch hats and black cats are a must have, but to pay up the fact the party is really a baby shower not a typical Halloween party, the hostess should use spider webs with small baby items caught in them, witches hats on baby witches and black kittens.

Games are the next place to really play up the theme. Bobbing for pacifiers is a nice game that ties in both the baby shower and Halloween theme. Another good one is the ‘smell the diaper’ game that uses candy.

In addition to games and decorations, the Halloween costumes will really make the party a blast. Halloween themed baby shower ideas are abundant, so anyone planning on using this theme should have no problem getting the party together.

For more information concerning baby showers please visit The Baby Shower Zone - a website that specializes in baby shower duckie decorations

How to Make a Halloween Witch Costume

2007-09-27T06:55:00.001-07:00

Halloween Costume: Witch

“I’ll get you, my pretty!” These infamous words were spoken by the wicked witch in the beloved movie “The Wizard of Oz.” If your daughter wants to be the good witch, Glenda, on Halloween, or would like to portray the wicked witch, here are some ideas on how to make either homemade costume.

Let’s begin with the good witch. Basically all you need is a white dress, white leotards, white shoes, a tiara, and a wand. Add some make-up and glitter and you have all you need to re-create Glenda.

To make the wand, you can use two straws and put one inside the other. Wrap it in gold paper and purchase star wire at your craft store, and push it through the straw. Add glitter to the star as well. To make the tiara, you can also use star wire. Take the measurement of your child’s head and then make a circle out of the star wire to fit. Add gold ribbon to cover the base of the wire.

In addition, you may wish to add a flowing gold wrap around your daughter’s shoulders. Choose sheer fabric that has gold design.

If your child chooses to be the bad witch, well there is no end to the creativity you can utilize to make this costume. Depending upon whether your child wants to portray a scary witch, in which case you will have to paint some warts on her face. You can even paint your child’s face green, just like the witch in the “Wizard of Oz.” Or if she wants to be the wicked witch with a broom, a black cape and pointy black hat will be needed. An entirely black outfit would be recommended for any bad witch to wear.

Here’s another tip: If your child wants to be a witch from the Snow White movie, she can carry a basket of apples, with one a chunk of one apple cut out.

No matter which witch your child chooses to be on Halloween, making the costume will be as much fun as going out trick or treating.

Ideas for Homemade Halloween Treats

2007-09-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

Homemade Halloween Treat Ideas

Kids love Halloween because this is the only time they really get to enjoy sweets. Traditionally, treats for Halloween consisted of store bought candy corns, and other assorted Halloween favorites. Dunking for apples was a favorite in our day. Today, there are more creative ideas available than ever before.

Baking is a tradition on Halloween, and aside from the cookies and cupcakes, there are other recipes which can be used to make the occasion even more special.

Instead of regular cookies how about ghost cookies? Using your favorite cookie recipe, you can shape the cookies into little ghosts. Your kids can decorate them with different color icing, or use M&M’s right after they are taken out of the oven.

Here is a great recipe for brownies shaped into ghosts. Make the brownies as you normally would, then before they cool, cut a ghost shape using a paring knife. Then melt white chocolate and using a piping bag, make the outline of the ghost on the brownie. After it has cooled you can pipe in the eyes and mouths, using any color frosting you choose.

If you’d like to make bat cakes, simply follow the steps to make a chocolate cake. Place the prepared ingredients onto a baking sheet. When the cake is finished, you can cut out bats with a paring knife. Set them aside to cool. Melt some dark chocolate and pipe in their eyes and noses. In fact, you can use dark chocolate to make the bat wings and attach them to either side of the bat cakes. Your kids will be in chocolate heaven!

Halloween is a time of costume making and preparing special treats. It’s the one time of the year in which kids are allowed to not only help in making treats, but consuming them as well. Whatever treats you prepare on Halloween will be handed down to your kids, and their kids. So have a great time and enjoy the day with your family on the “sweetest” day of the year.

How to Make a Scarecrow Halloween Costume

2007-09-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume: Scarecrow

Making a scarecrow costume for Halloween is not only fun, but you can allow the creative juices to flow endlessly. This is one easy homemade costume to make.

You’ll need blue jeans, preferably faded; a flannel shirt - size large; a straw hat; some fabric to make patches; rope; straw and make-up.

Now that you have the necessary items, you can begin.

Match some patches using fabric, and sew them onto the jeans in no particular pattern. Dress the intended scarecrow with the flannel shirt and jeans. Use the rope as a belt. Ensure the jeans are long enough so you can cuff them.

Now comes the fun part. Take the straw and place it in the sleeves of the shirt so they stick out; stuff them into the shirt as well ensuring the straw sticks out as well. You may want your child to wear a body suit so the straw won’t become too itchy. You can stuff the jeans with straw too.

Using eyeliner, you can draw stitches around the mouth, and use some red paint to make a triangular shaped nose.

The straw hat should look worn. So scrunch it up a bit before you place it on the scarecrow’s head. Put some straw in your child’s hair, and have some sticking out of the hat as well. You may even wish to make a pointed hat using cardboard and black felt. Then you can decorate the hat however you wish.

Another idea would be to purchase a fake black bird, which resembles a crow, and attach it to your child’s shoulder using wire. Poke the wire through the flannel shirt and twist it so it remains secure.

Scarecrow costumes are so much fun to make and utilizing all of the accessories mentioned herein, your child is sure to be a hit on Halloween.

How To Create Your Own Home Halloween Decorations

2007-09-23T11:11:00.001-07:00

Whether to decorate your house or your classroom for Halloween, the best choice of decorations are the ones that you make yourself. Home Halloween decorations are fun to make and are really cost efficient in the long run. The camaraderie shared with your friends and family is priceless while you make home Halloween decorations. It is a creative experience that every child will remember doing. In some households it has become a family tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. With just a few materials you can turn your house or classroom into a gruesome, scary, and fun place to have a party or to invite trick or treaters.

The basics of home Halloween decorations are simplicity. Orange and black construction paper is a must. You also need Elmer’s glue, scissors, tape, and crayons or magic markers. The best way to start is to start at the top of the room. You can make a boarder to go around all four walls with a paper chain. Simply cut your orange and black construction paper into strips. Curl the strips into a ring and glue or staple them. They must be interlocked and should alternate in color from black to orange. If you really want to get gruesome you can add some blood red construction paper to the chain. To be more creative you can draw symbols of Halloween on each strip to give it more character and depth.

While still working on the top of the room, think of things that dangle from the ceiling. You can make cut outs of the skull and crossbones, witches, black cats, or ghosts from your construction paper to make some great scary figures. The paper is light enough so if there is even the slightest breeze your figures will move with it in a eerie fashion. To make this home Halloween decoration more creative, you may want to create mobiles with the figures by hanging your cut outs on descending sticks hung by fishing line or twine. If you have extra cutouts paste them on whole sheets of construction paper to give it a colorful back ground.

On your snack table, you can play a joke on your guests by decorating with Halloween food. You could glue all the candy corn together in a huge ball so that when a friend tries to take one, the whole glob of candy corn comes up in his hand. Think of eerie foods that you can serve like gummy worms and marshmallow eyeballs. Your can take the paper plates and draw monsters or scary images on them. Put on a scary movie in the background with the sound off. These can give the room an extra feature of the Halloween spirit. You might want to die your curtains orange or another Halloween color and put candles in the windows. From the outside the candle looks nice but from the inside the candle can cast eerie shadows on the curtain creating a cool special effect. The skies the limit with home Halloween decorations and your imagination and creativity will flourish once you get going.

Are you trying to come up with some fun Halloween activities? The Get In Costume website has plenty of other ideas for Halloween fun as well as creative costume ideas for trick-or-treaters of all ages.

Plus, get a free copy of my special report "The Family Guide To Halloween Safety" at http://www.getincostume.com/freereport

Halloween Party Food Recipe: Bat Wings and Monster Dip

2007-09-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

20 chicken wings
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced

Put chicken wings in a plastic bag. Stir together soy sauce, ginger, the next 4 spices and garlic. Pour over wings. Close bag and toss to coat. Chill in refrigerator several hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove wings from bag, reserving marinade. Place wings on a foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 450 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Brush with reserved marinade. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Serve with Monster Dip. Makes 20 appetizers.

Monster Dip:
In a small bowl stir together a 8-ounce container of dairy sour cream and 3 tablespoons coarse ground mustard. Serve with bat wings.

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Quick and Easy Halloween Craft Idea for Kids

2007-09-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

Quick Halloween Craft Idea - Witch's Hands!

This is a handprint craft with a difference! You need only a few inexpensive supplies which you will probably have lying around the house. It is an easy craft to do with a crowd of children and the results are great for decorating the house or classroom. Best of all, you will end up with a fun memento to keep and look back on as the children grow.

You will need:

Green card or paper
Scraps of black, red or purple card, paper, felt, tissue paper etc
Pencils and pens
White glue

Instructions:

Draw around the children's hands onto the green card. Older children can pair up and draw round each other’s hands. Cut out carefully.

Use the scraps of paper or card to cut pointed oval shapes for long, spiky finger nails and stick them on - embellishing, if you like, with glitter or stickers.

Draw some spidery veins onto the hands, using your own hands as inspiration.

Why not add a wart or two? Make them by scrunching tissue paper into a tiny ball and sticking onto the hands with white glue.

Use the hands to decorate a notice-board, the fridge, or the Halloween table (place them on either side of a plate for a humorous effect). If you attach them to the edge of doors with sticky-tack it looks as if someone spooky could be hiding on the other side!

Alternatively, attach plain white paper to the back of the hands and use them as invitations!

Variations:

Older children could create monster hands. Use cream or brown card and square off the fingers of their handprint before cutting out. Fingernails should be black or perhaps silver, and also square in shape. Use black pen to draw veins and lots of spiky black hair in the center of the hand and knuckles!

Ghostly hands can be made out of white card. Stretch your handprints out a little to give particularly long, thin fingers. Make fingernails out of grey or silver scraps and decorate with silver glitter. Use pencil or grey pen to draw on veins.

Lindsay Small is the owner of Activity Village, packed full of fun and educational activities for kids. Do you have children aged 2-10? Visit http://www.ActivityVillage.co.uk to find free kids crafts, printables, educational resources, worksheets, coloring pages and puzzles, jigsaws, Sudoku for kids and much more!

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

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Make a Halloween Mummy Costume

2007-09-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume: Mummy

Making a mummy costume for Halloween can be hilarious. However, if you want it to truly be a unique and authentic mummy costume, here are some ideas you can try.

There are several ways you can make the costume. Using strips from a white sheet and wrapping the mummy with them is one idea. You can adhere them using white medical tape. Leave the eyes, nose, and mouth uncovered, but use a light brown powder to cover the areas of skin exposed. You can use eyeliner to add under the eyes, like the Egyptians.

Another method you can use is to have your child wear a white body suit and leotards. Then add the strips of a white sheet and hold them in place with the medical tape. But if you want to add authenticity, you can cut the strips from the sheet the night before and soak them in brewed tea. This will give the entire mummy look an aged appearance. In addition, you may want to fray some of the strips so that the mummy will look quite old as well.

In addition, if you have ever seen any of the Discovery Channel programs on recent mummy finds in Egypt, you will notice that while most of the mummies are covered, there are portions of their bodies which are exposed. Well, you can take some brown magic marker and outline a few ribs, or the upper and bottom row of teeth. In addition, you can use black magic marker to give the appearance that certain body parts are missing, giving the illusion there are holes in the body.

Mummies have been around for thousands of years, and making a homemade mummy costume can be as unique and authentic to the real mummies found today. The main thing is to have a great time creating it.

How to Make a Child's Butterfly Halloween Costume

2007-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume: Butterfly

Butterflies are lovely to look at, but it is even more beautiful when your child decides to become one for Halloween. Here are some tips on how to make a homemade butterfly costume.

Before you begin this project, you may wish to take a trip to the library and check out the books on butterflies. Let your child choose one she particularly likes and follow the color scheme when making the costume.

Purchase sheer fabric in the color your child has chosen. Find fabric that has spots or designs which closely resemble a butterfly. Then cut the fabric in half. Since the body of the butterfly tends to be black, your child can wear a black turtleneck or body suit and leotards. Sew each piece of fabric down the back of the leotard and take the other ends and sew each piece to the sleeve of the turtleneck or body suit. When your child lifts her arms, the wings will show their brilliant color.

Use black eye-liner to place dots on the child’s face. Use pipe cleaners to make the antennae by taking long strips of construction paper and wrapping it around your child’s head to ensure a good fit. Attach the pipe cleaners to the construction paper with staples, then place cotton balls at the tip of each of the pipe cleaners. You can color the cotton balls with whatever color is dominant in the butterfly.

Another creative idea is to dress your child up in a warm solid color outfit, especially if it’s a cold Halloween day. Perhaps one that is similar to a jogging suit and has a stripe down the side of the pant legs. Make the wings by using cardboard to trace the design. Cut it out and then paint the wings a color that closely matches the outfit. Add glimmer or stickers to the wings as well. You can attach the wings by taking ribbon of the same color and wrapping it around the center part of the wings (where it curves inward), and then around the child. In this way, it won’t fall off the back.

Free Halloween Recipes & Party Ideas Ebook

2007-09-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Start planning your Halloween Party or School Halloween Activities Today!
Click Here to Download your FREE HALLOWEEN TREAT RECIPE AND PARTY IDEAS Ebook

How to Create a Haunted House in Your Own Backyard

2007-09-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

Haunted houses can be a fun part of Halloween, but many times they are too expensive or too scary for younger children. A simple haunted house in the backyard can provide all the thrills while still having that comfort zone of home. A few simple decorations and a bit of imagination can provide an evening of fun. By making it large enough that kids and grownups can go through it together you’ll also help the younger ones feel a bit braver.

Some cardboard boxes, sheets and clothesline can become a maze for the kids to go through. Bales of hay can also make a nice touch as tunnels to crawl through. If you live near a farm, you may be able to borrow a few bales and return them after the party. The maze doesn’t have to be intricate. Even a few twists and turns will allow for surprises around each corner.

Enlist the kids help to decorate the cardboard and sheets with glow-in-the-dark paint to help create the walls. Position a few black lights to make them visible to your guests. The kids will love painting designs and pictures with the bright colors. Have them come up with scary phrases, like “Beware All Who Enter Here” or “Ghosts and Goblins Only” to decorate the walls of the backyard haunted house.

Lighting is an important part of a haunted house. You want enough light that people can see where to walk safely, but not so much that they see what’s awaiting them ahead. There are many theme lights such as ghosts and pumpkins available, but Christmas tree lights work just as well. Strobe lights can also add to the spooky atmosphere as can a fog machine. Jack-o-lanterns are also a nice touch, but use battery-operated lights in them for safety.

Hanging rubber bats, ghosts and other creepy crawlers around on different length strings, long enough that people will bump into, may make a few people jump. Have a few volunteers dress up in spooky costumes and hide behind trees and around corners of the maze to add to the scare factor. If you think a younger child might be too scared by them, let them see the people getting in their costumes before hiding. This way, they’ll know it’s really people they know in costumes and not real monsters.

Invite the neighborhood trick-or-treaters to venture through your haunted house, having the treats passed out by the various monsters hiding through the maze. It makes it a little more exciting for the kids. It’s sure to make your home a favorite stop of all the little ghosts and goblins.
As you plan your haunted house layout, keep safety in mind. Remove any sticks that may cause someone to trip. Avoid tree roots that may be sticking up out of the ground. Look for rocks, too. As long as you are creative, have fun, and keep safety in mind, it’s sure to be the hit of the neighborhood.

Halloween Trends Feature Colorful Charm and Whimsy

2007-09-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

(ARA) - Halloween has become the second most-decorated holiday of the year. Decorations for house and yard to welcome trick-or-treaters are all the rage. This year an estimated $4.96 billion will be spent on holiday decor in addition to costumes, making it the sixth largest spending holiday of the year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

Keeping up with what’s in style this Halloween season will help you have the hippest, spookiest house on the block. “Creating festive Halloween decorations can be easy and fun for the whole family, whether you’re a beginner or advanced at crafting,” says Susan Atchison, trend expert for Jo-Ann Stores. “This season, creepy, scary monsters are out. Instead, a new cast of goofy ghouls takes their place with silly expressions, crazy colors and lots of whimsical, kid-friendly charm.”

Slightly surprising colors are popping up this Halloween, bringing lots of animated personality to the color palette. Lime green, bright purple and electric blue combine with classic orange and black to create fun color combinations -- not frightening.

For a slightly more sinister Halloween atmosphere, use shades of gray and olive green paired with spicy orange, golden yellow and dusky blue. Or, the traditional colors of orange, black, brown and yellow appear in almost every possible shade and hue to recreate the simplicity and charm of a vintage Halloween.

Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or just decorating for trick-or-treaters, these easy ideas from Jo-Ann Stores will add a playful, creative touch to your not-so-scary venue:

* Give trick-or-treaters a warm welcome to your home with metal stand-up figurines in vivid colors and lively expressions.

* Dress up your table with a “Boo” table runner and candy dish, jack-o-lantern serving dishes and not-so-spooky trays and platters to add character and charm to your Halloween monster mash.

* Find partyware and décor in matching bright colors and themes to set the tone for Halloween parties at home or in the classroom.

* Display Halloween goodies with a Frankenstein and Skeleton treat bucket -- a fun way to watch even the littlest monsters scream with delight at the treats displayed at their own height.

* Deck the walls and windows with a ghastly garland of spiders, bats, monsters and pumpkins for a playful fright (see instructions). Add a strand of colorful sparkling lights to create fun shadows inside and out.

* Create a personalized treat bag, use colorful fur, felt and yarn to create a cat, a scary or funny face -- for a fun alternative to the typical plastic pumpkin treat bag.

For more ideas and a monstrous selection of the latest trends in indoor and outdoor Halloween decorating projects, visit your local Jo-Ann fabric and craft store.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Trick or Treating Safety Tips for Parents

2007-09-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a famously loved holiday by kids everywhere. It’s a fun time to dress up like silly or scary characters and go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Be sure your kids are safe while trick-or-treating with these quick tips:

Wear bright colors
Both parents and kids should wear brightly colored clothing. If you are wearing a costume that is dark in color, apply reflective tape to parts of your clothes or shoes. (Many communities now enforce a trick-or-treating curfew to prevent children from roaming after dark. Be sure to check for any curfew rules that may apply to your community.)

Be sure your child can see
Smaller children love store-bought costumes that come complete with a facemask. Before you leave the house, double-check to make sure your child can see through the eyeholes of the mask. This will help to prevent them from tripping, falling or running into something while they trick-or-treat.

Obey the rules
If you are trick-or-treating in a city, remember to follow traffic safety rules. Always look both ways before crossing the street. Stay on the sidewalks and walk at a normal pace.

Visit familiar places only
Take your children to trick-or-treat at places where you know people. Try not to take them to strange houses or places that look unsafe. Remember the “never talk to strangers,” rule!

Inspect all candy
This is a commonly known rule of trick-or-treating, and yet so many parents don’t follow it. Parents should remove all unwrapped candy from buckets (cupcakes, homemade candy, etc.). There are just too many dangers to eating unwrapped candy or treats to take a chance with your child. Look for holes in plastic wrappers as well.

Fun Halloween Party Food Ideas

2007-09-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for a howling Halloween party this year? Spruce up your party this year with some icky, but yummy party food. Here are some fun food ideas for your ghostly Halloween party:

Snot cubes
Refrigerate yellow and green Jello (any flavors) in ice cube trays. Serve chilled.

Worms in snot
Make snot cubes, as directed above, out of Jello. Insert gummy worms in each cube of Jello then refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Bad apples
Using a small, sharp knife cut a small, round hole in one side of the top of an apple. Insert a gummy worm inside the hole. Create display of “bad apples” in a wooden bucket.

Monster Mash
In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:

* 10 cups popcorn
* 1 pound plain M&M’s
* 1-14 oz. jar dry roasted peanuts
* 1 cup raisins (optional)
* 1 cup Reece’s pieces (found in baking isle by chocolate chips)

Bowl of Brains
Scramble several eggs. To get the gray brain color, mix in green, red, and blue food coloring as you beat the eggs before cooking them.

Buggy Ice Cubes
Insert gummy worms or raisins (for bugs) in ice trays with water and freeze. Insert frozen buggy ice cubes in your bowl of party punch.

How to Make a Halloween Ghost Costume

2007-09-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Nothing exemplifies Halloween more than a ghost costume. It is probably the easiest to make and can be as simple or complex as you wish. Let’s take a look at two ideas for a ghost costume for Halloween.

Traditionally, one would cut out two holes in a white sheet, for the eyes, color the outer circle of the eyes black, and just wear it as is. However, this Casper the Friendly Ghost type costume would be a bit of a problem if the sheet fell off and the child couldn’t see where he or she was going. So, here is a suggestion.

Take a white sheet and cut a large enough hole so it can fit over the child’s head. Ensure that the bottom of the sheet is short enough so the child doesn’t trip over it. Since October is a cool month, wearing white pants and a white turtleneck top would be recommended. Oh, don’t forget white shoes or sneakers. Now that the costume itself is ready to go, here comes the fun part.

Use a non-chemical white powder makeup to paint the face. Use black make up and make a complete circle carefully around the eyes. The hair is next. There are two ways you can go with this. You can either purchase a white wig, or you can spray the hair with white spray. Voila! This ghost is a winner!

The second ghost costume can be made directly from the movie “A Christmas Carol.”
How about dressing up as Marley? Using the same items as the first costume, the only difference is you will need a ball and chain to wrap around the costume.

You make a chain one using different colored pieces of construction paper. Cut the paper into strips, then take each strip and staple the ends together. Take another strip and put one end through the first and staple. If you decided to make the ball to go with the chain, you can take lots of newspaper and scrunch it up into a ball and spray paint it black. You can attach it to the chain with a piece of wire.

One more thing, instead of making the child’s hair completely white, you can use a shower cap with holes it in, and spray it white. This way, it will look a bit more authentic. Remember, Marley’s hair wasn’t all white. Also, Marley wasn’t too well kept, so you can make some holes in the white sheet and add a little black spray on the bottom as well.

Tips for Carving the Perfect Halloween Pumpkin

2007-09-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone enjoys jack-o-lanterns at Halloween, but it can be frustrating to carve one. If you haven’t done very many of them, it’s best to start out with a simple design. The traditional jig-jog smile and triangle eyes and nose are pretty easy for anyone to do.

There are kits that come with patterns, but some of them are a bit labor intensive. There are special pumpkin carving tools, including small saws, that make it much easier and safer, especially for children. It is best to use a sharp knife, as a dull knife is harder to control. Only let older children use knives with supervision. Be sure to always cut away from you so if the knife does slip you are less likely to have an accident.

One of the biggest things to remember is to not carve your pumpkin too soon or it will be mush before Halloween. When you cut the top of the pumpkin, be sure to cut at an angle so the top doesn’t fall in. Using an ice cream scoop makes easy work of cleaning out the pulp and seeds. Once it’s cleaned out, you are ready to start working on your pumpkin creation.

Draw out a design on paper first to see if you like your idea. Then, draw it on the pumpkin with a non-permanent marker so you can make changes if you don’t like the way it comes out on the pumpkin. Be sure to make the openings large enough to let air circulate for the candle. However, battery powered candles are also a good idea, especially if there are going to be young children around. If you do decide to use a normal candle, make sure it isn’t too tall for the pumpkin and it has a level place on which to sit inside.

Start carving in the middle of your design and work your way out. This way you have more surface area around where you are cutting. You don’t have to take whole sections out at once so cut in small segments. Carefully poke the cut out segments straight out as you go.

To help your pumpkin last longer, seal the exposed edges to keep it from drying out. If it’s going to get cold enough to frost, bring the jack-o-lantern inside for the night. By day, keep it out of direct sunlight.

An alternative to actually carving the pumpkin is to scrape out a design, without cutting all the way through. By taking away part of the darker orange, leaving the lighter color showing you allow your creative work to last longer. Younger children could also paint or cut out shapes from construction paper to decorate the pumpkin. To attach the pieces use straight pins. This also gives the little ones something to do while older children and adults are using the knives.

Halloween Costume: Clown

2007-09-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

“Be a clown, be a clown, all the world loves a clown.” Just singing that song puts you in a happy mood, right? One of the most fun costumes to make at home for Halloween is the clown costume. It can be as wild and as imaginative as ever. Here are some suggestions.

Let your imagination run wild. Start with a white, red, or black sweat suit. Then go to town painting all different colors and shapes on it, from polka dots to triangles. With some make-up you can paint your child’s face in any way you wish. Draw triangles around the eyes, paint the nose red or find a red nose in a craft store, and use red lipstick to make a happy smile on the face of your child. If you can find an inexpensive clown wig, that would be great as well.

Another idea is to wear a menagerie of different clothing. Find an oversized shirt with loud stripes, plaid pants, and red suspenders. Add a funky oversized jacket, and you‘re good to go. For the shoes, you can find large-sized shoes that your child can fit into with his or her own shoes on.

If your child wishes to wear a hat, you can use a plain party hat and spray paint it with different colors and add polka dots to it or glimmer as well.

Here’s a tip: Add one or two balloons inside the jacket, and when your child goes trick or treating and someone asks for a trick, you child can open up the jacket and the balloons will pop out!

Oh, don’t forget the big bowtie! You can make it out of different color satin fabrics. Add a ruffled fabric to wear around the neck and you have the makings of the best clown in your neighborhood.

7 Halloween Games for Kids

2007-09-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Part of the fun of Halloween is playing silly games. When planning the games, it’s best to keep the costumes in mind and plan things that will work around them. Games should be simple with easy to follow rules.

Bobbing for Apples – A classic Halloween party game has always been bobbing for apples, however some kids don’t like putting their face in the water or don’t want to mess up the make up that took a long time to perfect. One variation of this game is to tie the stems of the apples to varied lengths of string and then hang them up. Then the people have to put their hands behind their back and try to take a bite out of the apple. You can also play the game using marshmallows.

Mummy Wrap Up – Divide guests into small groups. Provide them each with a roll or two of toilet paper and see who can use the tissue paper to wrap up one of their teammates the fastest. The first one to complete their mummy using the entire roll wins.

Jack-o-Lantern Faces – Hang a picture of a jack-o-lantern on the wall and have matching face pieces cut out of black paper for the eyes, nose and mouth. Place sticky-tack on the back of the pieces. Blindfold each player when it is their turn and play the same as pin the tail on the donkey except players put the eyes, nose and mouth on the pumpkin face. Younger children can do just the mouth, while older children and adults can do the entire face for more of a challenge.

Ghost Hunters – Cut out several paper ghosts and divide the players into two groups. Have one team hide the ghosts around the room. The other team has to hunt down the ghosts. Play continues until all ghosts are found. The team that hunts the most ghosts wins.

Ghost Bowling – Collect ten empty one or two liter soda pop bottles (use the larger bottles for younger guests). Paint the bottles white and decorate with silly ghost faces. Use a small playground size ball as the bowling ball. If you can find orange ones, decorating them as jack-o-lanterns can add to the fun.

Upset the Candy Dish – Place chairs in a circle, facing in, having one less than the number of players. Whisper in each child’s ear the name of a favorite Trick or Treat candy. They will become this piece of candy in the candy dish. Have one person stand in the middle of the circle to be “it”. The child in the middle will call one or two types of candy. If the candy name that’s called is matches the one the children are, they should stand up and try to move to another empty seat. Occasionally, the child who is “it” calls out, “Upset the candy dish.” and all the players need to move to a new seat. If any of the candy kids can’t find a seat they then become “it.”

Pirates’ Treasure – Fill two small buckets with sand and place inside a larger washtub or box. Bury treasure in the buckets such as small prizes or candy. Each player receives a plastic spoon to dig for their treasure. Divide players into two teams. Position players around their designated bucket and tell them when to start. They dig in their treasure “chests” until every piece is found. The first team to find all their treasure wins.

The History of Halloween

2007-09-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

What we now know as Halloween has a long and complicated history. It doesn’t come from just one source. It’s a blending of religious rites, superstitions, customs and traditions and has become what we know today as a night of costumes, parties, candy and spooky stories. By combining elements from the Celtic druids from 2000 years ago and the Roman Catholic Church, we have what it is recognized as Halloween.

The word Halloween itself traces back to “All Hollows Eve”, the night before the Catholic tradition of “All Hallows Day”, also known as “All Saints Day”. November 1 was set aside to honor the saints of the church. Due to it being the same date as the ancient Celtic new year celebration, Samhain, elements of both have blended together over the years.

There are many different conflicting stories about the Celtic celebrations at this time, with some claiming human sacrifice had it’s part. However, more recently it is thought to have been a fire lighting ceremony, symbolic of the old year ending, and the new year starting. The families would put out all the fires in their homes and go to a common light source – a bonfire tended by the druids. They would take home some of the fire to relight their own hearths.

Trick or treating also has had some varied opinions on its origins. Some stories indicate that people would dress up as scary beings and wander the streets in an attempt to avoid being possessed by the spirits of the dead who were wandering on All Hallows Eve. Others connect it to the practice of “souling” on November 2, or “All Souls Day”, where beggars would wander and beg for soul cakes in exchange for praying for those who gave.

The trick part came into play in the 1800’s and 1900’s with something called “mischief nights”. Immigrants from Scotland and Ireland would play pranks on Halloween night. By the 1920’s, people started to organize the kids into a “trick or treat” night, to help avoid the tricks by taking them door-to-door to collect treats.

The jack-o-lantern has had some bad press over the years, with some people believing a story that the druids used candles made of human fat, put in carved pumpkins to light their human sacrifices (after going door to door, looking for someone to sacrifice). Not only has research shown that the druids did not perform human sacrifices, they couldn’t have used pumpkins as they are a North American plant.

There is also an 18th century legend about a man named Jack, who tricked the devil into climbing into a tree and trapping him there. After Jack died, he was given a light in a gourd to see by while wandering - neither in heaven nor hell. It was quite common to carve out things like turnips or beets to be used as lanterns. This was adapted to the jack-o-lantern made with pumpkins popular in North America.

It is easy to see that Halloween has a varied and often confusing, history. There are many sources and legends that have blurred together over the years. While no one may know the complete history, it is fun to see where some of the traditions may have come from in the past.

References: Rupert, Dennis. "The History of Halloween- It's Probably Not What You Think." The History of Halloween. 29 Dec 2006. 21 Jul 2007 http://www.new-life.net/halowen1.htm

Wilson, Jerry. "History and Customs of Halloween." History and Customs of Halloween. 2002. 21 Jul 2007 http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm