Articles and Ideas October, 2009
Ever wonder how they made the costumes for Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers in Star Wars? Basically they did it the same way car bodies are made… in a mold with fiberglass, or a similar resin. In fact, so many things are made with plastics and resins today that it’s not likely you have any device that doesn’t have a molded part on it. I have seen some really complicated, and convincing, costumes made entirely from molded fiberglass, including ...
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Each year I think I’ll add new items to my yard display, but every year the same thing happens: I‘m broke and have no time! Let’s face it, the two most important things we all need if we want to add something really great to our Halloween display is time and money. Both always seems to slip though my fingers like grains of sand in an evil inspired hour-glass.
But no matter how short on time and money you are, you’ll ...
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Your child is dressed up all adorable, proudly ready to go out trick or treating! The Halloween costume is fantastic, scary and cute at the same time. However, something's not quite right ... something ruins the whole ensemble. Perhaps it's the ugly plastic bag being used to hold the mountains of candy?
Never fear, you won't have to worry about that, because you're reading this article and will now make your own gorgeous masterpiece of a trick or treat bag! ...
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At a kid's Halloween party once, I participated in a cool game that would make a great addition to any party, kids or adults. It's goofy enough to get in some good laughs, and kids will go wild with fun! I call it Ghost Hunting, and it involves you, a ghost, and some stomping. It’s just you and your ghostly ally…. against the WORLD!! For best results, have at least five players. The more the merrier!
Here is what you need:
String
Black ...
Posted in Parties & Activities, Party Tips, Recipes & Activities | 1 Comment »
Are you tired of seeing the same old scary faces on every Jack O' Lantern you see? Are you obsessed with carving and looking for a way to bring your passion from “craft” to “work of art”? Or do you just have a few hours on your hands to try something totally different? Forget the triangle eyes and pointy, crooked teeth – a Jack O' Lantern can be so much more than a face, and is not always black and ...
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Constructing Halloween Mobiles are a fun way to spend an afternoon. There are so many different ways to be creative and make fun mobiles for the season. Let's get started!
Halloween clip art images are an easy way to get a lot of pictures for coloring. Cookie cutters are also great for making cute shapes out of construction paper. The shapes can be colored and decorated anyway you want. Also, you could make a mobile with just one ...
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Every year there's controversy over a certain Halloween costume, and this year it's the "Illegal Alien." The costume features an extra-terrestrial dressed in prison garb holding a green card (which is a legal document allowing you to work in this country, ha ha). If the pun is lost on some people, the words "Illegal Alien" are boldly stenciled across the front.
Depending on your point of view, it's either a hilarious pun, a political statement, or an extremely insensitive ...
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Sidewalk chalk takes on a whole new look this time of year. Making chalk rubbings on black construction paper gives it a ghostly appearance and can make for some spooky monster shapes! Check out how to create your own as part of your Halloween decor!
Materials Needed
Sidewalk or other chalk, or crayons
Construction paper-especially black
Aerosol hair spray
Shapes to rub
Leaves and/or Halloween cut outs
Textured papers or cloth
This is a simple project that even a 2-year-old can get into and enjoy!
...
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It's easy to make fog just by dropping dry ice in warm water. The problem is that dry ice is so cold, it actually starts to freeze the water around it, which squelches the fog effect pretty quickly. So how do you keep the water warm for hours? A slow cooker, of course!
First, fill your cooker about halfway with water and turn it on high.
Next, break up your dry ice into manageable chunks. You can get this stuff at your ...
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Halloween is a holiday which has seen a wide variety of decorating options grow over the last decade. These options include Halloween villages, Halloween trees, and the expansion of miniature collectibles, some directly related to Halloween, and others to the fall season in general. Prices for such decorations can range from several dollars to upwards of a hundred, and while they are inevitable worth it at the moment of purchase, guilty can quickly follow – or at least ...
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Paper Mache and decoupage has come a long way, and luckily for you and me, there are hobby stores that carry a full line of Paper Mache boxes, purses, and chests that are a breeze to decorate for our favorite holiday (Halloween, of course!) Here is just one example of how to blend Paper Mache and decoupage a Halloween purse photo frame.
Supplies:
Paper mache photo purse
Decoupage Solution (ie Mod ...
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Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not here to tell you how to make a 105 minute Halloween horror blockbuster. I’m talking about a little 1 or 2 minute “tickler”, to chill the bones of people at your party or those pesky trick ‘n’ treaters who may come to your door with the intent of scaring you. Ha! And you aren’t going to need a 2 million dollar budget, either. You ARE going to have to have some kind ...
Posted in 'How to' Halloween, Yard Haunters | 1 Comment »
What is a two-way mirror?
Also known as a one-way mirror or a transparent mirror, it is a piece of glass that has been coated with a super thin layer of metal. It is placed between a darkened room a lighted room, which allows a person in the darkened room to see through the glass, but a person in the lighted room to only see his own reflection. Mirrors like this are usually used for security purposes. Police use them in ...
Posted in 'How to' Halloween, Yard Haunters | 1 Comment »
I’ve done many sorts of decorated candles for other seasons of the year; I just hadn't ever considered a Halloween candle before. Your imagination can go crazy with this project because there are so many varieties of decorative items to choose from!
Materials List
Candle(s)
Glue
Wax Paper
Tooth Picks
Butcher Paper or vinyl tablecloth
Decorative shapes: Brads, confetti, adhesive jewels, sequins, glitter, etc
Prepare your work area by spreading out a table cloth or butcher paper out on a hard surface before letting any little hands ...
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I am a firm believer in real scares, not cute stuff that might scare a two year old. So here’s a twist on window decorations that will send a chill up the spines of all those cute little trick or treaters as they approach your house: Live (or at least on video) shadow dramas taking place on a window, sound and all. Even better, how about a talking head, or if you like "cute", a singing head?
Back in the old ...
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Dollhouses serve as doorways into a magical world of imagination for many children and adults. The design, decoration, and furnishing of dollhouses is a popular hobby, and one into which you can sink thousands of dollars.
Each season has its appropriately scaled holiday items, yet for the thrifty collector, these varied decorations can be quite expensive as each is generally handmade, and not mass produced. Halloween decorations seem to be especially costly, as the items are ...
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I love to eat, and I love to sample the elaborate spreads my Halloween hostesses lavish on me and their other party guests. One problem I have, as I toss a few meatballs and other goodies on my plate, is juggling my plate, glass, napkin and then the silverware that is always placed at the beginning of the line.
It’s at those times that I wish I were a spider with eight legs so I could manage, but alas no, ...
Posted in 'How to' Halloween, Crafts | 1 Comment »
What was that!? Did you hear something? I KNOW I heard somethin’! Get up and check it out!!!!
You know, I still get scared when I wake up in the middle of the night and hear a noise. And I’ve been around a while. Yeah, yeah, I know: It ain’t nothin’ and when I get up to check out the noise, it always turns out to be something harmless. But it’s still scary. And, living out in the country, I still ...
Posted in 'How to' Halloween, Yard Haunters | 1 Comment »
It's scary. It's terrifying. It's blood-curdling. It's...a week before your big Halloween bash and you don't have a single decoration yet!
Never fear: help is here, and in a hurry. Here's how to haunt your own front yard or indoor party area with these chillingly good graveyard scene ideas.
Terrifying Tombstones
Naturally, the first thing you'll want to grab a hold of is a set of eerie cemetery tombstones. Don't worry if these don't all match; different sizes and textures add to the ...
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Decorating gingerbread houses is fun anytime of the year, but at Halloween it's even better - the more mistakes the better…. er, spookier it is! Here's my way to make a haunted gingerbread house.
We're going to make this one from scratch. The good thing about making a gingerbread house from scratch is that the cookie dough obligingly comes out looking decrepit and well used - just like a broken-down haunted house should look. (Keep the perfect, clean commercial gingerbread house ...
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