Halloween is right around the corner, and there's no better time to get your creative juices flowing for a homemade, spooktacular celebration. Whether you're throwing a ghoulish party or just want to decorate your home with a touch of DIY magic, we've got you covered with some crafty ideas and delicious treats....
1- PUMPKIN PALOOZA
Carving pumpkins is a classic Halloween tradition, but why not mix it up this year? Paint your pumpkins instead of carving them. Any craft acrylic paint will work (it's water-based with easy clean up and weather proof once dry) try our DecoArt Crafters Acrylic for a huge variety of colours. Opt for eerie faces, polka dots, or even galaxy-themed designs. For a unique twist, use chalkboard paint on pumpkins and let your guests leave spooky messages or drawings.
2- HAUNTINGLY DELICIOUS TREATS
Halloween isn't just about the decorations; it's also about the treats. Why not whip up some homemade goodies that are sure to delight your guests:
Pumpkin Soup: Roast pumpkin with a little olive oil, then blend it with vegetable or chicken stock, onions, and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Top with a swirl of cream and some pumpkin seeds for a spooky touch.
Classic Toffee Apples: Spear some apples with kebab sticks or chopsticks. Carefully dip them into a boiling toffee mixture and let them cool on a baking sheet. You can also decorate them with colourful sprinkles or chocolate drizzles before the toffee sets!
Sausage Mummies: Wrap cocktail sausages in strips of puff pastry, leaving a little space for "eyes." Add two dots of mustard or ketchup for the mummy's eyes and bake until golden brown.
Witch Finger Cookies: Make a basic shortbread or sugar cookie recipe, colour with a dot af green food colouring, and shape the cookies into long, thin "witch fingers." Add an almond slice for the fingernail and bake!
for full details try this recipe from SimplySoGood
3- QUICK DIY COSTUMES
Don't forget to dress up for the occasion! Homemade costumes can be a lot of fun. If you've not got time to whip up your own costume, here are a few quick & easy ideas:
Scarecrow: Raid your wardrobe for old, checked shirts, jeans, and a hat. Stuff some hay or straw in the pockets and cuffs, and you've got yourself a scarecrow costume!
Zombie: Tear up old clothes, add some makeup to create gruesome wounds, and you'll be the life (or lack thereof) of the party.
DIY Witch: Grab a black dress, a pointy hat made from black card, and a broomstick made from a broom pole and some twigs from the garden. Finish the look with green face paint, a witch's cackle, and you're good to go.
Glow in the Dark Mummy: Find an old or cheap white bed sheet and tear it into strips approximately 10-15cm wide, daub it with luminous paint (so that the costume glows in the dark) and then tie the strips around the wearer with visible knots.
It's best to wear pale coloured tights/leggings and top underneath, so that the strips do not have to cover the entire body. Finally, use white face paint for a ghostly look and darken with grey face paint around the eyes - you could even add red face paint around the mouth to make it look like blood!
4- DASTARDLY DECORATIONS
The last thing you want is have decorations that look like everyone else's, right? so why not make your own that can be used year after year... here are some really simple ideas to get you started:
Paper Plate Masks: A simple one for the kids to enjoy - create simple Halloween masks using paper plates. You can paint them with spooky faces, add feathers, sequins, or other decorations. Cut holes for the eyes and attach a piece of mask elastic to wear them!
Spooky Jam Jars:
Paint empty (and cleaned out) jars with Halloween-themed designs like ghosts, pumpkins, or witches. Place battery-operated tea lights inside to create eerie lanterns.
Paper Plate Jack-o'-Lanterns:
Another use for the paper plates: instead of masks, paint them orange then cut some black paper/card to make the facial features and use a glue stick to attach to your plate. Punch a whole in the top of your plate and attach a green pipe cleaner stem to finish them off!
These make great alternatives to real pumpkins if you can't get one to carve! Display them in your living room window so trick or treaters know they can knock your door this year!
Witch's Hat Bunting:
Make witch's hat bunting by cutting out hat shapes from black felt or card decorating them with off cuts of ribbon and pegging them onto a length of orange or black ribbon or cord!
Halloween Rag & Ribbon Wreath:
Craft a spooky Halloween wreath to hang on your front door by tying strips of black, orange, purple and green scrap fabric and ribbons to a simple wire frame wreath base
see and example of how-to make a rag wreath in this video
Spider Web Art:
Remember how you made snowflakes out of white paper as a kid? Well, why not make spider webs instead?
Get a square of white paper (the larger the piece the larger the final decoration will be!) and fold it in half diagonally FOUR times. Trim the top of the (now triangle) shape with a shallow curve that dips in the centre, then cut rectangles into the folded edge of the triangle - as many as you can fit along the edge. Make sure you leave a nice gap between each rectangle and try not to cut all the way across!.
When you unfold your paper you will have a spider web that you can use to decorate tables, corners and ceilings!
Pom pom Pumpkins:
Use a pompom maker and some orange wool to make your pompoms then turn them into pumpkins by sticking on card shapes for the facial features and popping a brown pipe cleaner in the centre as a stalk!
You can even use green wool when tying your pompom together to act as the stalk and use this to hang your finished pumpkins!
Simple Loo Roll Witch:
One for the younger kids - here's our video showing you how to transform your empty loo rolls into Halloween characters!
5- CREEPY CRAFTS STATION
After you've made all your own decorations, why not set up a craft station at your party where guests can get creative too. Simply, set up a space that provides all the supplies for making the simple decorations and let them run wild!
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Remember, the key to a successful homemade Halloween is to embrace the fun of creating your own unique decorations, costumes, and treats. It's all about the personal touch and sharing the spooky spirit with family and friends. Happy Halloween!
until next time
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