I have always been in awe of people with creatively carved Halloween pumpkins. At our house, we are lucky to get two eye triangles of approximately the same size. But this is my year! World Wildlife Fund has posted cute, simple wildlife pumpkin stencils on the web. There are several designs: a monarch butterfly, dolphins, gorillas, coral, polar bears, rhinos, tigers, turtles, the African plain, and of course the WWF panda. For all stencils, the pattern must be printed, taped to the pumpkin, then holes are poked around the pattern. The pumpkin is cut using the pattern, leaving you with a beautiful, creative pumpkin! Easy, impressive, and FREE. And what kid doesn’t love animals?  Read the rest of this post...

This week, I’m having fun making Halloween costumes for my boys.  We let them decide what they want to be each year, and if we can find a pre-made costume that looks good for a reasonable price (I love resale shops), we just buy it.  If they request something out of the ordinary, I’ll try making it for them.  I have a bit of an artistic side, so it’s always a fun experiment to see how the costume will turn out.

Over the years I have found that my medium of choice is simple, inexpensive cardboard and hot glue.  Using hot glue on unpainted cardboard is easy, dries fast, and results in an amazingly strong and sturdy costume.  It’s up to you how much to embellish afterward.  I cover my creation with spray paint as it gives an even coat and dries quickly.  Then I look around for unusual items that will add that special, authentic touch.  Remember to do all of your hot glue before you paint; it will not bond painted pieces strongly.

Here are three of our recent cardboard costume creations:

Robot

What You’ll Need:

• Large cardboard box
• Small cardboard box
• Utility knife
• Hot glue gun
• Silver spray paint
  

Optional Accessories:  Read the rest of this post...

• Silver dryer venting
• Black cable organizer
• 2 small, rectangular gift boxes
• Battery-operated mini Christmas lights
• Upholstery nails/thumbtacks
• Antenna
• Mini drain covers

Guest post by Christy Aune of Kids Konserve

Back in the day, Halloween was different.  It was a time to create, be imaginative, and it was a low-budget holiday.  I still remember the countless decorations and costumes that were made out of old sheets and cardboard, not bought.  The treats were homemade and trick or treating was done on foot.  We used old pillowcases as candy bags!  Back then, Halloween was green and it didn’t even phase us.  It was fun.  Now, almost $6 billion a year is spent on costumes, candy, decor and other accessories, most of which are made from unhealthy, unsustainable materials, by people who may not be paid living wages or treated fairly.  Most of the stuff – what isn’t consumed – winds up in landfills.  It is time to get back to basics – having good clean fun!  Read the rest of this post...