Homemade Halloween- dollar pumpkins redesigned: take 2

Tonight I made two new Dollar Store pumpkins to share. 

I was shopping at Walmart and found this adorable Little Mermaid ribbon and just had to make my little princess a pumpkin too! 

I used two colored ribbons and the Little Mermaid ribbon. The solid ribbons came from the clearance bin at Walmart. Because I wanted to make the pumpkin "fit for a princess," I added self adhesive hearts in all the empty spaces that the ribbon wasn't covering. I also added some white beads in between the hearts. Madelyn came home and was super excited for her pumpkin; she asked if she could have it in her room! Of course!! 

While in the craft aisle, I also saw some buttons that got me thinking about another creative idea for a pumpkin. At first I had picked out different colored buttons and was going to pin buttons all over the pumpkins, but then I saw these letter buttons and had a better idea! 

I bought Halloween ribbon at the Dollar Store and bought sewing pins to attach it to the pumpkin. I also used the pins to attach the letters. I bought plastic rings at the Dollar Store in the shape of bats, skulls, and spiders, and put them on the pumpkin too! Plus, this 50 pack of Halloween rings can be used to fill the gift bags for Madelyn's class at her Halloween party. 

I'm constantly thinking of new and creative ways to decorate these inexpensive pumpkins. I'm also thinking about Thanksgiving and what projects I can create for another holiday! 

Owen's Personal Chalkboard

I hadn't intended for this recycled cabinet door to become a personal chalkboard for my little man, Owen, but it's the perfect size and he seems to love it!

All a toddler needs is some wood, chalkboard spray paint, and chalk to have a little fun! Your toddler can have some cheap fun too! 

Freebie Thursday!

Gigi

Homemade Halloween - lawn signs

When we renovated our dining room in July, we had wood left over from a cabinet we tore out. I thought I could recycle the wood to make a Halloween sign for our yard. I had my very kind and patient husband cut the wood into squares and then cut a long piece into a stake. We spray painted the wood pieces with black chalkboard spray paint so that we could write on the signs. We made the signs double sided. 

My daughter drew some spooky people and wrote a Halloween message on hers.

I decorated one with a spiderweb and spider, another with a ghost and Halloween message, and a third with a tombstone. My husband then screwed the wood to the stake and we plan to stick each sign in the ground. 

I can't wait to see our front lawn when all of our Homemade decorations are up! Because they're homemade and fairly fragile, they won't be put up until Halloween- at both our campsite and our house! Full yard frontals to follow! 

What's your favorite Halloween message?

👻 Boo! 

Gigi 

Homemade Halloween - candy corn candle holder

I got inspired to make this Homemade Halloween craft by my love for candy corn and my love for fall/pumpkin scented candles. So what's better then putting them both together? 

I bought a small square glass container at the Dollar Store. This would have been the perfect opportunity to use a vase or other glass container that I didn't know what to do with to make this craft. But I didn't have another glass container, so I bought one. I then bought a bag of candy corn and started glueing them all over the container. I used plain white glue. I spread the glue all over one side at a time and stuck the candy corn on. I didn't make a specific design, but you surely can to add a little more character to this simply delectable craft! 

I worked on this craft for four days. I wanted to allow enough time for each side to dry before putting the next round of candy corn on. I will say, the candy corn melted and fell off, so when it was all done, there were still repairs to be made. I don't know if there's a better glue (maybe a glue gun) that would have worked better, so please, enter your suggestions to me in the comments section. 

The final display has two tea lights in it. It doesn't let off a lot of light, but it looks pretty cool. A design would probably look really cool as the light would really make that shine. 

This craft is perfect for other holidays too - conversation hearts for Valentines Day, red and green M&Ms for Christmas, chocolate gelt for Chanukah, birthday candles for a birthday; be creative! Creativity is the fun in crafting! 

🎨 Craft Away! 🎨

Gigi 

Homemade Halloween - dollar pumpkins redesigned

This foam pumpkin can be purchased at the Dollar Store for $1. It can be decorated for another dollar. The Dollar Store is loaded with crafts for decorating or you can use what you already have at home. 

I bought some Halloween ribbon and self adhesive foam Halloween pieces to decorate my first pumpkin. These are both available at the Dollar Store. 

The black ribbon is see through with glitter. When I unwrapped it, I wasn't pleased that you could see the orange pumpkin through it, but I am pleased with the end result. Then I put a few foam spiders on the top to make it a little spooky. The ribbon was stapled on (for my convenience) and the spiders at the top hide the staples. 

My second pumpkin was spray painted with chalkboard spray paint. I drew spiders and spider webs on it with white and colored chalk. 

While I haven't completed anymore pumpkins, I have some great ideas for the next batch. 1. Glow in the dark spray paint! I saw this for less than $10 at Home Depot. Those pumpkins would be great to line your walk as trick or treaters came to your door. 2. Duct tape! There are so many new designs of duct tape these days that you could really make a pumpkin covered in duct tape for any occasion. 3. Burlap! As I was told by a shop owner in New Market, VA, "burlap is the new silk." Plus, burlap can be dyed to any color you desire. 

These crafts were done with my 5 year old who enjoyed spending time with me, wearing a smock, and doing a craft. The pumpkins are foam so it's easy to put a hole in them or tear off the stem, so handle with care. Thank you to *A Cultivated Nest* for your blog on "15 Dollar Store Pumpkin Crafts" that gave me the inspiration to create my own pumpkins. 

You can easily make your own pumpkin too! You can redesign an original or carve out the foam for a scary face! Be creative and enjoy! 

Gigi  

Halloween Memories

I am thrilled about Halloween. I think it might be my new favorite holiday. Actually, I didn't have a favorite holiday before, but this year, Halloween has become my clear favorite. Halloween isn't about presents, which means expectations that aren't always filled. It's just about having a good time. And every year, I have a good time watching my kids have a good time! (And the loads of candy we come home with doesn't hurt!)

I stopped trick or treating around 4th grade. I don't know why, but I remember not going through the neighborhood with my friends after around that time. So when I had kids, I've tried to make the most of the holiday every year. 

Madelyn is 5 now, so for her first Halloween at 2 1/2 months, she was a strawberry and I was her farmer. My sister, Julie joined us, so I had the pleasure of farming both pumpkins and strawberries.

At Madelyn's second Halloween, we were matching ladybugs.

Halloween number three wasn't too eventful, but Madelyn was a cute garden gnome and I was planning to be the gardener. But the outfit wasn't fitting for me, so that idea didn't last.

For Madelyn's fourth Halloween, we matched as mother and daughter Eskimos. These were cute outfits and bought for $5 a piece from the Halloween clearance bin the year before. My parents joined us, as they usually do, and we had a great time. Plus, I was 7 months pregnant.

Last years Halloween was a sad one for me. Madelyn was 4 years old and didn't want to dress up with me. They say girls eventually have a mind of their own and don't want their mommys to pick out their clothing anymore. This is so true, yet sad. She picked out her outfit with Aunt Julie and trick or treated as a Halloween fairy. I recycled an old costume and was a ladybug again. I welcomed a new addition though, and my little Owen was an adorable little devil at 10 months old. 

But this year, this year we are planning a family outfit and that is why I am so thrilled for Halloween of 2014!! We are coordinating as.... NO WAY! I can't give it away before Halloween. You'll have to wait for that post to see what we dressed up as! But I'm telling you, this year is going to be the best year yet!

Stayed tuned....

Gigi  

Homemade Halloween - milk jug pumpkins

I've started to get ready for our Halloween camping trip to Granite Hill RV and camping resort in Gettysburg, PA. I'm trying to create a homemade, family friendly Halloween campsite for my husband, myself and the kids to enjoy, as well as the other families trick or treating with us! Here's a simple and free decoration that will be perfect for our campsite! 

Milk Jug Pumpkins 

I used empty milk jugs, drew a face on them with a black sharpie marker, cut a hole on the back, and stuffed Christmas lights in them! So simple! We drink a lot of milk in my house and we already had Christmas lights that weren't in use. I hope to make a few more of these guys before our camping trip too! 

All you need is an electrical outlet and voila! - instant decor for this spooky holiday! They're perfect for your own house too - yard or inside. I plan to plug them in on Halloween too, on our front porch. 

Stay tuned. I have a few more ideas for homemade Halloween decorations up my sleeve. 

🎃 Happy Halloweening 👻

Gigi