With Halloween just around the corner, we’ve dug back through the archives and assembled past posts on the holiday. This collection includes things that are spooky, tasty and fun. ~ The Editors
I’m always looking for fun crafts to do with my little grands, ages 5 and 3. I noticed, on Instagram and then, on Pinterest, a project that used air dry clay and dried flowers, turning the clay into ghosts – or ghosts(es) – as my grands call them.
I like the feminine touch that the flowers add to these miniature ghosts, and they will look sweet on a table runner, or mantle or display cabinet or even Granny’s dresser.
Read the instructions for these cute ghosts, here.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I tried the viral Halloween ghost painting trend, as seen on TikTok and other social media platforms. I picked up two framed pieces of “art” at my local thrift store, and we used paints that we already had at home. All-in-all, this was a cheap and entertaining date night activity. We added snacks and a couple of adult beverages to round out the evening. If you would like to create your own versions, keep reading to find the steps we used to make Halloween ghost paintings.
What is Halloween ghost painting? This trend centers around finding a vintage, framed piece of art and adding spooky elements to it, giving it new life and adding a unique item to your Halloween decor repertoire.
Find out more about this painting trend.
Here’s a quick and easy way to get your kids to eat fruit. I saw this on Facebook, and don’t recall to whom to give the credit. During the Halloween run-up, you might want to create these jack-o’-lantern fruit cups.
Click here to learn how to make these cute, and tasty, fruit cups.
As the leaves turn colors and fall from the trees, summer wanes and we welcome autumn. These fallen leaves are the perfect material to use for making a spooky Halloween banner. Round up your kiddos and head outside to find some of these cast-offs. This activity can also be partnered with teaching and learning about the types of trees from which those leaves have fallen.
My three-year-old daughter and I grabbed some snacks and headed outside during my son’s morning naptime. We searched the ground for fallen leaves; it is the end of September in Missouri and the colors are just beginning to turn in the trees. It’s been a particularly dry summer, so most of leaves are turning from green to brown. However, since she and I plan to cover these leaves in paint, the original color really doesn’t matter.
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When your children ask you to dress up as Polish Hussars for Halloween, you make it happen! It’s a homeschool history lesson combined with crafting fun and writing for The WON! This was such an enjoyable outdoor project, making use of turkey feathers in a creative way. A huge thank you to Barbara Baird of Women’s Outdoor News and Darren Jones, of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s David Blanton Memorial Chapter in Mountain Grove, Missouri, for helping us collect enough feathers to complete the project! Here’s Anna to tell you how to make your own Hussar wings. ~ Julie Golob
Imagine yourself as a peasant living in the Middle Ages in Poland. You are doing your daily chores when you see a cavalry unit riding past your home. They are armed with sabers, pistols and 16-foot pikes. Over their armor they wear leopard skins and on their backs, they have a pair of large wings. These are the Winged Hussars of Poland.
I first learned about the Winged Hussars in a documentary we watched as a family. My sister and I found it not only interesting, but also fascinating. The Winged Hussars used intimidation to their advantage, hence the leopard skins and wings. You can learn more about the Polish Hussars here. They certainly were scary looking! What a Halloween costume: it’s historical, imposing, bizzare and fun!
Continue reading this post, here.
This week’s craft continues to prepare us for Halloween. Last week, we showed you how to make Spooky Bean Art, and this week, we present Scary Coffee Filter Bats. The inspiration for this craft came from WooJr.com. I had a ton of coffee filters and related supplies leftover from when I made these colorful coffee filter butterflies, so I adapted the step-by-step to use items I had on-hand. Continue reading for my take on creating this super fun and simple Halloween decoration.
Click here to learn how to make these spooky bats.
This week’s craft is really getting us in the Halloween spirit! While gaining some “Pinspiration” the other day, I came across these cool bean art examples from Handmade Charlotte. I made mine with a spooky twist – Dracula!
Follow the step-by-step instructions for this Halloween craft here.
Looking for an alternative to the traditional carved pumpkin or a thoughtful and unique hostess gift? Check out this simple DIY concrete jack-o-lantern. Click here for the easy step-by-step instructions.
I sometimes wonder if I am the only person unwilling to open my door to an unexpected visitor. I actually go beyond just not opening my door to strangers: I also don’t make a sound and stay completely out of sight. I won’t even look out my window to see who is at my door just to make sure I am not spotted. That might sound paranoid, but who just shows up at someone else’s house without notice? The only possible (and acceptable) response is the mailman–and truthfully, I even get advanced notifications of upcoming deliveries that require my signature. So really, the answer is nobody.
My behavior developed over many years, partly in response to the sheer volume of criminal investigations I have been involved in, which demonstrated to me that nothing good comes from opening the door to random people. I have seen this single behavior result in countless reports of scams, frauds, burglaries, sexual assaults, home invasions and even murder. But my response also developed after years of personal experience of opening my doors to the wrong people.
Continue reading this important post on safety here.
Jackie Baird Richardson is an interior designer, editor at The WON and avid junker. Watch for her design tips and occasional crafting ideas, bringing the outdoors indoors. View all posts by Jackie Richardson
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