Crafting Secrets

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Halloween usually conjures up images of strange shapes, dark movie characters and popular animals. These days though, these common figures can be made in more ways than one and using an assortment of different materials. Here are the top eleven variations on the most popular Halloween arts and crafts for kids.

Bats

There’s no need for you to buy plastic bats for Halloween since you can make your own. You can easily cut patterns or two dimensional bats from construction paper or cartolina. Bat Halloween arts and crafts for kids can also be creatively made out of egg cup cartons to hang or out of clothes pins to clip on curtains.

Pumpkins

These days, you don’t have to worry about messy pumpkin carvings anymore. You can easily have pumpkin paper lanterns as Halloween arts and crafts for kids projects. If you don’t like lanterns, you can still make pumpkins out of paper plates, milk containers and construction paper. One other great alternative would be pumpkin baskets made of paper mache.

Witches

Witch Halloween arts and crafts for kids can be made out of paper plates and cardboard. As an alternative, you can create a witch doctor look instead of a western witch by incorporating beaded necklaces and homemade stuffed voodoo dolls.

Spiders

One favorite Halloween arts and crafts for kids is the spider. Spiders can be as simple as construction paper or egg cup carton hangers. They can also be made of pom poms or colored cotton balls.

Vampires

Vampire masks with fangs can be easily made with paper plates. More imposing ornamental life size vampires however can be made out of coat hangers and black garbage bags.

UFO

Aliens and UFOs are not common Halloween figures but stories of alien kidnappings and abduction makes great Halloween tales. Make UFOs out of paper plates that you can hang from the ceiling. You might also want to complement the ships with cookies shaped like stereotypical aliens instead of ginger bread men.

Worms in Cans

Worms in cans can be made of brown crepe paper. They can seem yuckier to the touch though if you use gummy candies and cooked spaghetti.

Ghosts

Ghosts can also come in variations. You can make ghost Halloween arts and crafts for kids made of socks, packing foam, old cloths, crepe paper, helium filled balloons, white painted jars, tissue and clay.

Mummy

Use tissue paper or gauze and wrap it around a jar for a mummified figure. Cut out some eyes from construction paper and stick them on the jars before you put on the tissue so you can have the eyes slightly covered and just peeking.

Cats

What’s Halloween without black cats? Use paper plates to create cat masks or some cotton and crepe paper to create billowing streamers.

Skeletons

White or luminous paint on a black figure would be perfect for the usual skeleton man. You can however create a good looking skeleton with different kinds of pasta.

When autumn gets closer, kids all over the country get anxious for their favorite holiday Halloween. You can find any type of costume from pumpkins, to vampires, a child’s, teens and senior citizen Halloween costume from an online store. You can make your imagination go wild with a Halloween costume.

Some of the popular Halloween costumes for kids are as follows: Harry potter is one of the favorite costumes of kids. They love wearing it. Parents can either buy this costume from a local store or from an online store. Harry’s trademark lightning bolt “birthmark” can be made using eyeliner or face paint. A teenager or kid can also dress up like an old man. This dress is inexpensive and fun to wear. Parents can buy this type of costume from a thrift store on an online store. Gray hair spray and face paint can be purchased for a couple of dollars at a Halloween or arts and crafts store. Jellyfish costume can be made easily at home. You just need a grey sweat suit, large piece of foam, foam backer rods and shiny grey fabric. Scoop a hole in the foam large enough for a child’s head and cover it in the shiny gray material. Iron man & Batman are two famous movies in Hollywood. Kids and teenagers love this movie. Kids would love to wear a superhero costume. These costumes can be made at home or purchased from an online store at a very low price. If your child wants to look like macabre murderers then a Jason costume may be right up his alley. You just need fake blood, machete, hockey mask and certain things from the house to make this costume. Young girls love to wear cheerleader costume. Pig tails, pom poms and a pleated skirt can complete the look. Young teens can buy this costume from an online store. Apart from using this costume for Halloween night, you can use it even during sports. George. A. Romero taught the world what a zombie really is. Pay tribute to this master of horror with a rendition of the walking dead. You can purchase gray make up and blood from an online store. Kids love wearing pirate costume. From eye patches to hooks and scarves, the possibilities with the popular costume are limitless. You can find any Halloween costume from movie characters to pretty little princess from an online store.

Couples costumes are also becoming popular with each passing year. From funny to frightening and from sexy to sensational, couples’ costumes are becoming some of the most sought after costumes of all time. Is yours an electrifying love? Do the sparks fly every time you’re around each other? Then prove it with plug and socket couples costume. If your love is a nutty kind of love then wear Nuts and Bolts couple’s costume. The longer these two stay together, the harder it is to separate them.

Halloween is almost here and you still have time to get your kids some trick-or-treat Halloween costumes. But come to think of it, it isn’t really practical to buy a costume from the kids’ department at your local mall since the following year your kids will be bigger and taller, and their costumes would be out-of-date.

A better and practical way to solve this problem is to DIY or do it yourself. You can save a lot from DIY Halloween costumes for kids because you won’t be wasting a couple of dollars for each kid each year. Even if you do spend some dollars, it won’t be such a waste of money afterwards especially if you will just purchase small items to complete the look of your kids’ costumes.

In order to come up with costumes from ordinary clothing and/or materials that are available at home, you should think first of themes or characters for your kids. If you are like most parents who do not have the time to do some arts and crafts project, you can always use what’s available and easy to make.

Below are 5 DIY Halloween costumes that are easy and cheap to assemble:

(1) The Black Ninja

This is very simple to create and you only need black long-sleeved shirts, black pants or sweatpants, black socks and shoes [sneakers preferably] and black ski masks. They may look like burglars if they don’t have ninja swords and you can make these out of cardboards and some silver paper. You can also add each a colored-belt using thin scrap fabrics that you can get from craft stores or from your local seamstress for free.

Your kids can form a band of ninjas and you can also alter the color of their costumes by using colored shirts and pants.

(2) The Break Dancer

Now, this is pretty easy. Look into your kid’s wardrobe and most likely he has a beanie, a hooded jacket and a printed shirt. Jeans and sneakers are always good segments for this look. You can also add a single glove to complete the look and of course an appropriate hairstyle. Your kid may look like an ordinary kid this way, but adding a prop sound system made of cardboard that he could carry will do the trick. Make this prop sound system his goody bag by making it from a box with an opening and latch to secure the goodies inside.

(3) Mummy kiddos

Some prefer to use ordinary tissue rolls in creating a mummy, but using rolled paper towels are better since they are tougher and wider. Roll the paper towels around your kids’ body, limbs and head, but do not cover the face, you can use make up to create a scary face. Make sure that your kids’ are wearing shirts and tights or shorts underneath. They should also wear socks and white sneakers, if they have white.

You can use ordinary glue to stick the paper towels together. Leave some paper towels hanging and put makeup on each kid.

(4) Zombie kids

Creating a zombie clan is also very easy. You only need imagination and makeup to create a scary look for each kid. As for their clothes, choose the ones that are already very worn out so you can put holes and tear some parts. You can layer their costumes by using good shirts underneath and the torn ones on top. You can add blood and grime colors using water-based dyes that can be bought in the grocery or craft stores. Do this a few days before trick-or-treat day so the dye can dry.

(5) Vampire clan

Since Twilight is a popular book and movie, why not create a vampire clan based on this popular saga. You can make your kids look like the Cullens or another clan. It only takes some nifty-looking clothes to match the clan and also face powder to make their skins look pale. You may want to add false fangs to complete the look. No contact lenses for the kids, though. Just make them look like the Cullens by wearing light-colored clothes that are similar in style or you wish them to look like the vicious clans or the rouges, you can make them wear darker attire.

Not all parents have the time to create and design a costume from scratch. But with a little creativity and imagination, you will find that your kids’ wardrobe have more than what you need to create a character for him on Halloween.

During Halloween, the best way to keep children engaged is through Halloween crafts and the ghost glove puppet is one such craft that is sure to be a hit with the kids. There are a number of ways one can make a ghost puppet. Here is a list of some ideas that we got from the internet that you might find interesting.

One of the ways in which you can make a ghost glove puppet is by taking a twelve square inch of a white handkerchief of any white fabric, a black marker and three rubber bands. Hold your hand with your thumb and little finger outstretched and your remaining middle fingers together. Drape your hand with the white cloth square with one diagonal running across the top of the fingers. Fix a rubber band over the three fingers in the middle around the knuckle region: this will form the ghost’s head. Wrap another rubber band over the thumb and one more over the little finger. These form the ghost’s arms. Then, draw a ghost face on the ghost and you have your ghost puppet ready.

You can even use a brown paper lunch bag to make your very own ghost glove puppet. First you need to color or spray paint the bag completely white. The bottom part of the bag that can fold over will form the ghost glove puppet’s face. You can shred the bottom of the bag in order to make it look like creepy tendrils. Put your hand into the bag and make your ghost come alive by folding your fingers over the bag’s bottom.

Once you are done with your very own ghost glove puppet, you can write a ghost story script and put up a play. There are a number of puppet plays available online but it is a lot more fun if you take your child’s help and write your own story. Write it from the ghost’s point of view. Give your ghost a character. You can make him a friendly ghost, or a ghost who learnt a lesson. There are endless possibilities.

When you put on your ghost puppet show using your own ghost glove puppet, ensure that the play sends out a moral message. This will be a great time to teach your kid right and wrong. In this way, not only are you having fun with them by making a Halloween craft but you are also teaching them how to use their creativity to write a play.

The only bad Halloween craft project is the Halloween craft project that takes too long.  You know the ones. The craft projects that have so many steps that you’ve lost the attention of your kids before step 2.  Give these easy Halloween craft ideas a try.  They’re short; they’re sweet; they’re fun and the end results are spooktacular.

Antenna Characters
These adorable characters look great at the top of your automobile antenna.  Hey, if your house is dressed up for Halloween, why shouldn’t your car?  With various Halloween-themed colors of flat fun foam (orange, black, white, green), draw a light outline of a pumpkin, ghost, spider or Frankenstein head, approximately 4-inches tall and 3-inches wide.  Cut out the shapes and with a single hole punch, punch two holes in each shape, one approximately one inch from the top of the shape and another hole approximately one inch from the bottom of the shape.

With glitter glue or permanent markers, decorate the shape with facial features, an outline or anything you’d like.  Allow to dry thoroughly.  Once dried, you can attach to your automobile antenna by placing the antenna through the bottom hole from the back of the shape to the front.  Then place the antenna through the top hole, front to back.  The Antenna Character should be secure and should withstand normal driving conditions.

Halloween Mosaics
Mosaic art using tiles is very popular nowadays.  Kids can duplicate this popular craft using construction paper instead of tiles or glass.  

Prior to gathering the children around the table, cut small squares of various colors of paper, orange, red, blue, yellow, white, black, green, etc.

On a piece of heavy stock, white paper, draw the outline of a pumpkin, Frankenstein or other Halloween character.  

With a small dab of all-purpose glue on the back of each square, kids can mosaic their way to a uniquely creative masterpiece that can be framed and hung on the wall for many Halloween seasons to come.

Pumpkin Painting
In less than one hour, you and your child can create the most adorable pumpkin craft ready to proudly display in your home.  Pumpkin Painting is the perfect activity for little goblins who aren’t old enough to handle the jack-o-lantern carving duties.  

With simple supplies like acrylic paints, markers, newspaper and sealer, kids can paint whimsical, silly faces on their pumpkins.  Or they can paint their favorite cartoon character, Halloween motif or harvest design.  Painted pumpkins do not rot near as quickly as carved pumpkins so it is much more economical to paint pumpkins rather than carving them and it’s also much safer and more hands-on for toddlers since there is no knife involved.

When I was a little girl, I loved to sit and make various holiday crafts. Now that I am a mother, I share my love for crafting with my daughter. Every holiday season, we take time out of our busy schedules to work on some new holiday craft projects.

When it comes to crafting with your children, I think it’s important to take photographs of your crafting session. After they become adults, you can dig out these photographs and reminisce about the fun time that you spent together.

If you are looking to build some crafting memories with your own children this Halloween season, consider making one of these quick and easy projects.

Pumpkin Walnut Shell Magnet

empty and clean walnut shell halves
scrap of brown chenille stem measuring 1/2″ in length
orange acrylic paint and paint brush
scrap of cardboard
1″ piece of magnet
all-purpose white craft glue
child safety scissors

Paint the halved walnut shell orange with acrylic paint; let dry. Lay walnut shell down on a scrap piece of cardboard (or poster board); trace around it. Cut out this ‘oval’ shape and set aside. Glue the chenille stem so it looks like the pumpkin stem to the top of the walnut shell. Glue the cardboard to the back of the walnut shell and let dry. Attach the magnet to the cardboard.

Lollipop Ghosts

1 sheet of white felt, cut into 5″ squares
1 lollipop
2 (1/8″ diameter) wiggle eyes
6″ piece of 1/8″ wide black satin ribbon
scrap of black felt, to make ghost’s mouth
white tacky glue
child safety scissors
*optional* substitute an old white cotton T-shirt for the white felt

Place the lollipop in the center of your felt square. Fold felt over; secure it shut with the black satin ribbon by tying a bow. Glue 2 tiny wiggle eyes on the face. Using black felt, cut out a tiny circle or oval measuring approximately 3/8″ in diameter to use for the ghost’s mouth. Glue mouth on below ghost’s eyes and your done!

Ghost Foam Magnet

1 ghost pattern
1 sheet of white foam
1 piece black foam scrap
2 (1/8″ diameter) wiggle eyes
1 magnet
white tacky glue
child safety scissors

You can free-hand your own ghost pattern. Place your ghost pattern on top of the white foam; trace around it. Cut out your ghost. Using a scrap of black foam, cut out a small mouth (round or oval) measuring 1/4″ in diameter. Glue your 2 wiggle eyes onto the ghost’s face along with the black mouth. Turn ghost over; glue on a piece of magnet. Let dry.

Ghost Ornament

1 (3 inch diameter) Styrofoam ball
1 (8 inch square) of white cotton fabric
1 piece of black felt
1 (4 inch) piece of black satin ribbon, hanging cord
1 small straight pin (used in sewing)
1 (6 inch) piece of black satin ribbon
white tacky glue
child safety scissors

Center the ball on the square of white fabric; wrap fabric around the ball. Tie fabric shut by using the 6″ piece of satin ribbon and make a bow. (the ball is the ghost’s head). Tie the 4″ piece of satin ribbon into a loop with a knot. Using the straight pin, push it through the knot and attach it to the top of your ghost’s head. Add a small dot of glue to hold it into place. Using the black felt, cut out the 2 eyes and a mouth and glue onto the head. Let dry. These look cute hanging from trees!