Halloween Is In The Bag!

Many people take Halloween seriously. They spend the whole year designing, planning and crafting incredible decorations and costumes dedicated to this incredibly popular holiday. Every year, I spend hours helping friends make outlandish and traditional Halloween Costumes. In the last few years, I have become make-up and wardrobe central for many—doing make-up through the day and getting everyone ready for their parties. But for me personally, I usually choose to stay home and give away candy. I absolutely love to see how much the little kids faces light up once they pronounce that age-old mantra, “Trick Or Treat!” That is better than any Halloween party I can think of!

I also see Halloween as a great time to be creative with children. Inspiring and participating in creative projects can be rewarding for both the child and the adult. This is what I hope to do by sharing these very easy Halloween projects with you!

Go on a scavenger hunt around the house for materials you've already got. The kids love this activity.

We can all make awesome Halloween decorations and spend very little money with only a huge investment in creativity. I also love that the same materials we use to make Halloween crafts for kids also work with crafts for adults. It’s all about how you present the projects. With a child, it can be whimsy or with an adult, holiday flair. Not only that, these projects are all about creating Halloween with recycled and cost effective materials!

Making A GREEN And Inexpensive Halloween On A Time Crunch

I am huge into re-purpose, re-use or recycle. I am hard pressed to throw anything away. I see value and creative inspiration in just about everything. Don’t get me wrong—I am not a pack rat. On the contrary, I am a bit obsessive about organization. I know WHAT I have and WHERE it is. You will often hear me say “I fit 10 lbs. of carrots into a 5 lbs. bag. Ok…maybe I didn’t say carrots but you get the picture (LOL).

I also really enjoy making projects out of the things I already have on hand. This concept eliminates buzz-kill things such as:

1. I don’t have to go to the store.
2. I won’t spend money
3. Waste time getting “set-up” to do a project (like running to a store) and then lose the motivation due to a price tag attached.

You will often hear me say, “Limited only by creativity.” This applies to materials and controlling your financial output. This is where recycling comes in. Do a scavenger hunt around your house and think, “How many products can we recycle when creating or thinking about the whole Halloween theme?” The kids really love this part!

I pulled out a bunch of paper lunch bags I’ve had sitting in the kitchen for a couple of years. Then I went out to the workshop and pulled together some paints, pipe cleaners, old newspaper, felt, silk leaves from a once-forgotten flower arrangement, etc. It was amazing what I cobbled together by just opening my eyes.

After a couple of hours, I created ALL of the projects you see here. Each one only took about 45 minutes to complete. Just let your imagination fly.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD EACH PROJECT’S RECIPE CARD:

Luminarias look super cute lining the walkway as trick-or-treaters come to the door.

Halloween You Can Do It! Paper Bag Luminarias

Kids really love making Frank!

Halloween You Can Do It! Paper Bag Frankenstein

These adorable pumpkins can be used for Thanksgiving also!

Halloween You Can Do It! Paper Bag Pumpkins

See more Tips & Tricks along with “How To” photos When You Click Here.