HERE’S TO A SUPER HALLOWEEN

I don’t know about you but I LOVE Halloween. How many other days in the year can you get free candy and sweets simply by asking?

And, dressing up and decorating is like being a star in a movie. You can create the character you want to be and make your own setting. What could be better than that?

So for this year, I’m planning a SUPER Halloween, with heroes at my doorstep. And it’s simple to make this dream come true…with a little paint, time and patience.

Here’s how I’m doing it.

First I started by sketching on some pumpkins. Don't worry if you make mistakes, the paint will cover that:

Then I paint them

And, my theory is one is never enough...

Then I started  on some  standups

You do the same thing as with the pumpkins. First sketch the character then paint

Then I had to make my costume. First I went to the fabric store to find some material on sale...

This was going to be a simple skirt with an elastic waist. So I fit it to me and then cut it out. Next,  I ironed the seams to make sewing easier.

And all I  needed  was  some gold duct tape to make my fingerless gauntlets, crown and shirt (which I used a running tank top for)

The gauntlets were simply plastic drinking cups after I cut off the bottoms

My lasso of truth was a strip of cording I bought at the fabric store and duct taped to my shirt.

It was all SUPER simple ;D

I hope you have a SUPER Halloween too ;D

Homemade Halloween

I start out with some pretty simple cards and then I embellish them to my hearts content..."witch" just means there's no limits to what you can do, if you're willing . . .  to use your imagination.

And, I'm cheap, so I use whatever I have laying around the house to add a little "magic" to my cards. It might be candy eyes...

Or even beans I've bought in bulk to make some ten bean soup.

Or it might be some fun Halloween stickers...

And I have to add a few personal touches, like initials or names...

And I like to bring it all together by adding a little something to the envelopes too.

And it might be food or feathers or stickers, it doesn't matter...you can personalize anything and it's so much fun . . . plus whoever gets these handmade Halloween cards will definitely see the time and attention that's gone into the gift. And in these days of email and texting, it's fun to find a little surprise in the mailbox that says, "I was thinking of you."

Earth-Friendly Friday - BACK TO THE FUTURE

Sometimes I wish we could go back in time - and not just when I look in the mirror and try to figure out what wrinkle cream might actually work.

I get that longing for days gone by when I think back to the way Mom and Dad raised their house full of kids, the one I grew up in.

Dad worked in a paper mill, as a laborer, so they never had a lot of money - especially not since they took those words to heart to "go forth and multiply". Some times I wish they would have thought it meant to go sit in a corner and work out a few math problems instead of having nine kids.

But Mom taught me more than I could learn on my own about conserving, consolidating and re-crafting.

I still try to be green - especially at Halloween. And, we can all share a few simple ideas.

Instead of spending lots of money on commercial treats, why not have a homemade Halloween? Plan a party for the kids in your neighborhood. You can invite the kids to come over and bob for apples, make caramel apples and popcorn balls. Let the kids come in costume. It will be a fun-filled day the kids will remember for years.

We had these parties in our house, back when the kids were young.

We would buy pinatas and let the kids pound them to smithereens!

Let me know if you have a Homemade Halloween party. I'd love to hear all about it.

Hope you'll all have a Happy and green Halloween.