Craft Test: Bat Candy Wrappers

We're hosting a Halloween open house this year, so I'm trying to get a lot of misc Halloween stuff out of the way, because no doubt that I'll be in a frenzy to get everything ready for that the week before! So, we made the girls' treats for their classmates this week. Didn't they come out really cute?! If you missed it, this idea was included in a post last week. You can check it out here. The template is designed for a full size Hershey bar, but I photocopied it down to 70% and used it for the mini sized Hershey bars. I'm guessing the parents will thank me for that! Using an exacto knife is far easier and quicker than trying to cut the black card stock with scissors. Renee and Siena had fun sticking on the googly eyes, chocolate bar and message inside with glue dots. So, now I'm hiding them all in a Ziploc tucked away in my bedroom armoir, so none of them disappear before their class's Halloween party!

And by the way, here is the "Boo Your Neighbor" I did! When I saw this friendly ghost container in Michael's, I thought it would be cute to have a matching sign. I actually found a "Boo" ghost letter on Skip to My Lou, but I changed some of the wording, and presto! Hopefully the little ghost is making his way around the neighborhood!

And two final random–and super easy–Halloween crafts. Here is a photo of my mantle. (ugh! Is that a reflection of toilet paper?! How did THAT get there?!) ANYWAY–I have to say, I'm not one for plastic skeletons and such hanging from my walls. I try to keep the decorations subtle but festive. Plus, Renee and Siena get scared way too easily! But wanted to share two very simple ideas to integrate Halloween into your living room. The bats around the fireplace are simply made from black card stock. I used a template found here on Martha Stewart. I tried to make them look like they were flying into the room. I attached them with scotch tape and they've actually been pretty good about staying on. The "B-O-O" pumpkins are an idea I got from Better Homes & Gardens last year. They're just white craft pumpkins, purchased at Michael's, and I used a sharpie to write on the letters. And of course I can't find the original idea on their website, but that was really all there was to it. (Actually, looking at it in this photo, I probably need to do some editing by removing some frames...!) Each idea is a nice, sophisticated addition to any bookshelf or mantle. You could even place the pumpkins on the top of your kitchen cabinets.

Hope you get a chance to do some fun Halloween decorating this weekend!