Scary Halloween Crafts

Looking for some great Halloween crafts for your Halloween party, haunted house, or just for trick-or-treaters?

A fun craft is something that can keep you occupied for hours on end especially if you enjoy it. Here are some ideas that will hopefully set you on your way in preparation for your next Halloween...

Halloween Crafts Part 1:

If you live in a house that has a wood-burning fireplace, then chances are that you have access to tree stumps or large blocks of wood. These are great for making stands for your Jack O'Lanterns. You could use a chisel to slightly hollow out the middle of the stump so that the lantern can sit stably or simply use some Blu-Tack or Velcro.

Get some small or mini pumpkins and hollow them out to use as candle holders. If open flames are out of the question, you can put glow sticks instead of candles for a different effect. You can carve, draw or paint faces on the pumpkins too. Instead of pumpkins, you could use apples as well. Ensure that you choose apples that sit well and flat or cut off the bottom to make a flat surface. Remove the stem and cut around it deep enough for the candle. It is best to use taper candles for a better fit.

Get a large pumpkin and hollow it out to use as a salad bowl or to serve fresh vegetables. Cut off the top, hollow and clean it out and let it dry in the sun. You could carve a jagged edge design on the top. Do the same with some smaller or mini pumpkins to use for dips or salad dressings.

Make a scarecrow in your front yard. You need two pieces of wood, one put into the ground and the other nailed across for the arms. Use old jeans and a shirt and stuff them with newspaper. Add some straw for effect. You can use a plastic pumpkin for the head and draw a face on it. This makes a great Halloween craft for the whole family.

Tie glow sticks to helium balloons and let them float around the house. Ensure that some string extends below so that people can easily reach them if they get stuck somewhere or simply to play with them.

Use publicly available Halloween fonts on your computer to make banners or invitations for your party. It's a fast, easy Halloween craft you can use instantly to enhance your party theme. Print them onto inkjet iron-on transfer paper and put them onto your favourite t-shirt or Halloween outfit.

Halloween Crafts Part 2. OK, Now We Are Getting Scary...

A visit to your local hardware store for some basic items and you could make your own tombstones transforming your garden into an instant graveyard. Paint them grey to resemble stone. Do not worry about the details as it will be dark, but do put on some exciting or scary wordings. By the way, your local hardware store is loaded with Halloween craft ideas.

Going trick or treating? Why not make a special jug to collect candies? Cut off the top two inches of a gallon milk jug. Soak to remove any labels. Paint orange. Once dry, paint or stick on eyes nose and mouth resembling a Jack O'Lantern. Use fluorescent paint for a nice effect. The jug can be kept for future reuse.

Using six pipe cleaners, you can make your own skeleton. Bend one pipe cleaner into two for the backbone. Twist another around the bottom of the backbone to make into the legs. Do the same for the arms. Join two pipe cleaners and twist them around the backbone leaving some space forming a ribcage. Twist the last pipe cleaner for a head and glue on some eyes. Hang with a rubber band for a bouncing effect. Your kids will love making halloween crafts with pipe cleaners. But be careful when cutting and keep them out of their mouth.

Using glue and food coloring, you can make a see through painting. Paint a Halloween image onto a piece of plastic wrap. Before the mixture dries, put another piece of plastic wrap on. Cut it out and hang it in front of a light source for a see through effect. You could also frame the plastic pictures using wood or cardboard if you want them to be longer lasting.

Halloween Crafts Part 3. The Real Scary Stuff...

Make some hand printed spiders. Apply black paint to your palm and 4 fingers leaving out the thumb. Place palm onto a piece of paper. Turn the paper 180 degrees and print again making sure the palm overlaps. Add some wiggly eyes using either paint or sticks. This is suitable for even 2 or 3 year olds.

Make your own blood. It is less expensive than buying ready made blood from the Halloween shops. It's not difficult; all you need is Karo syrup and food coloring. While you're at it, why not make some slime using glue, water and borax powder. This is an advanced Hallween craft, so take your time and be careful.

Using apples, you can make dried, shrunken heads. Peel the apples and coat with a mixture of lemon juice and salt to prevent browning. Carve out a face of eyes, nose and mouth. Do not worry about the finer details as they will probably be lost when the apple dries. You can use whole cloves for the eyes and rice grains for the teeth. Let the apples sit out in a warm place for about 2 weeks. If you don't have 2 weeks, you can speed up the drying by putting them into an oven on the lowest temperature for about 45 minutes and then to dry out naturally for the next 2 days or so. Once dried, they shrink and deform into weird and scary looking faces.

Says Angie Maroevich, "You don't have to spend a fortune on commercial Halloween supplies to have a great party. There are many inexpensive alternatives laying around the house or at your local store you can use to create a Halloween theme that will impress all your friends."

About The Author

Angie Maroevich is an arts and crafts enthusiast, business owner, and athlete. Her arts and crafts articles and be found at http://www.craft-ideas-guide.com.

© 2004-2005 All rights reserved.

angie@craft-ideas-guide.com

In The News:


Boston Globe

She hopes to save forests with silk
Boston Globe, United States - 1 hour ago
They have two Maine coon cats, Mic and Mac. Hobbies: Her main hobby is being outdoors and exploring new habitats related to her work.

Boston Globe

Live (or not) from MIT, it's TechTV
Boston Globe, United States - Jul 6, 2008
These are just a few of the hobbies of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Pursuing mind-blowing pastimes is nothing new for MIT students ...

Get your fill of hobbies, large and small
Chicago Daily Herald, IL - Jun 28, 2008
Beth Oberle is so ingrained in that concept that "My Eclectic Mess" was the name of her blog for those who enjoy crafts and, even more importantly, ...

EBSCO's New Releases Will Take on American Studies, Multilingual ...
Library Journal, NY - Jun 25, 2008
Finally, with its Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center, EBSCO is covering a niche area previously untouched by database products. Or, more exactly, dozens of ...

Monks turn office products into $4.5M business
Asbury Park Press, NJ - 3 hours ago
They pursue hobbies, such as painting, playing with their two dogs … Luxor, a pharaoh hound and Ludwig, a doberman. They even have a workout room, ...

The Center for Active Generations turns 40
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD - 8 hours ago
Grandparents, volunteers and members teach crafts and hobbies to youngsters. More traditional senior center activities still are offered, too, such as cards ...

Clubs, hobbies and crafts
Chicago Daily Herald, IL - Jun 8, 2008
The Addison Community Theatre will hold auditions for its summer performance of "The Pirates of the Great Lakes" at 7 pm June 9, 10 and 12 at Addison ...

Hobbies not on people's list of cutbacks
Waterbury Republican American, CT - Jun 24, 2008
Arts and crafts products account for more than $31.7 billion in annual sales, according to Victor Dominie of the Craft and Hobby Association. ...

Show entries increase despite rough weather
Timaru Herald,  New Zealand - 22 hours ago
Hobbies such as knitting and crafts made up the home industries section. Entrants had been from Waimate and further afield. ...

Alone together: Some retired couples go separate ways under the ...
Newsday, NY - Jul 5, 2008
Mattson, and his wife, Nori, 63, have little in common in terms of hobbies, sports and interests, although he didn't fully realize that until retirement. ...
crafts hobbies - Google News

How to Make Your Civil War Uniform Shirt

Your own shirt designed and made by you for your... Read More

Friendship Albums

My 12-year-old daughter was mad at me when I refused... Read More

Amish Quilts ? A Dying American Art

Amish quilting has been a tradition for more than a... Read More

Scrapbook Photos -- Getting Adventurous With Your Layouts

When you have selected the photos for your scrapbook, you'll... Read More

Embroidery Stabilizing for Machine Embroidering

Here are some tips to get good results with your... Read More

Saving Family Keepsakes for Scrapbooking

I'm new to scrapbooking, and I still can't believe all... Read More

Robotic Vacuum Cleaners: Perfect for Cleaning Pool Tables

A friend of mine bought a robotic vaccum cleaner as... Read More

How To Make a Pinata

MATERIALSA Large Round or Oval BalloonNewspaper, torn into 1 inch... Read More

My Greatest Stamp Find

I have been involved with stamps nearly my entire life.... Read More

Woodworking Beginners: Secret Tips To Start Right

Woodworking: Where To Start - Tips From Experienced WoodworkersWoodworking encompasses... Read More

The Choice Between Electric or Nitro Powered RC Cars Can be Overwhelming!

The roar of the crowd as the cars rush by,... Read More

Capturing the Craft Show Market

Finding the right product to sell at a craft show... Read More

Airbrush for Profit - Sell Your Services to Colleges

Colleges, schools, university and the like are one way you... Read More

Kona Cotton: The Quilters & Embroiderers Dream Fabric

What, Exactly, Is Kona Cotton? Kona(R) cotton is a premium,... Read More

A Brief History of Candles

For centuries man's progress has been lighted by candles. However,... Read More

Getting Started Selling Your Crafts

Until recently crafts were usually sold locally or,... Read More

Treasure Hunting - The Unusual Ways

When you think of treasure hunting, maybe gold coins and... Read More

How To Make Your Own Gift Baskets

Haven't you always wanted to give someone a beautiful gift... Read More

Why Should You Collect Cat Collectibles?

Let the cat out of the bag! True, you will... Read More

Do You Really Know What You?re Buying?

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a popular gift... Read More

Why You Need A Display Case

Why You Need A Display CaseSome people are under the... Read More

Starting Your Own Scrapbook Club

Before I discovered the world of scrapbooking, I was inexplicably... Read More

You Are A Diamond So Scrapbook About Yourself

As a devoted scrapper, you probably gain satisfaction from scrapbooking... Read More

Create A Gift Basket For A Cat Lover!

The choice of what gift to give your family and... Read More

Tooling Leather

Use vegetable-tanned, light-colored top-grained leather for tooling leather. If you're... Read More