Soft, chewy Bars with Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting
Hold on to your Halloween party pants, folks. I’ve been wanting to baking these Spooky Sugar Cookie Bars – and they were totally worth the wait!
Tag: Halloween
Halloween Emoji Nail Art
Nailed It! Free printable nail art
I’m back with a new Halloween-themed tutorial combining two things I’ve been a little obsessed with lately: emojis + nail decals. Really, who doesn’t love emojis? They’re cute AND a stand-alone language. Keep reading to download your own free emoji nail art printable and learn just how easy this is!
Shop Your Closet: Free and Fab Halloween Costumes!
DIY This Year’s Hottest Halloween looks for free
Looking for last-minute Halloween costume ideas? Here are 5 inexpensive DIY Halloween costumes you can shop your closet for – no sewing or glue guns required! Or, follow the links to shop these looks for yourself!
Pokemon: Ash ketchum
Mean, Green Halloween Punch
Green Halloween Punch with Spooky Skewers
Did you know Tuesday is National Punch Day? Well, now you do. I couldn’t think of a better reason to share this spooky Green Halloween punch I made for the kids.
Non-Guided Halloween Craft Activity
My girls love to craft. One of my favorite things to do is to get out the craft caddy and put it on the table for them to create to their hearts’ desire. However, sometimes I’ll give them a little more direction and put them to work.
This week, I set out some pretty paper of various sizes and pre-cut shapes (i.e. scrapbook paper I’ll never, ever use for scrapbooking), fun scissors, pom poms, monster google eyes and glue sticks and told them to create monsters.
I love their creativity! 
In addition to the fab blogs in the right sidebar, this was also linked up at Tatertots and Jello,Savvy Southern Style, Live, Laugh Rowe, Nap Time Creations The Turquoise Home, Tidy Mom and The Scoop.
Shop your closet for Halloween: Garden Butterfly Fairy Costume
This year I tried hard to shop the kids’ closets for Halloween, but I still wanted them to feel extra special. What kid doesn’t want to dress up and transform into someone completely different on Halloween (and any other day, for that matter)?
This year I was able to create Eve’s Garden Butterfly Fairy costume for just $3, using items in her closet and three Dollar Store accessories!
From her closet and dress up bin, we assembled this from a tutu, a little lace tank, a flower accessory and her floral halo/crown. Then, I picked up a pair of fairy / butterfly wings and some paper butterflies from the Dollar Store. Not shown here: I picked up a butterfly wand glow stick from the Dollar Store for her to carry for fun and safety while trick-or-treating. Don’t have everything you see here? Shop the look:
- Tank here or here
- Tutu
- Floral Halo/Crown here, here or here
- Paper Butterflies
- Butterfly / Fairy wings
- Fairy butterfly wand here or here
Looking for more costumes you can DIY by shopping your kids’ closets? Find more inspiration here and here!
In addition to the fab blogs in the right sidebar, this was also linked up at Tatertots and Jello,Savvy Southern Style, Live, Laugh Rowe, Nap Time Creations The Turquoise Home, Tidy Mom, Chica on a Shoestring and The Scoop.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclaimer in the right sidebar. Thank you for your support!
Take One And Run Halloween Printable
Free Trick-or-Treat sign for Beggar’s Night: Take one and run!
Every year for Halloween (also known by some as Beggar’s Night) I’m faced with the dilemma of leaving the house to trick-or-treat with the kids, and being unable to hand out candy to our fellow trick-or-treaters. I can’t be the only one with this issue right? Continue reading
Copycat Chic: DIY Pink Poodle Halloween Costume
Pink Poodle Costume, Inspired by Pottery Barn Kids
My baby girl absolutely loves puppies, so the idea to dress her as a puppy for Halloween this year was a no brainer. However, I quickly realized that there are very few options out there for “girly” puppies, which for Belle is also a prerequisite. I found this adorable costume by Pottery Barn Kids, but I just couldn’t justify the price – especially since I already had most of the outfit at home: a pink tee, tights, tulle tutu pettiskirt and ballet slippers.
So with this adorable inspiration in mind, I concepted a DIY version of this pink poodle Halloween costume.
I went to my local JoAnn’s, which happened to be having amazing sales due to a move in location, so I bought 1/4 yard of curly white fur fabric for around $2.
I simply cut large rectangle strips, tall enough to fold over once (for bulk), and wide enough to fit around her wrists and ankles.
I made a simple template for the ears.
I cut them out and also backed them with white craft felt I had on hand, using adhesive spray, for a little structure. I then took a large square of the fabric and tucked all the corners until they met in the middle, forming a little ball. I filled that ball with a few of my fur fabric scraps for a little bulk. I affixed the ears to the sides of a headband we had on hand by tying grosgrain ribbon around it and fastening it into a bow. Using a needle and thread, I tacked the ball closed, and then threaded it to the headband. I then fastened a pink grosgrain hair bow to the front. Now, you could totally do this without sewing. You could just staple the fabric to form the ball, and hot glue it to the top of the headband. The only reason I sewed it was because I knew this headband would get lots of dress up play use, before and after Halloween.
Next, I found a novelty dress up tail at JoAnn’s (for $0.66!). I fashioned a fur ball in the same way as the top of the headband, and tacked it to the end of the tail with a needle and thread. Again, I was tempted just to tie a grosgrain ribbon around this tightly to affix it to the tail, because I can be that lazy, but I stitched it knowing that it would get use after Halloween and would hold up better this way.
Here is Belle all dressed up and loving life.
Shop this look: Pink top or leotard, tights, tutu pettiskirt, ballet slippers
I told her to shake her booty to get a tail shot.
Thanks for reading my pink poodle costume tutorial! I hope you like this copycat chic costume.
I think it would be super easy to make this a lamb, or even a kitty costume, just by replacing the poodle headband with some cute cat ears or lamb ears and adjusting the face paint. What do you think of my pink poodle Halloween costume?
No-Carve Family Halloween Pumpkins
Family Halloween Pumpkins
At our home, we don’t really “do” spooky Halloween. We do fun, dress-up, eat lots of sweets Halloween. So this year, I thought it would be fun to make a pumpkin representing each member of our family that we could bring back out year after year – in addition to carving Jack-O-Lanterns in real pumpkins, of course.
My local JoAnn’s store is moving, so they are having some crazy sales right now! That allowed me to buy these carvable foam pumpkins and supplies for a steal!
Frozen (or cinderella?) no-carve pumpkin
For ‘Belle, we chose to do a Frozen themed pumpkin because she’s straight-up obsessed. I didn’t have any craft snowflakes on hand, so I’m thinking it ended up a bit more Cinderella, right?
Regardless, it’s perfect for this little girl who loves to dress up and play princess every. single. day.
To make it, I used Krylon aqua matte spray paint to pain a white craft pumpkin.
I then layered Krylon opulent opal glitter spray paint on top. I was super bummed with this though. It was gorgeous going on, but within moments it stopped working. I figured the glitter was clogging the nozzle and I tried multiple solutions to no avail. What a waste!
I went back and purchased Krylon glitter blast diamond dust spray paint. It was also beautiful and the can worked much better.
How pretty this would have been combined with more of the opal glitter spray! I topped it with self-stick rhinestone gems and one of the girls’ princess tiaras.
Hello Kitty no-carve pumpkin
For Eve, we went the Hello Kitty route. I don’t know what it is about this cat. She’s never seen a Hello Kitty cartoon, but she loves it.
For this pumpkin, I just printed a Hello Kitty on my printer and placed it over clear contact paper to use as a stencil.
Then, I simply painted the face with black and pink acrylic paint and topped with one of the girls’ hair bows.
Minecraft Creeper pumpkin
For Dub, I had to go the Minecraft route. I bought a black craft pumpkin, carved out a square hole and painted the inside green with Krylon emerald green spray paint. I then printed out a Creeper face on the printer, placed it on clear contact paper and cut it out to use as a stencil. I then placed it inside the dry pumpkin and painted the Creeeper face with black acrylic paint.
Stud Pumpkin
For my pumpkin, I just picked up this black studded pumpkin from JoAnn’s I just love it!
For my husband, well…
He’s a long-suffering Chicago Bears fan (as am I). Da Bears!
What do you think of our no-carve Family Halloween Pumpkins? Looking for more easy Halloween ideas? Check out my Lazy Mom’s Guide to a Halloween theme dinner.
Then, check out my free printable Halloween emoji nail decals here.
Halloween Treats Round-Up
Spooktacular Halloween Recipes
Halloween may not be my favorite holiday in the world, but I do love getting festive with my food! Here is a round-up of some of my Halloween treats and recipes.
Mean, Green Halloween Punch with Spooky Skewers This refreshing punch with fun and spooky drink stirrers is sure to please at your Halloween gathering!
Skeleton guts made with little smokies and your favorite barbecue sauce make a fun Halloween party appetizer.
Monster Mix Simply toss whatever you have on hand: I use popcorn, pretzel sticks, Cheerio’s, M&M’s, candy corn, and a few mini Oreos. Just a little effort goes a long way with this snack. I once brought it to a cross country meet in a ziplock with some plastic cups for serving, and I don’t want to brag here – but phrases like “awesome mom” and “best cook ever” got thrown around by my kids and their friends quite a bit. No need to tell them this took all of 2 minutes to pull together.
Frankenstein Pudding This one is as easy as mixing a few drops of green food coloring in your vanilla cook & serve pudding and crumbling some Oreos on top. Draw a Frankenstein face on the outside of your clear container with a dry erase marker.
Mummy Pizzas and Hot Dogs It doesn’t get any easier than wrapping strips of crescent rolls around a hot dog and baking them, or DIY mini pizzas using string cheese for the mummy wraps, but it still gets me some serious street cred with the littles.
I made the eyeballs for the Mummy Hot Dogs using slices of string cheese and cutting out a hole using a straw. Then, using the same straw to place a perfectly sized olive slice in the hole. I really did that. Should I be ashamed right now?
Jack-O-Lantern (and Minecraft Creeper) Stuffed peppers are a regular meal on our rotation, so we love to make it a little more festive in October. We sometimes also stuff them with spaghetti when we’re trying to make our monsters a little more gory with guts.
This year, I even made a Creeper Stuffed Pepper for my Minecraft – obsessed son!
Candy Corn Jell-O Parfaits These are as easy as they look. Layer orange Jell-O over cooled, firm lemon Jell-O gelatin. Top with whipped cream and serve!
Monster Cookies First, get these fun Wilton eyeball candies and then follow this recipe.
Caramel Apple Bar Okay this one isn’t Halloween, per say, but what a perfect treat for a Halloween Costume party or Autumn gathering? Learn more about how I pulled this together, here.
Even better, make your own to-die-for salted caramel dip!
Shop your Kids’ Closets for Halloween Costumes!
DIY HALLOWEEN Costumes FOR FREE
Looking for last-minute Halloween Costumes? Look no further than this inspiration for shopping your kids’ closets for these super cute looks!
Star Wars Jedi Luke Skywalker: All it takes is a Karate uniform top, a bathrobe or bed sheet (or you can buy a Jedi cape inexpensively here), some khakis and a pair of boots – and a blue light saber, of course. Here is how I envisioned the costume:
And here’s how it looked on Dub.
Sock Hop – I love this look for a brother and sister! The boy look is super easy, of course. For the girls, I paired a pink tutu pettiskirt with a cardigan, scarf and some black Mary Janes. Either cut out your own “poodle’ or grab a really inexpensive one online. Add some cute glasses for a final touch!
Here’s how it looked on my little one (Yeah…that was before her hair was done, but the only happy look I got. Toddlers!):
Baby Jazzerciser: This goes down as my favorite costume yet and it’s super easy. Just pair a baby onesie with a bright cut-up onesie, legings or tights, some baby legwarmers or Baby Legs (or cut up some old socks) and use a knit baby headband for, well, the headband. I actually cut the elastic tops off of some baby socks for the little baby wristbands! My mother sewed an adorable boom box to complete the look. You can get something similar here or here.
Here’s how my little one rocked it:
Baby Kitty Cat: This one can’t get any easier. Combine a black baby onesie with black leggings or tights, and maybe a cute matching fur vest or black tutu pettiskirt, and you’ve got yourself a kitty cat! Add the finishing touches of a black nose and whiskers using eyeliner, and don’t forget the kitty ears! You can currently buy kitty ears headbands at the Target Dollar Spot, online here, or you can make them on your own. Use a thin feather boa from the dress up pile, and cut it up to make “fur” wrist cuffs and use as the tail.
Pink Poodle: Similar to the black cat costume above, this costume starts with a pink leotard and tutu. I completed the look with a DIY Poodle Headband and faux fur cuffs.
Shop this look: Pink top or leotard, tights, tutu pettiskirt, ballet slippers
Looking for more last-minute Halloween Costume inspiration? Find more ideas for shopping your own closet here and here.
Shop Your Closet: Free and Fabulous Halloween Costumes!
DIY classic HALLOWEEN LOOKS FOR FREE
Note: This post was originally published in 2013, but due to the continued traffic and interest each season, I’m reposting it with updated shopping links. Enjoy!
Looking for last-minute Halloween costume ideas? Here are 5 inexpensive DIY Halloween costumes you can shop your own closet for. Or, follow the links to shop these looks for yourself!
Holly Golightly – Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Or here are a couple inspired by some great television shows:
Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) in 30 Rock
Couple Costume: Sheldon and Amy from The Big Bang Theory
I think my favorite is the “Shamy” couple costume from one of my favorite shows, “The Big Bang Theory.” Which is your favorite?
LOOKING FOR MORE LAST-MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUME INSPIRATION? FIND MORE IDEAS FOR SHOPPING YOUR OWN CLOSET HERE AND HERE.
Shop your kids’ closets for Halloween
Shop your own closet for Halloween – Sock Hop | Five Marigolds by shellrock1 featuring a black shawl
Converse black shoes
$43 – debenhams.com
$43 – debenhams.com
Black shawl
modcloth.com
modcloth.com
Mens V-Neck Tee
abercrombie.com
abercrombie.com
Detangling comb
$23 – thehut.com
$23 – thehut.com
Il Gufo Black Patent Mary Jane Shoes
childrensalon.com
childrensalon.com
Basic Cardigans For Baby Size 18-24 M – Light heather gray
oldnavy.gap.com
oldnavy.gap.com
Shop your Own Closet for Hallween | Star Wars Luke Skywalker by shellrock1 featuring halloween home decor
Billabong Dynamite Belt
buckle.com
buckle.com
Halloween home decor
partybell.com
partybell.com
UGG Kids Classic (Little Kid/Big Kid)
zappos.com
zappos.com
Sleeping Beauty Upcycled Tee Shirt Dress
Recycle T-shrts to make an Adorable, comfy Disney princess dress
I’ve had this project stuck in my head for a long time, and when I scheduled a visit to my parents’ house this month I knew it was my opportunity to bring it to life. My mom is a professional quilter and a wonderful seamstress, and I knew I would need her to lead the way.
I’d seen the concept of a t-shirt Disney princess dress on Homemade by Jill, but little EClaire already had a Belle dress up costume and wanted something different. So, enlisting one of her favorite colors, I decided on a Sleeping Beauty dress and found this one by Crafter Hours.
I thought it would surely be a one day project, and it probably was for these sewing pros, but we managed to stretch it out over three days, working probably a total of 10 hours.
First, we started with two women’s tees and large knit nightgown. We used the Simplicity pattern 5695 for the bodice and sleeves. Since we were upcycling clothing, we were able to use the original seam as the casing for the elastic on the sleeves.
We used a 10″ circle to draw and then sew two lines to emulate a bodice piece, and then sewed a straight line down the middle.
We wanted a very full skirt, which is difficult to create using knits, but I like how ours turned out. Our skirt used the full width of the large nightgown, which was approximately 32″ across (double the width of our bodice) and 64″ of full width all the way around. She sewed a long straight stitch across the top and then gently pulled it all around to ruffle it. Then, we attached the ruffled piece to the bodice and sewed it together with a tight straight stitch.
To create a bustle effect, we measured all the way around the bottom of the skirt and marked 9″ high lines every 8″ around. I sewed two long straight stitch lines at every marked line, secured the top and bottom of those lines with pins, and then begin pulling the strings from the top to scrunch the fabric (I like this tutorial for gathering fabric). Then, when we had the fabric scrunched to the right length, we put stabilizing fabric underneath and sewed right over the fabric, in between the two stitched lines. I absolutely love this detail of the dress – it really made the whole thing come together!
My mother created the white accent pieces using this pattern and by sewing square pieces of white knit into triangles. Both accent pieces were tacked on, as she felt the thickness would be too much for the knit dress to handle long-term.
I love that she’ll be able to wear this any time she wants to feel like a princess, and it’s cool and comfortable enough for everyday wear. Best of all – she absolutely loves it!
I’m not sure if I would have the skill to pull this off on my own and have it look as nice as this dress does. Maybe I can enlist my mother to create a Snow White tee, or Rapunzel, Cinderella or Elsa dress down the road? I think I’ll wait for some time to pass before I ask…
Shop your own closet for these 5 DIY Halloween Costumes
DIY CLassic HALLOWEEN LOOKS FOR FREE
Looking for last-minute Halloween costume ideas? Here are 5 inexpensive DIY Halloween costumes you can shop your own closet for. Or, follow the links to shop these exact looks for yourself!
Holly Golightly – Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Sheldon and Amy from The Big Bang Theory
I think my favorite is the “Shamy” couple costume from one of my favorite shows, “The Big Bang Theory.” Which is your favorite?
LOOKING FOR MORE LAST-MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUME INSPIRATION? FIND MORE IDEAS FOR SHOPPING YOUR OWN CLOSET HERE AND HERE.
Halloween Costume: Where’s Waldo (for her)
Last-minute Halloween party? The dreaded “costume required” work day? Or, headed to a social event where you’re not quite sure everyone will actually dress up? Never fear. I’ve come up with whole list of costumes that are totally festive, but not in that “Hey everybody, look at me!” kind of way. You know what I mean.
Introverts unite.
Where’s Waldo Costume
Where’s Waldo is perfect for any of those awkward Halloween social events. Just normal enough that you’ll be totally comfortable, but recognizable enough that you get full points for dressing up.
Better yet? Most people can find most of these things right in their own closet.
However, if you don’t happen to own a red stripe shirt or beanie, I’ve got you covered there, too. It’s super cheap to pull this outfit together online, and have it delivered to you in two days or less.
Shop your own closet for this Where’s Waldo Halloween costume! Or, you can shop the look here:
Or, just go out and buy a Where’s Waldo costume – they’re pretty inexpensive!
Looking for more costume ideas like this? Head over to my round-up, here:
And here:
Free Halloween Costume: Bank Robber
DIY Costumes that don’t suck
Shop your closet for this free Halloween Costume idea – an old school bank robber. I love that this costume is totally cute and could be pulled together with items you probably already own, especially if you’re a mom. Or, keep reading to find out how you can shop this look.
diy bank robber costume
This bank robber costume is perfect for any of those awkward Halloween social events. You know the ones – dressing up at work, the costume party where you don’t really believe anyone will show up…
This costume is just normal enough that you’ll be totally comfortable, but recognizable enough that you get full points for dressing up.
Better yet? Most people can find most of these things right in their own closet.
Halloween Costume: Holly Golightly
Shop your own closet for this Holly Golightly costume! Or, you can shop the look here:
Shop your Closet for Inexpensive Halloween Costume: Mary Poppins
Shop your own closet for this Mary Poppins Halloween costume, or shop a similar look here:
- Umbrella
- Red bow necklace
- Purse: get the Red Satchel bag or a carpet bag for a more authentic look
- Similar blouse here, here, here and here
- Similar hats here, here and here
- Similar heels here, here and here
Note: this post contains affiliate links. Please read my full affiliate disclaimer on the sidebar.
Halloween Couple Costume: Big Bang Theory
Shop your own closet for this Big Bang Theory couples costume , or shop the “Shamy” look here:
Sheldon:
Amy:
- Green skirt (similar)
- Mustard cardigan (similar)
- Similar blouse here and here
- Sensible Flats here / cute version here