Spider Pretzels
INGREDIENTS:

2 round crackers
2 teaspoons smooth peanut butter
8 small pretzel sticks
2 raisins
PREPARATION:

With the peanut butter, make a cracker sandwich. Insert 8 pretzel "legs" into the filling. Spread a little peanut butter onto top of cracker and place raisins on top for "eyes".

Egg Carton Spider

Cardboard egg carton
Black pipe cleaners
Black tempera paint
Red construction paper
Glue


Paint the cup sections of the egg carton.
Cut each egg cup apart.
Push pipe cleaner legs into egg cup and bend to shape legs.
Cut eyes out of paper and glue on for eyes.

Well Dressed Ghost Finger Puppet
Tissue paper
Cotton ball
Rubber band
Ribbon


Place tissue paper over a cotton ball.
Gently and loosely wrap rubberband around tissue, below cotton ball
Draw eyes on with marker.
Tie a ribbon over rubberband to make a tie.
Place finger through rubber band

Creepy Crawly Gelatin

1 1/2 c Boiling water
1 lg Pkg orange-flavor gelatin
1 1/2 c Cold water
Gummy worms candy
Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water.

Pour into no-stick pie plate (or spray your pie plate with a vegetable spray).

Refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is thickened.

Push gummy worms into gelatin.

Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm; unmold.

Spooky Halloween People
Have a parent peel some apples but don't core them. Then have the adult carve out the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears using a sharp paring knife.

Let the apples dry in a warm, dry place until they become shriveled and dried.

Paste on buttons for the eyes (or use googly eyes). Use different colors of wool for the hair and eyebrows, glue on short stands of wool for a mustache or beard, etc.

Use your imagination to create some spooky halloween heads

Bleach Bottle Witch

1 bleach bottle
straw or raffia for the hair
12 by 12 flesh colored felt
12 by 12 black felt
glue
2 eyes (black felt, buttons, or googly eyes)
Tool to make small holes in plastic bottle
Wire
1/4 yard of black material
14 inches of black chenille
Step 1: Cut the bottle in half. Decide the size of face you want and make a circle with a pencil.
Step 2: Make plenty of holes around the top of the circle.

Step 3: Cut the flesh felt in a circle and glue to the bottle.

Step 4: Now start inserting raffia into the holes, leaving 1 inch hanging out of the upper holes and longer strands hanging out of the side holes. String it in and out of each hole for the hair line..

Step 5: Add on the eyes and mouth if you have one.

Step 6: Take the black material and make a triangle hat.

Step 7: Take the black felt and cover the back side of the bottle. Stretch a piece of wire across the back so you can hang it up. Attach the wire to each side real tight.

Step 8: Now you glue on the hat and glue on the black chenille for the RIM of the hat.

The witch can stand by herself or hang on the wall or door


Coat Hanger Ghosts

White coat hangers (one for each ghost)
White knee highs or white nylon panty hose
string
black felt tip pen
Directions:
1. Holding hanger hook - grab center of hanger and pull down to form long diamond shape.

2. Pull knee high or leg cut from panty hose over hanger from bottom to top (hook end)

3. Gather leg opening at base of hook - tie tightly with string.

4. Draw BIG oval eyes at top near hook.

5. Hang in trees outdoors or any other place (they're weatherproof)

Edible dirt

9 oz. Clear Plastic Cups
Softened Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
Gummy Worms
Instructions:
Fill the plastic cups about 3/4 of the way full with softened chocolate ice cream. Top with about 1/4 inch of chocolate cookie crumbs. Place gummy worms in the "dirt" and eat!


Garbage Bag Ghost

- large white garbage bag
- permanent black marker
- newspaper
- strong string


Craft:
Stuff one corner of a large white garbage bag with crumpled newspaper to form a head. Twist shut,folding other corner down and secure with string. Draw a face on the ghost with permanent markers. Let face dry. Cut bottom part of bag into 3-4" wide strips. Attach string to top of head with wide tape; knotting string so it doesn't pull out. Make lots and hang them indoors or out.

Popcorn Hand

1 Plastic Glove
5 Candy Corns
1 or 2 Cups Of Popcorn(we use both regular and cheese)
1 Plastic Spider Ring
1 Ribbon or Tie


1. Put 1 candy corn in each finger of the glove.
2. Fill the glove with popcorn, but not to the top.
We put the cheese popcorn for the fingers.
3. Tie shut the glove using the ribbon or tie.
4. Cut the back of the spider ring.
5. Put the ring on one finger.

Homemade Face Make Up

RECIPE
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp water
1/2 tsp cold cream
food coloring

Stir together starch and cold cream until well blended. Add water and stir, then add food coloring.

APPLICATION
Wash your face and any area that you will be applying the makeup to. Dry thoroughly. Use fingertips to spread onto large areas. Use a small paint brush to paint designs on face. Removes with soap and water. Store in airtight container.




Witch Hat


Materials Needed:


Poster Board
Paper Plate
Crayons or Paint
Scissors
Green Yarn or Crepe Paper
Stapler or Tape
Instructions:
Cut the poster board into a large triangle shape with the botton edge being curved. You want this large enough to make into a cone to fit on top of the paper plate leaving about 1 - 2 inches of the outside edge of the paper plate showing. Paint one side of the posterboard and the backside of the paper plate black and let it dry.

WORMY PUNCH for kids parties:


2 pkg. fruit punch or cherry drink powder mix, add sugar per package instructions
2 bottles Ginger Ale (or 7-UP) (chilled)
Gummy Worms

The DAY BEFORE the party:

Make up one powder mix and pour into ice cube trays, put in freezer for about 1/2 hour. Cut Gummy worms in half and place them into the ice cubes. Freeze overnight

Save remainder of drink mix and refrigerate... I make up both and let chill overnight as well.

Just as the party is starting, combine all ingredients.

The kids LOVE to see the worms crawling out of the ice ;)

I LOVE making this cake!

Devils Food Cake Mix
Double Chocolate Frosting
Double Chocloate Oreo Cookies
Ghost Peeps
Pumpkin Candies
Eyeball Candies (leave wrapped)
Candy Corns
about 9-10 Oval shaped vanilla sandwich cookies
Black decorator frosting
(check the stores, every year they come out with more Halloween candies that you can use - I think they also make black cat peeps now too).

Bake the cake in a 9X13 pan according to directions.

Leave in pan and frost when cool.
Crumble Chocolate Oreo Cookies to look like "dirt"... sprinkle over frosting.
Take oval shaped cookies, cut in half and decoarate to look like tombstones
Use candy corns to make a fence around the outside of the cake.
Add pumpkin candies, peeps and eye ball candies around the cake.

Sav is gonna love these!!! Thanks ladies!!!

Oh You all gave me way to may ideas...
thanks

Another good one is to use paper towels or like me cut a old sheet and stuff a head with cotton balls tie making a neck, add eyes with a magic maker . Then with a needle and thread attach a piece of thread to the head. Jason and I use to fill the mapple tree out front with little ghost.
We had fun during the holidays decorating..they are not the same since he has been gone I have not done it in years. However I am thinking of decorating it up in his honor and taking pictures for him....thanks for the ideas. Susan

How to Make Your Pumpkin Last Longer To reduce shriveling, coat the cut edges of your carving with petroleum jelly. To revive a shriveled pumpkin, soak it in water in a bucket or bathtub for 1-8 hours, let it drain then dry it carefully. If your pumpkin molds or turns soft, there is nothing you can do!

Butterfinger "Eyeballs"

Wax paper
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif1 cup creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif2 tablespoons butter or margarine
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif2 cups powdered sugar
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif1 NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER Candy Bar
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif2 cups NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Premier White Morsels
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif2 pkg. NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER BB'S Candies
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif1 small tube red decorator icing
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifWooden pick or skewer for dipping
http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifDirections:http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifLINE 2 baking sheets with wax paper.

BEAT peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in powdered sugar until mixture holds together and is moistened. Stir in chopped Butterfinger. Shape into 1-inch "eyeballs." Place on prepared baking sheets. Freeze for 1 hour.

MELT morsels and shortening in large, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute 30 seconds; STIR. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until melted. Remove one baking sheet of frozen "eyeballs" from freezer (keep other sheet in freezer until ready to use).

DIP one "eyeball" into melted morsel mixture using a wooden pick or skewer. Shake off excess and return to baking sheet. Gently press 1 Butterfinger BB on top of "eyeball" to make a "pupil." Repeat procedure with remaining "eyeballs" on baking sheet. Refigerate until coating is set. Repeat with remaining sheet of "eyeballs" and coating. You may find it necessary to reheat morsel mixture before dipping second batch. Before serving, pipe decorator icing around eyeballs to create bloodshot markings. Store in covered container in refrigerator. Best served cold.http://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gifhttp://www.celebrationcorner.com/images/spacer.gif

Monster Footprints
With a magic marker, draw a footprint in a big sponge. Cut out the footprint. Pour washable paint in an 1/8 inch aluminum pan. Press the sponge in the paint and sponge footsteps up your sidewalk to your front door for trick-or-treaters to follow, or around the side of your dark, spooky house. Flip the sponge upside down to stamp the other foot

Bobbing Ghosts
Start with a piece of cheesecloth 2 yards long and 1 yard wide. Place a helium filled balloon (white is best) in the middle of the fabric and gather loosely around balloon. Draw a horrid mask on the cloth with a felt pen. You can put some ghosts in a box and when people open the box the ghosts will float up and scare everyone! Or, you can place them on string in front of an open window or a fan and watch them gently move in the breeze

Monster Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough
Grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
Sliced pepperoni
Mushrooms
Olives
Bell peppers
Tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Salt and pepper

Have the children use the ingredients provided to make monster faces, such as pepperonis with olives on top for the eyes, mushroom slice for nose, fresh basil for hair, and sliced peppers for the mouth.

Follow cooking directions on dough package and enjoy!


Cereal Box Gravestones

What You Need



Black and white tempera paint
3 cups for mixing paint
Paintbrush
Assorted-size cereal boxes
2 sponges
Thick black permanent marker


How To Make It


Mix paints to make a light gray, medium gray, and dark gray.
Paint boxes with two to three coats of medium gray. Let dry.
Use the sponges to dab on the light and dark gray paint to give gravestones a mottled look. Let dry.
Write names and dates with marker. Such as: Dracula died here 1768-1842, etc.
HINT: Fill Ziploc plastic bags with sand or rocks and place inside boxes to keep them from blowing over. Stand them in mounds of dirt or sand.

Edible Haunted House

You will need:
2 containers (16 ounce) chocolate fudge frosting*
2 empty 1 qt. milk cartons, rinsed and dried
1 large tray covered with foil.
*You can use a thick homemade frosting instead.

Decorations:
pretzel sticks
graham crackers
black licorice and red twists
candy corn
M&Ms
Foil wrapped Halloween Candy
rice crackers
Orange Sprinkles
Colored icing for writing or decorating


Tape each milk carton closed at top. Tape milk cartons together to make a house. Wrap with foil. Attach firmly to the covered tray with tape. Frost cartons with chocolate frosting. Frost the tray also to use as the lawn. Decorate with the assorted treats!

Some ideas

*Sprinkle orange sugar on the roof of the house.
*Rice crackers make neat "attic" windows.
*graham crackers for windows and doors-highlight with icing.
*pretzel stick window panes
*M&M "pathway stones" leading to the door.
*Candy corn "icicles" under the roof

After you have the house and pathway finished add details to the lawn area. Foil wrapped candy is great because you buy little mummies, ghosts or pumpkins and place them on the pathway and around the house. Buy from the bulk section of your grocery store to get a really good selection without having to buy a lot of one type of candy. After all the oohs and ahs have subsided and Halloween is over, let the kids pick off all the candy while they discuss what to do for next year's Haunted House Spectacular!

Costumes:

Angel

WHAT YOU NEED
• Pencil
• Corrugated cardboard
• Utility knife
• Gold spray paint
• White sheet or fabric, app. 2 yards long by 1 yard wide
• Gold ribbon, 2 yards (optional)
• Gold cording, 8-feet
• Star garland, 5-foot strand (available in party stores)

Step 1:
Draw a wing shape on the piece of cardboard. It can be as simple or elaborate as you like, but should extend roughly from the top of your child's hips to the back of her head and no more than 8 inches beyond her shoulders (our angel has a 2-foot wingspan).
Step 2:
Cut out the shape with a utility knife. Poke three holes?two near the top, one near the bottom?in the wings. In a ventilated area, spray-paint the wings gold.
Step 3:
Fold the piece of fabric in half so the two short ends meet. In the center of the fold, cut an approximately 7-inch slit for your child's head. Slip the robe over her head and have her stand with her arms extended. If the robe is too long, cut it to the right length (and hem it, if you want to get fancy). You can also add a stripe of gold ribbon as we did. Just attach it with a loose running stitch about 6 inches up from the bottom hem.
Step 4:
Fit the robe on your child. Thread one end of the gold cord through one of the top wing holes and the other cord end through the other top hole; adjust so the cord hangs evenly.
Step 5:
Hold the wings up to your child's back, laying one cord over each shoulder. Cross the cords over her chest, then around to her back and through the bottom hole in the wings. Wrap the cord ends under the base of the wings and around her waist to the front, then belt them.
Step 6:
Top it off with a halo!. Wind the star garland into a hoop shape and place it on your child's head.


Bat

WHAT YOU NEED
• Scissors
• Black full-size umbrella
• Black duct tape
• Glow-in-the-dark puffy paint
• Safety pins
• Black hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants
• 2 black hair elastics
• 2 sheets of black felt, 2 pipe cleaners, double-sided tape (for bat ears)
Step 1:
To make bat wings, carefully cut the umbrella material away from the frame. Use black duct tape to patch any holes from the back side. Apply lines of glow-in-the-dark puffy paint along the seams. When the paint is dry, fold the circle in half along a seam and safety-pin the straight, folded edge to the back of the sweatshirt, as shown. Tape hair ties to the inside of the wing tips and slip them around the bat's wrists.
Step 2:
Cut out the shape of the bat ears from the black felt. Bend the pipe cleaners' ends in opposite directions and affix them to the lower tabs of the felt ears with double-sided tape. Outline the bat ears with glow-in-the-dark puffy paint. Attach the felt bat ears to the sweatshirt hood with the double-sided tape.


Pumpkin

WHAT YOU NEED
• Face paints
• Sponge
• Floral wire
• Pipe cleaners
• Green tissue paper
• White glue
• Green ribbon

Step 1:
Begin by brushing your child's hair back from her face and arranging it in a ponytail or bun on top of her head.
Step 2:
Next, use a damp sponge to cover her eyebrows with white face paint.
Step 3:
Once that dries, use a makeup brush and yellow face paint to create triangular eyes, a nose, and a toothy jack-o'-lantern smile over her lips.
Step 4:
Now sponge orange face paint onto her entire face, surrounding the yellow features.
Step 5:
After the orange paint dries, use a makeup brush to outline her yellow eyes, nose and mouth with green face paint.
Step 6:
Top off your child's disguise with handmade pumpkin leaves and vines. For each leaf, twist short pieces of floral wire around the top of a pipe cleaner.
Step 7:
Next, cut two large matching leaf shapes from green tissue paper. Lightly paint the surface of one leaf with a white glue solution (3 parts glue, 1 part water), lay the floral-wire frame on the glued surface and then cover with the matching leaf. Wind the stems of the finished leaves around your child's ponytail.
Step 8:
For pumpkin vines, just tie on lengths of curled green gift ribbon.

Tips on how to select a pumpkin

1. Envision the shape of the pumpkin that would best suit your jack-o'-lantern design. Go so far as to draw some simple faces on pieces of paper that you would like to carve in your pumpkin.

2. Go to your local pumpkin patch or pumpkin reseller. Don't go too early, since you want your pumpkin to be in good shape when Halloween arrives.

3. Make sure the pumpkin you choose is not bumpy, too unevenly textured or too weirdly shaped. It can be a gourd shape, round or oval, but the important thing is that it is easy to carve.

4. Choose a pumpkin that is big enough to be striking when lit inside, but not so big that it keels over when carved.

5. Examine the stem. If the gourd's stem is loose or has evidence of rotting, don't buy it.

6. Pick up the pumpkin and examine it from all sides. Reject any pumpkins with blemishes such as white mildew, brown stains or wormholes.

7. Knock on the pumpkin. It should sound hollow when ripe.

8. Barter for a lower price if you are buying many pumpkins, and if you are buying them close to Halloween.

9. Purchase your pumpkin or pumpkins.

Game idea: Bob for apples

1. Find a large, deep trash container or party tub that at least two people can get their heads into at the same time.

2. Set trash container on ground, or place tub on a table or cart strong enough to hold it when it is full of water. The top of the trash container or tub should be about waist-high to participants in the game.

3. Fill tub with water, leaving 4 to 6 inches of space at the top so that water doesn't slosh out.

4. Float several apples in water.

5. Place some towels at base of the tub so that the floor won't get wet, if playing inside.

6. Select first two or three players and have them put their hands behind their backs.

7. Say, "Go," and have players try to grab an apple with their teeth, all at the same time. The first to bring an apple up wins.

8. Provide towels for all players. Even losers will be wet.


Tips:
A tub filled with water is extremely heavy. Make sure you have some provision for transporting it back and forth.

With small children, you can put a tub on the floor and let them bob while on their knees.

To make the game harder, take the stems off the apples.

Playing in heats of two or three players helps reduce head-banging.

Between heats, you may wish to remove bitten apples from the tub and replace them with fresh ones.

How to Make Tissue Ghosts

1. Put a large cotton ball in the center of a white tissue paper or bathroom tissue.

2. Gather the tissue around and under the cotton ball so the covered ball looks like a head.

3. Tie white thread at the neck to keep the cotton ball from falling out.

4. Use thread to suspend the ghost from the ceiling, a lampshade or a tree.

5. Make several ghosts and hang them from the ceiling as party decorations, or hide them in various places and have a ghost hunt.


Tips:
You may draw faces on the ghosts with a pen. Note that felt pens may cause the tissue to absorb too much ink.


How to Make a Papier-Mâché Bat


1. Make papier-mache paste. (See "How to Make Papier-Mache Paste.")

2. Cut sheets of newspaper into strips 2 inches wide.

3. Blow up a balloon to the size of the bat you want to create.

4. Tie off the balloon with a long string so you can hang it to dry.

5. Dip one strip of the paper into the paste at a time.

6. Apply each strip to the balloon after dipping.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the balloon is covered. The more layers you apply, the stronger the finished craft will be.

8. Hang the balloon in a warm place and let it dry for 24 hours. Place a newspaper under the hanging balloon to catch any drips.

9. Insert a needle into the base of the balloon until you hear a pop.

10. Paint the ball black. Let it dry.

11. Measure across the balloon and add 12 inches to that length.

12. Using that number, cut a piece from a black trash bag that long and 6 inches wide.

13. Fold the plastic piece in half.

14. Scallop the edges.

15. Place a black pipe cleaner in the fold of the plastic square, and staple or glue it into place for wings.

16. Glue wings to the top and back of the bat.

17. Cut ears from black construction paper and glue them into place.

18. Attach large wiggly eyes, or make your own from construction paper.

19. Tape string or a piece of black elastic to the bat's back, and hang it from the ceiling for a flying effect.

Stone-faced Pumpkins
MATERIALS:
Assorted stones (just about any shape will do)
Orange acrylic paint and paintbrush
Black permanent marker
Twigs (1 for each stone)
Tacky glue

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. Wash any dirt from the stones and let them dry completely. Then paint them orange, using 2 coats if necessary.

2. Once the paint is dry, draw on faces with a black marker. Finally, glue a twig pumpkin stem atop each stone.


Pin the Wart on the Witch's Nose

WHAT YOU NEED:
Homemade or store-bought picture of a witch
Rubber cement
Blindfolds
Labels/stickers


HOW TO PLAY:
1. Hang the witch at kids' eye level on the wall.

2. Wad up rubber cement into gumball-size warts (one for each player). If necessary, use a glue stick to make them stickier right before the game.

3. Blindfolded, kids take turns trying to stick a wart on the witch's nose. You can use labels or stickers to keep track of whose wart is whose.

Smoke & Fog

INGREDIENTS:

Dry Ice
If your looking where to find dry ice, look under "Ice" in the Yellow Pages.
Water
Large Bucket or Container
PREPARATION:

DO NOT HANDLE DRY ICE WITHOUT GLOVES!! Place Dry Ice in the container, pour water over dry ice, use 2 to 3 times as much water as there is ice. There needs to be enough water to cover the dry ice.

Pumpkin Punch
Serve your Halloween punch or spiced apple cider from a large hollowed-out pumpkin. Use a large ladle to serve in orange cups.

Creepy Candy Hands

MATERIALS

Clear plastic gloves (try a beauty supply store)
Orange and black taffy
Candy Corn
Gumdrops
Any other kind of candy you like
Popcorn
Orange and black ribbon
Spider rings


DIRECTIONS

Stuff candy down into the fingertips of a plastic glove and then fill the glove with popcorn. Tie the wrist shut with ribbon. Add spider rings to some of the fingers as ghoulish accessories.

It's getting to be that time again :) Share all your Halloween ideas here

I missed these awesome ideas for last year but I will use them this year, I have one I have used every year...
A pair of plastic gloves, fill with water, tie end up so water stays in...put in freezer and when completely frozen, cut the glove off, and you have an ice hand to put in your monster punch...
Thank You all for sharing your Halloween Ideas.....

It is that time of year again :)

Anyone have any ideas to share for Halloween goodies,costumes,food,crafts and so on?

Those are some cool ideas! Thanks for posting them everyone! :)