Sunday, October 31, 2010

Homemade Halloween

California Raisin Girl and her Bunch of Grapes
Not only was this costume cheap and fun, but we won 2nd place and a doggie gift basket at the local Howl-O-Ween fund raiser for the humane society!

Time: 10 min
Supplies:
Red bonnet (I ordered mine off ebay for $10)
Red skirt from the Goodwill
Purple XL shirt from the Goodwill
Unused basket
Old vines or leaves from a recycled wreath
Recycled plastic Christmas Ornaments
Rubber bands
an old dog collar
Steps:
1. Gather some different sized plastic ornaments (or any other balls)
I decided to make a cherry costume for the demonstration 
2. Place one ball at a time under top half of shirt and secure with a rubber band
3. Add vines/leaves to collar ( I just put mine on with rubber bands)
4. Embarrass your good sport of a dog :)
This cherry one would be super sweet on a small dog 
Why does Hank still love me so much?? 

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Upcycle Mason jars and used Halloween decor

Picture from The Brass Paperclip Project
Instead of throwing away (and cussing) your "spider webs" when you peel them off of the bushes, just cram them into some old mason jars (or glass peanut butter jars), and do the same with your left over spider rings (that the kids subbed their noses at). Then, next Halloween, you will have a cute/creepy surprise when you open the taped and stored box of decorations! Just remember, you can use real candles to illuminate! Buy some LED tea-candles when they are half off after Christmas.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tummy Mummy

Made from upcycled cans and an old T-shirt
Time: 30 minutes

Supplies:
1. an old, white T-shirt
2. rinsed out cans (no need to peel off label) 
3.googley eyes
4. super glue
5. ribbon
6. scissors
7.Sharpie

Steps:
Step 1: rip T-shit into long strips
Step 2: glue ribbon onto the can to make a handle
Step 3: wrap one piece of shirt around can and tie
Step 4: continue wrapping pieces around the can until it is all covered
Step 5: Open a place for the "mouth" 
Step 6: color in with a Sharpie
Step 7: Glue on eyes
Step 8: Fill with candy!

These were fun to make because I FINALLY thought of something cute to do with recycled cans. I have been saving the sturdy things for a while, but couldn't seem to put them to use until now! I hope this leads to many more ideas!


Probably the saddest thing you'll ever see is a mosquito sucking on a mummy. Forget it, little friend.


If you have a favorite idea on how to recycle cans, leave it in the comment section!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Upcycled leaves

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Time: 30 Minutes

Material:
*vibrant, fallen leaves
* thin crafting wire
*reused mason jar (or other vase) 

Step by step instructions:

Tips:
Gather leaves while they are damp (this makes them more flexible) 

This has been the most fun fall craft I've done so far! It's one of those crafts that has a "wow" factor with little effort. The website above gives picture step by step instructions, but after the first rose, I didn't need to even look at them again.