Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Are you still working on Halloween at the very last minute this year like I am?  With everything going on this week (school finals, extra activities, my birthday), we just have not had time to get everything done.  Last night Kara had a choir concert, and by the time we got home and had dinner, it was too late to carve the pumpkins. (at least they are gutted) We will be finishing them today, as well as finishing decorating for the trick or treaters.  In case there were other people needing last minute ideas, I am featuring many posts that can be done last minute from the last several weeks of Dare to Share. 

Candy Corn Bars by Broward Saves

Creepy Pumpkin Scarecrow by Crafty in Crosby

Witch Hat Cookies by 3GLOL

Stormtrooper Costume by Carrie Elle

Spider Spell Book by Artistic Endeavors

DIY Toddler Poodle Skirt by So Easy Being Green

Halloween Muddy Buddies by The Rebel Chick

DIY Halloween Garland by Rock-a-Bye Parents

Olaf Pumpkin by Pams Party and Practical Tips

Ghostly Pudding Shots by All She Cooks

 DIY Rock Star Costume by Giggles Galore

Frozen Halloween Coloring Pages by Mommy in Sports

Halloween Wreath by Wesens-Art

DIY Lumpy Space Princess by Some of This and That

4 Easy Halloween Cupcakes - Feature of the Day

It is Halloween crunch time! Do you feel it?  I sure do!! We are trying to prepare for Halloween while having finals at the high school, a choir concert, and my birthday this week. Kelly from Virtually Yours with Kelly Stillwell has shared 4 Easy Halloween Cupcake Ideas that can be done at the last minute.   I had plans to make a few sweet treats this year, but it just did not get done.  Maybe we will have to make some easy cupcakes. :)  Thanks so much Kelly for linking up your great ideas to Dare to Share!

Caramel Popcorn Balls - Feature of the Day

Back when I was a kid, I can remember getting an occasional popcorn ball in my trick or treat bag. Since then, when I see a popcorn ball it brings me to back to my childhood. Now days, it would be very unusual to receive one unless it is at a Halloween party, or you make a batch at home.  Joy from Yesterfood, shared her recipe on how to make a Caramel Popcorn Ball at this week's party.  Stop on over for the recipe, and bring back your own childhood memory.   Thanks so Joy for linking up these sweet treats to Dare to Share!

Glowing Alien Heads for Halloween

I wanted to make something easy and fun to use on Halloween night.  I realized that when a milk jug is turned upside down, it looks a lot like an alien head.   I had a lot of empty milk jugs that were in recycling bin, so I pulled them out and got to work.  

I painted the circle eyes with a little bit of black craft paint.  It needed 2-3 coats since the milk jugs were plastic.  

I decided to make seven alien heads to guide the way  up the sidewalk to our front door when the trick or treaters come on Halloween night. To keep them in place, I placed them over half of bamboo skewer, and then pushed the open jug a little bit into the ground. 

The other day I picked up a couple packages of glow sticks from the dollar store. Right before it got dark, I placed one of the glowing bracelets (from the 8 pk) into the milk jug.  I waited until it got dark and then went outside to see if it worked. This is how it looked with only one bracelet in the jug. There was a little glow, but it was not very bright.  

I added a second glow stick bracelet, and it is really started to glow. You could definitely see the green color.  I am glad that I tried the glowing heads tonight so I know it will work for real on Halloween night.  I will probably bring in the alien heads so they do not get rained on or blow away before Friday night.  If you do try to make some alien heads of your own, I suggest using 2-3 glow sticks per head. If you use the 8 packs, the entire cost for 8 glowing alien heads is only $2-$3.  While I used green in my alien heads, you could use any color glow sticks. I also picked up some orange, so I might give that one a try.  

Dare to Share #134

It is Dare to Share time!  

We are definitely in a busy time of year.  This week and next week there is something going on pretty much every day, not counting the Halloween festivities.  Yesterday I had a two hours Robotics team parent meeting, in addition to dance classes, a couple of sick days for the kids, and a choir activity this week..  Next week we have an eye appt, a choir concert, dance classes, a birthday, and end of the quarter midterms.  I am not sure when we will carve of pumpkins as we are busy the few days leading up to Halloween.  Are you finding that your schedule is crazy this time of year too?    

Last weekend I posted about our visit to a local paint studio for a Girls Night Out. We had a lot of fun and I high recommended having one of your own. 

I made a few witch themed crafts , which have inspired me to make a witch themed porch this year.  I will be sharing more about it soon once I finish putting it together.   I also have a super fun craft for Halloween night that I will be sharing this weekend.   

With my crazy schedule,  I only had the chance to two Features of  the day. Did you see the adorable Rock Trolls  by There's Just One Mommy?  This would be a great craft for a Frozen themed party.  

These Ghoulish Meatballs by Memories by the Mile. They would be great appetizer for a Halloween Party or for spooky themed dinner.  

Over at my co-host Kim's blog, Kandy Kreations, can find this free Spider Banner Printable, and more features for easy Halloween costumes.  

Now it is time for this week's party.  You are welcome to link up anything that you would like to share.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature of the Day, your post will be promoted on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and G+.  

Now link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Ghoulish Meatballs - Feature of the Day

Are you having a party, or do you make a special meal for your family for Halloween? These Ghoulish Meatballs by Memories By the Mile would be great to serve for either occasion. Kids will love the  look, especially when served with a plate  Slime Spaghetti. Be sure to stop on over at Memories by the Mile for the recipes for both  spooky recipes.  Thank you so much Wanda for linking up your yummy recipes to Dare to Share!

Halloween Witch Crafts

This week I knew I wanted to make a few more crafts with the Halloween items in my craft stash.    Well one craft lead to another craft, which lead to an idea for my entire porch for Halloween.  

I pulled out black cat, purple ribbon, a shiny purple witch broom (that really reflects sunlight!) and a wreath form. All of these items I had bought at the dollar store awhile back.  I knew they would make a good wreath for the front door, and since they were dollar store items, it would be okay to be out in the elements without worry they would get ruined.  I put the wreath together, and then hung it on the front door.  

I then pulled out a paper mache witch hat that I recently bought at the craft store and painted it black.  I used some of the leftover ribbon from my wreath and strips of tulle to decorate it.  

I thought the witch hat would be a fun way to decorate a pumpkin if we do not end up carving all of them.  

Then it hit me..  With the black cat wreath, and the witch pumpkin hat, I unintentionally had a theme going.  I have many other witch items in my boxes of  Halloween decor such as a large plastic cauldron, a few standing black cats, and a witch broom. I think even have some Wizard of Oz witch legs somewhere. I also have a 2-3 foot standing painted witch that painted many years ago in a tole painting class.  This year for Halloween, I am going to do my entire porch in the witch theme.  I don't like super scary, as I don't like to scare the little ones,so the witches won't be too wicked.  I am pretty excited now as my easy Halloween Witch Crafts have started something much bigger..  Stay tuned..  

Rock Trolls - Feature of the Day

As you may know from my many Frozen posts, like my Olaf Pumpkin, and Elsa's Ice Candy that I have a soft spot for all things Frozen. When thinkng of Frozen party ideas. I had wondered what to do for the Rock Trolls.  There's Just One Mommy had the great idea to have her party guests make them using actual rocks. They loved it, and got to bring home their own Rock Troll as a keepsake from the party.  Stop on over to There's Just One Mommy to see more about their craft project.   Thanks so much One Mommy for liking up this great craft to Dare to Share!

Painting Fun for Girls Night Out

A few days ago, I got to try something that I had not done before with the women from church.  We had a night out at our local paint studio, called Paint and Pour.  We were taking a two hour paint class, where we would learn how to paint a fall painting.  

When we first arrived, there was a long table with an easel and canvas for each of use.  The canvas was 16 x 20 which is a very nice size. They had already set up each spot with brushes, paint and water to clean the brushes. 

This is Zach.  As you can tell by his picture, he was quite the character. He was our instructor for the class, and definitely high energy. At the end of the class he took group pictures with our phones, and a crazy selfie for us remember him by.  

We used red, yellow, and white to make the background of our paintings. He did say that if we wanted to, we could use other colors and do our own thing.  I decided to do the picture as he was teaching it.  My friend Rhonda, decided to add some grass to her painting. 

We took a snack break to allow our backgrounds to dry a bit, and then it was time to add the tree.  I love how it looks. It reminds me of a tree in a spooky forest.  

We were given another short break, before adding the details. We got to walk around and see everyone's work. It was cool to see that they were so similar,  but so different at the same time.  In the bottom picture, you can see two of the paintings that a few of the ladies did.  They decided to uses blues and greens instead of red and yellows.  

The last thing Zach had us do was add different color dots all over our painting.  I think they represent the falling leaves of autumn, without actually painting realistic leaves. Whatever they are, they looks really cool. 

  

This night was so much fun. My friend Rhonda and I took this selfie with our paintings in the background.  Since my birthday is coming up at the end of the month, she wanted to celebrate it by buying my ticket to the class. (Thanks Rhonda!)   This was a great way to spend a birthday, and a night out with friends.  If you are looking for a girls night out, a place to hold a party, or just because you love to paint, see if you have something similar in your area.  You will definitely  be glad you did.  

Dare to Share #133

It is Friday night, which means one thing... 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

This week was one of those weeks, when we had something every single day.  Kara had three trips to the Orthodontist (two unplanned), and 2 dance classes.  Kyle had robotics, and I had a girls night out. (more on that this weekend)  We have also been making some plans for Halloween. Instead of making a costume completely from scratch this year, I think we are going to embellish a few from the costume bin.  Here is what else we have been up too

Kara helped me with the decorations this year. She asked if she could do the mantel.  I was quite surprised when I saw she had used all black items.  I have to say though, I really love it. You can read more about it in the post Our Halloween Mantel.

My Olaf Pumpkin  was one of those projects that sat unfinished for a couple of weeks.  I finally finished him this week, and I love him. He just looks so happy for Halloween. 

I will be sharing a post about a special thing we did for a girls night out event this weekend. We did something that I hope to do again.  It was a fun time, and we got to take something really cool home.  

I wanted to mention something else that is new.  My Shop (found in the tabs at the top of the blog)  is officially open.  I do have some Halloween items in there right now, but will soon be adding several Christmas items as well. 

Did you catch the Features of the Day this week?   I found this baby sushi costume by Do Try This at Home to be super cute and easy to make.  I also happy to love to eat sushi, but only the real stuff.  

I definitely want to try and make some glowing owl candles like the Crafty Lumberjacks shared. All you to make then are a couple of items, that you might even already have on hand.  

Another cool way you can customize your candle votives is with this technique by Let's Make It Lovely.  You can find this glass votives at the dollar store, and really beautify them into something that looks like it cost a lot more.  

Did you see the awesome recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Covered Cherries by  my co-host Kim from Kandy Kreations share this week.  I am definitely going to be making these as well.  Chocolate covered cherries are one of my favorite candies of all time, and I have to have the very same pumpkin mold Kim used.  YUM!! 

Now it is time for this week's party.  You can link up anything that you would like to share. Your post will be seen on two blogs for double exposure.  If you are chosen as a Dare to Share Feature of the Day, you post will be featured on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and G+

Now link up and HAVE FUN! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Beautify a Dollar Store Candle - Feature of the Day

I love this idea on how to customize a dollar store candle by Let's Make it Lovely.  You could make a simple pattern like this that would be perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you wanted to, you can even try this technique to make a spooky pattern for Halloween. Stop on over to Let's Make it Lovely to see how it is done.  Thank you so much Roopini for linking up to Dare to Share!

Olaf Pumpkin

This year with the Frozen craze, I knew I wanted to add Olaf to the pumpkin gang.  At first I was just going to make his head, but he just did not look finished that way.  I added a couple more pumpkins and he looked like a snowman.  

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

I painted three dollar store pumpkins white. Olaf does have a head and might look good with a taller pumpkin on top, but I did not find one that looked right at the craft store.   I left the stem on one pumpkin, and removed it from the other two pumpkins. The stem is removed so that the pumpkins stack properly. 

I stacked the pumpkins, and hot glued them together.  You will need to use a generous amount of glue or they may come apart. (I found out the hard way) 

I used Model Magic to make the nose.  It like that is is easy to sculpt and is still very light when it dries.  You can use either orange Model Magic if you can find it.  If you can't, you can do what I did.  I just made the nose in white and then painted it orange.  

I used hot glue to add his nose, and his eyes.  I added a circle of blue cardstock behind his eyes, because in all of his pictures there is some  blue.  

I was not sure what to use for his mouth. I ended up using black cardstock because it was easy to change.  You could also use black craft foam or paint if you prefer.  I used brown pipe cleaners for his twig hair and eyebrows.  I thought I had dark brown in my stash.  I could not find it though so I used regular brown.  I might pick up some up the next time I go to the craft store, and make them a bit darker.  

I also added a his twig arms. They were very easy to attach with no glue needed.  Just make a toothpick size hole where you want to add the pipe cleaner, and it will go right in.   

Olaf loved his photo shoot with the pumpkins on our porch, he could not stop smiling. 

Update-  The pumpkins I used to make Olaf are now available online at DollarTree.com.  They come in both orange and white and available in smaller quanities.