Happy October, everyone! Since Halloween is in October I'd like to share 31 things to help you celebrate. I plan on attempting every single one of these things, but in the off chance (read: very likely) I don't do every single one, feel free to do them yourselves and tell me about them!
1) Pumpkin candy jar:
Let's start off easy. No link here because I came up with this one on my own (not that it hasn't been done, I'm sure). All you need is a jar (empty jar of salsa, pickles, mason jar etc.), orange paint, black paint (or black sharpie if you don't have black paint), a paint brush, and CANDY!
Step 1: Make sure the jar has been completely cleaned. This may mean letting it soak in scented soap overnight so that your jar doesn't smell like salsa or pickles. Even if you are using a brand new jar make sure to wash it to get any dust or smudges off of it.
Step 2: Paint the jar orange on the outside. I used acryllic paint and I needed two layers (even though acryllic paint is quick drying wait about 10-15 mins before doing your second layer).
Step 3: After waiting for the second coat to dry, trace the outline of your jack-o-lantern onto the orange and fill in. For my smaller ones I did the traditional face with a goofy smile and missing some teeth, but for the pickle jar I did the iconic Nightmare Before Christmas Face with kidney bean eyes and a stitched together mouth.
Step 4: Fill the jar with candy!!
2) Candy corn rice krispy treats:
Here is the link for those. You'll see Martha Stewart helped me out a great deal with this list. Another quick and easy recipe. These work great for bringing to a meeting, a small gathering, work, class, or for just eating at home. Yumm.
3) Bat branch:
Just because you live in a tiny apartment or your old childhood room doesn't mean that you can't decorate! Martha Stewart's bat branch idea is cute and non-intrusive in a small space which I am truly grateful for. While I wish I could have a yard to decorate with gravestones and cob-webs I think this might have to do. AND she even provides a free template for the bats!
4) Haunted balloons:
Pretty great activity to do with children or a group of people cause I imagine they wouldn't be that fun to do by yourself (unless you're crazy like me). All you need is balloons, wax paper, glue, paint brush and thin construction paper (although I'm sure origami paper or dark tissue paper would work as well). There are several different kinds that you can do: silhouettes, pumpkins, and anything else you can think of.
5) Pumpkin seed candy:
Fair warning this recipe did not get as high of a rating as many of the other ones, however, I don't know how it could NOT taste good. Also, in case you guys are wondering hulled pepitas are shelled pumpkin seeds (you can buy them ANYWHERE). I think what I like best about this is that it seems like you can do this with 4 ingredients (3 of which you probably already have).
6) Halloween bark:
Whether it's that in a moment of weakness you snatched a ton of candy on sale from Duane Reade or the child you babysit gave you all of the candy that she doesn't like this is the perfect recipe for you. It's another easy one with not a lot of ingredients and ones you may have already! Also it'll get you prepped for PEPPERMINT BARK in the near future!
7) Skull marshmallows:
A steady hand is not necessary, but it is helpful with these cute bite-sized treats. These are great to bring into work on Halloween cause it'll look like you put a lot of effort into them when it only took about 20 minutes, and they keep well if stored properly (in a closed rubbermaid container). Martha Stewart has a slightly different way of doing them, but just as cute!
8) Pumpkin pie cookies:
These are INCREDIBLY cute, but sadly also pretty hard. That being said, they are not undoable, and the thought of failure should not stop you from trying them. After all, even if they fail it will only be in looks, they will still taste delicious (plus you'd get them all to yourself...and your close friends who accept you for who you are).
9) Cobweb cookies:
My own recipe and my own design although I've seen them everywhere. Mix in a few cookies that just have orange sprinkles so you don't drive yourself insane with the details.
10) Pumpkin spice fudge:
I would be remiss in my Halloween/month of October blog post duty if I didn't include one thing pumpkin spice. Fair warning: you will want to eat ALL of it, so only make it if it has a place to go other than your stomach (I don't want to be responsible for any heart attacks here).
11) Candy wrapper decoupage:
For the recycle-friendly crafter this activity would be a lot of fun. I have some minor changes to the project, though. The only things that you need are a box or bottle of come kind (try for glass, but plastic will do), mod-podge, paintbrush, and wrappers. For instructions on how I do decoupage see this post, but substitute the tissue paper for the wrappers.
12) Graveyard ice-cream pie:
Not great for transporting obviously, but it's a great dessert for at home! Plus since it's frozen you can keep it for a little while (and not eat the whole thing in one night). A few notes: you can probably use a blender and be fine (for those of you that don't have a food processor), I would also maybe use oreos for the ground to make it simpler (less ingredients to buy the better), and instead of the candy skulls (I can't find them anywhere) you can just write R.I.P. in chocolate.
13) Spider web bowl:
While this may seem a bit crazy to make just for Halloween, you can use it for any time especially if you make it in orange and make it a little thicker and use it for fruit later.
14) Whoopie pies:
Personally, I'm not really a fan, but Chris (and many others) love them. Instead of making 3 different posts about 3 different woopie pies I will post all the recipes here: pumpkin whoopie pie, pumpkin-chocolate whoopie pie, Halloween (plain) whoopie pie. So the Halloween whoopie pies are the easiest to make because they don't require a special kind of oil or vegetable shortening. That being said, I would use the recipe from the Halloween ones and maybe use the pumpkin filling from one of the others. Just a recommendation ;).
15) Halloween crackers:
Think Christmas is the only time for crackers? Think again! Halloween crackers are the perfect thing to keep at your desk to cheer people up on a Monday or to have in a bowl at a party or to make one for every day leading up to Halloween!
Half way through! Woo!
16) Candy cupcakes:
Ok, so I know this recipe seems like it makes a lot, but remember that they are mini cupcakes. I know that doesn't necessarily mean it's not a lot of cupcakes, but at least they are easily transportable.
17) Witch hat cookies:
I actually have some different ideas about this one. Mostly because the cookie base seems like an absurd amount of work for something that should be simple. I think that you could just use the sugar cookie recipe that I posted for the spider web cookies, and use orange food coloring so that the colors are orange and black (well...brown, but who cares).
18) Another version of the spider web cookie:
Personally, I don't like pecans, so I may not be doing these, but I thought they were really cute, so I thought I'd add them. If any of you make them let me know how they turn out. I've never made a kind of cookie that turns out the way that these look.
19) Pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting:
I might be MOST excited about these. Brown butter frosting is going to be FANTASTIC. Anything brown butter is amazing. It doesn't say it here, but brown butter has a little bit of a nutty smell and taste which would be FANTASTIC with the pumpkin cookie.
20) Creature candy dishes:
While creature candy dishes may not be the most appealing name for something holding things that you eat, they are pretty cute. They would be a cute (and small) thing to put on a desk or a coffee table to let everyone know you have some Halloween spirit.
21) Jack-o-lantern tarts:
These fall under the same category as the pumpkin cookies. They are on the difficult side, but I'm sure well worth the work. Also, it means that if they fail you get them all to yourself.
22) Pumpkin roll:
I've had one of these logs for Christmas once, but this one looks particularly good because it is pumpkin flavored.
23) Pumpkin carving:
This may qualify as going overboard, but I've always been slightly challenged at pumpkin carving, so here are some tips. Who knew I'd be able to use a drill for something!
24) Ghost milk cartons:
While these may seem slightly juvenile they are also probably the cheapest decoration you can make, and its out of materials you probably already have, so I'm gonna post it anyway. Also, for teachers and nannies this is a fun activity for the little ones.
25) Spider cutouts:
Great for someone who wants minimal decoration, but still wants something fun. This link is for spider cut outs, but you could definitely do them with pumpkins, ghosts, mostly anything Halloween related.
26) Bug soaps:
I'm not really suggesting that you make a ton of bug soaps, but you can make 1, and while you are at it make the others with little figurines for other holidays. That way, you can have a soap for every holiday without having to make soap every time the holidays switch. Homemade soap can also make an amazing gift for people.
27) Autumn pumpkins:
For those of you (like me) who are not planning on carving very many pumpkins, but still want the look, this might be perfect for you. Luckily pumpkins that are not carved last a lot longer than ones that are. Also, by decoupage glue the mean mod-podge.
28) Another (smaller) version of the witch had cookie:
So there were two versions of this. One I found from a blog that I follow, and the other was the original link where she got the idea. They are cute, and way easier than baking anything yourself, so if you are in a rush this one might be for you!
29) Butterbeer cookies:
Yup. I said it. I went there. Harry Potter has been oddly absent from this post thus far. This is because I wanted to give other recipes a chance, and Harry Potter, while witch and wizard themed, is not necessarily Halloween themed. These butterbeer cookies had my mouth watering since I read the name.
30) Ladyfingers:
This one is for the gross ones in the audience. In case my other recipes weren't real looking enough for ya, this one should do it. It may be the blood red "nail polish" (food dye), but I cant imagine eating these.
I'm not gonna post a 31. Being realistic no one is going to make/do all of these things, and especially not ON Halloween. You should be celebrating and eating all of the delicious food you made. In any case, I will be posting throughout the month with the projects I have attempted. Feel free to post any attempts in the comments section! Wish me luck!
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