SPOOKTACULAR SHADOW BOX

Decorating for the holidays has always been something that I look forward to doing.  One decoration that I have always wanted to make was a shadow box scene. I love how shadow boxes are a three dimensional wall decorations that stand out so much more than a regular wall hanging. And the best part? You get to use your creative side!

Shadow boxes are relatively inexpensive and come in a variety of sizes. I picked up a 4-pack of 5x7 shadow boxes for $10 on sale at Michaels. Another great thing about this craft is that your can use almost anything in them to create your look. I just walked around Michaels looking for anything that caught my eye. This Haunted House themed shadow box was my first creation and I love how it turned out!

For the background, I used a heavy piece of black cardstock and attached haunted house/graveyard themed scrapbook embellishments to it. I also found a scrapbook embellishment that said "Happy Halloween" and attached it against the glass. While walking through Michaels' halloween section, I came across a package of small glittery orange balls. I thought these would be perfect to place in the shadow box to give my scene it's three dimensional look. My husband says they look like pumpkins in the yard. I really love how this turned out and plan on making another Halloween themed shadow box soon. This was an incredibly easy decoration to make and only cost about $7 to make! 

HALLOWEEN "CANDLE" HOLDERS

When you have a toddler running around the house grabbing at everything in his reach, you obviously have to limit the type of items you decorate with. I have always loved candles, I have them in every room of my house but they don't get burned very often. So I wanted to come up with a candle-like decoration that would be safe to use in my living room. These "candles" are so simple to make and frightfully cute to look at.

WHAT YOU NEED:
*Plastic containers (I used the tall ones that the tubs of Crystal Light come in)
*Cute Halloween fabric (you want somethign that either has a white/light colored background or has a pattern in a light color....this way the light will show through)
*Hot glue
*Ribbon or any other decorative accents (be creative!!)
*Glow sticks

WHAT YOU DO:
 First, measure and cut a piece of Halloween fabric that fits completely around the container and will overlap slightly. Cut the piece of fabric a little taller than the container so that it can be folded over the top. Next, place a line of hot glue down the length of the container (this will be the seam of your fabric so it should be on the back of the canister). Line up and place the end of the fabric on the hot glue.



Pull fabric snug around container overlaping edges and glue. Once fabric is glued around container, fold and glue the fabric over the top edge of the container to the inside.

The final step is to decorate the outside with ribbon and/or other decorative accents. Be creative, the best part of DIY projects is the opportunity to pull out your creative side!

Once your "candle" holders are completed add a glow stick inside of each container for a spooky fake candle decoration. (It's hard to see the light in the picture because of the flash)



DIY WOODEN "BOO" DECORATION

Back a few years ago I was big into scrapbooking and would purchase scrapbooking supplies almost every time I went to the store. This left me with a TON of unused scrapbook paper and supplies that are just waiting for a purpose. The other day while I was organizing my crafting supplies I came across the bin with all my scrapbook paper in it. As I was looking through it, I came across some really cute Halloween papers. I decided to use the paper to cover some wooden letters and make a crafty little Halloween decoration.

WHAT YOU NEED:

*Wooden letters

*Mod Podge

*Scrapbooking paper

*Black craft paint (not pictured) Or any color you want.

WHAT YOU DO:

First, take your wooden letters and placing them backwards onto the back of the scrapbooking paper, trace around each letter with a pencil. Cut out.  Next, paint the sides (inside and outside) of wooden letters with black paint. Let dry.

Once paint is dry, place paper letters on top of wooden letters and apply a thin coat of Mod Podge over the paper and the sides of the wooden letters. Let dry for approx. 15-20 minutes before adding another thin coat. Let dry overnight.

Now you have cute easy decorated letters that can displayed so many different ways. Set them on a shelf or connect them with a cute ribbon to make a spooky wall hanging.

JACK SKELLINGTON PUMPKIN DECORATION

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and growing up I used to look forward to decorating my parents house. One of my favorite movies to watch around Halloween is "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and I just love Jack "The Pumpkin King"! I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back and decided that I had to make one. It came out super cute and I think it looks spooky sitting on the table in our entryway.

What you Need:
*White craft pumpkin
*Black acrylic paint

What you Do:
This project is about as simple as it comes. All you do is sketch out Jack's face onto the pumpkin with a pencil. Then using the black acrylic paint, carefully paint the face onto the pumpkin. Add a second coat of paint if needed. Let dry. You can use a real white pumpkin if you want but I like using the craft ones because I can keep it for next year. I just love this pumpkin and I love how easy and quick it is to make.