HALLOWEEN FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT

It's not just the autumn air and pumpkin patches that make my love for Halloween as strong as when I was a kid. It's also the opportunity to snuggle up under a blanket with my son and watch those Halloween-themed kid's movies that I loved growing up! I've noticed in the last few years that some of the new movies will assuredly be favorites of Colton's for years to come. It seems as if we watch "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" at least twice a day. And even though I know the movie word for word now, I secretly love it! I definitely have a kid side and being a mother has given me an excuse to show it. Here are the movies that help us get into the Halloween mood. :)

1. IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN

2. CHUCKLEWOOD CRITTERS: WHICH WITCH IS WHICH
(I grew up watching this when I was little and now Colton loves it too!)

3. BEETLEJUICE

4. CASPER

5. CORALINE

6. CORPSE BRIDE

7. HOCUS POCUS
(Love this!)

8. MONSTER HOUSE

9. HALLOWEENTOWN
(This has to be one of the best Halloween movies)

10. RAGGEDY ANN & ANDY: THE PUMPKIN WHO COULDN'T SMILE
(Another movie I watched every Halloween in the early 90s)

11. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

12. SPOOKLEY THE SQUARE PUMPKIN
(Colton's favorite, we watch the movie and read the book atleast once a day)

13. THE ADDAMS FAMILY

14. THE HALLOWEEN TREE
(Who didn't grow up watching this?)



15. POOH'S HEFFALUMP HALLOWEEN MOVIE
(My son's other favorite movie)





While I am sure that I've forgotten some, these are the ones that stick in my mind. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any that should be on the list :) Happy Halloween!  

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)