In the interest of saving Halloween, here are several ideas for contactless trick or treating!

11 Contactless Halloween Trick or Treat Ideas

11 Contactless Halloween Trick or Treat Ideas

Halloween is a mere two weeks away. Let’s get real, 2020 has been hard enough on the kids. Cancelling Halloween would be the biggest disappointment for our little ones. With that in mind, I’ve been scouring the web and my brain for some excellent contactless Halloween Trick or Treat Ideas. Here they are in no particular order.

Ship Your Candy:

This Ohio Dad Saves Halloween with a Shipping Tube and Spray Paint!

 

Spooky Candy Chute:

Wicked Makers breaks out the spooky decor and a plumbing pipe for this Skeletal Candy Chute.

 

A Twist on a Scavenger Hunt: The Candy Graveyard

With a few props and pre-packaged candy, you too can create this fun Halloween Candy Graveyard.

Halloween candy Graveyard

 

Table Halloween…Definitely Not!

Many of our neighbors are planning on leaving pre-packed treat bags on a table by their door. Craft Box Girls, upcycled this sofa table with a little spray paint to create a Halloween Decorated Treat Table.

DIY Halloween Trick or Treat Table

 

Easy Driveway Trick or Treat Table

If DIY isn’t your thing, you can take the easy path and gather a few supplies to create this driveway trick or treat table in no time.

Easy trick or treat driveway table

 

The Giving Tree

If you have a tree in your yard with low branches, you can attach treat bags to the branches. Or cut a branch and add a few treat bags like The Craft Train did.

DIY Treat Tree

 

Hang Up Halloween

Let’s not hang up the idea of trick or treating altogether. Take a note from Little Sooti’s birthday favor idea and hang those treat bags out for the children to grab and go. You can attach them to the door, or on a clothesline between your porch posts. Get creative!

hanging treat bags on a line

 

Door Decor

Hershey comes to the rescue with this fun DIY Door Decor idea for a contactless treat dispenser.

Contactless Door Treat Dispenser

 

Scavenger Hunt

If you don’t feel comfortable letting your kids trick or treat this year, I’ve got an idea for you! A Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt from Hey, Let’s Make Stuff. Or you can adapt this idea to your front yard for trick or treaters. Simply give one clue to each kid to find their treats.

TRick or treat scavenger hunt

 

Is There Junk in Your Trunk

Trunk or Treat parties have been around for decades, but this year you can park it in your own driveway and open the trunk to your trick or treaters.

Trunk or treat for contactless trick or treating

 

Buckets of Fun:

If you have a two-story window over the front door, you could create a simple bucket and pulley system to deliver treats to the children. Keep the rope in your hands to keep it contactless for the kids. You might also consider wiping the bucket between trick-or-treaters. Don’t have a pulley? No problem, you can simply run a clothesline from the window to a stationary post (light post or fence post) and then loop the bucket handle over the line. Send it down to the trick or treaters (just be sure to attach a second line to the bucket handle so you can pull it back up).

Bucket on a Pulley for contactless trick or treating

How about you? Do you have any idea for a safer contactless Halloween? I’d love to hear them. In the meantime, pin this image and share this post with your friends so the kids can enjoy Halloween even during a pandemic.

11 Contactless Halloween Trick or Treat Ideas

It's inevitable your little ones will get bump or bruise. Make them a Boo-Boo Bear to sweeten those tough times by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

It's inevitable your little ones will get bump or bruise. Make them a Boo-Boo Bear to sweeten those tough times by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

Hello PHG readers! I’m coming over from my blog, Prodigal Pieces, to share with you a sweet DIY that is easy to whip up and will make everyone smile (not to mention it makes a perfect last-minute gift!).

Do you remember the days as a child when you would stumble and hurt your knee or have some bump that required a little TLC? As a mom to 6 wonderful kids, I know how precious those times can be, and that’s where Boo-Boo Bear (a rice ice and heat pack) can sweeten those troubled times.

Boo-Boo Bear is sweet little friend who serves as a comforting ice pack that is the perfect temperature for those bumps and bruises that come along, AND he can also be lightly warmed in the microwave to soothe aches and pains. Want to make one for a special little person in your life? Read more

21 Creative Ways to Gift Wrap | Pretty Handy Girl

21 Creative Ways to Gift Wrap | Pretty Handy Girl

Hello again! It’s Colleen from Just Paint It with a collection of 21 Creative Wrapping Ideas.

When I was a kid my favorite part of Christmas was wrapping presents. (Outside of opening them, that is.) I loved it so much that my mother would often have me wrapping my own presents without telling me. Then she’d switch the tags around on Christmas Eve! Such great memories. Using creative gift wrapping is a special way to create memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy some beautiful gift wrapping inspiration here:

creative gift wrappingPolar Bear Gift Wrapping

 

creative-gift-wrappingMonogram Gift Wrap Read more

cupcake tray carrier collage

Jaime here from That’s My Letter today sharing a DIY cupcake tray carrier.  It’s summer and that means lots of friends getting together for BBQ’s and outdoor parties.  You can’t show up empty-handed to party, so why not take along this cupcake carrier?  It makes the perfect display tray and portable carrier all-in-one, plus a very useful hostess gift too!

I filled this tray with 24 regular size cupcakes, chocolate on chocolate is the favorite around these parts.

cupcake carrier 2

The tray is a fairly simple build, the trick is to create space between the top board (with all the cupcake holes) and the base so the cupcakes have a spot to sit down into.

cupcake tray carrier detail

Keep reading and I’ll show you how to make these holes as smooth as possible without tearing up the plywood.

cupcake carrier 1

Materials:                                                    

  • 1- 1x2x8 pine board
  • ¼” plywood handy panel
  • ¾” circular wood dowel
  • ¾” square dowel (6′ total)
  • wood glue
  • pencil
  • measuring tape
  • 1 ¼” & 3/4″ finish nails
  • 2 1/8” hole saw
  • ¾” spade bit
  • circular saw, chop saw
  • finish nailer

cupcake tray carrier

 

Cut List:

  • 2 – 1×2 @ 17 3/4” (long sides)
  • 2 – 1×2 @ 14” (short sides)
  • 2 – 1×2 @ 8 ½” (handle supports)
  • 2 – ¾” square dowel @ 17 3/4” (long spacers)
  • 2 – ¾” square dowel @ 12 1/2” (short spacers)
  • 2 – ¼” ply @ 17 ¾” x 12 1/2” (top & base)
  • 1 – ¾” round dowel @ 17 ¼” (handle)

cupcake tray carrier step one

Step 1: Sketch grid as shown above onto one piece of ¼” plywood. The orange portion indicates where to drill 2 1/8” holes using a hole saw.

cupcake carrier draw grid

Step 2: Drill holes using 2 1/8” hole saw.  To make the holes as smooth as possible without much tear out begin drilling on the grid side about 1/8″ down.

cupcake carrier start hole

cupcake tray carrier step two

 

Flip the board over and find the center hole.  *Be sure board is hovering over edge of table.  Place hole saw bit into the center hole and finish drilling the hole.

cupcake carrier hole back

 

cupcake carrier hole complete

The circular plywood piece should pop through to the ground.   Repeat this process for all 24 holes.

cupcake carrier all holes

Sand the edges of the holes smooth.

Step 3: Attach long spacers to long side of top using glue and ¾” finish nails down through top.

cupcake tray carrier step three

 

Step 4: Attach short spacers to short ends using glue and ¾” finish nails.

cupcake tray carrier step four

Then attach base from underside using glue and ¾” finish nails.

cupcake tray carrier base1Step 5: Attach long sides using glue and 1 ¼” finish nails.

cupcake tray carrier step five

Step 6: Attach short sides using glue and 1 ¼” finish nails.

cupcake tray carrier step six

Step 7: Predrill ¾” holes into handle supports near top end, drill only about ½” deep into 1×2. Attach handle supports to tray using glue and 1 ¼” finish nails.

cupcake tray carrier step seven

Step 8: Insert handle in between supports. Glue and attach using 1 ¼” finish nails through ends.

cupcake tray carrier step eight

Fill all holes with wood putty then sand smooth.  Paint your cupcake tray carrier with semi-gloss or gloss finish for easy clean up of any messy frosting!

cupcake carrier 3

Hope you enjoy this fun small build project.

cupcake carrier title

This cupcake holder makes a great party accessory or gift idea too!

Jaime signature~learn more about Jaime~

 

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This DIY cupcake carrier makes the perfect display tray and portable carrier all-in-one, plus a very useful hostess gift too! | DIY cupcake carrier | DIY cupcake tray | Pretty Handy Girl #prettyhandygirl #DIY #cupcaketray

 

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Do you have a new neighbor or know someone who just moved? It’s time to celebrate with them by giving them a housewarming gift caddy! This is an easy gift tote that you can customize to any size you like. Plus, the recipient can use the caddy for storage or display after the gift has been enjoyed.

Before we begin, I need to back up and tell you that this project is part of The Mystery Thrift Off.

#TheMysteryThriftOff is the brainchild of Lindsey from Better After. She chose a handful of people to take part in this challenge. After scouring her local thrift shops for ugly and hopeless items, she shipped off the chosen items to those of us in the challenge. I signed up—because frankly—I love a challenge. And, I love saving ugly items from the landfill. Be sure to see some of the other Mystery Thrift Off transformations at Better After and vote for your favorite.

But, when the box arrived from Lindsey, I was terrified to open it up! I mean what if she had sent me a ceramic scabies bear!  Yikes. You can imagine my relief when I opened the box to reveal this dated Christmas village.

Chalkboard Arrow Sign (Mystery Thrift Off) | Pretty Handy Girl

Not too bad looking is it.? Truth be told, it was falling apart and the colors were hunter green, colonial blue, mauve and fleshy tan.

Chalkboard Arrow Sign (Mystery Thrift Off) | Pretty Handy Girl

I quickly pulled the three houses apart and began to transform them into A Chalkboard Arrow Sign, a Little Playhouse and the Housewarming Gift Caddy I’m going to show you today.

Before I got started, I removed some nails from the house on the right. And then I was ready to get building.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Ready to create your own caddy? Let’s get to it.

Materials:

  • 1″ x 6″ board
  • Wood glue
  • Finish nails
  • 1″ x 1″ square dowel
  • 1/2″ lattice trim (or other decorative trim)
  • 2″ screws
  • Spray primer
  • Paint (used Botanical Home Decor Paint)
  • Craft paint
  • Paintbrushes
  • Patch-plus-primer
  • Putty knife
  • Sandpaper

Instructions:

Cut the 1″ x 6″ into 5 pieces:

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

  • 2 – 6″ x 15″sides
  • 1 – 6″ x 15″ base
  • 2 – 6″ x 11″ front & back pieces with a 45 degree corners cut into the tops

Add a line of glue along the bottom of the front and back of the caddy.  Attach them to the base with finish nails.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Add a line of glue to cut ends of the sides and add a line of glue to the bottom of the sides.  Attach the front to the sides with finish nails. Repeat for the back piece.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Attach the sides by nailing through the bottom and into the sides.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Pre-drill a hole into each end of the 1″ x 1″ square dowel. Attach the square dowel to the top of the front and back pieces with the 2″ screws.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

The completely assembled crate should look like this:

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Spray the caddy with spray primer inside and out.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Paint caddy with a solid color first. (I used a new paint and love the texture and coverage. Botanicals Home Decor Paint in Peony went on smoothly like chalky paints.)

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Use the craft paints to paint details like windows, shutters and a door onto the front of the caddy. If you’re feeling truly artistic, you can paint the back too.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Nail the lattice trim pieces to the sides of the caddy for a little decoration.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Putty all nail holes.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Sand the putty smooth after it has dried. Touch up paint the putty holes.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

Fill your caddy with wine, flowers, food or other goodies to celebrate the new homeowners.

Housewarming Gift Crate | Pretty Handy Girl

The recipient will be tickled pink. Haha, get it, a little pink house?

PHGFancySign

 

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