Halloween Archives - Pretty Handy Girl

arts and craft, Birthday Gift, decor, Decorating, Halloween, Halloween decorating, party

11 Contactless Halloween Trick or Treat Ideas

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Door Decor

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

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.

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).

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.

October 16, 2020/0 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Build It, Decorating, Furniture, Halloween, Halloween decorating, kreg jig

DIY Spider Stool

Halloween is lurking around the corner like a stray black cat. Luckily I’m here with the perfect project for Halloween that will use up some of your scrap wood pieces. Let’s make a DIY Spider Stool!

DIY Spider Stool

I have a spooky little spider project today being that Halloween is on the horizon. I’m Jaime from JaimeCostiglio.com and I’m here to show you how to build this cute little spider stool.

We all know Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, when along came a spider —but, this time we’ll turn that nursery rhyme on its head. Let’s sit on that spider instead! This little stool is perfect for adding some themed decor to your kid’s playroom or a great spot to rest the treats near the front door on Halloween. This spider stool is fairly simple to make and although most spiders have eight legs this one only has six. Shhh, don’t tell anyone. If you truly have an aversion to spiders, you can always paint the body red with black spots and it would make a cute little ladybug stool.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

1 – 2″ x 12″ cut to 16″ long scrap wood (spider body)
2 – 2″ x 2″ x 6″ board (legs)
tape measure
pencil
jigsaw
miter saw
wood glue
pocket hole jig
2 ½” pocket hole screws
2 – 1″ circular dowel pieces cut to 1/2″ long (eyes if desired)
black spray paint

Instructions:

Step 1: Sketch the spider body shape on the 2×12. You can draw a large oval for the body and trace a drink glass or can for the head. The full length of the body and head equals 16″. The width is 11 ¼”.

Step 2: Use a jigsaw to cut out the spider body. Go very slow through the 1 ½” thick material and flip over to refine your cut if necessary.

Step 3: Cut 6 legs with 5-degree bevel at both ends, parallel measuring 17″ from end to end.

Layout the legs on the underside of the body inset 1/2″ from the edge.

Apply wood glue to the top of each leg and attach legs using 2 ½” pocket hole screws.

Step 4: Sand the stool, then finish with black spray paint.

For an extra spooky factor paint 1″ circular dowel pieces bright red and glue onto the head portion.

Hope you enjoyed this fun spider stool project! If you have more scrap wood, why not make some more spider friends or insect friends for your DIY Spider Stool!

Hi, I’m Jaime and I write JaimeCostiglio.com, a DIY project focused blog with an emphasis on building, painting and sewing. All my life I’ve been painting, drawing, crafting and making things. I grew up in Minnesota and then majored in Studio Arts at a liberal arts college on the East Coast. While there, I worked in the costume shop for the theater department, met my now husband of 18 years and then went on to work for an interior design firm in New York City. We have 3 young children and now that they are all school age I have shifted my focus to do what I love – build, paint and sew. The real turning point came when we renovated our kitchen in the summer of 2010. One project led to another and I started blogging about all my projects one by one which has ultimately led to a small business.

My goal with each project is to work smart, efficient and economical. I love a good challenge whether it be designing a build to fit the space (entry locker unit), solving a logistical solution (portable lego tray), constructing a craft using unconventional supplies (plastic tablecloth rosette garland) or just a simple makeover with paint (front door makeover). And I firmly believe you can do it too which is why write a majority of my posts as tutorials in an effort to share my experience with readers.

You can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.

Read all of Jaime’s Pretty Handy Tutorials.

Pin for later!

If you liked this tutorial, you’ll probably also love these cute little DIY toddler stools:

September 28, 2020/3 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio

Crafts, Halloween

Spooky Spider Halloween Sign

This black and silver Halloween sign is a spooky way to decorate for the holiday.

Spooky Spider Halloween Sign

Hi there, Pretty Handy Girl readers! I’m Vineta from The Handyman’s Daughter, back with another tutorial for you! This time, I’m making a spooky spider Halloween sign to coordinate with the rest of my black and silver Halloween decorations.

I love making signs out of scrap wood because a) they’re free and b) it whittles down my enormous scrap pile! You may have seen this teacher sign I posted here a few months ago. My personal favorite is the Let it Snow sign I created for my winter mantel.

Creating a three dimensional element to a sign really makes it pop! I’m adding plastic spiders to this Halloween sign for a similar effect. Nothing creeps me out more than a dangling spider!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Scrap plywood
Drill
3″ hole saw attachment (or a jigsaw)
Black and silver paint
Plastic spiders
Fishing line
Hot glue gun

How to Make a Spooky Spider Halloween Sign

Measure the size of your plastic spiders. Mine are about 2 1/2″ across. This will determine how big a hole you need to make.

The spiders will dangle in the center of the holes, so words like BOO or SPOOKY will work best for this Halloween sign. You can create a design using a Silhouette or Cricut machine (this is the file I used), or use a simple letter stencil.

Mark the center of the O with a small drill bit.

Place the bit of a 3″ hole saw on the mark and cut a circle all the way through the plywood. Sand all the edges smooth.

Paint the entire board including the inside of the holes black.

Apply the stencil to the board, centering the O’s over the holes.

I decided to try this silver paint marker instead of regular paint to see if it helped prevent bleeding under the stencil.

Unfortunately, I still needed to touch up a few spots with a flat bristled artist brush. Sigh.

Time to add the spiders! Use a hot glue gun to attach a strand of fishing line to the back of the spiders. I had this fishing line left over from creating my kokedama, and it just happened to be the SpiderWire brand. How fitting!

Center the spiders in the holes, and attach the other end of the fishing line to the back of the Halloween sign. I also hot glued the top ends of the spider legs to the top of the O’s to keep them from twisting on the line.

I added another spider to the front of the sign with hot glue. Now it’s ready to join the rest of the Halloween decor on our newly remodeled mantel!

I’m not a huge fan of orange, so most of our Halloween decor is silver and black. This Halloween sign fits right in!

Have a happy Halloween!

~ view more of Vineta’s projects ~

Did you like this project? If so, I know you’re going to go crazy over these DIY Spider Stools:

October 4, 2017/2 Comments/by Vineta Jackson

accessories, arts and craft, Crafts, decor, Door, Halloween, Halloween decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, wreath

Halloween Canvas Door Decor

Today I have a special guest rockstar for you! Kim is here to show you how to whip up the quickest Canvas Halloween Door Decor.

Kim is the creative goddess behind Today’s Creative Life. She truly has an eye for the awesome. I mean have you seen her bathroom makeover for $110?

She effortlessly pairs colors and textures together in the blink of an eye. Get ready to learn how to make holiday decor as quick as a guitar riff.

Welcome Kim, our next Rockstar to take the stage!

Hello Pretty Handy Girl readers! I’m thrilled to be hanging out at Brittany’s place today sharing a quick and original way to decorate for Halloween with this DIY Halloween Canvas Door Decor.

DIY Halloween Canvas Door Decor

If you follow Today’s Creative Life (formally Today’s Creative Blog), then you know I’m not talented like Brittany in the ways of building, but I sure do love me some quick and easy ways to bring more creativity to my home!

I share DIY Decor, DIY Projects and Recipes for families. You’ll find easy to follow tutorials for bringing creativity to your home and a lot more for holidays!

I’m always looking for something a little out of the ordinary for decorating my door for Halloween. Sure, I could just slap a wreath on the door and call it good, but that would be way to sensible.

Last year, I created a fun Halloween wreath from a ceiling medallion.

I love the way it turned out and may use it for my Halloween mantel this year.

This year, my ideas kept coming back to using fabric or canvas somehow. My first idea was to use Iron On Transfers with the fabric from a drop cloth and then, I remembered I had some printable cotton canvas that was printer ready.

Materials:

Printable Graphic (I used The Graphics Fairy)
Printable Cotton Canvas
Ribbon
Stick
Paper hole punch
Paper Trimmer

Instructions:

1. I found and downloaded the image I wanted from The Graphics Fairy, as I do for all my iron on transfer projects. She has just about any image you’d ever want for any time of year. Such a great resource.

2. I used PicMonkey to create the text and frame, but any photo editing tool would work. Of course you could just print the image only and keep it really simple.

3. I printed it on printable cotton canvas. This particular paper ended up having a self adhesive backing, so I just left the protective paper backing in place.

4. Using a paper trimmer, I trimmed the bottom.

5. I punched a hole in each upper corner with a paper hole punch.

6. I tied a coordinating ribbon to a stick from the yard (actually I broke it off my lilac bush) and called it good!

After I got it hung up and looked at it for a day or so, I think I may try to age it a bit for an older distressed look. You can do that easily by brushing on brewed tea and lying it out to dry.

I like the way it looks. It’s original and can be used anywhere in the house. The possibilities are plenty!

Here’s more creative Halloween ideas from Today’s Creative Life.

DIY Halloween Table Decor

DIY Halloween Terrarium

Simple Halloween Decor

Are you running off to make your own Halloween decor now? Me too! I hope you are enjoying the Rockstar DIY series and are ready for more talent next week.

October 9, 2015/4 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, bat silhouettes, Crafts, Decorating, elmer's glue, gifts, Halloween, Halloween decorating, kids art, Recycling Box, silhouette, spider silhouettes, Sponsor Spotlight, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling

Trick or Treat Bags Using Elmer’s #GlueNGlitter and Recyclables

My kids like to raid our recycling bin. They make the most imaginative things out of milk jugs, strawberry pints and toilet paper rolls. In fact, my five year old has been making his own Halloween costume from paper bags and tape. So, when #CollectiveBias sent out a challenge to make trick or treat bags with Elmer’s Craft Bond Glue Spots and Elmer’s Foam Board, I knew right where to head for supplies: Walmart AND the recycling bin! I hereby invite you to join me (and my escort) as we gather the supplies for this project.

Materials:

Paper grocery bag
Newspapers (look for black and white with lots of text (fewer pictures)
Elmer’s Craft Bond Spray Adhesive
Clear packing tape
Elmer’s Foam Board (White and Orange)
Black posterboard
Elmer’s Craft Bond Glue Spots (pop-up medium)
Elmer’s Glue-All Multi-purpose Glue
Scissors
X-acto knife (with a new blade)
Cutting board or surface
Metal edged ruler
Grommet and Grommet kit
Hammer
Sharpie pen
Men’s old t-shirt (rope or ribbon)
Googley eyes
Pom-poms
Other craft supplies
Large letter printed out on letter-sized paper (first initial of your child’s name. I used Garamond Bold.)

Instructions:

Start by removing the handles from the paper grocery bag and then cuff the top of the bag by rolling it under two times.

Pick out two sheets of newspaper (I used the obituaries. Truly Halloweeny don’t you think?!) and bring the paper bag and newspapers outside and spray them with spray adhesive.

It is important to wrap the paper bag with the newspapers as soon as possible for a maximum bond.

Wrap the bag neatly like a present with the newspaper. Use clear packing tape to tack any loose edges down. Also add a strip of packing tape to the inside of the bag cuff for extra support for the handle (should your child bring home pounds of candy!)

Take out your sharpie pen and draw lines in a spiderweb pattern on the bag.

Set the bag aside and collect the orange foam board, x-acto knife (with a fresh blade), pencil and the letter print out.

Set the letter on top of the foam board. I usually line the edge of the letter up with the edge of the foam board for less material waste.

Press firmly with the pencil as you trace around the letter. When you remove the print out you should see an indented outline.

Using the x-acto knife, cut out your letter shape. Use a metal ruler to cut straight lines. If your knife starts to tug and pull at the foam board, put a new blade in.

Clean up any ragged edges with the x-acto knife.

Use a few Elmer’s Craft Bond glue spots to affix the Elmer’s foam board letter to the bag.

To create a little spider, glue two pom-poms together with another glue spot. If you have black twisty-ties you are good to go ~~aren’t you special, you don’t have to color them~~. (I only had white ties so I colored them with the black sharpie.) Wrap four twisty-ties around the middle to create the spider’s eight legs.

Use another glue spot to glue the spider to the bag.

Print out a bat silhouette downloadable template and layer it on top of black poster board. Cut out a few bat silhouettes.

Use a glue spot on the center of each bat to glue them to the bag. Fold the bats wings up for more dimensional interest.

Add stickers (or pre-punched paint chip stars using Elmer’s Glue-All multi-purpose glue) to the bag.

I incourage you to decorate your bag anyway you like. Bust out your craft supplies for inspiration.

If spiders and bats aren’t your thing. How about spooks and spirits?

To add the handles, follow the directions on your grommet kit. 1. Punch a hole in the bag at the top of the bag using a hole punch. 2. Insert a long grommet through the hole. Lay a short grommet on top. 3. Hammer the grommets together using the metal rod tool that came with the grommet kit.

Cut off the sleeves from a t-shirt. Cut two 2.5 – 3″ wide strips. Then stretch the sleeve loop in opposite directions. This will make the shirt material roll.

After you have stretched and rolled the sleeve loops, cut them at the seam. Then thread each end through the grommets on the bag and tie a double knot on the inside of the bag.

Now gather up your little trick-or-treater and give him this unique candy collection bag! My sons’ had the biggest smiles on their faces. Definitely worth the effort to make these bags.

This eency weency spider is my favorite!

Way more personalized than these generic plastic pumpkins, don’t you think?!

Which one is your favorite? I can’t decide, because I love them equally as much. Spook or Spider?

Eeeeeekkk, we can hardly wait for October 31st!

Disclosure: This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer’s #gluenglitter #CollectiveBias #CBias. The ideas and opinions shared in this post are purely my own from my own crazy creative head.

Follow up: Well, my youngest loves his bag so much that he told me, “Mom, we should decorate every side with a different holiday.” And that is exactly what he did today during quiet time. I just want to stop time and keep him five forever!

October 14, 2011/29 Comments/by Brittany Bailey