This is Halloween

Is it just me, or is October CrAzY busy?

After  Fall break, the deer hunt, a ward party, 3 Halloween parties & the usual Halloween day festivities, I need a nap!!!

 

And since things weren't crazy enough, I decided to whip out a few spooky crafts.

 

I love me some cute mummies!

There are tons of cute versions of these little guys.

I started with the guy on the left.

I followed the instructions here: Mummy Jars

 

First off, it's kind of difficult to find the sheer gauze.

When I opened the package, I knew this was not the right stuff. I dug through my first aid kit & found some of the sheer gauze (looks more like cheesecloth) but it would need to be cut into strips...so I decided to go ahead with the gauze I bought. He kind of looks more like a ghost than a mummy.

I also don't like the mod-podge on this one.

Still, he's cute enough.

 

 I rummaged around trying to find something else to use. Everything else I had would have to be cut into strips, which I wasn't keen spending time doing. Then I remembered I have a box full of muslin strips from last year's Mummy project!

I tied 3 strips together and started wrapping the jar. I used hot glue to attach the beginning & end of the muslin on the jar, and placed a few strategic drops to hold everything in place.

Perfect! Quick, easy and so cute!

And look how cute he is all lit up!

(I used a battery operated tea light)

I made 3 of these guys.

 (Tabletop Centerpiece, my favorite decor this year)

 

 I might have a hard time putting him away!

 

I've also been making these candles.

Paper towel rolls, people!

These are fun to make!

I've made 10 so far and have 6 more to do (but not before Halloween!)

I went really drippy with mine. I think I went through 50 glue sticks!

 

I'd like to introduce you to a new blog friend:

House of Dewberry

Check out her awesome tutorials for making these candles.

And while you're there, check out some of her other fabulous, crafty ideas.

Make sure you visit her other site too:

Collettes Treasures

 

My notes on the candles:

*I didn't do the masking tape "sling" to hold the tea light. Mostly because I couldn't find my masking tape!  I stuffed some newspaper in the top of each roll & that holds the tea light just fine.

 

*I spray painted my candles. I still need to do the dry brushing too. That will give them some added dimension.

 

*Make sure you don't drip glue on the inside of the roll. I did on a couple of mine & it's a pretty tight squeeze to get the tea light nestled in the roll. In fact, one of them I have to put the tea light up through the bottom, which is a pain in the patootie! :)

 

*My candle heights are:

10 3/4 " (full paper towel roll)

8 1/2"

6 1/2"

 

I also did a few smaller ones (like the ones with my table centerpiece)

They are

4" (I used a full toilet paper roll)

4 1/4" (the other half of the 6 1/2" roll)

 

These are so fun to use everywhere!

I love the flickering lights~

And I love mostly cutesy Halloween stuff but like a little bit of spooky/macabre too. :)

 

Some other favorite decor this year:

Cheesecloth...everywhere!

Like this so much better than the spiderweb stuff. Plus it's cheap!

 



This cute little witchy owl:

 

Another votive for my flickering lights obsession!

Mini headstones from Dollar Tree~

Now, on to the party details!

Our friends invited us to a Costume party.

I'm not a big fan of dressing up~

This was our first ever costume party...

And since I've had many requests for a picture of our costumes...

Here ya go!

 



(Shane was the photographer, so this is the best picture we have. Doctored up a little bit with picmonkey)

Any guesses to who we are?

My wig freaked the kids out!!!!

I actually bought 3 different wigs (do NOT tell my husband!) trying to find the right one.

 

I took an appetizer to the party~

"Severed Zombie Fingers in a Blood-Red Reduction"

( Little Smokies in the slow cooker w/ a can of jelled cranberry sauce & a bottle of chili sauce).

It was a fun party.

The wig drove me nuts all night

And I didn't wear my glasses so I couldn't see anything,

but other than that, it was a fun party! :)

 

 

I also do a Halloween Dinner for my family every year.

The kids wanted a Mystery Menu dinner again.

For that I served up:

 

A. Witch's Delight on Shoe Leather

B. Skeleton Fingers

C. Raw. Slimy Squid

D. Cyclops Poop

E. Headless Horseman w/ Vampire Teeth

F. Werewolf Guts

G. Jellied Spider Web

H. Zombie Pus

I. Tombstones

J. Ghost Brains

K. Hunchback's Club

L. Coffin Crud

M. Dried Eye of Newt

N. Bones on a Slab

O. Ghostly Apparition

P. Scarab Shells

Q. Scarecrow Stuffing

R. "Thing"

 

Sounds yummy, no?

 

Here's a link to the dessert I served~

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

*I used 1 cup of pecans

And dang, this stuff is good.

Even better the next day~ as in "died and gone to Heaven" better. In fact, I think I'll go sneak the last piece right now!

 

Tonight will be the last "party". Shane's friends will be coming here for dinner before they hit the streets. I'll be serving Mummy Dogs, chips, carrots sticks, celery sticks, dip, deviled eggs & Pomegranate 7-UP. I forgot a dessert, but I don't think they need any more sugar tonight!

 

Now I really need a nap!

 

(Mystery Menu Code Key: A=Pumpkin Crunch Cake, B=Fork, C=Spaghetti Noodles, D=Green Beans, E=Candy Pumpkins w/ Candy Corn, F=Spaghetti Sauce, G=Grated Cheese, H=Ranch Dressing, I=Garlic Bread, J=Whipped Cream, K=Spoon, L=Parmesan Cheese, M=Sunflower Seeds,

N=Symphony Bar w/ a plastic skeleton, O=Napkin, P=Croutons, Q=Salad, R=Fork)

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(Again, with picmonkey!)