Halloween Fun!

It's that time of year again folks, and what a fun time of year it is! Halloween/Samhain is my all time favorite holiday. Why? Because it not only gives me yet another excuse to get creative, but it also gives me free reign to scare the living crap out of someone, or simply make them stop and think a bit as to what they're actually seeing. See, I'm not one of those people who puts out plastic pumpkins and neon lit spider outlined lighting. Nope. I use the real stuff...well, so it would seem. For some reason, the 'real macoy' does a far better job of either creeping someone out completely, or, just making them take one look...get this utterly confused appearance on their faces...and keep on walking (usually as fast as they can without looking like they'd just seen a ghost). See the Capers? Throw a bunch of small Capers into an odd-shaped bottle that's been filled with a light tan colored liquid...instant Eye of Newt. It gets better...

Trips to the Dollar Store can yield some pretty inexpensive, yet creepy, results. Stock up on a bunch of small plastic bats (say, no more than 5 or 6), a bag of plastic spiders (or spider rings), some funky dried fake leaves, perhaps a fake crow (or two..or three..maybe even four)...you get the idea. Got some spare old bottles? Perhaps an old unused set of spice jars? Heck, even a couple of clear glass wine or brandy bottles will work! Put these to use! How? Potion bottles! Simply fill the bottles with various colored waters (range from a very pale yellow to a darker tan or orange), and just plop in some of the fake plastic stuff. Put some creepy looking labels on..voila! Panic attack in a bottle.

Now is also the time you can put some of the Easter stuff to good use as well. Easter eggs come in very handy during Halloween, especially when you dress them up to appear like dragon or dinosaur eggs. Left over plastic Easter grass? Throw it in a small bottle of off-colored water. What is it? Mermaid Hair. Got someone with some techy experience in the house? Rig up the door bell to sound like a loud and deep toned fog horn. If nothing else, it will make your neighbors really think about the type of people they live next door to.

Birthday party supplies can also come in handy, especially glitter. What does glitter turn into when you place it in a jar filled with corn syrup or pale yellow water? Fairy dust! You can also use fake butterfly wings in the same respect and label the jar "Unused Fairy Wings". Got an old beat up doll laying around? Put a noose around it, hang it next to the front door, or off a post lantern, and pin a label on it "Chucky's Last Date". Glow in the dark paints also come in handy. Simply paint some really creepy eyes onto the glass of your front door, or front facing windows. It comes off easily with nothing more than a razor or paint scraper, and does no damage to the glass at all.

Got an old Mr. Potato Head toy somewhere? Create a scared or surprised look on the toy, make the hands facing upwards, and mix it in with some pumpkin innards. Then, carve the pumpkin in a 'sickly' face, with the mouth gaping open. Place the mixed toy and pumpkin innards around and slightly inside the mouth, to make it appear as if the pumpkin had eaten a Mr. Potato Head for dinner, and puked it back up intentionally. Better yet...mess up the toy a bit and make it appear 'partially digested'.

Got those fake crows laying around? Simply clip off the legs and stuff them into a spice jar filled with an eerie blue-ish water. Label the jar "Crow's Feet". Did someone over do things at the pumpkin patch? Have no room for a ton of pumpkins on your stoop? Stack them into a pumpkin totem. Carved out and lit, or not, the stack is an easy space-saving solution, and works well in almost any location! For the 'creepy' effect, get darker colored pumpkins, carve them out, light them up and stack them or place them singularly, in a darker location of your yard that will be seen by visitors.

Halloween is a fun time, and a spooky time. However, it should also be a safe time. A time when children young and old can enjoy the spooky side of life, and have fun with it. All of the above suggestions are for NON-interaction, and display only. Although the contents of each item pose no real health threat for older kids, the younger ones are a bit more curious and are often willing to put almost anything into their mouths. So, to keep it safe...also keep it out of reach of the younger kids. Want something a bit more 'spooky' looking? Get a heavy old black cooking pot, fill it with some odd-colored water and throw in a small bit of dry ice. What happens? POWER FOG! Mind you, this particular bit is not recommended for use indoors, and should be used at households with no smaller children or curious meandering pets.


Don't have a lot of money to spend on creeping people out? No problem! Just take some garden clippers or sharp scissors and talk a walk with a basket. Clip the dead heads off of wild flowers. Grab some small bendy branches. Pick up some bark off the ground that's odd shaped, or 'different'. Peel citrus fruit! Citrus rinds are so much fun to work with, especially since they look like skin when placed in some water.

Need aged looking paper? Simply dip heavy white construction paper in a tray of tea, coffee...or even tobacco. The paper will turn an aged color. To get the 'mottled' or 'water marked' effect, simply use various amounts of pressure to pat dry the paper. Voila! Old, creepy and aged paper. Got an old bit of a chalk board laying around? Hang it next to the front door with "Potions Sold Here" at the top. Then, list a few "potions" you'd sell, with "prices" next to them.

Remember, Halloween is the one time of year we can really get creative. Who knows? Maybe you'll even start a brand new family tradition that will eventually be handed down for generations to come! Above all, have a very blessed and safe Halloween and Samhain!