Boo-for One Halloween Kids Crafts

Tonight I'm giving you all a boo-for one of children's Halloween crafts (AKA two-for one). Since Halloween is now less than a week away, we are doubling up on our crafts, especially if they are small in nature. The two crafts I'm highlighting tonight are super easy and the kids had a blast! Links to BOTH free printables will be listed!

Tonight's boo-for one crafts are:
Pose-able Hanging Skeleton

Halloween Color Fun Mobile

Like all of my blogs, my biggest tip is to put your own spin on it and have lots of fun! Watch those babies of yours grin and laugh as they get crafty!

First up is the Pose-able Hanging Skeleton
Supplies:
Free printable (listed below)
Scissors
Brads
Cord/String

I searched Google to find the perfect DIY skeleton printable. I found a lot of cute ones but the one I ended up choosing was the perfect fit for my kids! Not only that, her blog is amazing and has a lot of great ideas so please click below, check it out and sign up!

http://www.printables4mom.com/2016/10/04/9-printable-skeleton-crafts/

Once you have however many copies you want for your kiddos printed, start cutting!

You can let them cut them or cut them yourself. Tonight they were wanting me to cut them because they were worried they would mess them up (as if!). I especially love that this printable had dotted lines around the skeleton to make it MUCH easier to cut!

ADVICE: This may sound strange but it's true! Have several different pairs of scissors in your home! Dedicate one for paper, one for fabric, one for kitchen necessities, one for everything else and several safety scissors for you young kids! When it comes to cutting paper especially, dull or nicked scissors will rip the paper in all sorts of horrifying ways!

Once you have your skeleton(s) pieces all cut out, hand them out to the kids! I gave them each just a pile of bones for them to figure out what goes where. (I opted the two year old out of this one because she was more into snack time and watching the older ones even though, I would have LOVED to see how she put this together! Maybe for another day!)

I honestly expected my oldest to go crazy wonky with this and put bones in incorrect order on purpose BUT he put them exactly where they should go.

We used brads for ours (you can use whatever you want/have to connect the pieces) but, the reason I chose brads was 1) I had tons from previous projects and 2) they allowed the skeleton to be better posed as much as they wanted!

I had the kids make their own holes by poking the back of the brads through the paper to connect the joints. For younger kids, you can always use a pencil to pre-poke the holes for them!

Then, sit back and watch the magic unfold!

These two had the best time taking extra brads to decorate them and make them sing/dance/play when they were finished!

When everyone is satisfied with their work, punch holes in the head (I used a hole punch for that part), thread some string through it and hang it! We chose our beloved Halloween tree to hang them on for a perfect touch. Then let your kids pose them exactly as they want and take pictures!

The oldest chose to give him a "beard" & eyes:

While my little princess made hers into a girl with a necklace & posed her to match!

Ooooooh! Spooky easy craft!!!

Our final craft for the day was the Halloween Color Fun Mobile.

This free printable was provided by the awesome site:
https://www.firstpalette.com/tool_box/printables/halloween.html

We started this one by simply printing the pictures (comes with two), cutting them out and then busting out the markers!

You can use any coloring staple you have! I chose the Crayola washable fat markers to make it easier on my two year old but any will do!

As any of you parents with toddlers know, their attention stays on something for two minutes if you are lucky! I could have gone over her coloring to make it more extensive but...WHY?! THAT'S exactly what she wanted hers to look like and that's FINE BY ME! Creativity is key! Let them have fun!

Now, for my older girl, she was determined to have them perfect with perfect colors! Her choice!

Once the children were satisfied with their coloring of choice, I took over cutting the characters out. (Again, you can let them cut them out with safety scissors of course but I took over tonight!)
Once your pieces are cut, punch holes in them (chose a simple hole punch again), thread them with string and if you are like me, send the teenager outside to find a stick!

I was pleased, he chose a perfect stick to hang the girls masterpieces on!

There is no set instructions for the final part. Hang them however you like! Hang them on a tree, hang them from a chandelier, tape them to the door, tape/hang them in a window, or choose a rustic stick and hang them like we did!

I simply tied them onto the stick then hung the mobile from the ceiling! Done! And the kids LOVE seeing it to the entrance of the kitchen!

When all was said and done, we had an awesome afternoon/evening laughing, smiling & crafting. Everyone was involved in different ways and I loved the time with them!

Have fun, Happy Halloween & have a Boo-tiful full moon night!!!

{Sarah B}

Smell Like Fall! (DIY SIMMER POT)

I don't know of a single person who doesn't like fall smells! (If you are one of those...go to another blog!) Pretty much any kind of autumn smell that you can think of, I like. So, naturally I've been doing the simmer pot trend for a few years now. Most of the ingredients I usually have on hand, besides oranges and apples...those don't last long in my house.

Now, if you are like me you have probably seen, searched, or even tried simmer pot recipes from the internet and, probably unlike me you've had great success. As for me, it's been a lot of trial and error so I'm finally going to break down the simmer pot tribulations so (hopefully) you don't have the smell of burning fruit throughout your home!

DIY FALL/AUTUMN SIMMER POT INSTRUCTIONS:

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 Oranges
1-2 Apples
Cinnamon Sticks
Cinnamon Powder
Whole Cloves
Nutmeg
Orange Peel
(optional: chamomile & echinacea purpurea (aka purple cone flower) herb)

I'm sure you are wondering why some of the following ingredients are on the list above. I will explain that shortly. But first, grab a big pot (or slow cooker as I did this go round).

For me, I've done & tried this fall simmer pot on the stove with a small pot, a medium pot and even a big pot. There are a few reasons I didn't like any of them:
1) it costs more for me to run my stove top than it does to run my slow cooker
2) the water evaporates much faster on the stove top
3) the chance of burning your concoction is way higher (done that...it stinks to high heaven...trust me!)

Of course, you can choose whichever way you want but I do recommend staying close by if you are using a stove top method!

Once you have your heater of choice, slice the orange(s) and apple(s). I only used one of each for mine which works great!

Once you have sliced everything, place into your pot.

Next dump, sprinkle, dust your extra ingredients into the pot.

I LOVE the smell of cinnamon so on top of the 6-8 cinnamon sticks I threw in the pot, I also sprinkled a bunch of cinnamon powder into the pot as well (I even added extra after the first hour). This part will be all up to you depending on which smells you like best! I also added orange peel to mine for extra oomph as well as nutmeg, ginger & chamomile flowers.

Chamomile?! I know, I know. It's strange but, chamomile flowers are known to boost happiness and calmness so why not throw that in there? (FYI: it doesn't change the smell of your mixture)


Also, if it's cold and flu season (which seems like every season is now!) you can throw in some Echinacea Purpurea herb which is good helping your body fight off colds and flu's. Again, won't change the smell of your pot but will release the natural goodness through your home.

I'm a firm believer in natural oils and herbs helping your body and spirit. You can 100% omit this BUT if you do care to try it, they can be found on Amazon!

Once you have everything that you want in your pot, add water.

Most posts I've seen say add water just until it's on top of the ingredients but let me tell ya....these suckers float! So nix that idea. Instead pour water until they are gently floating (you can always add more later if you want).

Final step, turn on your stove or like me your crock pot!

It takes about 20-30 minutes to really start smelling everything as they heat up but it is WELL worth the wait!

For crock pots: use the high setting without the lid.
(I tried "warm" and "low" to no avail. The smell wasn't strong at all)

For stove top: use medium to low/medium setting or you will be boiling and burning your fruit!

My crock pot concoction on High lasted 7 hours! (no extra water needed) But similar simmer pots on the stove lasted 2-3 hours before I had to add more water.

Depending on if you are using it just as a rainy day smell good or for a party, you can decide how long you would like to simmer it.

Sit back, read a good spooky book and enjoy the smells of the season!!!

*ADDED: If you would like to know how to make the book knife rack in the background, stay tuned!)

Happy Fall! Until next time,

{Sarah B}

DIY Craft Sticks Haunted Halloween House

Ah, the crisp cool air, the leaves changing colors, the demonic losers (cough) I mean mosquitoes are dying off, the pumpkins everywhere, the smells that tickle your nose and of course...pumpkin spice everything.

IT'S FALL Y'ALL!

And you know what that means?

Only my FAVORITE time of the year!

HALLOWEEN!

Every year our family painstakingly plans out our decoration blueprint for the yard, decorates the interior of the home and spends hours decorating our pumpkins (sometimes not too happily as we bite off more than we can chew) but, this year I decided to make this awesome time of the year a little more fun!

As a stay at home mom of three kids (14 yrs, 7 yrs, & 2 yrs old) & a military wife, I am constantly trying to find ways to keep them entertained and have fun together as a family instead of us going to separate rooms with whatever device. This becomes especially hard during deployments but thankfully this year, the hubby is home so we are taking full advantage while we can!
I have been scanning through Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest to find some fun and easy crafts for the kids but as I'm sure many of you know, I have to put my own spin on things and encourage the kids to do the same. Normal/fitting in is boring! Have fun with anything I post and I beg that each and everyone of you get the creative juices flowing and ENJOY your crafting time!

I have been trying to do at least two small crafts a week with the kids this month and they have enjoyed them all so much that I hope to continue this trend through fall, Thanksgiving & Christmas. But for now we will focus on Halloween crafts. I will be posting all of the fun crafts we have done and will do so, keep checking in for new blog posts!

BUT today, I am going to post my how-to for the first craft stick (aka popsicle stick) house that I've done!

*NOTE: It's super fun but also time consuming and I built this over a few days so have patience with this one. This one is more for adults but the kids can get involved as you see fit & depending on ages!

DIY CRAFT STICKS HAUNTED HALLOWEEN HOUSE INSTRUCTIONS

SUPPLIES:
A lot of craft sticks (details below)
Paint (colors of your choosing)
Diagonal Cutters
Elmer's Glue
Hot Glue Gun/Glue Sticks
Battery Operated Tealight
Fake Spider Webbing
Decorations of your choice


When I first saw a cute little haunted house like this on Pinterest, it came with no instructions, no dimensions of any kind. I had to just guess on all of it but, once I started building it I saw why. I believe that the whole purpose of this project is to do your own thing! If it's crooked, that's cool. If it's lopsided, awesome. If the walls don't line up, the windows are wonky and the painting is shotty at best...EVEN BETTER! It's a HAUNTED HOUSE. It's should be crazy and spooky!

I had a lot of craft stick crafts in mind for this season and the next so I did my research and settled on Michael's craft store to purchase my sticks. I'm talking $10 tops for hundreds of them in a nice big box! Plus, I have to give it to Michael's, if you sign up (free of course) for their app (also free) you get coupons every week! Trust me, they help. Now, as a military wife I can get a military discount from there BUT the coupons highly outweigh the discount so nix it on your next visit. You can even use the app to search for the item you want and find which isle it is on! Awesome job Michael's!

Now, I have to say the first step to starting this project is to plan out your FIRST wall. I suggest that be the front wall. Line your sticks up however long and tall you would like for your house to be and carefully draw where your window and door will go. I used a pen to roughly draw out the window and door but you can use a pencil, marker, whatever you like.

Once you have your rough draft in mind, you can begin to cut the pieces to allow for your door and window. This is where it gets tricky (and also fun!). I tried all kinds of tricks to cut my sticks including scouring it with an exacto-knife then breaking, scissors, knives, etc. and all of them sucked...big time. I began to get so frustrated that I did a Google search to find the best way to cut these dern little things and BEHOLD! The diagonal cutters!

My husband happened to be home at the time and has all kinds of tools so I shouted across the house, "DO YOU HAVE ANY.....UM.....WHAT ARE THESE THINGS CALLED....DIAGONAL CUTTERS?!" And bam, he actually did. What a genius idea btw!!! Worked like a charm! Well, except for the poor kids sitting across from me at the table doing homework as I began to cut and pieces went flying off in all different directions! I learned FINALLY at the end of the craft to hold each end to stop the flying wooden pieces of death. (JK...they weren't THAT bad)

After you get that first wall figured out, do the same for the back wall. You can put a window in like I did or don't, up to you! Just try to measure it the same. Then the side walls. Do your own thing! Don't follow mine (unless you really want to...I messed up a lot!) and have fun.

Next step is GLUE GLUE GLUE! Now, I find the Elmer's Glue (either school glue or glue all) is the best at cementing the wooden sticks together for the walls. Place several sticks on the back with glue to make sure those walls aren't going to crumble down like the three little pigs!

Once you have all of your walls glued together, use one of your front walls to measure how long the roof should be. Go about two/three sticks wider on each side for your roof. Can't stress this enough, use your imagination! Create two separate roof panels that you can glue in a peak when done.

I suggest you let the Elmer's glue do it's 'thang over night. Don't rush this process or it will all fall apart on you. Put it to the side, have a nice dinner or movie (or both!) and come back tomorrow.

Once everything is dry and solid, you can begin to build your house.

Sorry Elmer's....this one is for the hot glue gun!

Hot glue is way better at quickly binding the corners of your building together. Start with one corner at a time. Glue the crap out of that thing!! But on the inside of course. A haunted house would look cool with all of the seeping glue and stringy web looking stuff from the hot glue on the outside but this is good practice for later projects!

Once you have your four walls up and glued, then just simply figure out where your roof will join. Do one side at a time & join at the top in the middle. Trust me, it's easier than you are thinking.

One of the last steps to do for the craft sticks is (if you wish) to cut & glue the window/door trim and a little something extra to the roof. If you notice in my unfinished pictures, I attempted to close in the triangular gap between the roof and the walls by cutting more pieces diagonally and gluing them in place. This got tedious and very hard so I stopped. (I found out later how to fix that issue but that's for another post and another house!)

And voila! There's your haunted house!

Your final steps are to paint it all of course (first). Let that dry (at least a day depending on which paints you use...I won't give a recommendation on the paints because I used two different kinds (different colors too) but I suggest acrylic watered down a bit to make it easier to spread.

Finally, the FUN part! Decorations!!!

All of the decorations on my house came from the Dollar Tree! Yep! The everything's $1 store! So many people tend to forget them but they have the best cheap, fun stuff! (Um...even wine glasses!)

For my vampire: he was cut out from treat bags (set of four!). The skulls, spider & bats: rings! (bag of lord...however many!) The spider webs..well...duh. And the purple bat tray...yep...Dollar Tree! Even the battery operated tea lights (2 for $1). The only thing not used in the decorations was the orange puffing which I had bought from Michael's and hadn't used yet.

My favorite part of all was turning the lights off and watching the flickering candle light come through everything! (FYI: DON'T GLUE THE HOUSE DOWN! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TURN THE LIGHT ON AND OFF!)

After all is said and done, BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU MADE!

Happy Haunting & HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

{Sarah B}