I’m still amazed that it’s really October! The conversation at our house has pretty much turned to non-stop Halloween topics. Same for you? I keep warning the kids that Halloween is not a big deal in France (and that October 31st falls during a 2-week school break), but they can’t help themselves.
They are daydreaming about throwing a party for their friends. Bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving, maybe a spook house in the barn. Martha’s new book Handmade Holiday Crafts, came in the mail last Friday, so they’ve been taking turns bookmarking their favorite ideas from the Halloween section. Personally, I’m feeling drawn to the glittery projects (skulls, bones and pumpkins). I suppose I’m just looking for an excuse to get my glitter on.
Have you started making Halloween plans? Are you hosting a Halloween party this year?
UPDATE: The good people at Martha Stewart saw this post and want to offer 5 (autographed!) copies of Handmade Holiday Crafts to Design Mom Readers. So this post just turned into a giveaway. Woot! To enter, leave a comment below telling us about your favorite Halloween craft or tradition. The five winners will be announced on Wednesday.
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The winners are Kelly, Rik, M. Peterson, Heather and Janeannechovy. Thanks for playing!
I live in Italy where Halloween isn’t really normally celebrated. But fortunately in my small town there are a few North Americans and Halloween has become a favourite day for even the Italians. Last year we had a group of over 80 kids trick-or-treating through the cobblestone streets. We make the traditional Halloween/fall treats and the locals love it.
An autographed copy?! Ooh, fingers crossed, I hope I win! I love Halloween, but am just relearning Halloween, because my little one is afraid of everything but black cats. Time for a cutesy Halloween. Luckily, edible Halloween treats are my favorite anyway.
We love pumpkins and candy
The kids love decorating the front yard for halloween and we always include the cotton spider webs, it brings everything together.
I love Halloween now that I have a daughter!
Since in Italy we don’t really celebrate Halloween I don’t have a tradition to share… I once carved a pumpkin with my sister (we were not really skilled, we almost got hurt!) and once throw an Halloween party, but my witch fingers were a win!
Pumpkin carving & homemade root beer w/dry ice. :)
When we lived overseas we would have a Halloween party at home with family & a few friends (from U.K., Brazil, or other countries that celebrate Halloween, or who wanted to do it anyway!)–everyone dressed up, danced, played games, ate lots of yummy treats!
I can’t wait to go back and read all the comments to possibly incorporate some new traditions in our family! My favorite Halloween craft–ok, I haven’t done this yet, but when my daughter’s a little older I would love to create a giant spiderweb out of yarn in our living room and have her wake up to find it. Like a maze of her very own.
I love making costumes and baking pumpkin cookies.
My favorite Halloween tradition is a memory: sorting and counting out my candy at the end of the night and then making trades with my siblings.
sitting on the porch drinking martinis with a girlfriend and handing out candy!
We go to a Halloween Party that is has been going for 20 plus years. A friends mother started it when they were small and it has continued every year since. Now we are all bringing our smal children for a fun night of halloween games and goodies.
I am in such a crafty mood these days! Must be fall and all the occasions for which to craft right around the corner. My favorite Halloween tradition was the big candy-swap after trick-or-treating with my siblings. Everyone would dump their loot on the floor and we’d trade favorites, eat as much as our bellies and teeth could stand, and head to bed!
Making homemade soup in the crockpot, carving pumpkins and just getting our house ready for the festivities :-)
We live in a planned community where driving on golf carts is the norm. Our favorite tradition is to take the kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood on the golf carts. It is really fun to have the kids dressed in their costume with the breeze blowing their capes riding on the back of the golf cart. We always are able to get to more houses that way (and more candy!)
I only have 2 younger kids, so right now I’m enjoying making their costume from scratch!
Love Halloween, decorating, treats and all! Our favorite tradition it to meet up with our friends that have kids the same age. We have dinner together, usually soup bowls – then take the kids around the neighborhood! Hope to get some great ideas for Martha, what a fun give away!
I don’t have a favorite craft but I’m more inspired to get one this year since my son is 13 months and will enjoy Halloween this year.
I so need help in this department! We would love this.
I am just beginning to create Halloween traditions with my 20-month-old son. Last year he handed out candy with me on the front porch in costume and we are looking forward to it again. It’s so fun to see all the neighborhood kids and give out treats!
love carving pumpkins because everyone’s turns out so different, some scary, some cute, some just. plain. ugly.
My favorite part of Halloween is going trick or treating with my daughter and seeing all the great costumes as we roam the neighborhood. I also love all the scary movies on TV in October.
Our favorite halloween tradition is trick or treating on The Lawn at the University of Virginia. Its crazy with so many people there, but so so fun to see everyone dressed up!
My favourite thing about Halloween is working with my two girls on their costumes. Every year they seem to get more and more elaborate. So much fun!
One of our favorite traditions is a Halloween dinner complete with black lights and looks like scary food. The kids love it!
My favorite Halloween tradition is watching my husband turn the “witch’s cauldron” filled with dry ice into a science lesson for our trick-or-treaters. :)
Favorite tradition is sitting on the porch with our neighbor, handing out candy to all the neighborhood children, voting on our favorite costumes while drinking apple cider and munching on homemade caramel corn.
We celebrate three different events in our area and get to dress up (sometimes changing the the theme) several times – so much fun!
I put bats all over my kitchen wall! Looks spooky when it’s dark.
My favorite tradition is trick-or-treating at Grandma’s house!
Riding bikes to the pumpkin patch and making costumes are on the top of our Halloween list but most of all we love the gorgeous colors and beautiful weather!
My daughter can’t stop talking about Halloween either :)
Awesome! My favorite halloween tradition is carving pumpkins and then roasting the seeds with a little olive oil and sea salt. Mmmm.
Our favorite traditions include a trip to the pumpkin patch, making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and decorating outside with pumpkin lights and scary decorations!
I love making and creating the costumes each year, my girls love the candy!
The kidlets and I always create fantastical valentines for Daddy. And many, much easier to make valentines for all the friends and family!
Because my kids are still so young (2 and 4), our favorite Halloween craft is decorating small pumpkins. We get out glue, glitter (!), feathers, pom-poms… pretty much anything you can think of, and we let the kids and their friends decorate their little kid-sized pumpkins. They love the whole messy process and since we don’t cut into the pumpkins, they last all month. :)
My mom collects Santa statues and we display them on the mantle every year. We always get them out right after Thanksgiving and I love seeing them every time I walk by!
way cool peeps over at MS! i love creating costumes from scratch! xo
Oh YEAH sign me up for this one! Pick me please Gabby? You never do!
We have a dinner for friends every year with suitably creepy, but delicious food. Thanks for the chance to win.
Hi!
First just want to say that MSL has given me so many great Halloween ideas over the last few years. Nobody does Halloween like Martha ;)
Last year we got our son started early with the Halloween crafting. Since he was only 2 he was too young to carve the pumpkins but he wasn’t too young to paint them! Voila, the splatter paint pumpkins were born :) Also, we made spiders out of colored paper ( I let him glue the googly eyes on) and hung them outside around the porch. Then we added some orange lights! He was so excited to see it all, I think this year we will do the same but invite his friends from preschool to help :) Happy Halloween!
My mom always made my costumes and I will make my daughter’s once she is old enough to tolerate wearing one/imagine her own.
We love choosing costumes together, and then either hosting or attending our annual Playgroup Halloween Party, with the kids my children have known since they were babies. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
Making witch finger cookies from a recipe a dear friend gave me.
i love holiday scenes in cool jars. i have a halloween one now with branches and a raven and spider webs. easy and cheap diy!
We glitter everything we can in black, silver and orange! Makes an impressive centerpiece! cp
We like to have people over to carve pumpkins and enjoy some food and a candy bar!
Taking my boys trick-or-treating with their buds. Just love seeing all of the creativity in those homemade costumes!!
We LOVE Halloween – decorating the house, making special treats, costumes, trick-or-treating – love it all!!