Almost Happy Halloween!---How do you see in the scariest night of the year MSE style?

cheshirekittycat

Hello all!

I was just pondering the upcoming holidays when my thoughts settled on Halloween. I love a good occasion and I always love to do something to celebrate Halloween. But as I'm being MSE this year I could do with some pointers. So what do you do to celebrate Halloween and make it that bit more special but also stay frugal at the same time?

I can't wait to hear your plans and be inspired.

Thanks in advance.

CheshireKittyCat.

carlamarie_2

Last year we stayed home and I decorated the house (we do every year) the kids got dressed up and we played games all day; apple bobbing, find the bat, turn daddy into a mummy (with some value toilet roll, kids loved that one!) etc. I picked up a couple of Halloween craft sets and spent an hour doing those.
whenever anyone knocked at the door we shouted for them to wait a minute and the kids snuck out the back way to scare them.
we made a load of party food for both dinner and tea. Later on we watched the witches before bed with munchies

I can honestly say it was our best Halloween yet. Was fun fromthe minute we got up to going to bed.

cheshirekittycat

That sounds awesome, and very fun!

I need to start planning some cheap/homemade decorations, thinking of some games to play and some movies to watch.

Did you make your own decorations?

carlamarie_2

Most were bought, I've had them a few years now, mainly from pounds hop and ho e bargains. But in the run up to the day the kids made a coup,e of simple things.
Easiest was some spiders, scrunch newspaper in a ball, cut a bin liner down to size and wrap around the newspaper, tape at the bottom. Tape some pipe cleaners underneath for legs and stick some googly eyes on or make some from paper and glue. These can be hanging by adding some string/cotton. Ours was dotted around on the picture frames, on the mirror, tops of doors etc.

The kids drew and coloured pictures of monsters, ghosts and witches and we made cardboard frames which we wrapped with black, purple, orange and green crepe paper and hung up.

I wrote happy Halloween on some lining paper and they painted it and hung in the hallway.

And we made hanging tissue balls (google to understand what im talking about) very easy with tissue paper and pipe cleaners.

And it goes without saying, we did pumpkin carving too!

Im planning on making a pumpkin piñata this year too.

Savvybunny2009

Place an empty bowl on your porch with a sign saying help yourselves to treats

We don't celebrate as such, it's a religious celebration but tends to get lost on kids asking perfect strangers for sweets. I think we will let our daughter dress up in in a cute and clever costume - not the boring old witch or clich! monster ones though, find some crafts to incorporate autumn, I quite like some of the pumpkin ideas on Pinterest, they are really lovely, detailed and not focused so much around death and doom lol http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=pumpkin%20idea


Might do 'jack-o lantern' quesadillas with pumpkin soup for tea <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/40884309086769512/&quot; target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http:/%

PoppyGirl

Sit in the house with curtains closed, all lights and tv off reading a book with a torch!?

Sorry, I know it's only me who be bothered with it all!!! When I used to make an event of it - I used to put a green lightbulb in the hall. I think I painted a plain lightbulb, but sorry can't remember what type of paint I used. Could perhaps work with green cello or tissue paper over it too - you'd just be careful about fire hazard. Not sure also how it would work with 'new' style energy bulbs! It's a cheap way to instantly make a spooky glow without need for many other decorations. HTH

cheshirekittycat

Thanks for your replies everyone! You're all awesome.

Carlamarie- I love those decorations, cheap and cheerful-goes to show you can have fun and celebrate on a budget!

Savvybunny-I know what you mean as far as the meaning of it getting lost wih a lot of people these days. I'm all for having fun but some teens use it to just threaten people for goodies and mostly money and that does ruin it. I just love it as to me it's the way I see in the colder seasons which I LOVE!!! I am definitely going to check out pinterest.

Poppygirl- thanks to you I will now be attempting to colour my lightbulbs this year. :cool:

Oohh the excitement!!

CheshireKittyCat.

moneysavingmumofone

Last year we were on holiday and went to Tutbury castle in Staffordshire which had an event on. We'll be on holiday again this year but in Skegness, just checked and the Church farm village and museum will have an event on like I had hoped. http://churchfarmvillage.org.uk/halloween-village-damned/ If we're not away we go to my mums and the kids dress up (me too!) and play games and hand out the sweets to trick or treaters. x

mrsgreenwood_2

i LOVE halloween too! weve just bought one of those 6ft animated butlers. its really good! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANeTLaEPRNM

im thinking of buying a Mannequin and dressing it up as ghost face from scream or something aswell.

i usually buy loads of pumpkins and carve them all a couple of days before. we got loads of ideas from pinterest last year. we drilled holes in one of them and put a coloured led light in, that looked good!



also got some of that black pond liner stuff and drew a witch & cauldron silhouette to stick in window.

this year im thinking of buying some glow stick bracelets to hand out aswell as sweets.

cheshirekittycat

Hi All!

I am loving all the ideas!

mumofone it's fab that you still celebrate even though you're away. It must be awesome to just be able to turn up and enjoy the festivities.

mrsgreenwood I absolutely love the pumpkins! I usually only do one but am hoping to do a few more this year! Do you buy your pumpkins from a market stall, a supermarket, or somewhere else? I never seem to pick great ones and they never seem to last long.

CheshireKittyCat.

MrsChristmas

Hi CheshireKittyCat I also love a good holiday occasion & get almost as excited about Halloween as I do Christmas.... if only we could throw in Thanksgiving too :rotfl:I love the way the Americans embrace these holidays & their decorations.

My children are older now but we used to hold parties for the neighbourhood kids & school friends..."the make a mummy out of toilet roll game" always went down a treat & we'd hold a best fancy dress competition. Off the top of my head, party food included dead mans fingers (carrot with an almond for a finger nail) to be used in dips, Bats brains (popcorn!), Witches brew (Cherryade)

I love your pumpkins mrsgreenwood and the battery operated candle is a fab idea as my tealights always blow out! I also love (and will be stealing your idea ) of adding glowsticks to the treat bowl this year.

Last year I made a haunted gingerbread house using sugar glue instead of royal icing. This was not a success as the sugar burnt & I burnt my fingers .. ALOT ... but it looked good & was practice for my Christmas gingerbread house. If anyone has any ideas on a 'glue' to hold a Halloween house together, I'd be very grateful.

No plans for a house party this year probably just dress the kids up for trick or treating & watch a Tim Burton movie with some 'bat brains'!!! but nevertheless our Halloween preparations are well under way having received the yankee candle candy corn & witches brew tealights through the post yesterday. Brought some glass see-through sweet barrels from store 21 (they were buy one get one free) last week too and am trying to think of a cheaper way to fill them in black & orange autumn halloweenie colours. These will change to red & green colours come Christmas.

Love reading all your ideas & pictures X