Orange Slice Pumpkins + Halloween Treat Bags

This is not a sponsored post, but I was given amazing craft products to share with you!

It's almost time for the big day!  Are you ready for Halloween?  Today I want to share with you a quick and easy little edible pumpkin that's made out of orange slices and watermelon sliced (the candy), and show how I put together some adorable Halloween treat bags for my kids' friends.

First of all, have you seen the Martha Stewart Crafts Halloween Collection this year? Nobody does Halloween better than Martha, and this year is no exception!  I am absolutely in love with the Animal Masquerade Burlap Treat Bags (as well as anything Martha!), and I decided to use these to make a treat bag for my kids to give to their friends on Halloween.

There are six bags in a package, there are three different designs in each pack.  Time to fill up my treat bags!

To do this, I turned to one of my favorite Martha Stewart Crafts products- the Test Tube Favor Kit!  I have to admit that I bought a package of these a few Halloweens ago, but have been hoarding them ever since, loving them so much that I didn't want to give them away!  Now that I have more, I can share :)  The kit comes with eight plastic test tubes, cork stoppers, and labels, perfect for giving away treats to friends or at a party!

I decided to put candy corns in mine, and attach my free printable Halloween cupcake toppers (printed at 80% size) to the top by punching a small hole in the topper, and then attaching to the test tube with black and white baker's twine.  I like the way the test tubes poke out a bit from the treat bag, so that you can see the tag and get a little sneak peek of what's inside!

I also included gummy worms, chocolate Halloween coins, little skeletons, and some orange slice pumpkins that we made.  These orange slice pumpkins are sooo cute, and take less than a minute to make!

Youll need two orange slices and one watermelon slice for each pumpkin.  Simply cut the tops off of the orangle slices so they are flat and cut the curved green top off of the watermelon slice.  Stick the two orange slices together, and add the green top to the middle.  Couldn't be easier (or cuter!).  This is a great activity for kids, too, because a butter or plastic knife works just fine for slicing the pumkins, and they are so easy and quick to make- and delicious to eat!

We made some to put inside the Halloween treat bags as well, and now they're ready for giving!

I wish I were throwing a big Halloween party this year just so I can pass out these amazing invitations!

Martha Stewart's Animal Masquesrade Invitation Kits are so well made, they paid attention to every little detail.  There are a set of pretty masks that come with each invitation, beautifully printed words on the front and back of the envelope, and the black and white striped envelope lining.... love!

Martha Stewart Crafts has so many great products in their Halloween line this year, you really need to check them out!  Here are some more of my favorites...

How cute are these Gothic Manor Skeleton Treat Bags?  Perfect for filling up with yummy treats.

These Martha Stewart Gothic Manor Beverage Labels are sure to add some spookiness to your Halloween drinks!

Decorating your home for Halloween is easy with these Haunted House Wall Clings... just stick onto your walls and mirrors, and simply peel off after Halloween.

I hope you enjoyed my treat bags and orange slice pumpkins, as well as some of my favorite Halloween picks this year. 

If you're looking for a great Halloween meal to serve your family, why not try my Spooky Spaghetti with Eyeballs?

My free printable Halloween cupcake toppers would be a great addition to your Halloween treats (or test tube labels)!

Have you printed out your own  fall activities bucket list punch card?  Punch a hole in the pumpkins each time you complete a fall activity with your family!

This make at home Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice drink tastes just like fall, and is a great treat to have after making a craft or doing a fun fall activity ;)

Have a happy and safe Halloween!!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Fun Halloween Party Game + Free Printables

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleTarget  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

Only two more days until Halloween, are you ready?  Today I'm sharing a fun Halloween party game plus some free printable activity cards that I created to go with them!  This fast-paced game is great to play with kids and adults alike, and involves prizes, treats, acting, singing, and a whole lot of fun.  Oh, and toilet paper.  Lots of toilet paper!

I went to Target to pick up the new Cottonelle Triple Roll 12-pack of toilet paper for the game.  There's a great Target coupon that you can use, too, while supplies last- when you buy Cottonelle Triple Roll 12-pack or larger you get a FREE box of Kleenex... awesome!

Here are the supplies you'll need for the game, and all of the directions.  Trust me, it's fun, and will be a hit at your next Halloween party or family night!

Supplies:

• Cottonelle Triple Roll toilet paper (3 or more rolls)
• Small Halloween prizes and/or candy
• Free printable activity cards
• Paper plate (preferably with a cute Halloween design)
• 2 quarters

Prepping the game:

1.  Print out the FREE printable activity cards I made for the game.  Cut along the light gray lines.

2.  Start with a bigger prize or treat, and wrap the Cottonelle toilet paper around and around the treat, doing your best to keep it in a circle shape.  

Alternate between adding activity cards and treats and prizes to the roll, and tucking them inside the toilet paper ball.  Continue doing this until your toilet paper ball is the desired size.  I used three rolls since I was going to play this with my kids and their hands are smaller, but really, you could make this as big as you wanted to!!

3.  Gather the plate and quarters.

Playing the game:

1.  Have everyone sit in a circle.  One person will start with the paper plate and two quarters.  This person will flip the coins up in the air until they get two heads.  When both coins are heads, they pass the plate and quarters to the next person on their left in the circle, and they try to get two heads, and continue the process of flipping, getting two heads, and passing the plate.

2.  Meanwhile, the person to the right of the coin flipper has the giant roll of toilet paper with the activity cards and treats inside.  They get to unroll (not tear or rip) the toilet paper until the person on their left gets two heads- then they have to stop and pass the t.p. ball to the left.  As they unroll the t.p. ball, they will unroll prizes and activity cards.

If a prize falls out, it's theirs to keep!  If an activity card rolls out, then the game takes a pause. The person has to read the card out loud, and then do what it says.  The card might tell them to sing a Halloween song, share a Halloween memory, dance their best Thriller, or answer a question!  Once the activity is completed, then the game goes on as normal.  Make sense?

This game is seriously fun!  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!  If you have any questions, be sure to leave it in the comments and I'll answer them for you.

Have fun, and happy Halloween!  Don't forget to print your free Kleenex coupon when you go to buy your Cottonelle at Target!

xo, Laura

Giant Spider Candy Dish Decoration for Halloween

This post brought to you by The Orkin Ecologist. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever encountered a black widow?  In Southern California we have TONS of them, and I see have seen them in our yard many times.  I have even found brown widow egg sacs in our yard.  EEK!  The last straw was when I found a black widow in the bottom of my laundry basket a few weeks ago.  Talk about scary!  I knew that they were dangerous and how to identify them, but not much beyond that.  I decided that we needed to learn more about these creatures living in our yard (and laundry basket!), and that a craft project highlighting them was definitely in order!  You know I'm always up for a good craft, especially since I could use this science project as a Halloween decoration as well.

I turned to The Orkin Ecologist website to find out more about black widow spiders, and decided to involve my son too!  The Orkin Ecologist site is a great resource for both new and experienced science lovers, and has a great readable layout with lots of large photos.

We learned that of the over 3,000 spider species found in the U.S., only two types pose a significant medical threat to humans- the widows (brown and black) and recluse spiders.  My uncle was actually bit by a brown recluse years ago, and his leg turned black because of it for a long time, so I know that spiders can be dangerous!

We did even more research and learned that a black widow's venom is reportedly 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake!  Black widow bites usually cause muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that makes it hard for humans to breath.  Luckily most people that are bitten don't have serious damage, but a black widow bite can kill small children, the elderly, or those who are already weak or very sick.  Black widows are also not aggressive, biting only in self defense.
Armed with some good facts about black widows, it was time to get crafty!  We went shopping at the hardware store and picked up some supplies to make our giant black widow:

You'll need:

• 5- 3/4" PVC pipes (10 feet long), cut into 2' sections (you should have 25 2' sections)
• 1- 3/4" PVC (10') pipe (will be cut into a few pieces to make the planter holder on the body)
• 12- 3/4" PVC 90 degree elbows
• 8- 3/4" PVC 45 degree elbows
• 4- 3/4" PVC cross pieces
• 2 cans flat black spray paint
• Large and small black planters (for the head and body)

First, I attached all of the 2' long leg sections together by attaching 3 pieces of 2' long PVC pipe with a 90 degree elbow and a 45 degree elbow.  Repeat for all 8 legs, and spray paint each side of the legs
with the flat black paint.



Once the paint was dry, I put together the spider so that I could paint the middle structure of the body. For the middle structure you are basically making a large rectangle that will hold the head and body planters in place.  Use the four PVC cross pieces to hold the legs together, and attach onto the spider with small cuts of PVC pipe.  Cut some more PVC pieces to make a rectangle as in the above photo. Make sure that the head and body planters will fit with the PVC rectangle.  Measure where the PVC pipe will go through the planters.  You will be drilling a hole into them for the PVC pipe to stabilize the head and body planters.  I left this section white just for the photo so it was easier to see the different pieces, but you will want to spray paint it black.

Using a drill and a 1 1/8th" drill spade bit, drill two holes in each bucket for the 3/4" PVC pipe to fit through to hold the buckets for stability.

Here's a view of the bottom of the planters with the PVC running through them (before it was all painted).

Attach the buckets, and you're done!  Isn't it cool?  Who needs a boring Halloween candy bowl anyway when you can make this cool unique one for cheap!

You can leave the buckets empty, but I think they're the perfect spooky candy holder for trick or treaters to reach into to get their candy!  Especially if you hang a giant web behind the spider, and add some scary spider eyes!  I kept mine plain because my two year old was already freaked out by the spider, and I figured the eyes and more details wouldn't help the situation ;)

I hope you enjoyed this fun Halloween craft, and maybe even learned a few things about black widows in the process!  Be sure to checkout The Orkin Ecologist website, and leave a comment telling me what you think!  Do you have black or brown widows or brown recluses where you live?  Have you had any encounters with any scary insects?  You can let me know in the comments!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Free Printable Halloween Cupcake Toppers

With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought it would be helpful for you (and me!) to create some cute printable Halloween cupcake toppers, just in time for all of those Halloween parties, carnivals, trunk or treats, and get togethers you'll be attending!

I took the same design from the paper medallion centers that I designed for my spooky Halloween tree, and made them bigger so they could be used as cupcake toppers.  Loving how they turned out!  If you're in a real hurry to get to your Halloween party, carnival, or whatever, then you can always buy store bought cupcakes (like I did for these pictures), and then add your own personal touch with my free printable cupcake toppers.  It will look like you spent a whole lot more time on them then you really did!

Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! ;)

Just download and print my free cupcake topper printables onto white card stock, cut out the circles, stick onto a toothpick or cut striped straw, and you'll be good to go!  I originally made these toppers 2" in diameter, but that was too big for what I wanted, so I printed them out at 80% of the original size, so that the cupcake toppers were smaller (like the size in the photos).

Enjoy!!  Now I just have to figure out how to sew SIX costumes and have them ready in three days for our church's trunk or treat, amidst everything else I have to do.... yikes! Please tell me I'm not the only one who has procrastinated making costumes until the last possible minute!

Have you printed out your own  fall activities bucket list punch card?  Punch a hole in the pumpkins each time you complete a fall activity with your family!

This make at home Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice drink tastes just like fall, and is a great treat to have after making a craft or doing a fun fall activity ;)

And for a fun family Halloween meal, check out this Spooky Spaghetti with Eyeballs!

To decorate your home this fall, you can see how to make this cinnamon-scented nature wreath,

or this fall wreath made out of paper!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here: Snap!, 36th Avenue

7 Ways to Give Yourself a Mommy Time Out

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®, PEOPLE Magazine & Hershey’s, but all my opinions are my own. #HersheysPeople #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

We know how effective a timeout can be for our kids, right?  Giving our kids a timeout is a chance for them to get away from everyone, calm down, relax, and come back with a new attitude.  Well guess what?  Timeouts aren't just for kids!

As a busy mom of four kids, especially during the craziness of Halloween and the upcoming holidays, I find that I need to give myself timeouts, too, so that I can calm down, relax my stressed nerves, recharge, and come back with a new, fresh perspective on my busy life!  I thought it would be helpful to the other hard-working mamas out there to compile a list of some of my favorite ways that I like to give myself a timeout at home... see if any of these work for you!  I guarantee that you'll come back from your little break feeling charged and ready to conquer those Halloween and daily to-do lists!

Oh, and feel free to combine the ideas on this list for the ultimate relaxation experience!

1.  Occupy the kiddos.  Before you can take your timeout, you have to have the kids occupied.  Depending on the age of your children, you can take your break during naptime, bedtime, put on a movie for the kids, pull out some toys that they haven't played with for a while, turn on a good learning computer game, or put your husband or an older sibling in charge for a little while.  This will help ease your mind so that you can focus on YOU and relaxing, rather than on what the kids are doing!

2.  Chocolate!  Now that the kids are busy, it's time to bust out the chocolate!  I always have a little stash of treats hiding from the kids, and it's times like these that I like to pull it out!  One of my favorite chocolate treats are Hershey's Dish Candy, because they are small and oh so delicious!

I usually have my own bag that I hide from the kids (although they usually find it), and then I buy Hershey's candy for the trick or treaters, because let's face it- when we raid our kids Halloween candy stash, we want to eat the Hershey's chocolate first, right?  So I'm doing a favor to all the other moms out there.  You're welcome.

3.  Tiny bubbles.  A nice, HOT bath is a great way to relax and de-stress.  The more bubbles the better!  I love turning out all the lights, lighting some of my favorite fragrant candles, and placing them on the counter for an ultra relaxing experience.  Great smelling bubble bath, shampoo and conditioner, and body wash are all a must!  Music helps, too!

4.  A good read.  I LOVE getting lost in a new magazine (I subscribe to quite a few), and reading it from cover to cover.  One of my favorites is PEOPLE Magazine- it's fun to stop focusing on my life for a few minutes and read about someone else's!  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my recent Target purchase- the latest PEOPLE Magazine and a package of Hershey's dish candy!)  My sister, who is a hairdresser, always complains when I get my hair done, because I love to just sit there and devour the People Magazines in the salon, instead of talking to her while she did my hair.  To me, that was my way of escaping and relaxing!

5.  A cozy blanket.  What is it about a cozy blanket that makes me feel and warm and snug and fuzzy inside?  It could be 75 degrees outside, but my fuzzy fur blanket instantly makes me feel cozy and relaxed.  Amazing what just a little blanket can do!

6.  Light my fire.  This week we lit our first fire of the season, and it was amazing!  Whether I am reading my People Magazine, eating chocolate, or doing both (the best option!), like in the above picture, a warm fire is a great way to relax and unwind.  Even if you do nothing at all but sit and stare at the fire, it is totally and completely mesmerizing, and you can really get lost in it.

7.  Just add color.  Adding a fresh pretty coat of nail polish to my nails or toenails is a total pick me up, and makes me feel good about myself.  I know that I always feel better personally when I have makeup on, so for me it is relaxing to take the time to put on my makeup and experiment with new colors and products.  When you feel good about yourself and the way you look, I believe that confidence carries over into other aspects of your life, and helps you to be a better person, wife, mom, worker, etc!  It's an added bonus when your kids tell you how pretty you look too! ;)

I hope you picked up a few ideas from my list of how I love to relax and take my timeouts from being a mom for a few short minutes!  For a limited time only, you can use THIS great coupon for $2 off your next PEOPLE Magazine and Hershey's Dish Candy purchase at Target.  Woo hoo!

This coupon is only good while supplies last, though, so be sure to use it soon to equip yourself for some ME time during this busy time of year!  PEOPLE Magazine is also coming out with a PEOPLE Catching Fire Magazine Special (can't wait for the movie), so be sure to keep your eyes out for that!

Happy relaxing!!

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here: Snap!

DIY Disney Monsters University Plastic Photo ID Cards

Thank you Disney for sponsoring this Monsters University Plastic Photo ID Cards Tutorial.  As always, all opinions are 100% mine.

I am sooo excited to share this tutorial with you today.  It was inspired by one of my kids' favorite movies... Disney's Monsters University!  We saw it as a family in the theater the day that it came out, and we all LOVED it.  To celebrate the release of the Monsters University Blu-ray Combo Pack on October 29th, I made a fun surprise for my kids...

Their own Plastic Monsters University ID Cards, complete with their own photos on them!

Now they can be official students at Monsters University!  When I showed my kids their surprise, they couldn't believe that I had put their pictures onto plastic, and that they had their own ID cards!  SO cool.

Can I let you in on a little secret?  These were so easy to make!  If you have kids, nieces, nephews, or grandkids, I'm sure that they would love their own plastic ID cards, too!  You can keep the cards plain and use as a fun Monsters University ID card for your child to keep, or you can put a hole in the corner and use as a backpack pull, a charm on a bracelet or necklace, attach to a jacket zipper, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

Here are the super easy directions to make your own plastic Monsters University photo ID cards... you'll be using printable shrink plastic, which is a special paper that you can print on, put in the oven to bake, and watch in amazement as the paper twists and curls and shrinks down to a hard piece of plastic, all in a matter of 2-3 minutes!  Watching the "magic" never gets old, trust me!

Disney Monsters University Plastic Photo ID Cards Tutorial:

Supplies:

• Printable shrinkable plastic sheets (I used Printable Shrinky Dinks)
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Ribbon, string, chain, or keyring (optional)
• Inkjet printer (do NOT use a laser printer)

Directions:

1.  Go to Pixar Place Monsters University ID Maker, and upload a photo of you or your child, and then add their name.  You can choose from a student ID card or a faculty ID card.  Click "Create and Share" at the bottom of the screen to create the ID card.

Right click on the finished ID card to save to your computer.  

  2.  Open your word processing software, and insert the ID card.  To make the larger cards that are about the size of a real ID card, I put two IDs on a page, with each ID measuring 8 x 4.9".  To make the smaller ID cards, I put four IDs on a page so that it filled up the page with a slight empty border around the edge.  

IMPORTANT!  In order for the colors to stay true, you muct adjust the opacity of the cards to between 40-50%, so that it looks like the photo below.  If not, your finished cards will be too dark.  My first set I printed at 50%, and they looked good, but were a little too dark.  My second set I printed at 40%, and they were perfect!

3.  Print the cards onto the textured side of the printable shrink plastic paper, using the best quality photo setting on your printer.  Cut out the cards, and preheat the oven to between 325-350 degrees.  If you would like a hole in the finished plastic cards, you must put it in now.  Remember that the cards shrink a LOT, so one litle hole punched hole will be tiny.  If you need a medium size hole, you must make at least 4 hole punches all connected in the paper. Place cut ID cards on a baking sheet, and place in the oven.

4.   Watch in amazement as your Monsters University ID Cards curl and twist, and try not to freak out when it looks like they're ruined!  They will flatten out after a couple minutes, I promise.  When all the cards do flatten out, wait a few more seconds, and then carefully pull the baking sheet from the oven.

If a card needs a little flattening, you can place a spatula down on it quickly to flatten it- so it fast, though, because the cards will cool almost instantly.  Once the cards are cool, you can carefully remove them from the baking sheet.

Aren't they neat?!  Your child (or you) now have a hard, plastic official Monsters University ID Card, perfect for keeping in their wallets, hanging on a backpack, wearing around their necks on a chain, or as a charm on a bracelet.  The great thing about this project is that you can customize it however you would like!  Hole, no hole, and you can pick whatever size you would like the finished ID card to be.  

My kids are so excited to wear theirs on their backpacks and around their necks- they are well on their way to becoming official scarers now!

Don't forget that Disney's Monsters University will be available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack on October 29th, just in time for Halloween!  You can also pre-order the movie on-line to ensure that you get your copy!  

For more Monsters University fun, you can follow along on their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages!

For a fun "EYE"-Spy Mike Wazowski Bag tutorial, be sure to check out this craft tutorial I created a few months ago for my kids.  They love searching to find all of the Monsters University characters!

For even more great Monsters University crafts, check out what these talented bloggers created!

Happy scaring!

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here: Snap!, 36th Avenue