Kids' Halloween Party

Monster Gloves

For the Witch/Monster Gloves

Grab a handful of goodies in these
creepy gloves.

• Green rubber gloves
• Red press-on nails
• Tulip green puff paint

Witch/Monster Gloves: Put a glove on your hand and press the nails onto it one fingertip at a time. Remove the glove and repeat with the second glove. Lay the gloves on a flat surface and squeeze different sizes of puff-paint warts on the gloves. Let the paint dry completely before wearing or filling. To use them as a place setting, tuck a napkin in one glove and candy in the other. Position the gloves beside the plate. Prop the plasticware in the gloves between the thumb and fingers.

Bone Place Cards

Don't give these bones to the dog!

• 4 Tootsie Roll Pops lollipops per bone
• White crepe paper
• Masking tape
• Adhesive alphabet stickers

Wrap white crepe paper around the sucker end of each lollipop, completely covering the wrapper. Tape the sticks of the lollipops together in pairs with masking tape. To create the bone, stack the sticks with the suckers at opposite ends and tape all four sticks together. Wrap crepe paper over the sticks, completely covering the tape and sticks. Apply each guest's name in stickers at the center of the bone.

Party Activity

Purchase plain eye masks and let the kids decorate their own masks, using their imaginations and various materials you provide. Here's a list of suggested things to have on hand:

Use your imagination to make a
mask and turn the party into a
masquerade.

• Plain eye masks
• Plastic-foam balls
• Pom-poms
• Crafts foam
• Sequins
• Assorted paper punches
• Wiggle eyes
• Pearl strings
• Paint markers
• Feathers
• Chenille stems
• Glue

Haunted House Luminaries

These haunted houses are so fun
to make it's spooky!

• Paper carton from juice, milk, or cream
• Utility scissors
• Crafts knife
• Tracing paper and graphite paper (optional)
• Masking tape
• Purple spray paint
• Gold screen
• 22-gauge brass wire
• Mini- and regular-size brass brad fasteners
• Purple plastic-coated craft wire
• Glass votive holder and candle

1. Download the free pattern for this project. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat software.)

2. Wash the carton; let dry. Use scissors to cut off its top. Cut an opening in the bottom of the carton large enough to accommodate the votive holder. Freehand-draw a door, windows, fence posts, ghosts, and stars onto all sides of the carton; or trace the patterns onto tracing paper and transfer them to the sides of the carton with graphite paper. Use the crafts knife to carefully cut out the design openings.

3. Working inside the carton, use pieces of masking tape to cover all the cutout areas. Spray-paint the outside of the carton purple. When the paint is dry, remove the masking tape.

4. From the gold screen, cut a large rectangle for the roof, irregular-shaped shutters to fit along the sides of each window, and a door, if needed. To attach the shutters, position each shutter on the house and thread a brad through the screen and into the carton. Separate the brad ends inside the carton. For the roof, fold the rectangle in half, bend under the short cut edges, and curve them upward. Place the roof on the house, and attach it to the sides with short lengths of gold wire. Curve a length of gold wire across the center of the fence posts, push the wire ends into the carton, and bend the ends inside the carton.

5. To make the roof-top bat, cut a 6-9-inch length of purple wire. Fold the wire in half, making a loop. Shape the loop into a head, bending the wire to form the ears. Shape a wing on each side of the head, bringing the wire ends together at the center bottom of the bat. To attach the bat to the roof, cut a 10-inch length of gold wire and wrap one end of it around the center bottom of the bat. Shape the wire into a spiral, and thread the remaining end through the roof of the house.

6. Set the opening in the bottom of the house over the votive holder and candle. Do not leave candles unattended or use candles near children.

Pumpkin Goodie Bowl

This smiling pumpkin can hold all
kinds of Halloween treats.

• Clear glass fishbowl
• Tracing paper (optional)
• DecoArt Liquid Rainbow Leading in Black Leading
• DecoArt Liquid Rainbow paint in yellow and orange
• 1/2-inch paintbrush
• Orange plastic-coated crafts wire
• 4 assorted plastic beads

1. Download the free pattern for this project. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat software.)

2. Trace the face pattern; tape the tracing inside the bowl. Lay the fishbowl flat on your work surface. With black leading paint, draw outlines of the eyes, nose, and mouth; let dry. Fill in each facial feature with orange and yellow paint, blending the colors. While the face is drying, squeeze orange paint onto the top, bottom, and sides of the bowl. Make a sweeping motion with the paintbrush to spread out the paint. When the paint is completely dry, wrap two lengths of orange crafts wire around the neck of the bowl. Thread a bead on each wire end, and shape the wire ends into spirals below the beads.

Spider Candle Bowl

This bowl is great on a table
or a porch.

• Tracing paper
• Clear glass fishbowl
• Masking tape
• DecoArt Liquid Rainbow leading paint in black and pewter
• DecoArt Liquid Rainbow paint in gray, clear, white, and glitter
• Toothpicks
• White plastic-coated crafts wire
• Purple aquarium gravel (optional)
• Small purple candles (optional)

1. Download the free pattern for this project. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat software.)

2. Trace the pattern onto tracing paper. Position and tape the traced pattern inside the fishbowl. Lay the fishbowl flat on your work surface. Draw the outline of the spider with gray paint. Use clear paint for the eyes. Fill in the spider with gray paint. Outline the spider with pewter leading paint. To make the spider look hairy, use a toothpick to pull the wet leading paint into the wet gray paint. Use white and glitter paint to make a web, radiating from the spider. Let the paint dry. Using black leading paint, make a small dot on each eye; draw the mouth, and draw eight legs that overlap the web. Remove the tracing from the inside of the bowl.

3. When the paint is completely dry, wrap white crafts wire around the neck of the bowl. Bend the wire ends to continue the spiderweb. Fill the bottom of the bowl with aquarium gravel; set the candles in the gravel, or use the bowl to hold candy treats.

Jumpin' Spider Plates

For one plate

Make a whole family of spiders
to decorate your Halloween party!

• 2 black chenille stems
• 4-inch length of feather boa
• 2-5/8-inch-diameter moveable eyes
• Crafts glue
• Clear plastic plate
• Black paper plate
• White paint marker
• 1/8-inch paper punch
• 18-inch length of silver elastic cord

1. To make a spider, cut two chenille stems in half. Align the four stem pieces and twist them together at the middle. Wrap and glue the 4" length of feather boa around the twisted area of the stems. Bend and shape the stem ends into spider legs. Glue two eyes to the top of the spider.

2. Use the white paint marker to draw an irregular spiderweb on the back of the clear plastic plate. Punch a hole in the rim of the black paper plate. Tie one end of the elastic through the punched hole and the opposite end around the spider. Place the plastic plate over the black plate.