Halloween is famous for imaginative costumes and pillowcases full of bite-sized candy. But this fun-filled holiday wouldn’t be the same without the accompanying decorations. While it’s easy to head to the store and choose from the endless aisles of decor, nothing beats the experience of making them at home. If you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, gather the family and get creative with these three Halloween crafts.
1. Spooky Sugar Painting
This simple craft utilizes a technique called watercolor resist. Resist paintings are made by using a water-repelling medium to create a hidden image that is revealed only by painting the surrounding areas. For this project, your medium is a mixture of flour, sugar, water, and vegetable oil. All you need to do is use your mixture to paint a spooky Halloween scene, then let it dry. Afterward, use watercolors to paint over the entire paper and uncover the mystery.
(For more details on this craft and others like it, click here.)
2. Handprint Skeletons
Sometimes skeletons can be scary. But in this case, they’re anything but. This adorable craft requires nothing more than a piece of construction paper, q-tips, washable paint and glue. Start by using white paint to cover the palm and inner wrist of one hand. Use the painted hand to create a handprint on the construction paper. Once it dries, glue your q-tips to the inner portions of the fingers, palm and wrist to represent bones. When you’re finished, you’ll have a Halloween-worthy replica of your child’s hand.
(For a picture of this craft and others like it, click here.)
3. Toilet Paper Roll Cats, Bats, and More
If your family is a fan of upcycling, this is the perfect craft for you. With a toilet paper roll and a little paint, you can create the cutest base for a three dimensional model of a cat, bat, spider, pumpkin or ghost. Depending on the type of decoration you plan to make, you may want to add construction paper wings, a pipe cleaner tail, or googly eyes. To start, paint your toilet paper roll and let it dry. Next, draw (or paint) your character’s face. Add the finishing touches and find an open space to display your creation.
(For more information on this craft and others like it, click here.)
Make this Halloween special by creating your decorations from scratch. Start with these three spooky crafts and use the attached websites to find even more family-friendly designs.
