Easy-to-Make Venus Flytrap & Snake-Wrapped Candy Halloween Centerpiece

This easy Halloween centerpiece post has been sponsored by Oriental Trading Company, your Halloween headquarters.  All opinions expressed are my own.

October is a busy time of year for us, especially now that my children are older and are not all at the same school.  Between all the fall festivals, fundraising, and help with homework, I hardly have time to even think about Halloween.  That's why I was super-excited to come up with an easy Halloween centerpiece that both my children and trick-or-treaters would appreciate.

Putting together an easy display like this would be a fun Halloween activity to get the children involved in.  That's right!  This centerpiece is so easy to make that a child could probably do it.


How to Make a Halloween Serving Tray . . .

All you need is a basic serving tray and some printed Halloween-themed paper.  The tray can be black, woodtone, brown, orange, green, purple, or any other color that reminds you of fall.  Then measure the inside dimensions of the tray and fold the edges of the printed paper under itself to match the tray measurements.  Then place it inside the tray.  That's it!  I chose not to glue the paper down so that I can switch it out for different themed paper in the future.  The printed paper could be from scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or a Halloween bag.  Use your imagination!  I used part of a paper Halloween table runner.

How to Make Snake-Wrapped Rock Candy . . . 

It's tough finding candy that everyone will like that is also safe for children with allergies.  I discovered that rock candy is gluten-free and dairy-free.  These rock candy lollipops paired with some cute fuzzy hair monster bookmarks are sure to be a big hit with trick-or-treaters, even ones with some dietary restrictions.


Here comes the fun part!  To wrap bendable snakes around the rock candy, first coil them around your index finger.  When the snakes are in a coil shape, wrap them around the rock candy lollipops.  If you intend to display these treats in a cup or a pail, like I have, then be sure to keep the snakes towards the top of the lollipops.  This would also work well with hard candy sticks.

How to Put Together Your Halloween Centerpiece . . .

I was lucky to find a set of 3 Halloween pails that I fell in love with.  Either little pails or flowerpots would work well in this case.  The first pail is for holding your decorative Venus Flytrap plant.

The other two pails are for holding your snake-wrapped rock candy lollipops.  Place the three pails in the Halloween serving tray you created.  Add a few snakes here and there, and you're done!

Like this Halloween decor idea? Pin It for later . . .

What ideas do you have to delight trick-or-treaters?

Share them in a comment here.

How to Make an Easy Black Crow's Nest Centerpiece for Halloween

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing some of the supplies used to create our Halloween centerpiece.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Halloween is such a fun time of year to decorate.  I always try to find a good balance between cute and spooky.  My favorite part of Halloween is handing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters, so I would feel terrible if I ruined even one child's Halloween because something at my house was too scary.

This year, I saw some black feathered crows in Oriental Trading Company's Halloween Headquarters.  I showed them to my children, who thought they were pretty cool looking, so I felt inspired to come up with some easy crow-themed Halloween ideas.

How to Make a Crow's Nest Candy Bowl Centerpiece . . . 

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

1 clear round 5qt serving bowl

1 clear round 2qt serving bowl

1 pair decorative feathered crows

1 bag decorative fall leaves

1 bag black metallic shred (can also use matte)

2 or 3 small pumpkins (real or artificial)

1 bag bulk candy

Step 1.  Separate your artificial leaves into two piles, one pile for crinkled leaves and another pile for flat.  Take the crinkled leaves and make a large bed of foliage at the center of the table.  Then scatter the flat leaves on and around the pile of crinkled leaves.

TIP 1:  Using flat leaves in the areas around the leaf pile will make it easier for you to place other decor items or serving bowls and platters on the table.

Step 2.  Place the larger of the two clear round serving bowls in the center of the leaf pile.

Step 3.  Place the black shred (black Easter grass) inside the large bowl.  Pull the shred apart until it is loosely intertwined and covers the bottom and sides of the bowl all the way to the brim.  Then nestle the smaller clear round serving bowl inside the bowl of black shred.

TIP #2: Although you want to have the shred to show above the rims of the bowls, you can pull out any long strands hanging down over the edges to neaten your nest a bit.

Step 4.  Add the decorative black feathered crows to your centerpiece.  The pair of crows from Oriental Trading Company have wires at the bottom of their feet so I could bend the wires around the edge of a bowl or a pumpkin stem to help position the crows where I wanted them.

Step 5.  Fill your crow's nest with the candy of your choice.  One bag of bulk candy should be enough to fill this candy bowl to the top.

TIP 3:  Want to use your crow's nest candy bowl for handing out candy? If you have a place to set your bowl down on your porch, then the crow's nest can be used as-is.  If you need to hold the candy bowl or carry it to and from the door, then simply remove the crow.

Step 6.  Add a few small pumpkins to complete your Halloween display.

More Black Crow-Themed Halloween Ideas . . .

I also found this cool Eyeball Feather Wreath at Oriental Trading Company.  This wireless wreath was perfect for our door and will surely delight trick-or-treaters.  It runs on 3 AA batteries (not included) and has an on/off switch on the back.  You could also place the smaller of the two crows in the center of the wreath.

I also thought it would be super-fun to have a crow on your forearm when you greet trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.  To do this, simply take a glove or gauntlet with buckles or fasteners on it and wrap the wires on the crow's feet around the buckles.  We used an Anakin Skywalker costume glove and it worked out perfectly.

How will you be decorating for Halloween this year?  Share your ideas with us in a comment here.

Remember to Pin these Crow-Themed Halloween Ideas for later!  Also, be sure to check out our Zombie Head Eyeball Centerpiece from last year . . . 

Visit Oriental Trading Company for more fun Halloween ideas and supplies to inspire you!  Just having a quick look around always sparks new ideas for me.

Easy Spooky Zombie Head & Eyeballs Halloween Centerpiece

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing most of the supplies needed for our DIY zombie head Halloween centerpiece.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Our children will be 12, 9, and 9 in a few months.  Our oldest decided that he's too old to go trick-or-treating this year.  That's why I decided that we better squeeze in as much Halloween fun as we can before they are too old to enjoy Halloween the way only kids truly can.

Zombies are all the rage these days, whether you're 8 or 80.  Checkout this easy Halloween table centerpiece I made with a few Halloween supplies from Oriental Trading Company!

What you'll need . . . 

Zombie Head Centerpiece

zombie punch bowl

latex monster hands

strong double-sided foam tape

big bags of assorted candy (red and pink preferred)

Bowl with Eyeballs & Floating Candles

floating candle bowl

eyeball erasers

3 red tealight candles

rat prop

Table Coverings

orange tablecloth

stretchable black web

Scary Hands Holding Zombie Head Candy Bowl . . .

This candy bowl will be super-easy for you to make because we have done all the trial and error.  All you need to do is attach the latex monster hands to either side of the zombie punch bowl so that they look like they're holding the head.  We tried hot glue, white glue, model glue, and a tagging gun and could not get the hands to attach securely. What finally worked is double-sided foam tape.  I highly recommend that you use permanent double-sided foam tape because the non-permanent kind we used still allowed the hands to detach now and then.

If you are careful in the placement of the foam tape, then it will hardly be visible at all.  You can also make it so that a person can put their hands inside the monster hands to hold the candy bowl for trick-or-treaters to help themselves to candy for some spooky fun.

Speaking of candy . . . we used two big bags of assorted candy (85 pieces each) that had mostly red and pink wrappers.  I removed the small handful that were other colors so that only the zombie brain-colored ones remained.  This punch bowl can hold a ton of candy.  My two bags only filled half of the head, so I placed a plastic food container upside-down at the bottom and stuffed some paper around it to help the candy reach the brim of the bowl.

Bowl with Eyeballs and Floating Candles . . .

The eyeball erasers from Oriental Trading Company come in a set of 24, which was the perfect quantity for this project.  We had enough to put in the bowl and to scatter around the centerpiece.  The erasers are flat on one side, so the eyeballs remained stationary with the pupils facing up even in the floating candle bowl filled with water.

As for the candles, I just used tealights I already had in the house.  You can certainly purchase small floating candles, but the tealights worked just fine for us.  If you are using tealights, you'll need to carefully remove them from the plastic cup.  Be sure to check that the metal disc on the bottom that is connected to the wick has at least a thin layer of wax over.  If the disc is not covered, then water might get up through the center of the tealight.  Before placing the tealights into the water, trim the wicks to 1/4" tall.

Halloween Table Covering . . . 

For an easy Halloween backdrop for our centerpiece, I layered a stretchable black web over a vinyl orange tablecloth.  The web was not what I was expecting.  I pictured something more stringy, but this web worked out fine.  It was sticky just like you'd expect a web to be and even came with a handful of spiders designed to hook onto it.

Let's talk candle safety! . . .

PLEASE DO NOT leave candles unattended while they are lit and do not leave your children or pets alone with the them.  Also, DO NOT place anything, including decorations, close to or over the edge of the floating candle bowl.  The candles float around with the slightest air current.  I placed the rat prop next to the bowl to make the centerpiece more interesting, but had to remove it shortly after I lit the candles because one of the tealights floated right over to it.  Remember, Halloween is not just about having fun.  It's about being safe as well!

For more Halloween inspiration, be sure to visit Oriental Trading Company's Halloween section!

If this Halloween centerpiece looks fun & easy, Pin It for later . . .

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Edible Arrangements' New Confetti Fruit Cupcake and a Summer Strawberry Scavenger Hunt

This past weekend, we attended what might be one of our last cookouts of the summer.  It was a family gathering at my cousin's house.  These gatherings are always special because they really only happen a few times a year and are the only times we generally get to see our beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Everyone always brings something to go with dinner or to enjoy after the meal for dessert.  I usually opt for bringing a dessert. For this occasion, Edible Arrangements made it possible for me to bring one of their new Fresh Fruit Confetti Cupcakes.  It was delivered the day before and stayed all wrapped up safely in my refrigerator until the next day.

I must say that, when dessert time arrived, everyone could not wait to dive into this bouquet of fresh fruit, but at the same time, it almost felt wrong to dismantle such a beautiful arrangement.  Everyone commented on how fresh and delicious the fruit was.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Of course, the stars of the arrangement were the chocolate-dipped cupcake-shaped pineapple pops topped with colorful sprinkles.  The adults enjoyed these just as much as the children.  The white chocolate coating was very sweet, so it would be perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth.  Surrounding the cupcake-shaped pineapples were rows of grapes, large red strawberries, and flower-shaped pineapples.  I did not hear one child arguing about having to eat fruit that evening.

The Grand Berry Confetti Cupcake we received can be ordered from Edible Arrangements for $85.  Through August 26th, 2012, you can receive two free Cupcake Pineapple Pops when you place an order for pick up using Code: CPCK8813.  All Edible Arrangement stores are open until 7pm and offer same day delivery or pick-up if you get your order in by 5pm.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Through September 5th, 2012, Edible Arrangements will be challenging my fellow-Massachusetts residents and my friends in southern New Hampshire to spot the Edible Arrangements' Summer Strawberry!  Last Wednesday, I shared a clue with you about which Edible Arrangements location you could find the Summer Strawberry on the 3G2S Facebook page.  Look for more clues each week until the Scavenger Hunt ends.

Here are the contest details . . . 

Free Fruit and Fun!
Anyone who correctly deciphers the clues and finds ‘Summer Strawberry’ at the Edible Arrangements location within the designated 2-hour time period will receive free samples of smoothies, dipped fruit or fresh fruit salad. Want to win prizes? Commenting on this blog post with the correct address/ store location where you found ‘Summer Strawberry’ OR emailing a picture of ‘Summer Strawberry’ to jkaye@carltonprmarketing.com will enter you to win the grand prize, a $200 Amazon gift card, or one of four arrangements!** Doing both will get you two entries! If you are on Twitter and follow @DoFruitNE, tweeting a picture of ‘Summer Strawberry’ with a caption that includes the hashtag #ILoveFruit and will get you an additional entry. That is 3 chances to win!

Live too far from the selected store?
If you correctly decipher the clues but cannot make it to the selected location, you can still enter the contest by commenting the address/ store location of ‘Summer Strawberry’ on this blog post. Better yet, you can visit YOUR local Edible Arrangements during the pre-selected 2-hour time period and mention that you are there because of scavenger hunt and you will receive a 6-piece box of dipped fruit!

* The scavenger hunt and its affiliated promotions will only be taking place in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire stores.
**Edible Arrangements and its public relations agency will not retain any email addresses during this promotion, other than to notify winners of the prizes awarded.


Thank you to Edible Arrangements for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.