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.

2016 King Richard's Faire: Kids' Renaissance Costumes, Amazing Performers & Souvenir Finds

Creating priceless memories at King Richard's Faire

Thank you to King Richards Faire for providing passes for my family to attend the 2016 Renaissance faire and to Oriental Trading Company for providing some of the accessories to complete our children's Renaissance costumes.  All opinions expressed are my own.

One of the things my family looks forward to the most in the fall is visiting King Richard's Faire in Carver, Massachusetts.  This was our 4th year attending this Massachusetts Renaissance faire and it has become one of our family's fall traditions.  The memories we create at the faire each year are priceless and will stay with our children for the rest of their lives.  Hopefully, when they have children of their own, they will be carrying on this tradition.

Jacques Ze Whipper at the 2016 King Richard's Faire

This was the third year that our children dressed up for King Richard's Faire.  It's the Faire's 35th Anniversary, so dressing up was a must for them.  Our now 9 year old son has attended the faire as a knight and a wizard in the past.  This year, he wanted to dress up as his favorite King Richard's Faire performer, Jacques Ze Whipper.

DIY Child's Jacques Ze Whipper Costume

I think I lucked out because I found a boys dress vest in the exact blue that I needed for this costume.  Some items I especially had trouble finding were the red costume sash (something other than a $30 red silk scarf) and leather-like arm bracers for a child.  Oriental Trading Company actually saved the day!  The red sash, whip, and face crayon for the mustache were found among their huge selection of Halloween costume accessories.  But wait! I had another stroke of luck with our son's Halloween costume.  He had chosen a ninja costume to wear for Halloween from Oriental Trading that happened to have leather-looking bracers for his arms and legs.  All these things brought our Jacques Ze Whipper costume together perfectly.  Our son was just thrilled!

Jacques Ze Whipper Costume Accessories

For our 9 year old daughter, who has attended the fair as a maiden and as Juliet, she wanted to go as a princess.  After we finally found a dress that looked and fit great (and wasn't itchy), we finished her costume with a goldtone tiara, black crystal goldtone earrings, and stacking chevron rings.  What truly made her costume stand out was the black lace fan she  carried.  I just happened upon it when I was looking for accessories on the Oriental Trading website for our Jacques Ze Whipper costume.  Another stroke of luck!

Girl's Renaissance Princess Costume with Lace Fan

In addition, to dressing up this year, we vowed to make it a point to see at least one or two performers that we haven't seen during past visits.  We tend to make seeing our past favorites a priority, so we rarely have enough time to discover new shows.

The Squire of the Wire at the 2016 King Richard's Faire

Upon entering the Faire this year, we had the pleasure of meeting the Squire of the Wire.  He was so nice (and funny too) that we made an extra effort to catch his act.  I also had the pleasure of catching the graceful Draiku Aerial Show because I happened to be waiting nearby while my daughter was having her portrait painted.

Draiku Aerial Show at the 2016 King Richard's Faire

It is also a tradition of ours for each child to choose a souvenir to take home from King Richard's Faire each year.  Some years, the souvenir hunt was a little painful because my children can be quite indecisive.  This year, they each knew exactly what they wanted right away!

Monogrammed Medieval Staff Souvenir

We discovered a wonderful little shop called Seekers and Settlers!  I don't recall seeing it in past years, so perhaps it is new to King Richard's Faire?  It carried such charming wooden items, like staves, witches' brooms, magic wands, and more.  Our 12 year old son chose a staff for this year's souvenir.  When we got home he had the idea to tie a piece of suede cord around the wood near the top for each year he's attended the Faire and intends to bring the staff with him for future visits.  We also purchased a magic wand and sleeve for a birthday gift for my daughter's friend (huge Harry Potter fan).  Both the staff and the wand were monogrammed for us free of charge!

By the way, our son (pictured above) is wearing the chainmail bracelet he got for a souvenir during last year's visit to King Richard's Faire.

Animated Baby Dragon Puppet Souvenir

Our mini Jacques Ze Whipper chose a baby dragon puppet from Imaginarium Galleries.  These puppets are controlled by a cable that runs down your sleeve to your hand.  The cable is used to control the motion of the dragon's head.  This baby dragon is perfect for children.  There were much more detailed winged dragons for teens and adults that were extremely impressive to see.

Having Our Daughter's Portrait Painted at King Richard's Faire

For her souvenir, our daughter asked to have her portrait painted.  There were sketches offered that would take about 30 minutes, but she opted for the oil painting, which would take about an hour.  I was amazed at how well she did sitting still for the artist.  After about 40 minutes, he ended up being nice enough to take a photo of her (with his magical medieval tablet) to finish the remainder of the painting, so that she wouldn't need to sit for the whole hour.  We just needed to come back to pick up the painting before we left because the paint takes at least 2 full days to dry.

When we returned to pick up the painting, we were extremely pleased with the results.  Our daughter was so happy.  This might just be the best souvenir we've ever taken home from King Richard's Faire yet!  I highly recommend  having your or your child's portrait painted, especially if you are in costume.

Original Oil Painting Portrait Souvenir from King Richard's Faire

You can view more 2016 King Richard's Faire photos on our Facebook page.  Visit kingrichardsfaire.net to learn more about the performers and artisans, view the entertainment schedule, buy tickets, or get directions.  The 2016 season runs through October 23rd, so there is plenty of time for you to attend.  If your schedule allows, I recommend visiting more than once because it is impossible to see everything there is to offer in just one day.

What would you love to dress up as for your next visit to King Richard's Faire?

Share your ideas with us in a comment here.

Check out our past visits to King Richard's Faire . . . 

2012a

2012b

2013

2014

2015