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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Hand Out Smiles This Halloween, While Supporting the Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption #Frosty4Adoption

About three months ago, we met an amazing little boy.  We had the pleasure of meeting this boy because he was to become our new nephew and a new cousin to our children.  You see, my sister and brother-in-law are currently in the process of adopting.  It is a long and difficult process, but I know they feel it is worth it.  This little boy has already stolen their hearts.  Thinking about what this little boy has been through over the past year or so is quite saddening.  However, thinking about how he is so close to not only having a home with loving parents, but also aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great-grandparents who all love him too, is extremely heartwarming.

Did you know that there are more than 100,000 children in foster care awaiting adoption? I find that statistic to be astounding and can't help but think about how many children will never be placed in loving homes.  This is why it's so important to support foster care adoption and why Wendy's makes it easy for you to take action. All you have to do is Purchase a Wendy’s® Halloween Coupon Book for $1 at participating Wendy’s restuarants!

The next time you stop into Wendy's or go through their drive-thru, perhaps to try one of their new Pulled Pork Sandwiches, remember to pick up one (or more) Halloween coupon books.  They're only $1 each and contain 10 coupons for a free Jr. Frosty™. Ninety cents of every $1 Halloween Coupon Book sold between September 13 – October 31, 2014 will benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®.

Do you love gifts that give like I do? Last year, one of our children's teachers gave each of her students a  Jr. Frosty™ Halloween coupon for Halloween.  They'd be perfect to hand out to trick-or-treaters in place of or tied to a lollipop or other type of candy.  You could even buy one coupon book for each stocking you have to stuff this Holiday.  If you like any of these ideas or have some ideas of your own, don't wait to pick up your coupon books.  They're only available until the end of October, but can be redeemed from November 1st, 2014 through February 1st, 2015.  Thanks to Wendy’s® consumers and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®, 4,000+ children have found adoptive families.  Let's all do our part in helping to make that number grow!

Visit your local Wendy’s® to purchase a Jr. Frosty™ Halloween Coupon Book* for $1, which benefits the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®! 

*Coupon book may contain coupons for 5 or 10 free Jr. Frosty™ treats. Prices and participation may vary. Ninety cents to every $1 coupon booklet sold between 9/15/14 and 10/31/14 will benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®. Coupons valid from 11/1/14 through 2/1/15. ©2014 Oldemark LLC

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

A Dragon Warrior Ninja Costume for Our Ninja-Obsessed Son

Thank you to Halloween Adventure for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

While much of the nation is currently obsessed with zombies, our 9 year old son is obsessed with ninjas.  He even has several ninja-themed t-shirts to prove it.  In fact, he told me he wanted to dress up as ninja for this Halloween while he was taking off his Star Wars costume last Halloween.

When I started looking for a ninja costume for our son over the summer, I could not believe how many different varieties there were.  There were some that were all black, which I believe our son needed if he wanted to be truly stealthy and undetectable, and some that were brightly colored, which were very un-ninja-like if you ask me.  My son was partial to one ninja costume we saw that was trimmed in bright (almost neon) red.  Luckily, we found this Dragon Warrior Ninja Costume at Halloween Adventure that we both liked.

The gold accented "armor" on this costume was ornate enough to please my son and subtle enough to satisfy me.  It turned out to be extremely comfortable to wear.  He did not mind the plastic mask, which fits seamlessly over the hood of the jumpsuit and the foam armor was very lightweight.  I had ordered a Size Large and everything fit well, except the inseam was a bit long for my son.  I fixed this easily by pulling the jumpsuit up at the waist, securing it with paperclips, and hiding the extra fabric under the belt.  Our son also said that the opening of the hood that went around the top of his head and under his chin was very snug, but he insists that it is wearable since the fabric has some give to it.

Since none were included, we added our own ninja gloves and ninja sword to the costume.  When we went outside to take a few photos, several of the neighbor's children told our son how cool his costume was, which pleased our son immensely.  He cannot wait to wear this ninja costume trick-or-treating this year!

This Children's Dragon Warrior Ninja Costume sells for $24.99 on HalloweenAdventure.com, but you can currently save an additional 20% off all their costumes with the promo code SPOOKY20.

Silly Monkey Stories: A Werewolf and a Fly

I had neglected to share a Halloween photo last week, partially because we've been busy and partially because I've had the worst cough ever going on 4 weeks now.  There was another reason I had not shared the photo . . .

The children were so excited that it was not raining here after Hurricane Sandy's visit just two days before.  They all had a few costumes to choose from and they chose their very favorites to wear.  The children held off on trick-or-treating long enough for me to snap just a small handful of photos.  I was anxious to see how they turned out, so I loaded them onto my laptop to take a better look.  That was when I realized that our little werewolf's fly was open in every photo!

I was debating with myself about whether I should post a photo of our son that could be potentially embarrassing in the future . . . You know, like when he becomes President of the United States.  So, I talked it over with myself and decided to post it anyways.

Click here to read all our Silly Monkey Stories!

"The Trash Pack" Toys and 9 More Ideas for Non-Candy #Halloween Treats

Our children's school has a strict policy against sweet treats, such as cupcakes, candy, and cookies for school celebrations.  Some people think that the policy ruins the fun, but I have to disagree.  Our children do not seem to mind having alternative treats, both food and non-food items.  Last year, we handed out The Trash Pack toys to trick-or-treaters and the children just loved it.  Our own children enjoy collecting these little Trashies, as do many of their friends at school.  So this year, Moose Toys sent us enough single-pack Trash Pack toys for my children's teachers to hand out to all their students on Halloween.  I will be sending each of these jack-o-lantern buckets filled with Trash Packs to school as a surprise for the classes.  I have even managed to keep it a secret from my own children.

Ideas for Non-Candy Halloween Treats:

1.  The Trash Pack Toys
2.  Fun Pencils
3.  Mini Boxes of Raisins
4.  Pencil Toppers or Erasers
5.  Temporary Tattoos
6.  Granola or Fruit Cereal Bars (But, be aware of any nut allergies)
7.  Bookmarks (To promote literacy)
8.  Superballs
9.  Whistle Keychains (Handy as emergency whistles for kids)
10.  Mini Magnifying Glasses (To encourage exploration and discovery)

What items would you add to this list?

To learn more about The Trash Pack, including where to buy them, visit www.TrashPack.com, where you will also find fun free games and downloads.  You can also find The Trash Pack on Facebook.


Thank you to Moose Toys for providing complimentary product samples for us to donate to our school.

"I Am A Smartie Pants!" Math-Themed Smarties Candy Favors (#CBias)

With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to share this easy tutorial for making math-themed treats using Smarties candy and some free printables I had made.  These little sweet treats will put some fun into practicing basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  The "I Am a Smartie Pants!" treats would be perfect for handing out to students in the classroom, to trick-or-treaters, or to use inside goodie bags.  Another great thing about these Halloween treats is that you can change the theme from Halloween to just about anything simply by using different stickers.  If you will be making these to hand out in the classroom, you will not have to worry because Smarties are gluten-free, peanut-free, vegan, and fat-free.

Today's Project:  "I Am a Smartie Pants!" Math-Themed Favors

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Smarties candy rolls

Free printable "I Am a Smartie Pants!" pages

Halloween-themed stickers (1-1/4"H or smaller)

8" satin or 12" curling ribbon per favor

single hole puncher

scissors

Step 1.  Print out the desired number of "I Am a Smartie Pants!" pages below.  (NOTE:  Each page contains 4 favor tags.)

TO PRINT:  Make sure your computer's printer is turned on and ready to print.  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Then right-click on the image and select print.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page.

Addition & Subtraction

Multiplication

Step 2.  Cut out each tag as instructed on the sheet.  Be sure to leave each column of 3 boxes intact.

Step 3.  Fold each tag into an accordion shape with the words "I Am a Smartie Pants!" facing out and the other two printed boxes facing each other.

Step 4.  Place a fun sticker in your theme of choice on the front of the tag right above the words "I Am a Smartie Pants!"  Be sure to leave enough room above the sticker to punch a hole.  (I trimmed my large rectangular stickers with scissors to fit my tags.)

Step 5.  Using your single hole puncher, punch a hole through all 3 layers above the sticker near the top of your tag, making sure it is centered horizontally.

Step 6.  Take an 8" to 9" piece of satin ribbon and fold it in half.  Then tie the halfway point of the ribbon around one end of a roll of Smarties candy.  (If you are using curling ribbon, please see the instructions below the Step 9 photos.)

Step 7.  Bring the two ends of your ribbon together and tie in a single knot close to the ends.  Trim the ribbon above the knot with scissors to make the ends even.

Step 8.  Next feed the knotted end of you ribbon through the back of your tag and out the front of the hole you had punched.

Step 9.  The last step is to put the end of the Smarties candy roll that is not tied to the ribbon through the ribbon loop on the front of your tag and pull it through.

The result should look like this , , ,

If using curling ribbon, follow the instructions below:

Feed the curling ribbon through the hole you had punched.  Make sure the ends are even.  Tie a knot about an inch above the top of the tag.  Then place a roll of Smarties candy above the knot you made and tie the end of the candy roll in place.  Use a double knot to make it secure.

Then use the blade of your scissors to curl the ribbon.  The result should look like this . . .

If you make these "I Am a Smartie Pants!" Treats, I would love to know what theme you used and what the children thought about them.  For more fun ideas, visit Smarties on Pinterest.

This treat is extremely inexpensive to make.  I bought a whole bag of Smarties for under $3 and the pack of 18 stickers for just $1 at Walgreens.  You can also find Smarties in the Halloween candy section at your local Walmart, Target, Family Dollar, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree stores.


I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Smarties. #CBias #SocialFabric #IAmASmartie.  The prize pack for this contest has been provided by Collective Bias™ on behalf of Smarties.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Our "I Am A Smartie" Prize Pack includes:

1 Theater box Smarties

1 small bag Original Smarties

1 small bag Tropical Smarties

1 small bag X-Treme Sour Smarties

1 small bag Smarties in a Pouch

1 small bag Seasonal Smarties

Magic Wand Party Favors for #Halloween Party Guests or Trick-or-Treaters

Halloween is just two weeks away!  Every year that my children grow older, I become increasingly excited about this holiday.  Last year, we handed out Trash Pack toys to the trick-or-treaters and that was a huge hit.  This year, with the help of Party City, I have created Magic Wand Party Favors to hand out.  I cannot wait to surprise the trick-or-treaters with these!

This party favor idea would work for themes other than Halloween.  You would just need to change the style of cello bags you use.  How cool would these favors be for a Harry Potter-themed party?

Today's Project:  Magic Wand Party Favors

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Wizards of Waverly Wands (Or use covered/painted wooden dowels)

Halloween-themed Cello Bags

Twist Ties (if not included with your bags)

Spider Rings (Or another small toy)

Charms Candy Carnival Assortment

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Step 1.  Fill a cello bag with treats.  (Ours included 2 types lollipops, 1 piece of small candy, and a spider ring.)

Step 2.  Wrap a twist tie around the tip of a magic wand, as shown below.  Then give the tie one twist to help it stay in place.

Step 3.  Twist the neck of a filled cello bag twice.  (This step is optional.  You may find it easier to not twist the bag, depending on what type of bag you are using.)

Step 4.  Attach the filled bag to the magic wand by placing the neck of the bag against the tip of the wand and then using the twist tie to secure the bag in place.  Twist the tie at least 3 times to ensure that the bag stays closed.

Step 5.  Wind the wand (like you would the handle of a vice or a tourniquet) until it feels tight.  This keeps the tie snug around the wand so that the goody bag stays at the top of the wand, rather than sliding downward.

I made 30 of these to hand out on Halloween.  A Halloween bucket was the perfect thing to hold our Magic Wand Favors for the trick-or-treaters.  If you are making these for a Halloween party, you could find a more creative way to make an impressive centerpiece for your treats table.  If you have any ideas, please do share them with other readers by leaving a comment below.

Thank you to Party City for providing complimentary product samples for us to use in this project.