It's here!

Local home haunts and events this weekend

Earlier in the season I had placed an ad on craigslist looking for local home haunters in the greater Phoenix /Scottsdale area who would be interested in having their homes featured on my blog.
I only received a few replies, and I wanted to share one today.

If you are looking for something to do tonight that also raises money for a great cause, check out The Nightmare Manor in Scottsdale.
This is a walk thru home haunt that raises money for ALS, a cause close to the home haunters own hearts as their son, Andy, has ALS. Entry is a minimum $5 donation which goes to ALS.
The hosts require that anyone under age 13 is accompanied by an adult, and suggest that some rooms may be a bit too scary for kids under aged 10.

You can find this home haunt at 8702 E. Lone Mountain Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85266, open tonight from 7pm until 9:30 pm.
If you can't make it out, but would like to make a donation you can do so online by going to the ALS website, under the One Dollar Difference events. And you can get further information including info on the Nightmare Manor and "AJ" -  HERE


I am going to try and make it to this one. A haunted house to raise money for this great cause definitely beats dumping a bucket of ice over my head.

I have a couple more I will post about later this afternoon. 

One day left until Halloween! Trick or Treat, ya'll!

Lighting up the yard

Three days left until Halloween and we are starting to get our lighting up in the yard. I'm so pleased with the first couple

Of lights we have put out, now I'm debating whether or not to even hang string lights at all. Decisions, decisions!! 

Here are photos of the yard so far. 

During the day-

 Joe putting some spider web up on the roof with our monster-

Night shots, green lighting only

With green and blue-

Just blue

A few more-

I love the green so much that I was debating whether or not to do the entire yard in green, but I think I will leave the porch lit up in blue and light up the roof with more green.

Hopefully we can find a way to get it all done by Friday! 

Happy Haunting all. 

Drawing for the Winner of The Halloween Chick instagram giveaway!

 

Congratulations to the winner! Please email me your name and mailing information at thehalloweenchick@gmail.com or via DM on instagram.

Since we had such great participation, we also decided to draw a second place winner to receive a small prize and that winner is instagram user jeka420. Congratulations! Please also email or DM me your name and mailing address so I can send you a small second place prize.

Thank you to all who participated. Stay tuned to my instagram page and blog. I will be doing another giveaway for Thanksgiving, because every day is Halloween.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

We visited one of our local farmers markets this weekend and purchased a small loaf of pumpkin bread to have for breakfast. It was spicy and delicious and inspired me to make my own later that evening for the whole family to enjoy.
After some recipe searching for measurements and ideas, I went ahead and got started on mine. I ended up realizing after the mix was ready that I only had one bread loaf pan and enough mix for three loaves! (Whoops)
Because bread is finicky and I knew putting the batter in the fridge was not an option, I grabbed my bundt pan, poured the remaining batter in, and hoped for the best.
The result was excellent so I thought I would share the recipe with you all!
This recipe made one loaf of bread from an 8x4 bread pan, plus a bundt cake. If you just want bread, it should be enough for three loaves in either a 7x3 or an 8x4 pan.

Tis' the season of pumpkin everything! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 Can of pumpkin puree (I used Libby's)
1 Cup of Vegetable oil
4 Eggs
2/3 cup of water
1/2 tsp vanilla

3 Cups white sugar

3 1/2 Cups Flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger

For the spices, you can adjust according to your preference. If you love nutmeg, use 1 1/4 tsp and so forth. It's up to you!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour your bread/cake pans

Mix together the wet ingredients (the first five listed) plus sugar until blended well.
In a separate bowl, whisk by hand your dry ingredients (the last seven listed).
Next, stir the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, stir by hand until just blended. Don't over mix or worry about a few little lumps.
Pour your mixture into the prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes depending on your oven.
Both the bread and the cake took about 50 minutes and came out perfectly. You know it is done when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean from the center.

I made a glaze for my bundt cake and used orange food coloring to give it a bit of a Pumpkin/Halloween feel. The glaze is just four tablespoons butter, melted. Then add 2 cups of powdered sugar and stir, add 2-3 tablespoons of milk until you get the desired consistency. I also add a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness and a 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. Glaze your cake as you like!

Some additional thoughts/tips:

This bread would be great with raisins or nuts or both.

I may try it next time with melted butter in place of the oil. 

The glaze recipe makes enough glaze for at least 2-3 cakes if glazed lightly as pictured above. 

(This would look really cool done in orange and black for Halloween.)

The bread and cake are even better the next day than they are immediately. All of the rich flavors and spices come out after it has a chance to sit.

I love the bread warmed up with a tiny bit of butter. 

I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment your results, suggestions, etc below. 

Homemade pumpkin spice creamer

We are already a week into October and I still cannot find pumpkin spice coffee creamer anywhere! My wallet can't take any more trips to Starbucks so I decided to do some web searching and what do you know... dozens of recipes for pumpkin spice creamer were just waiting to be found!

So, after looking through what I had in the fridge, I took some ingredients from one recipe, some from another and instructions/guidelines from a few others and came up with this-and let me tell you, this stuff is addicting!

2 cups half n half

1/4 cup maple syrup 

3 tablespoon pumpkin purée 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Some of the recipes I found have you divide your cream or half n half and add part later once cooled. I have no patience so I just put the first four ingredients into a sauce pan and cooked on the stove top over medium heat, whisking frequently for about 10 minutes, then I added the condensed milk, whisked let it simmer on low for another 5 minutes, whisked some more, removed from heat, let it cool down a bit, then poured it in a jar I had saved.

I tasted some from what was left that didn't fit into the jar and it was amazing.

You can also make this recipe with heavy cream rather than half n half. I chose half n half because it was what I had available. (It's also cheaper and obviously less fatty if you care about that sort of thing)

So, do you have a go to pumpkin spice creamer recipe? If not, try this and let me know what you think!

Dollar store (or cheaper) crafts

Easy, quick and super cheap. This little jar can sit out on a Halloween display table or shelf. It's cute and functional.

Jar- empty welch's jelly jar I saved.

Label- bat juice label stick on from a package of 10 halloween labels I got at Michaels for $3.

Straws- bat design straws for $1 from dollar tree.

This is why I save my jars all year long. They always come in handy for holiday crafting.

You could dress it up more with some ribbon or tulle tied around the top. 

Cute, simple, happy Halloween!

Getting some more decorations up around the house

Going for a haunted mansion look in the formal dining area and on the side board. I am thinking about changing to LED candles in the larger candelabra, all this fire makes me slightly nervous.

Here's how it looks so far...without candles lit and with flash on.

Some details 

Full sideboard

Now I have to get the background wall decorated...

So much to do! 34 days to go.

Happy Haunting.

Blow mold obsessed

My favorite decorations for Halloween and Christmas are certainly blow molds.

As these charming plastic light ups make a big comeback, they are becoming harder to find in my town (unless you want to spend a lot of money on eBay). 

I love the true vintage blow molds but have no problem buying new when the price is right.

Here is my ever growing Halloween collection.

The two skinny witches are probably my favorite because I got them for a dollar each at a yard sale. (I love a great bargain!)

I can't get enough of these whimsical light ups. Hoping to find more on my thrifting expeditions.

So, what is your favorite Halloween decoration past or present? 

The decorating has begun

My favorite areas of the house to decorate have always been the kitchen and dining room. Luckily this year I have two dining areas to play with! Here is my first one at our smaller dining table... 

I'm really starting to think I need another skeleton! He needs a drinking buddy. Or maybe a date?

Also up is this little witchy sign I found at Goodwill this week.

My honey has all of my lights packed up in the garage. Can't wait to pull them out and really get this going!

Happy Haunting all. 

Today's finds

I posted earlier about my cute little candy dishes, but I had a few other awesome finds today while I was out that I thought I would share.

I'm a huge fan of blow molds and have several that are Christmas themed, but not many that are Halloween themed so I was really happy to come across one at goodwill today. It's an adorable totem pole of Halloween goodness.

I also found a 2010 boney bunch newly deads candle holder as well as four pottery barn kids Halloween plates. One has a cute witch silhouette on it, the other three have a happy skeleton.

Altogether I spent $15 on everything. I think that's a pretty good day of thrifting!

Super Halloween deal!

I am going to start posting more often when I find super deals on Halloween items. So keep an eye out for my bargain hunter Halloween posts.

Today's sweet find comes from Albertsons grocery store. 

My local Albertsons isn't done stocking their shelves with Halloween decor yet, but that didn't stop me from taking a look at what's out already! They have some really cute decorations and kitchenware. Almost everything is marked down or priced very reasonably.

But my favorite find, and the two things I could not resist were these adorable ceramic standing candy dishes. Clearance priced for $1.99, I had to grab them! 

Aren't they adorable? I put some candy corn in their little heads today. I'm sure it will be gone in no time at my house!

Happy haunting ghoulies 👻

We are getting close!

My picks for the 10 most badass Witches from TV & Movies

Every Halloween season, in trying to come up with a costume, I always consider falling back on a timeless classic and dressing as a Witch.
And last year I did just that, donning a black hat and dress, with my face painted green as an ode to the fabulous Wicked Witch of the West.

Witches, real and otherwise, come in all shapes, sizes and styles. They have intrigued, terrified, and fascinated people for centuries. With Halloween again approaching, I would like to salute some of my favorite fictional witches from television and the big screen, in no particular order.
First, a disclaimer, you will no doubt notice that absent from my list is the infamous Wicked Witch with a shoe fetish. This is only because I wanted to include some newcomers, and perhaps a couple less obvious choices.

Without further adieu, here are my favorites. Hope you enjoy!

10. The Sanderson Sisters (Hocus Pocus)

I couldn't bear to separate them for this because, well,  they belong together. And while I have a special love for sexy Sarah (because that's my name, and because I adore SJP) all three life-sucking witches deserve a spot on my list. Favorite Sanderson sisters moments include Winnifred's rendition of "I put a spell on you", Mary's vacuum ride, and Sarah's dance with "the devil", or "Master" as they call him. (I felt sorry for them when they realized he wasn't their leader after all.)
You know a witch has you under her spell when you find yourself rooting for her to capture just one more child to suck the life force from, but alas, they got greedy. Instead of using the teenage bullies they had caged up, they sought to destroy Max and Dani, and failed.

Word on the street is a sequel is in the works. And while it isn't likely to happen, I have my fingers crossed for a return of these three ladies together on screen.

9. The Red Lady, Melisandre (Game of Thrones)

I am not even sure if Melisandre is technically a witch, but she casts spells, makes potions, wears a cape, and birthed a freaking murderous shadow. I don't love Melisandre, but I know a badass when I see one.
I just hope she keeps away from Jon Snow next season.


8. Nancy Downs (The Craft)

Poor, crazy Nancy. She just didn't want to be white trash anymore and look what happened? She wound up friendless, restrained, and flying for eternity in her own mind.
But before it all went wrong, Nancy was one hardcore badass weirdo with her black eyeliner and cigarettes, able to lead a small cult of teenage witch wannabes like a 90's goth girl Charlie Manson. Nancy, keep flying girl. You could have been the next supreme.


7. Joanna Beauchamp (The Witches of East End)

What is more powerful than a Witch and her spells you ask? A mama witch protecting her eternally ill fated daughters, that's what.

Joanna Beauchamp is sexy, smart, and has lived hundreds of years trying to save her children from their doom again and again by any means necessary. She also reads tarot cards. All of the above make her just a little bit cooler than your Mom. (sorry)

6. Ursula, The Sea Witch (The Little Mermaid)

Ursula is proof that with the right shade of red lipstick, a girl can do whatever she wants. While I personally feel she's just a bit misunderstood, most inhabitants of the deep sea might view Ursula as a control hungry narcissist willing to step on anyone who stands in the way of her one true love- POWER.
My opinion? Deep down inside, she is just a poor, unfortunate soul.
(Maybe Mother didn't hug baby Ursula enough with those 8 sticky tentacles?)

5. Prue Halliwell (Charmed)

If anyone was born to play a witch, it was Shannen Doherty. (remember Brenda?)
Prue was definitely the toughest and most powerful of the sister witches on the show, but sadly after three seasons, they killed her off. Rumors surfaced that it may have had something to do with the fact that Doherty was just as much of a witch off screen as she was on.
Regardless, for me the show was never the same, even with the casting of the sultry Rose McGowan.

4. Endora (Bewitched)

Sure, the main character on the show Bewitched was Endora's daughter Samantha, but Endora was the witch who really shook things up around Stephen's household. Always meddling in her daughters affairs, Endora truly meant well. And with a friends list that throughout the centuries included Helen of Troy and Julius Caesar, it sounds like she was the original socialite.
Much to her daughters dismay, Endora didn't exactly care for Sam's husband Darrin, and she always wished Samantha would embrace her own witchy roots more- and who can blame her? Mother does know best.


3. Eva Ernst AKA The Grand High Witch (The Witches)

When your main goal in life is to kill children because you don't like their scent, you might just be the most terrifying witch ever.
Some of her talents include shooting beams from her eyes- death ray style, turning people into mice or other more easily disposed of creatures, and removing her human disguise to reveal a nightmare inducing appearance. (the above pic is only the halfway point, it gets more frightening)
Angelica Huston was born to play Eva. She's mean, she's evil,and yes, she's a badass.

2. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

Maleficent's powers come straight from the source of all that is dark and unholy-  good old H.E. double hockey sticks. And she proudly boasts that fact while declaring herself the mistress of all evil.
Possibly the darkest Disney villain ever, Maleficent can control the weather, teleport, and if all else fails, she just slips on into dragon mode.
One thing is for sure, you don't want to forget to add her to your facebook event invite list. If you do, there will be hell to pay.


1. Fiona Goode (American Horror Story, Coven)

While I didn't intend for this list to be in any particular order, I would be lying if I tried to say that placing Jessica Lange as Fiona Goode in the number one spot was unintentional.
Fiona is relentless, intelligent, cunning, unforgiving, independent and incredibly sexy and fierce.She says what everyone else is thinking and makes no apologies for it.   

(SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT) She may not be winning any mother of the year awards for her relationship with her own daughter, but the scene in which she brought a still born baby back to life tore me up and made me see that Fiona truly does have a heart in there... a cold, black heart, but a heart none-the-less.
Cheers to Fiona Goode, someone get that witch another drink.




So, who gets your vote for most badass witch of all?

44 Ways to Celebrate the Halloween Season!

We are now 44 days away from All Hallows Eve, and while Halloween has been on my mind since November 1st, 2013, many people are just starting to gear up for the October holiday.
There are several ways I love to prepare for the big night of fright, so I thought I would share some with those who are looking for new arts, crafts, or traditions to add to their repertoire. Sure some of these may seem obvious to the seasoned Halloween lovers, but still, here are a few spooky ideas for the Halloween loving newbies or even the old dogs looking for new tricks!
I have attached links to tutorials whenever possible.

1. Make your own Halloween Countdown- you can use a chalkboard, a dry erase board, a good old fashioned paper chain and tear off a link each day...  Or take a look at my halloween decorative block tutorial which includes a countdown side on the blocks-

http://thehalloweenchick.blogspot.com/2014/08/decorative-halloween-blocks-diy.html?m=1

or get really fancy and make something from this cute list: http://www.curbly.com/users/craftmel/posts/14277-roundup-10-diy-halloween-countdown-crafts

2. PUMPKIN SPICE EVERYTHING- 

nothing says October or Halloween like pumpkin spice. From lighting pumpkin spice candles, to using pumpkin spice creamer in your coffee, pumpkin spice is sure to get you in the mood for some Halloween fun, which brings me to the next item on the list...

3. Host a pumpkin carving party or contest- Grab a bunch of the Pumpkin carving kits at the nearest grocery store, or print off some cool patterns and have a B.Y.O.P. (bring your own pumpkin) gathering. It is a ton of fun to get people together and see how creative (and competitive) they can be with their designs.
Added bonus- a lot of them will leave their pumpkin so you can add it to your yard decor, especially if you give them some pumpkin flavored brewskis.
This is a good idea for later in the month of October so that your pumpkins will last til Halloween, but it's never too early to start planning the event.


4. Not into the real thing when it comes to pumpkin carving? Make a paper mache pumpkin to display indoors or out (weather permitting). Check out these absolutely amazing examples on Stolloween.com:
http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=67

5. While we are on the subject of pumpkins, why not visit your local pumpkin patch? Pick out a pumpkin and snap some pics of the kiddos (or kids at heart).

6. Dress your pets in Halloween clothes!

7. Dress your kids in Halloween clothes and pajamas!

8. No kids or pets? Dress yourself in Halloween clothes! Accessorizing with Ghostly PJ's or socks covered in witches will certainly put anyone in the mood for Halloween.

9. Get (or give yourself) a Halloween mani/pedi. Check out these adorable ideas for your digits:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/ween-nails#11px91k

10. Make (or buy) a chalkboard and write Halloween quotes, song lyrics, poems or saying on it and display it in your home. Change it up every few days or so.

11. Have a Halloween movie marathon-

Need some suggestions? Well, my personal favorites are Hocus Pocus, Trick R'Treat and of course the original Halloween, but check out this list of 50 truly chilling horror flicks if you aren't sure where to begin:
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/top-scariest-movies-all-time/Hw3HiLfctnUsYmlI89WPVJ/gallery.html

12.Visit a Haunted House/attraction in your area, or many of them!

13.Visit a graveyard (this one might not be for everyone, but there are some really beautiful cemeteries out there.) Of course, be respectful and considerate. (they're coming to get you, Barbara)

14. Make your own Spooky potion bottles. Be creative or keep it simple with stick on labels from any craft store.  You can check out my potion bottles here:
 http://thehalloweenchick.blogspot.com/2014/08/diy-potion-bottles-for-halloween.html

15. Make your own Halloween candles

with dollar store candles, craft paper or other printed Halloween images and a little modge podge.

16. Make caramel apples!

17. Host a "Secret Jack" (reference to Jack Skellington ;) Halloween gift exchange with friends, family, or co workers. Set a low dollar limit and specify gifts must be Halloween themed. Exchange mid-October so everyone has time to enjoy their treats. (or tricks)

18. Create a playlist of Halloween music, or create a Halloween station on pandora.

19. Fill jars with candy corn and place around the house for a cute display and a tasty treat.

20. Place Halloween printouts or Halloween craft paper in dollar store frames as a simple and inexpensive decoration. Here are some free printables to get your started:
http://thegraphicsfairy.com/50-best-free-vintage-halloween-images/

21. Create a Halloween table scape- use a Halloween table cloth or any table cloth that is black, purple, orange or your preferred hue, place a few skulls, a candelabra or two and add a couple of your potion bottles to your table create a festive tablescape.

This one is to die for...

Photo from:
http://betweennapsontheporch.net/elegant-eerie-halloween-tablescape-the-215th-tablescape-thursday/

22. Adopt a skeleton, give them a name,  and dress them up. Pose them around the house for fun. (or scares)
 You may have seen our family member, Grandma Mabel, and her kitty cat, Snowball. The kids get a kick out of finding her sitting in various places in the house with and without her wig. Costco has the best price on posable skeletons at $37 or so with Target close behind at $40.

23. Bake Halloween themed goods- who doesn't love cupcakes, especially those which are frosted to look like human brains? I dare you to find someone who doesn't!
Cupcakes, cake pops, cakes and cookies in a Halloween theme are always a hit! (stay tuned for some tutorials on these)

24. Save your jars and make Halloween lanterns- here is a craft of mine from last year that I reposted on one of my other blogs
http://www.3littlegoats.com/already-thinking-about-halloween-crafts/

25.  Follow Halloween and Fall instagram accounts- this is a great place to find out where the good Halloween decor is, as well as to get ideas for crafts and costumes. You can start by following me, thehalloweenchick of course :)

26. Play a game of hide n seek with a Halloween decorative item.
You know that slightly annoying but super addictive elf on the shelf? We like to play a Halloween version of this game with one of our little pumpkin head decorations. My daughter looks forward to seeing where he will be and what he will be doing...

27. Pinterest- Pin pin pin! This one is obvious but start pinning like crazy so that if you are like me, you will get to two or three of the ninety awesome crafts and decorations you swear you will make this year!

28. Have a Halloween photo shoot- break out your old costumes or better yet, head to Goodwill or the costume shop and try on all of your favorites with a friend. Bring your camera and have a blast.

29. End the day with a Halloween themed bedtime story with the kiddos (or yourself).
For the parents-  make sure it's nothing too scary or you may end up with a little goblin in your bed.

30. Binge on horror & spooky TV shows including the classics- Of course there is The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, and Hemlock Grove. But don't forget the oldies like The Munsters, or Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow.

31. Start using the Halloween kitchen ware. Hand towels, glasses, dishes, and any other Halloween themed decor you may have is a green light for daily use now. So break out the jack o lantern plates and Witchy dish towels. Don't have any? I suggest Ross, TJ Maxx/Home Goods for inexpensive and super cool Halloween wares.

32. Change your profile pic on social media to something creepy new or old. Last years Halloween costume, that Zombify app pic you made for fun, or bust out the green face paint and take a whole new photo to get not only yourself, but friends and family in the Halloween spirit.

33. Halloween prank your loved ones- sneak up behind them in a scary mask, hide that decapitated head behind the shower curtain, place your skeleton under their covers... Halloween pranks are fun! Just be ready for screams and the occasional throwing of objects.

34. Visit all of the Halloween stores and browse, shop, or take photos and attempt to replicate things you see that cost way more than you want to spend.

35. Deck out your vehicle with Halloween funzies... whether you want to commit to bumper stickers or just hang a fun Halloween sign in the window, driving around with some Halloween decoratives is sure to entertain those around you and get others in the mood for October. Target has cool Halloween signs in their dollar bins and Spirit Halloween has nifty Car magnets.
I personally am driving around with a large Jack Skellington sitting up in my back seat right now!

36. Create a Haunted Mirror to hang in your home for fun.
http://thehalloweenchick.blogspot.com/2014/09/haunted-mirror-tutorial.html

37. Go to Disneyland!
Ok so this one is not in the cards for everyone, even I have yet to make the trek to the happiest place on Earth at the spookiest time of the year, but it is on the to do list. And if it's a possibility for you then make it happen! (and bring me with you, please?)
I hear it is amazing.

38. Use lighting to set the Halloween mood around your home- Lights aren't just for Christmas. Orange, purple, and black decorative lights placed around window frames or near your Halloween decor can really help set the tone. It can look spooky or really classy depending on what you're going for.

39. Check out local "haunted" houses, hotels, or areas in your town. Almost every town has a place that is known to be haunted. Be a tourist in your own town and go on a ghost hunt!

40. Make a spooky shower curtain for your bathroom: Use a cheap white shower curtain and decorate it with bloody handprints, or if you are artistically inclined, use a sharpie to draw a silhoutte or bats etc on the outside of the curtain. Might want to do this one near Halloween if you use the shower regularly and the curtain could get wet and cause any paint, blood, marker etc to run.

41. Roast pumpkin seeds. A timeless classic.

42. Buy or make your own ouija board and connect with the spirits... I know, this one is not for everyone, but it might be fun for some. And if you don't want to summon the spirits, you could just use the board as decor. Here are some really cool homemade ouija boards.
http://www.museumoftalkingboards.com/kips.html

43. Make your own Halloween tombstones! Terra at scary lady videos takes the guess work out of making AMAZING Halloween tombstones for your yard haunt. Check out her basic tutorial here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyfmBL5JuH0&list=UUMrxX-vdE0ABTHOAkwFV-4g

She is truly talented and seems like a super nice lady,and check out this beautiful tombstone she created and eventually donated to a church group. Just brilliant!

44. Last but not least, enjoy the Halloween season with friends, family, and neighbors. Halloween is one holiday where the community truly celebrates together (if you are lucky enough to live in an area that still answers the door for trick or treaters). Support and promote Halloween by being the crazy person on the block that starts decorating before October 1st, even if no one else does.
Leave the lights on for trick or treaters and give out the good candy ... You might be surprised when your neighbors want to follow suit, and the kiddies will thank you.

Happy Haunting all.

Grandma Mabel

We are having far too much fun with our Costco skeleton. She has evolved into "Grandma Mabel" and today I picked up a pet kitty for her at CVS. 20% off Halloween merchandise with a cvs card, so not too bad for $16. (Plus tax)

I want to see your Home Haunts

Looking for Home Haunters to share on my blog.
Please send me photos and info on where you are located. I would love to feature a couple of home haunts on my blog each week in October.
If you are raising money for a charitable cause with your haunt, I will include info in regard to your charity as well.

Email thehalloweenchick@gmail.com to be featured! 

Happy Haunting Ghoulies and Ghosties!

We Love Halloween

Halloween is Coming!

Everyone has Halloween merchandise!

The time has finally come. Halloween merchandise is in almost all of the stores, with Target being the biggest slacker of all of the large retail stores since they only have a few aisles started. However, I think Target is going to have some awesome Halloween merchandise this year from what I saw on the shelves today. But since I am a Target lover on a Walmart budget, I spent this afternoon browsing through most of their stuff and dreaming of what will remain on the shelves in the weeks after Halloween. The only thing I love more than Halloween decor, is getting Halloween decor at rock bottom prices. Clearance is a ghouls best friend!

This year Home Goods has been my favorite for cool indoor decorations at reasonable prices. I'm still on the hunt for one large prop that I can add to my collection. I am leaning toward more of a Haunted Mansion style setup this year so an eerie Victorian ghost or spooky Butler would be perfect. Right now I am eyeing one item on Kmart.com, I just keep hoping the price may drop or a coupon may show up somewhere.

So, now that all of the stores are filling their aisles with Halloween amazingness, it's time to start decorating at home. Pics soon to come!

Happy Haunting All!

Haunted Mirror Tutorial

Quick little play by play on my Haunted mirror.

There are many ways to make these, I have seen some people use looking glass spray to create a mirror. I opted for the easiest and cheapest way though- here were my supplies

Mirror From Dollar Store- $1

Easy Off oven cleaner- had it in the house

Wash cloth & paper towels - had them

Vampire Decal from dollar store- $1 (any printed spooky pic will do, and I plan to change this out once I find something I like more)

So I took the back & frame off of my dollar store mirror carefully.

Sprayed the back side of the mirror with a generous amount of oven cleaner in the area that I wanted my image to show through.

I let it sit overnight and allowed it to do all the work pulling away the mirror paint.

Next day I used a rag and some paper towels and wiped away the area where the oven cleaner had started to lift the mirror. I did it slowly so that a little of the mirror and some fogginess would remain.

Once it looked how I wanted it, I positioned my vampire decal then cute him to fit, taped it on the back, replaced the back of the mirror and frame and voila!

Easy, cheap, scary mirror.

So I don't know how much sense it makes to see a Vampire in the mirror considering they do not have a reflection, lol, but he looks good for now until I find something better- feel free to send suggestions or links to spooky images!

TTFN!
Happy Haunting!

Decorative Halloween Blocks DIY

This week's craft is one that I have wanted to do for a while. I've had some blocks sitting around that I picked up at Goodwill a few months back and I knew I would be using them to create some kind of Halloween themed home decoration.
Here is my supply list:

Wooden blocks- mine were a lucky $2 find at Goodwill but you an find them at craft stores or even make your own from scrap wood which I actually really love. When the size varies it gives them a cool look.

Modge Podge


Foam brush to apply modge podge

Paint brushes for paint (can use the foam brushes too if you want)

Small wooden letters, mine spelled "Boo"- any cute Halloween themed word would look great. I like "Wicked", "Spooky", "Haunted", or of course "Halloween" if you have enough blocks.

Liquid Nails craft glue for the letters.

Halloween craft paper, I got a small book of it at Michaels & used their 40% off coupon to save some loot

Chalk paint in Graphite

Acrylic paint in Pumpkin

Because my blocks were older and had a design on them already, I decided to use the dark chalk paint to cover most sides. I didn't want to have to sand off the original paint and chalk paint gives really good coverage without any need for a primer. I also wanted to use the chalk paint so that I could use different sides of the blocks as a chalk board.

I painted the remaining couple of sides in the Pumpkin orange. It took several coats because I was covering the old baby blue color that was originally there.
Here are the blocks when I started:

I painted them over the course of a couple of days, just because I wanted to let them dry and I only have an hour or two at most where I am free to sit down and do my crafts :)

Once all of the paint was dry and looked the way I wanted, I traced the shape of the block onto a piece of craft paper and cut it out, then made sure it fit right. I trimmed it up where it needed to be fixed then used that piece as my guide and traced the rest of the squares.
I cut out several more prints than I needed so that I could play with the patterns and see which ones I liked best before I settled on the five I would use.


Next step was to apply to the modge podge in a thin layer on the block. I then quickly put just a tiny streak on the edges and corners of the craft paper before applying it to the block. I smoothed it out quickly so there were no bubbles or wrinkles.
(Obviously you do this with each block.)
For mine I chose to only use craft paper on one side, then leave the other sides revealing the paint and the word I chose. Some people like to use craft paper on every side and it looks super cool if you get some nice images that mesh well.

My last step was to glue on the letters, I used a pencil to mark the blocks in the places where I wanted my letters to sit. Once I made sure they looked even, I glued them on using liquid nails- any craft glue would work, we just had this around because we are also in the process of building a doll house.

Here is the finished product!

And with the chalk board in use as a Halloween countdown

Hope you enjoyed this post. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments section. I am still getting the hang of typing out these tutorials and may have missed a small step here or there.

Happy Home Haunting!