Spooky Szn.....
because we need a few tricks & treats to distract us from all the craziness in the world right now! Ashely has been working on some fun DIY crafts at home to keep Halloween decor simple, fun, and budget-friendly. She's excited to share with you how a little spray paint and acrylic paint can go a long way! Also, our little "customer service" rep, Aniston was due for a new trick-or-treat bag so Ash got a little creative with her "Boo" bag treats and wanted to link what's included to help our followers with creative ideas for their littles. And last but not least, as a way to incorporate a little education into the holiday, Ashely came up with a clever way to make reading fun and get our family and friends involved with encouraging Aniston to explore her imagination and get those "homework" minutes in with some book time.
First up.... the Dollar Store and Michael's proved to be a major money saver for minimal and simple decor. Warning, at first sight nothing seems magical or pretty, but with a little DIY potion you can whip up so many things to decorate around the house without spending an arm and a leg. If you are an avid 'gramer than you likely have seen many of the bloggers who share their exquisite holiday ideas and decor so while Ash would love to take credit she owes all the kudos to some really amazing mamas out there who do holidays and do them BIG! Ash took some ideas and simply put her personal touch on them.
Between both crafts stores Ashely purchased several miniature pumpkins and acrylic paint to create an ombre rainbow effect and used a fruit stand she already owned to display them on her kitchen island. The trick was selecting a color palette whether it be true ROYGBIV vibes or a pastel approach, either makes for a bright eye-catching display for family and guests gathering around the kitchen island. Ashely at first thought she wanted the whole fireplace mantel approach but realized she was short on time (like most of us mamas) so she opted for the smaller scale project which will be easier to store for future holidays. Also, thanks to one of her teacher-mama friends she used matte and gloss finish clear spray paint to seal the pumpkins so their color will last and hold for years to come. She utilized a mixture of gloss and matte to mix up the textures. Aniston has already spent a few afternoons enjoying snacks at the kitchen counter while playing with the pumpkins and practicing math, so win win, right?!
The Dollar Store was her go to for mini skull heads and skeleton garland and a wooden haunted house and plastic bat rings. Michael's had the larger skull heads and all for $1-$3. Using an assortment of a wild rose, coral, and hot pink spray paint she gave these skull heads and skeletons a face lift with a couple of coats. The garland was attached to a twine, so she simply cut the rope off prior to getting to work. The skull heads are great for placing in a clear glass vase or bowl. Ashely used an old Tory Burch candle holder to stack hers in and add to her stand behind her couch. The mini skeletons are the perfect size for displaying around the house whether you place on a chest/book case or book wall shelves. Ash also threw one of the spray painted skeletons into Aniston's teacher's "boo" basket (will touch on at the end of this post). Ash placed the larger skull heads on a brass wire shelf in the playroom. The wooden haunted house was painted white and Ashely cut the rings off of the bats and hot glued them to the house. In addition to placing the letter board on the book shelves she added the now "white" haunted house to create some contrast against the statement black wall.
Using the same spray paint for the skulls and skeletons, Ashely utilized an old plain star paper garland she purchased from Amazon years ago for hosting a shower and gave it a little ombre whirl. Ashely decided to switch up Aniston's book wall in her playroom for Halloween to include all things spooky and goofy for the creepy season. Family and friends love to give "happy's" as we call them to the littles so Ash decided to create an Amazon List with some book options/ideas to share with family and close friends in the event they wanted to send a "happy" for Aniston this year, they could simply shop from their phone and gift something that she can read. Ash is a sucker for books, for both herself and Aniston! They are educational, insightful, provoke major creativity and double as decor (another win win). Aniston has had so much fun opening packages daily with a new book to add to her wall. So back to the book wall.... while adding the Halloween themed books, Ash included the mini skeletons and the sign board she already had to add another element of decor to the wall. The star garland was cut into two sections to create two rows and she simply used tape to keep it in place.
More amazing Amazon options include the 3-D black bats, butterflies or a pack of a dozen witch hats that you hang from the ceiling in a stairwell, entry way or room for celebrating the holiday. Ash opted for black butterflies this year (last year we did bats) and utilized her dining room as the focal point for all the haunted vibes. She has the Pinterest-famous IKEA black and white rug so she thought this made for the perfect entertaining space for the holiday. Using fishing line and command adhesives she hung the black witch hats from a variety of heights. The black butterflies run along her floor length mirror (great for spooky selfies) and utilizing what has been Aniston's Christmas tree for past few years, she decided to finally make use of it for Halloween and give it a little flair.
Ashely and Aniston are so excited to HOST some friends and their littles over this month and make the most of enjoying a mini celebration at HOME. Summer was busy with being on the go, so doing more small intimate gatherings between now and Christmas is right up all of our alleys (costumes not required). These DIY activities were fun for Aniston to help mom out and she was able to give her creative design input when it came to placement of all the skeletons.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST - the BOO BAGS.
As a simple "treat" for her teacher this year, Ashely hit up the Dollar Store for cute mummy bucket (they have a variety of styles). Target was her one-shop stop for all the fillings except for one extra visit to Starbucks to top off the package. She filled the bucket with $1 box sweet treats, $1 "Boo" socks, a crazy straw and then added a few of the refillable colored plastic coffee cups from Starbucks and a gift card. The cups are on sale now at Starbucks in a pack of 6, so we kept 4 for our home and picked out two fun colors to add to her teachers bucket. One of the DIY skeletons also made the basket. Ash spent about $20 total to create this "happy" and small token of appreciation to bring a little spooky fun to her teacher during this Halloween.
Okay...so the real fun was putting together A's surprise "Boo" bag. She's never had one and Ash can't promise this will be an annual thing, but she decided to switch things up this year. We love the black and white color combo with pops of pastel and ombre pinks and oranges to keep the basket girly and cheerful.
Ash incorporated the following into the occasion basket! {Ash will share photo later this week, waiting on a few more items to arrive! Check back later in the week to see it.}
{Meri Meri pastel temporary tattoos, adorable Lule Bloom "Boo" (sold out, but also love this ghost one that they carry) and Meri Meri "Bat" hair clips, a pastel skulls bow clip, Nailmatic glittery nail polish, a pair Hanna Andersson of black and white ghost pajamas (because Ash loves black and white, shocker!), another book to add to her book wall, a white skeleton flashlight for trick or treating, some homemade beaded bracelets, a Highlights Hidden Halloween activity, the cutest Jellycat stuffy ever. Of course the jelly retro basket, ghost personalized "Boo" tag and Halloween felt banner are all from creative talents on Etsy}
We would love to hear what some of your favorite Halloween traditions are! Drop us a comment below or message us on Instagram. We would love to know some of your go to's for decorating or making the season a little more fun and spooky!
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