'All Hallowed Spirit Continues'

Welcome party goers with pumpkins

The French poodle costume gathering is well underway with a few other Halloween alternatives: a flapper, firefighter, Bat Girl and peacock.

Not sure which costume I will wear to the Halloween party at the local nursing home, but the end result will likely be well-received by the seniors. Candy shopping has already been completed, including some sugar-free options for the diabetics.

Halloween decorating for the annual extravaganza, which I will help in planning and executing, is still not finished. Last week, I shared a few do-it-yourself tips for crafty decorations such as the Jack-O’-Lantern and tissue paper bouquets that seniors can even do.

This weekend, there will be DIY friendly ghosts, pumpkin painting and more to add to the mix. Here is what’s in store:

For the ultimate party entrance, spell out a greeting in lighted pumpkins (top). Carve out pumpkins and make an opening on the bottom – not on the top like most people tend to do. Use a drill to bore holes in the pumpkin and to spell out your greeting. Use Christmas tree lights, rolled in small bunches, to light each pumpkin. Tip: unscrew the bulb of the lights where it connects to the next pumpkin.

Friendly ghosts

Nevermind Casper this year. Try a hand at your own friendly ghosts with a little bit of cheesecloth and some small balloons. First, soak a strip of cheesecloth in fabric stiffener and have it dry over a balloon. Place it over a small paper cup. Pop the hardened balloon with a pin. Using craft glue, have the seniors glue tiny black circles out of felt onto the ghosts. Remove the ghosts from the cups and hang using fishing wire.

Use pumpkins to decorate a simple bookshelf

Use the entire length of a bookshelf or cabinet to create a ceiling-length tree with pumpkins. You will first need to decide the placement of the pumpkins. Tip: the larger pumpkins should be placed at the bottom of the shelving unit. Take a felt tip pen and trace the outline of a tree onto the pumpkins (once in its ultimate spot). Start at the bottom and gradually trace your way up. Remove the pumpkins and fill in the outline with black acrylic paint. Once dry, place back onto the shelf.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of countryliving.com

'All Hallowed Spirit'

Get in the Halloween spirit

“A French poodle,” I said. I gave my friend a dead-pan stare and continued, “I bought a bright pink wig and I’ll probably wear a pink leotard and tights with a dog collar.”

“Well, that’s original,” my friend replied with a furrowed brow.

By now, I was accustomed to the puzzled looks. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and with the costumes (I am a fashion stylist, who doesn’t like dressing up?), pumpkin carving, haunted house visits, hayrides and decorations, I always managed to excessively plan my Halloween activities. Concepts for the Halloween costume might form as early as a year in advance.

I have my itinerary set this weekend with plans to scout Halloween stores for key costume accessories. (Actually, I plan on creating two Halloween costumes: one for both Friday and Saturday night0

To be checked off my list are also supplies for do-it-yourself Halloween decorating projects for a group of seniors at a local nursing home that I visit every Sunday. Each year, the seniors create their own crafts to decorate the main dining room for the annual Halloween party. This year is no exception.

Here are some ideas that I’ve selected for my seniors to do:

• Grab a set of inexpensive orange paper lanterns from the dollar or party store. Cut out the eyes, noses, mouths and stems out of construction paper. Have the seniors glue the cutouts on the lantern with glue dots to create a Jack-O’-Lantern. String some fish wire through the lantern (not the stem) and attach an ornament hook if you want to hang.

• Create an eerie environment by creating black flower bouquets from sheets of tissue paper. Bend an 18-inch-long piece of floral wire in half. Wrap double-sided tape around bent end five times. Hold a tip of the streamer, still attached to its roll, against the tip of the taped wire. Then wrap the streamer loosely around the wire up to five times, enough to create a bud. As you roll, pink the bottom edge of the streamer. Continue wrapping, but gather the rest of the streamer around the base of the flower base so petals appear to fan out. Cut and secure the flower with floral tape to finish.

*For more of my Halloween decorating tips, read my next post.

Halloween shopping tip:

Shop the Spooktacular Halloween Sale Now!

-S. Gonzalez