Boo - Baskets, Boo - Boxes and Skeletons Oh My!!

Completed Boo-Basket

Last week I talked about decorating my house on a boo-get. Get it? Boo-get?? I kill myself.

Anyway, I promised you that I would show you a couple crafts to put up on your walls so that it looks festive but doesn't break the bank. Doesn't hurt that it is fun for the kids too!

But first, I want to talk Boo-Baskets. A Boo-Basket is a way to get your friends or neighbours into the Halloween spirit. It's very easy to make.

Boo - Baskets

Eye Balls and Witch Hats

First you need to get something to put the goodies in. I like to get small disposible cake pans from the dollar store and then use a hot glue gun to attach spooky garlands around the top. I then cut a peice of halloween paper and put it on the bottom of the basket (you can also glue this down).

From this point you can put whatever you want in the basket. We made eye-ball cookies and put in little erases, pencils, spider rings, ghost puppets, halloween themed stickers, and a colouring sheet. We finished it off by printing out the door hanger from Skip To My Lou.

Boo Basket from a Friend

Take your Boo-Baskets and place them on your friends, family or even a neighbours door. We hid behind trees and cars to watch the kids shout with glee and look around to see who had left the basket of treats.

If you are lucky - someone may just return the favour!


Paper Plate Skeletons

Serious Work!

This is one of those crafts that are so easy and look awesome when finished. I found this great tutorial on how to make paper plate skeletons on Nap Time Crafters, we actually had everything that we needed in the house to make them that day!

I put them up outside on Halloween night to add to the spooky effect outside. It was so great how they just blew in the wind.

Coming Together!

Right now I have them hanging right inside my front door. It instantly transforms my foyer into a Halloween themed delight!









Boo - Box

Last but not least, I almost forgot to share one of my favourite things that I do each holiday (it's not just for Halloween!)

Diaper Box and Construction Paper

I have another type of Boo-Basket, but this time it is a Boo-Box.
My kids are voracious readers, or lookers, if we are talking the little guys. I think this is because my husband and I like books so much that we tend to collect them. We actually have a dedicated room in our house that we turned into a library (instead of an office). We admit that we are a little book obsessed. So why would this end during the holidays?

Every October the kids come home with Scholastic order forms that have Halloween Packs (and Easter, and Christmas), for a ridiculously cheap price. I buy a couple of the packs and save them to put into our Boo-Box for the next year.

Every night the kids get to choose a book from the box that they like to read - it's a nice way to keep them interested in reading and to keep the Halloween spirit every single day!


Please feel free to share any links that you may have for other fun Halloween crafts for kids in comments!

Devilish Decorations for all your Halloween Needs

My husband even gets in on the FUN!

Well, I warned you didn't I. Wasn't my last post just yesterday? I am crazy about Halloween and two posts a week (okay 3 this week) and one Vlog a week is almost not cutting it. I have so much cool stuff to share with you to make your Halloween as fun as mine.

Yesterday we brought the THREE big rubbermaid tubs from downstairs and started to transform the living room from summer decor to fall/Halloween decor. It takes a lot of time to do this. I have a lot of stuff!! 

Now, I may be crazy about Halloween and I know it - but I am not crazy about spending a fortune on decorations. Every year at the end of the month or early November, I go to the Christmas Store in Banff and also go to Pier One, Home Outfitters and Michaels to pick through their Halloween decorations that are literally 70 - 80% off. It's great! I have gotten some incredible pieces that way and love to bring them out the next year to get to enjoy them! 

I also have the boys do Halloween crafts all month long and crafts from Halloween past line my walls. I will be posting a couple cool crafts to do with the kids next week. 

Doesn't it look pretty?

One of my favourite decorations to put up is my homemade Halloween Advent Calendar. I bought the template from a fellow blogger at My Delicious Ambiguity and absolutely love it. I have decided this year that I am going to laminate it though as it is not storing very well over the years (it's only paper). 

A different activity everyday!

It was so easy to make I just went to the dollar store and bought seasonal scrapbook paper and some stickers. I used some to decorate the front of the poster and the rest I put on the back of the activities so that the kids were excited to see the which creature was next.

A couple of the decorations that I am really excited for this year are my new dip platter that looks like a witches hat, a couple of really cool skulls with crazy red eyes, battery operated tea-lights, an incredibly cute Halloween apron and a super sparkly haunted house.

So Much Fun!!

So there you have it, my house is completely decorated and I haven't spent a penny this year! I am also planning to check out the annual costume shop to save some money on the kids costumes, and mine too!

Do you have any money saving decoration tips that you would like to share? Send them to me on Twitter, Facebook or right here in comments! 

An Attempt to Move

When my oldest was just a wee one, before I learned of slings and things. My husband and I bought a house. The house was a 3 bedroom condo, about 1200 sq ft. in a very family oriented community. We thought that it would be a great house to raise a family. Now 5 years later and 2 more kids and a dog, it's a little cramped.

Now, I don't *need* a new house. I like the idea of keeping your foot print small, but and I don't know if this is the Jones in me talking, I just feel like it's too small. I like the layout upstairs, and the kitchen is not bad..but my living room and dining area make me insane. There is no real space for the boys to spread out and do their thing. So they end up ripping apart my living room to jump on, or bring all their toys onto the landing, which is another "bigger" space.

I really only want a unfinished or partially finished basement and some semblance to a backyard and I would be happy for a while (5 more years??)

I really want to be able to open the back door and allow the boys to play on the back deck while I put the baby to sleep. I can join them after the baby is sleeping.

Now, its hard for other children to nap, because we are so on top of each other.

I also think the dog needs her own space too, and I want the crate out of my living room.

The issue I am running into now is that I have to move this summer for everything to work out the way that we want it to.

That means, cleaning, de-cluttering and listing my house (and keeping it clean) while my husband is away for days on end and I have a new born...this is gonna be tough.

But worth it I hope.

Maybe I should just go on vacation....