A Spin on Cobwebs

A good twist on the previous cobwebs listed on this Projects page, just before your guests arrive, use a bowl of water to moisten the threads so they will feel slimy as everyone walks through them.  It's actually quite gross!

Alternative Pumpkins

An old Irish tradition is to carve green peppers as Jack-O-Lanterns.  You have to remember that pumpkins are not native to Ireland so they used other things for Jack-O-Lanterns.  Open your fridge and see what else you can use, for a different look.  You can have a whole row of them, or mix them up with the shrunken apple heads.  Don't forget about the red and yellow peppers too. Try hanging them from strong string as well, at the door.  You can also put sticks through them  and place them around your garden etc.  Use tea lites to illuminate them. 

Monster Footprints

With a magic marker, draw a footprint on a big sponge. Cut out the footprint. Pour washable paint in an 1/8 inch aluminum pan. Press the sponge in the paint and sponge footsteps up your sidewalk to your front door for trick-or-treaters to follow, or around the side of your dark, spooky house. Flip the sponge upside down to stamp the other foot.  Use your hose and some detergent to remove the footprints after.  It is very important to buy washable paint!!

 

Floating Monsters

Start with a piece of cheesecloth 2 yards long and 1 yard wide. Place a helium filled balloon (white is best) in the middle of the fabric and gather loosely around balloon. Use a cheap rubber mask from the store and attach it to the cheesecloth (I use rubber bands and tape.  Place them in your windows, flowers boxes, attached to chairs on your porch etc. 

Cobwebs

A good twist on the previous cobwebs listed on the first Projects page, just before your guests arrive, use a bowl of water to moisten the threads so they will feel slimy as everyone walks through them.  It’s actually quite gross!

 

Ghost/Monster in the Window

Use those lawn ornaments that light up in whatever shape you want.  Put in one of your windows and plug it in.  It is simple but makes for a cool effect in the dark.

  

 

Graveyard

You can either buy tombstones from your local party store, or you can make tombstones from this page of Projects, but use styrofoam instead and place the tombstones around your yard.  Use those lanterns that run on batteries to give the tombstones an eerie effect in the dark.  Add some wooden crosses for a different effect. 

Casket Corpse

This is a project for the handy person as it requires some carpentry skill.  Build a coffin in the old style shape.  See image below.  you can put hinges on it, or place the lid askew from the box part.  Make Mummy found Here, and use it as your corpse for the coffin, or make your own style of corpse and have it coming out of the coffin.  Use wire or strong string to hold him up, either from branches, or from your porch ceiling etc.

 

Michael Myers in Window

Follow the directions for the mummy found here, but dress him in all black clothes.  You can make a plain white mask with paper mache, by covering half a balloon with paper mache, dry it and paint it white with black eyes.  Or you buy a Michael Myers mask from a store and put it on your body.  Hang Myers in the window and use either white, red or blue xmas lights to illuminate the figure.  Try to have them light up the mask so it actually looks like Mike Myers.

 

How to Make Slime

A few friendly reminders about these Slime Recipes:

Although the final substance is non-toxic, it is NOT edible, so do not allow small children or pets to play with the "Slime" unattended.

The Glue and the Borax can dry out your skin so use some kind of water based hand lotion before handling the Slime.

The Slime will not usually react to smooth surfaces, but watch out for anything that is porous, such as fabrics: clothes, rugs, towels, etc. are a bad combination with the Slime.

I did not create this recipe and DO NOT claim responsibility for anything that you may do during or after creation of this substance.

Enjoy this funky stuff and Have Fun! Now on to the Slime...!

 

Slime Recipe #1 Large Quantity Supplies:

Container # 1

3/4 cup of Water.

2 cups of White Glue

Food Color of Your Choice (A Few Drops)

Container # 2

1 1/3 cups warm water

3 Teaspoons of 20 Mule Team Borax Powder

Mix the ingredients up in separate containers as indicated. Be sure to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Next pour the contents of Container 2 into Container 1 and then gently lift and turn the mixture until only about a tablespoon of liquid is left. The mixture will be sticky for a moment or two. Finally let the excess liquid drip off and the slime will be ready for to use. You may want to store the material in plastic freezer bags in the freezer to increase the longevity. It will begin to mold if left out in open air too long.  

 

Slime Recipe #2 Small Quantity Supplies:

Container # 1

3/4 cup Warm Water

8 oz white school glue

15 Drops of the Food Color of Your Choice

Container # 2

2 tablespoons warm water

1 rounded teaspoon 20 Mule Team Borax

1. Measure into mixing bowl cup of white glue and 3/4 cup of water, food coloring and mix until thoroughly smooth and milky. Be sure not to over-color the mixture; a medium to pastel color is usually the best that can be achieved considering the white glue.

2. Once evenly colored and smooth, measure 1 teaspoon of Borax and 2 tablespoons of water into the second measuring cup. The Borax won't dissolve entirely, but do your best. While stirring the glue solution, slowly pour the Borax solution into it. Clumps and globs will begin to form.

3. Immediately remove these clumps and globs transferring them into the empty mixing bowl. Do not worry if they seem too wet or sticky.
Repeat making and mixing the Borax solution until all of the glue solution is used up (typical is 3 mixtures).

4. Immediately soak the original mixing bowl and stirrer in warm water with any remaining Borax. Drain any standing water from the bowl of goo.

5. Test the surface of the goo with your finger. If the mixture sticks to your finger, wet your hands. If not, take the mass of goo and begin to squeeze any pockets of water from the mixture, kneading the mixture as you go. If you find any Borax crystals in the mixture, run them briefly beneath a stream of cool water to remove. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes to partially air cure.

6. Finally the mixture is ready to play with. Be sure to store it in an airtight container when through.

 

Guts

To make your dummies look like their guts are oozing out try this the cheap way. On the open end of the dummy use styrofoam, spider webs, or bunched white trash bags to fill the end, then spray with red spray paint. Or use styrofoam popcorn, dye with red food coloring, and glisten with Vaseline.

Giant Spider

Using newspaper soaked in liquid starch cover an inflated balloon with one layer. Let this dry and repeat 4-5 times. Using chicken wire or anything else shape the legs and attach to the body using the same paper mache method. Once finished spray paint it with your choice of color. MORE TO COME!

New Projects

Severed Foot

Fill a shoe with spray foam insulation and let it dry.  Paint the foam blood red, with maybe a little cream color to look like the bones, it will look like the foot has been ripped off.

Pumpkin Eyes

Paint small gourds with white paint and let dry.  With a very small craft brush, paint on some red veins and an eye in the middle.  They look like big, blood shot eyes.

In Case of Vampires

You can buy a shadow box and paint it red.  Buy a small garden stake, a fake bud of garlic from a craft store, a large plastic  crucifix a clear glass decorative bottle (for holy water) and some alphabet sticker.  Arrange the items in the shadow box, glue them in place and close up the box (follow the box's directions).  Using your stickers write "In Case of Vampires Break Glass."  You can get really creative with this too and do one for ghosts, zombies, monsters, demons, etc.

Packaged Limbs

You can buy pre-packaged body parts from the Halloween stores, but they generally cost a small fortune.  So make your own.  Buy limbs on their own, these are generally a few dollars a piece.  Buy styrofoam meat packages (or safely recycle your own.  (make sure you wash them really well with antibacterial soap).  Put one limb per pack or if their a few small ones (like fingers) a few together and cover them with plastic wrap.  You may want to tape the plastic wrap to the back of the package.

 

Zombie Arms

You'll need latex gloves, paper towel rolls (the cardboard part), paper mache, and strips of newspaper, paint, masking tape.

Fill up the glove with air and tie in  a knot.  Tape the hand to the paper towel roll.  You can crunch up the roll a bit to make joints or a broken bone affect.  Cover the whole thing really well with paper mache and let it dry overnight.

 

Paint them gray with black veins, bruises and bloody wounds.  Get creative.  You can use the sleeves of an old shirt and make it tattered so you can see the arm beneath.  Then set them up so they look like they're coming out of the ground, from under a table, behind the couch, out of cauldron, a planter, under furniture etc.

Bloody Fountain

Buy a cheap fountain and add among the rocks, little bones and eyeballs.  Add to the water fake blood (the kind you buy works best) and add until the water flows looking like blood.  (You won't want to use a good fountain for this project because the blood tends to stain the rocks).