15 Halloween Ideas

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Roeshel

Where are my Halloween lovin’ friends? Time for some Halloween fun!

I’ve rounded up some DIYShowOff Halloween ideas from over the years for inspiration for your upcoming weekend projects.

15 DIYShowOff Halloween Ideas

Skeleton Fairy Couture – perfect for adding Halloween touches to your decor. Attach to a wreath, pin onto your jacket, position in a plant, unlimited ideas and so much fun – a little reminiscent of playing with paper dolls only more creative and 3D.

Halloween (witch) dreamcatcher // tea party – this whimsical witch-catcher is just too cute!

The Raven inspired Halloween party ideas – throwing a monster bash? A black and white Poe theme is perfectly POEtic!

Halloween {essential oil infused} Marshmallow Treats – easy to make party favors!

witch hat tutorial for a Halloween centerpiece, candy dish, vignette or planter ‘witch’ purpose works best for you? A construction cone + plant dish = so many options!

monster repellent Halloween party favor recipe – you just might want to use this all year long! Still holding out on trying essential oils? Learn more here —> essential oils 101 class

Halloween wooden BOO blocks and super easy wall art tutorial – isn’t that laser cut wall art amazing? It’s like the easiest craft project ever!

DIY chicken wire/cheesecloth spooky skeleton ghost – this guy hangs out in our (storage) barn all year long until it’s time to come out of hiding! A scary sight when you walk in to rummage through the treasures. And a fun addition to the grape arbor/gazebo with the curtains blowing around. Spooky!

DIY ‘Nevermore’ tree Halloween decor – grab some branches from the yard and ravens from the Dollar Store and your glue gun! Easy fun craft time!

The Raven inspired Halloween mantel

personalized trick or treat tote bags

DuckTape trick or treat bucket tutorial

DIY pumpkin/jack-o-lantern diorama

candy skull owl

wooden candy corn decorations

I love this old Halloween display from quite a few years ago…

Share YOUR Halloween in this week’s That DIY Party.

DIY Chocolate Candy Wedding Party Favor Gifts

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Roeshel

DIY Chocolate Candy Wedding Party Favor Gifts

Isn’t it funny where inspiration comes from? At times, it’s somewhere completely random or even unknown. I’m thinking the inspiration for these DIY chocolate candy wedding party favor gifts may have been handmade soaps or even those beautiful yogurt bowls I’ve seen on Instagram. To be honest, I’m not sure – I’ve done some searching and haven’t stumbled across anything similar.

I made these up as a hostess party gift/favor and got drafted to make up some bridal shower favors. So here’s my DIY tutorial for beautiful chocolate/candy melts. They are so easy! Some affiliate links included.

Supplies I used:

THISsilicone mold
candy melts (light cocoa and bright white shown)
sprinkles <— my favorite! I bought way too many from many sources to try to find the right shade for this project (check Etsy, Amazon, Michaels too)
decorations (icing roses)
zip lock baggies
skewer
Peppermint Vitality essential oil
treat bags
labels (Avery 5260)

Total Time: Approximately 30 min.

Serves: This silicone mold is a large size (3×3 inch). Two bags of melts makes 6.

What I did:

I transferred candy melts to quart sized baggy (I used two: light cocoa and white) and melted according to package instructions – either in the microwave or in a double boiler. My experience: I carefully set both bags (unzipped) into the microwave on ‘defrost’ for 50 seconds then checked and repeated and re-checked until melted. Instructions warn against overheating and I didn’t have any issue.

*Melted candy will be hot. Please use caution!

I set my silicone mold on a small cookie sheet (a tray or something that gives the mold support to be moved and that will fit into your freezer works).

Once my candy was melted, I added 2-4 drops of Peppermint Vitality essential oil to the melted white candy, zipped the bag and kneaded the baggy to mix. I didn’t do it with both colors, just one.

Then I snipped off a bottom corner of the baggy (very small snip!) with scissors and piped the candy into the silicone mold and repeated with the other color. I filled each silicone space with half and half of each candy into each square.

Next I gently shook/shimmied the mold to level the melted candy.

Using the skewer, while candy was still melted, I swirled the colors to create a beautiful unique design where the colors meet.

I am in LOVE with how each square is a unique and one of a kind design! I think this was my favorite step! I started out with just more of a zig zag but then discovered that the more swirly, the better.

Then quickly decorated with icing roses, sprinkles, colored sugar, edible decorations, etc.

I placed the tray/silicone mold in freezer to set the candy. It didn’t seem to take long at all…probably about 15-20 minutes if that. Sometime I let it sit overnight if I got busy.

Then I removed them from freezer and carefully popped the bars out of silicone mold.

I placed them into a bag and secured with a personalized label.

Beautiful! I love that each design is unique, don’t you? They’re so pretty, so professional and designer-looking but so easy to create! I can’t wait to make more!

So.many.photos! lol But I’m just so happy with how pretty they are!

This batch was a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” theme.

I whipped up 60-70 of these for a bridal shower but since you can personalize them with any candy melts (so many colors!) and any deco ratings (so many colors and shapes and ideas!), they’d work for not only bridal showers but for Mother’s Day, baby showers, wedding favors, party favors, hostess and teacher gifts, prizes, etc. I made a few every evening over a couple of weeks’ time. I gave a few out as essential oil infused door prizes and at Easter to my family too. I even had my grandson helping me decorate a few!

Warning – not only are they a beautiful sweet treat, they’re so addicting to create! Here is the very first batch that started my madness (without the swirl technique)…

Need more info on essential oils for dietary use? Read more about why I choose Young Living HERE. xo

DIY Halloween Fairy Fashion Inspired Skeleton Couture Tutorial

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Roeshel

Crafty friends! Who’s searching for a quick and easy last minute Halloween craft? Look no further! These Halloween fairy-fashion inspired skeletons are so cute! I had so much fun dressing up mini-skeletons for a Skeleton Couture photo shoot! These make for a fun and creative party activity, a cute Halloween party favor, a creepy but stylish decorative accent or whip up your own type of hide and seek or ‘elf on the shelf’ inspired game for Halloween.

DIY Halloween Fairy Fashion Inspired Skeleton Couture Tutorial

{BOO-tiful!}

Materials I used:

(I found my supplies at Michaels, currently 60% off)

mini skeletons
a package of butterflies
feathers
flower embellishments
hot glue/gun

What I did:

I simply created fairy-inspired fashion accessories for the skeletons using butterflies, feathers and flowers and secured them to the skeletons with hot glue. It really doesn’t get much easier!

Then we had a bit of a fashion photo shoot outside…

I have to admit, it kind of brought back some childhood memories of playing with paper dolls and Barbie dolls (although in a creepier Halloween kind of way). lol What fun!

Ready to make your own Halloween Home Coming court?! Show off! If this is something you do, share using the hashtag #skeletoncouture or tag @diyshowoff! I’d love to see your BOO-tiful creations!

So many uses…style them on bookcases, or in lanterns, with pumpkins or floral arrangements. Heck, add one to your necklace as a quirky and whimsical Halloween accessory. Have fun!

DIYShowOff Halloween DIY Ideas

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Roeshel

Looking for some Halloween DIY ideas?

Here’s a round up of DIYShowOff Halloween projects for creepy and fun inspiration:

Halloween (witch) dreamcatcher // tea party

The Raven inspired Halloween party ideas

Halloween {essential oil infused} Marshmallow Treats

witch hat tutorial for a Halloween centerpiece, candy dish, vignette or planter

monster repellent Halloween party favor recipe

Halloween wooden BOO blocks and super easy wall art tutorial

DIY chicken wire/cheesecloth spooky skeleton ghost

DIY ‘Nevermore’ tree Halloween decor

The Raven inspired Halloween mantel

personalized trick or treat tote bags

DuckTape trick or treat bucket tutorial

DIY pumpkin/jack-o-lantern diorama

candy skull owl

wooden candy corn decorations

I love this old Halloween display from quite a few years ago…

Share YOUR Halloween in this week’s That DIY Party.

Halloween DreamCatcher Decor

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Roeshel

Who here is a BIG fan of all things Halloween? ::raises hand:: We aren’t into super scary so I whipped up the cutest Halloween Dreamcatcher Decor to share with you today, my pretties! I’m so excited that the Michaels Maker Challenge for October has a Halloween decor theme! Purrrrfect! It’s cute. It’s colorful. It’s fun!

Halloween DreamCatcher Decor Tutorial

Forget ‘dream’ catcher! With your creative magic, you just might wind up with a witch-catcher like I did. Look at what I snagged, you guys! This sweet little witch! Oh my goodness. Adorable! Er, frightful!

Okay, you’re right. The cupcake lure did the trick too. Treats. Gets ’em every time. But the witch-catcher dreamcatcher is pretty sweet if I do say so myself. This face…it’s the cutest!

Ready to make one of your very own Halloween dreamcatchers? Ex-cell-ent!!!

(Note: I’d steer clear of making a spider-catcher! Ain’t nobody wants to catch spiders. Except bats. Bats like spiders. )

Halloween witch dreamcatcher tea party @diyshowoff #madewithmichaels

What I used:

embroidery hoop
glitter tape (you could also just paint your hoop so insert ‘craft paint’ here in your supply list if you’re so inclined)
felt spider web placemat
lots of coordinating ribbons – so many fun colors and Halloween themed ones too (look for lace trim too)!
embellishments – my list included small colorful glitter balls, witch feet/skirt headband, small raven, glitter floral/Halloween (maybe even tucked in with some Christmas) pics
hot glue gun and hot glue

*Michaels provided a gift card for supplies for this project, so in case you didn’t know, all supplies for this project were purchased at Michaels Craft Store. Obv. Seriously, do you spend hours in there finding all.the.crafty.treasures too?! Michaels has everything you need to make your Halloween FUN!

What I did:

(Psssst. The fun thing about DIY is you can alter it to fit your style/supplies…get creative and tweak this to come up with your own version. Creepy or Spooky. Fun and colorful or gory. You decide!)

I used the inside piece of the embroidery hoop. I wrapped that with Duck Glitter Tape. You could also wrap it in ribbon or paint it or leave it naked. It’s up to you!
Next, I tied ribbons/twine/lace/trim/etc. along the bottom. I had to look it up but I used a lark’s head/cow hitch type knot to secure the ribbon to the wreath. Stagger the ribbon/trim lengths. I like the longest in the middle. Or make them all long at this point and trim them up later.
Using hot glue, secure the spider web placemat to the hoop.
Then add embellishments using hot glue too. I layered the floral pics above the knotted ribbon. I snapped off the headband from the witch’s skirt/legs. I added a raven to the back so that side was finished as well. Maybe add a few plastic spiders. I added some glittery balls.

Now go proudly display it and and enjoy trick or treat!

Halloween witch dreamcatcher tea party @diyshowoff #madewithmichaels

What do you think? For real? Are you inspired to make one up now?! I hope so! Snap a picture and tag @diyshowoff on social media to ‘show off’. Heck, add the #madewithmichaels hashtag while you’re at it. I’d love to see it! This Halloween, Michaels has everything you need to MAKE it Spooky!

We enjoyed our witchy dreamcatcher tea party.

This fun Halloween dreamcatcher project was inspired by the beautiful fall dreamcatcher wreath tutorial I did a few weeks ago. See it HERE! Happy October!

Halloween (essential oil infused optional) Marshmallow Treats

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Roeshel

Hosting a Halloween party? Me too! And these (essential oils optional) treats make the cutest edible party favors!

Shopping List: (All supplies except marshmallows and essential oils are available at Michaels).

Wilson (Halloween) Decorating Kit (shown: jack-o-lantern and witches/ravens)
Recollections BOO Paper Straw Kit (or 24 color coordinating straws)
Celebrate Treat Bags (4x2x9.5 in, 25 count))
Wilson Candy Melts (I used orange and black)
Essential Oils (orange = Tangerine Vitality / Clove Vitality, black = peppermint Vitality) – I recommend THIS BRAND.
Coordinating Ribbon
Jumbo Marshmallows

Time frame: about an hour.

What I did:

Melt candy melts according to package instructions. (I use a glass mixing bowl/4 cup glass measuring cup.)
Add 1-2 drops of essential oils and stir. (Frequently stir mixture with butter knife, keep mixture to one side/tilted for easier marshmallow swirling.)
Poke straw into the center of a giant marshmallow.
Swirl marshmallow into candy melt mixture. (Imperfections are cute! No need to be so serious about it. Aim for one pretty side.)
Remove excess candy melt from bottom with a butter knife.
Place on wax paper.
Add candy decorations while candy melt surface is still wet.
Let cool completely.
Add to treat bag and tie closed with ribbon.

So cute and tasty too! So boutique-looking, right? Your guests will love them!

See The Raven inspired Halloween party decor post for more ideas.

See the Monster Make & Take for free printables.

More Halloween make & take inspiration:

If you used essential oils, the taste is subtle but so good! I couldn’t decide which I liked best!) New to essential oils? Get yours HERE!

DIY Halloween Projects

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Roeshel

Are you a fan of spooky Halloween or do you go for a cuter approach? Here are some fun DIY Halloween project highlights from past DIYShowOff projects:

DIY Halloween Ghost

personalized Halloween trick-or-treat tote bags

DIY witch hat home decor

The Raven Halloween mantel

essential oils Halloween make & take printables

The Raven inspired Halloween party

Do you decorate your home for Halloween? Inside and out? Are you all in with a costume and trick-or-treat?

The Raven Nevermore Halloween Party

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Roeshel

My Michaels Makers challenge for October is “Halloween Party” and what a fun time shopping the aisles of Michaels for accessories. From cute and friendly to creepy-spooky, they have everything you need to host an awesome monster-bash!

makeitwithmichaels

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven is a poem often noted for its supernatural atmosphere, making it the perfect theme for your next Halloween party…

Shop for fun accents with Victorian, modern bold patterns and creepy Halloween vibes. Connect the variety of design styles with a black and white color palette.

Journals make the perfect party favor for this author and poem – inspired party. Popcorn is the perfect snack to serve while ‘The Raven’ is just the right length to read by candlelight via candelabra…

Nevermore Tree Centerpiece (an oldie by favorite craft)

Materials:

Vase, container, urn.
Small branch (desired size that fits your container). Choose one that has several branch-offs to look more like a tree.
Black spray paint
Styrofoam cone
Handful of dry moss. Other options: shredded newspaper, crinkled paper
Accessories: faux crows/ravens, plastic spiders, cotton spider webbing, ribbon
Optional: hot glue

Tutorial:

1. Spray-paint branch black and add a touch of black to dried moss and let them dry.
2. Using the bottom of my tree branch, I poked a hole into the circular side of my cone. Insert the Styrofoam cone into container with the circular side/hole facing up. You can secure your foam to the container. I didn’t.
3. Insert the branch into the Styrofoam hole. Secure with hot glue if needed.
4. Cover styrofoam with dried moss, crinkled paper or shredded paper. Glue into place if desired.
5. ACCESSORIZE: String dried moss and spider webs to branches (drag the spider webbing). Attach ravens. I used black twist ties to attach some of my crows, others are just propped on branches. I did use hot glue to attach a few plastic spiders and added a couple of snips of sheer ribbon here and there for a little added whimsy.

Whether you’re into spooky sights, playful pumpkins or giggling ghouls, Michaels is your Boo-It-Yourself Halloween Headquarters and has tons of ideas for DIY costumes and décor.

Make up some cute candy coated marshmallow Halloween treats for party favors!

Be sure to check out all of the other Michaels Makers Boo-It-Yourself Halloween ideas on the Michaels blog or by viewing the links below on Monday, October 3rd at 11 a.m. CST:

makeitwithmichaels

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12 DIY Halloween Ideas

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Roeshel

Here’s a catalog of DIYShowOff Halloween projects for creepy and fun inspiration:

witch hat tutorial for a Halloween centerpiece, candy dish, vignette or planter

monster repellent Halloween party favor recipe

Halloween wooden BOO blocks and super easy wall art tutorial

DIY chicken wire/cheesecloth spooky skeleton ghost

DIY ‘Nevermore’ tree Halloween decor

The Raven inspired Halloween mantel

personalized trick or treat tote bags

DuckTape trick or treat bucket tutorial

DIY pumpkin/jack-o-lantern diorama

candy skull owl

wooden candy corn decorations

I love this old Halloween display from quite a few years ago…

Share YOUR Halloween in this week’s That DIY Party.

Halloween (essential oils) Make & Take Ideas and Graphics

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Roeshel

Hosting a fun Halloween themed make & take essential oils class? Me too! I’ve whipped up a few graphics/printables for the occasion. You’re welcome to use them for your event too!

Facebook event cover photo:

Monster Repellent Printable Recipe Cards – Right click and save to computer, upload into word document, resize to fit 2, 3 or 4 to a page, print on white card stock and distribute to guests with supplies.

Monster Repellent Labels – Right click and save to computer, upload and resize to fit mailing labels or the appropriate size for your spray bottle (I use these 2 oz. glass spray bottles) on regular paper in a word document, print, cut out and attach to spray bottles. Protect labels with packing tape.

monster repellent printable labels

You’ll have to research the recipe for this next one on your own, but here’s a graphic if it’s something you want to make for your own personal use. Right click, save to computer, upload into a word document to resize for printing. Cut out, secure to spray bottle with packaging tape.

Diffuse: Light the Fire essential oil

Refreshments: Add essential oils and products labeled for dietary use to your Halloween recipes, apple cider, witch’s brew, etc.

What I love about Young Living: The thing about buying cheap essential oils is 1. They’re usually labeled “fragrance grade only” and 2. You don’t have the support team to help educate and empower you to take charge of your own wellness. 3. There’s no reward system. 4. There’s no opportunity to build a business. Did I ever seek out to ‘sell’ essential oils? NO WAY! But once I learned more, once I experienced the benefits…I can’t help but not share.

Learn more about Young Living essential oils, my story and join me in creating a healthy chemical free home HERE. AND! Get the DIYShowOff welcome bundle for free from me personally! Extra gifts, loads of support. If there is one thing I regret, it’s waiting as long as I did to jump on board. It’s worth the investment as it’s motivated us to truly make healthier choices, sparking a new healthy lifestyle. What are you waiting for?

DIY Halloween Vignette

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Roeshel

Decorating for Halloween? I’m not much of a Halloween decorator but I do have friends with October birthdays and these make a great gifts!

EASY Halloween Wall Art

You’ll need these items from the craft store:

stretched burlap
felt placemat
felt decor
glue dots (or recommended: hot glue)

Using lots and lots of glue dots or hot glue, layer and secure the felt placemat onto the stretched burlap canvas (glue dots = temporary and using stretched burlap for another project in the future, hot glue = more permanent). Then secure the felt decoration on top of the felt placemat. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Halloween BOO Blocks tutorial

Check out my DIY wooden BOO blocks tutorial on the FrogTape® blog squad site HERE!

Do you decorate for Halloween? Just a little or do you go all out?

I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

DIY Duck Tape Trick or Treat bag tutorial and SpookDuckular Sweepstakes

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Roeshel

DIY Duck Tape Halloween Trick or Treat Bucket tutorial

Supplies I used:

poster board or light weight card board
duct tape – fun check out the Halloween patterns
OR…I realized after the fact that the shape resembles a coffee can or paint can (and would provide more durability). This is a fun craft idea but GO grab some fun patterned DuckTape from Michaels and a clean empty paint can from the hardware store!

Tools/extras: cutting matt, Xacto knife/box cutter, scissors, plate

What I did: (this is what I did, but see note & recommendation under “supplies” above!)

1. Decide depth/height of bucket and cut a strip the length of poster board.

2. Place and overlap strips of duct tape to cover each side of the poster board.

3. I folded over a ‘border’ at the top and bottom.

4. Trim short sides. Set aside.

5. I used a salad plate for the size of my bucket. Cut a square of poster board just large enough for tracing the plate. Place and overlap strips of duct tape to each side.

6. Trace plate and cut out circle. This is the bottom of the bucket.

7. Using small pieces of duct tape, attach sides to the bottom.

8. Use a strip of duct tape to ‘close’ the open side of the bucket. Cover with coordinating duct tape to camouflage seam if you wish.

9. Reinforce bottom with more strips of duct tape.

10. Create an embellishment/sticker by overlapping duct tape, placing directly onto cutting matt. Cut out shape, etc. using an Xacto knife. Transfer to front of the bucket.

11. Handle is a strip of duct tape folded into thirds and secured with…more duct tape.

Ta-da! That was fun!

Get creative! Make more than one! My second one is a cute bat with googly eyes and wings. I love the interior Duck Tape design too. Next up on my DIY list is a monster design. So fun!

Enter the SpookDuckular Sweepstakes!

Decorate your trick-or-treat bag using duct tape, and then add an image of your creation to Pinterest. Submit your pin at SpookDuckular.com for a chance to win! Easy!

Oh My Gosh! The Prizes: $100 Michaels gift card each week in October, with a Grand Prize drawing happening the last week for one $500 Michaels gift card! Woo hoo!

Remaining Entry Periods:

Week 2: 10/05/15 – 10/11/15
Week 3: 10/12/15 – 10/18/15
Week 4: 10/19/15 – 10/25/15
Grand Prize: 09/28/15 – 10/31/15

Sweepstakes ends Oct, 31 2015. Good luck!!!

*I received compensation to share about this awesome SpookDuckular sweepstakes. Tutorial was optional. All thoughts, project tutorial and images are my own.

DIY Baby Farmer Costume

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Roeshel

Michaels Makers October challenge is DIY Halloween costume.

So fun! Someone in our family is celebrating a first Halloween this year. But babies aren’t too interested in Halloween or costumes so I love that this costume really is super easy to throw together with an existing pair of overalls, and flannel or plaid shirt.

Grab a few props from Michaels and you have a perfect harvest/farm fresh themed photo opportunity for this time of year, a few decorative items to re-use and a comfortable baby ready for that Halloween party.

(some affiliate links shown below)
– shop from home!

bandana – tie on bib-style and/or cut a small piece for tucking to back pocket
straw hat
crate and veggies (artificial carrot bunch)
fall leaves
chalkboard garden stake
straw bale
not shown: silver bucket and alphabet stickers (create a milk pail for collecting trick or treat goodies)

Cute, right?

And easy too!

After the fact, you have items for an autumn harvest vignette or centerpiece. Duel purpose pieces rock!

Need more DIY Halloween decor and costume ideas? Check these out:

Michaels has great products and inspiration to help transform your yard, classroom or living room into a spooktacular space this year!
Whether you’re into spooky sights, playful pumpkins or giggling ghouls, the Michaels.com Halloween project page has tons of ideas for DIY Halloween costumes and décor.
Still haven’t decided what you’re going to be? Check out the other 49 DIY costumes from the Michaels Makers starting at 11 a.m. EST today and you might just find the perfect one for you, your kiddos or your beloved pet this Halloween– they’re to die for!

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