Have a Bewitched Halloween with this amazing costume and a DIY Trick-or-Treat Lantern perfect for taking little ones out or going to a party in style!
And, it is all a snap with Oriental Trading, who was kind enough to provide some of these items.
Bewitched Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Lantern
Trick-or-Treat and Party in Style
What are your plans for Halloween? Are you taking the kids out trick-or-treating? Maybe you are throwing a vamptastic party or attending one. Whatever it is you have planned Oriental Trading can help you look spooktacular for a bewitched Halloween!
Rory has plans to party with friends, so she chose this Brilliantly Bewitched Costume. It is super cute and super comfy. It is made with a soft stretchy material and sheer sleeves. And just look at the beautiful jewel-tone purple sparkling down the front. This costume is fun and flirty with the v-neckline and an asymmetrical jagged-edged hemline. It comes with a matching hat.
Find all sorts of costume ideas for Kids, Women, and Men — costumes for the whole family and in any style you can imagine. Pick a group theme like superheroes, pirates, and food or be creatively unique. Get a costume that fits — sizes from babies to plus sizes. The hardest part about shopping for a costume at Oriental Trading is deciding which one to choose.
Before she heads out to the party, Rory’s taking some little ones around the neighborhood trick-or-treating. Check out this Trick-or-Treat Lantern!
There is just something magical about Christmas. Some of my favorite memories revolve around this holiday season and the love, joy, and excitement on the faces of my children. I am sharing one simple yet special Christmas tradition that your kids will love — Magical Reindeer Food.
Magical Reindeer Food
A Christmas Tradition Your Kids Will Love!
Christmas Eve is full of fun and excitement. Children laughing and playing, making sure their stocking are hung with care, and of course waiting with great anticipation the arrival of Santa Claus.
Why not give your kids something a little magical to occupy a moment of time before they go off to dream of sugarplums in their wee little beds. This simple project is easy to prepare and uses things you may already have in your home. Plus, I have a really cute printable for you to download.
Plastic Bag with a zipper closure – snack or sandwich size
Free Printable Bag Topper (see below)
Stapler
Directions:
Print the Bag Toppers and cut them out.
Mix Oatmeal , Glitter, and Confetti in a bowl.
Place handfuls of the mixture into the plastic bags.
Fold Bag Topper over the top of the closed bag and staple it in place.
Here is What You Do with the Magical Reindeer Food
On Christmas Eve, take you children out into the yard. Search the sky looking for Santa and his reindeer. Then, have them sprinkle the magical reindeer food on the ground. The glitter and confetti will sparkle in the moonlight. The shimmering light will lead the reindeer to your home.
This sweet little poem is on the printable bag topper:
Sprinkle on the lawn Christmas Eve night,
the moon will make it sparkle bright.
As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam,
magic feed leads them to your home.
Make your summer nights beautiful by creating your own outdoor ambiance with this Solar Lamp DIY project.
Solar Lamp DIY
Add Some Style to Your Outdoor Living
I have been wanting to make a solar lamp for our backyard patio area for a long time. So, I kept an eye out for the perfect base to accomplish my goal. Luke and I stumbled upon a tall candlestick with a concrete base that we thought would work perfectly.
Gather What You Need:
Since this lamp is tall and will be outside (where you may get a breeze), we needed a heavy base to support the lamp. We found our base on clearance at one of our favorite craft and hobby stores. You could also find a heavy candlestick or lamp base at a thrift store or garage sale.
We picked up a hanging plant basket, a solar yard lamp, and a long screw with a washer to complete our project needs list. Choose a yard lamp and planter basket that fit the proportions of your base stand. We already had a can of black spray paint, some fine-to-medium sandpaper, and a couple pieces of scrap wood. You will also need zip ties, a pair of vice grips, saw, miter box, and a drill.
The first step in our project was to assess our components and come up with a plan that would work the best to provide stability and durability. Make sure you measure everything, so you can be sure to have the proper length screw(s), etc. for your project. Having a solid plan helps the work go together faster.
Get Started with the Fitting Process:
We removed the glass candle holder (I used that for something else later). As you can see in the first photo, our glass candleholder sat down inside a metal dish attached to our stand. A second metal piece inside the glass allowed for a screw to hold the glass to the stand. This second piece turned over and fit perfectly over the first piece. We made a wood block to fill the space to give strength and stability to support our yard lamp and planter basket. We marked it with an “X” to find the center for drilling a hole for the screw.
Take the stem off your solar yard lamp. Measure the stub on the lamp that the stem fits over. Then, decide how tall you want your lamp to be with the planter basket shade on it. Once you have the proper height, measure and cut the stem. We used a saw and miter box.
Now, you want to find a scrap of wood that you can cut (and file if needed) to fit snugly inside the stem. This will add strength to your stem to support the weight of the lamp head and planter basket. You want to cut this wood to a length where your screw will go from the top of the wood and screw into the base of your lamp. This screw is what holds the lamp together. Make sure there is plenty of room for the screw head and lamp stub to fit easily into the stem. Drill a hole all the way through the scrap wood (length-wise). Then, shove the wood scrap inside the stem, it should be tight.
Getting the Lampshade Ready:
A wire hanging planter basket makes a great lampshade for your solar lamp (use the coconut liner for another garden basket). The one problem with the basket is the bottom wire supports. They will cut across the solar panel of the lamp. Those wires need to be removed. A pair of vice grips makes this an easy job. Just a little wiggle and jiggle, and you’re done. Watch this quick video:
How simple is that?
Test Fit:
It is always important to test fit any project. Get the bugs out, and make any tweaks and adjustments that are needed, before you put on the final paint and polish.
Start by making sure your base is ready to add the solar lamp. For us, that meant having the wood block in place inside the metal dish. Then, take the screw, with the washer, and place it through the solar lamp stem. Tighten the screw, attaching it to the base. Notice the wood does not fill the entire stem, so there is room for the screw head and the lamp stub. Place the solar lamp stub into the stem.
Set planter basket upside down on top of the solar lamp, to create a lampshade. Decide where you will need to drill the lamp cap to place zip ties for attaching the lampshade.
Attach the Lampshade:
Since we did not paint the planter basket, we attached the lamp shade to the solar lamp cap. We had a square cap, so we drilled holes on either side of each corner edge, and threaded the zip ties through. We used white for the pictures for you, so they would be easier to see.
Time for Paint:
Rough-up the base and all pieces that need painting with some fine-to-medium sandpaper, so the paint will stick well. Spray in short, even bursts at a distance of about 12 inches. Make sure everything dries thoroughly before assembling the lamp.
You can see that we changed out the white zip ties for black ones for our finished product.
I know you will enjoy this solar lamp as much as we do. It was a fun project to create, and we are getting lots of use out of it. Impress your family and friends!
Hope you all had a wonderful fun-filled Halloween Night 2014.
Halloween Night 2014 was one of the best Halloweens ever! We had such an awesome time last night with our trick-or-treaters. The jack-o’-lanterns were a huge success. Neighbors were telling neighbors and sending them over to see it all. Our yard was the ultimate photo spot for the evening.
Here’s what the house looked like…
My neighbor gave me this gorgeous antique Victorian loveseat and two matching chairs this past Monday. It was perfect for relaxing in the courtyard and greeting our Halloween guests, and it really set the tone for our Halloween Night 2014. Luke drilled holes in my little black cauldron, so I could use my hanging plant stand for our candy.
We had tons of fun decorating for Halloween… here’s what the front of the house looked like.
Luke made special shelves for displaying my pumpkins. They attached to the wrought iron of the brick wall, and are completely reusable for next year!
We recycled these concrete bench legs from our DIY Courtyard Project as Pumpkin Pedestals. They really added a Gothic feel.
The pumpkin shelves were nearly invisible. It was such a cool look.
Everyone wanted to get up close and personal with the jack-o’-lanterns. To complete the mood for the evening, we had a collection of 23 versions of Grim Grinning Ghosts playing in the background. The music almost made the Singing Graveyard Busts come to life. All in all, it was a super fun Halloween Night 2014!
And the remainder of the pumpkins I carved for Halloween…
You can check out the first two pumpkins of the season, Singing Graveyard Busts and Drac-n-Bat’s ’32here.
Cat-Walking Witch 2014
Owl Close-up
Cat Close-up
Rosemaling Close-up
Screaming Tree 2014Creeper Monster 2014We’re Watching You…Beware! 2014
Background Photo: Production Cel of Jiminy Cricket from The Mickey Mouse Club’s “I’m No Fool” Segment – 1950’s
Family Night!
Fun with Jiminy Cricket
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If you are looking for some family night entertainment, watch Jiminy Cricket.
The other night, Luke and I were sitting around talking with Rory, and somehow, we got on the subject of Jiminy Cricket’s “I’m No Fool.” Luke and I were singing the old familiar song from our early childhood. Rory thought we were crazy. We were all laughing so hard.
Since I had the computer very close at hand, I decided to search up the beloved memories of the past. (Luke and I both remember having to watch these films every year in school from Kindergarten through 3rd grade–late 60’s, early 70’s). Guess what I found on YouTube!
Rory and Luke piled in next to me on the couch, and we watch all the “I’m No Fool” episodes we could find. Your teenager will have a blast laughing over these adorable, yet educational, videos. This was really quite a generation connector–linking our past with the technology of the present.
The short, 8 to 10 minute, films were made back in the 1950’s by Disney, and shown on the original Mickey Mouse Club television program. I’ve put the films together in a playlist for your viewing enjoyment…
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Jiminy Cricket in I’m No Fool … Playlist
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If you are looking for a fun, laughter-filled family night with your teenager, I would highly recommend Jiminy Cricket’s, “I’m No Fool” series. And, for those of you with little ones, these are super cute and teach great lessons. There is even another Jiminy Cricket series that teaches about the human body. Homeschooler’s resource?
Watch for more family night ideas coming to Life With Lorelai.
