Halloween Candy Baskets DIY Craft To BOO It Forward

This shop, Halloween Candy Baskets DIY Craft To BOO It Forward, has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #BOOItForward #CollectiveBias

BOO it forward with these DIY Halloween Candy Baskets in eight fun Halloween-themed shapes. Craft your own using the free printables.

Halloween-Themed Shaped Candy Baskets

DIY Craft To BOO It Forward with FREE Printables!

Hooray, it’s October! I love Halloween, and I am always trying to think of fun things to make it special for those around me. So, today, I am sharing this easy DIY craft that is perfect for spreading some spooky cheer! Let’s do Some Friendly Neighborhood BOO’ing.

Who to BOO

We always love to BOO the neighborhood kids, but we also plan to BOO Luke’s 86-year-old dad and his friends down at the donut shop. They have been meeting there each morning for decades.

These Halloween candy baskets are great for a classroom party, any group get-together, you name it. BOO your local fire department, police station, or hospital. BOO It Forward and get everyone in the Halloween spirit. The FREE Printables make them a snap and come in pre-colored or color-your-own options.

It’s easy to purchase the MARS® Variety bag for your BOO Kit. Just hover over the shoppable image above to click through to Walmart.com and buy it!
Now, what good would a candy basket be without some candy to fill it? My choice is the 400 piece MARS® Spider-Man Chocolate/Sugar Variety Bag! This bag is loaded with SNICKERS®, Skittles®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, Starburst®, and 3 MUSKETEERS® — can we all say, YUM?! You can find some cute stickers, tissue paper, bags, and cards from American Greetings too.

BOO it forward w/ these DIY Halloween Candy Baskets in 8 fun shapes. #ad #BOOitForward

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Let’s get crafting!

Halloween Candy Baskets

Supplies:

Free Printables – Download Here: Pre-Colored Shapes or Color-Your-Own Shapes
Cardstock
Glue Stick
Colored Pencils, Markers, Crayons, etc.
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Bone Folder (or another flat edge)
Paper Cutter (helpful, but optional)

Directions:

Print your choice of pre-colored or color-your-own Halloween shapes.
Cut out the shapes leaving a flat edge at the bottom, and an edging around the shape. These shapes will be the sides of your candy basket.

Measure and mark cardstock. You will need two pieces cut for each basket — one for the basket (3-1/2 inches x 7 inches) and one for the handle (7 inches x 1 inch).
Cut the cardstock for all the baskets you will be making.

On the cut out Basket card stock, measure in 1/2 inch from the long edges on each side. Draw a line with a pencil, then score each pencil line with a bone folder or other flat-edge.
Fold the scored long edges inward.

Cut notches into the 1/2 inch folded edges to make it easier to fit the basket onto the shapes.
Lay the notched basket cardstock flat and place glue on notches, both edges.
Fold the notches to a right angle so the glued sides are on the outside of the basket.
Attached glued notches to a pair of matching Halloween-themed shapes in a U-type shape, so there is an opening at the top. You will be able to move and adjust the notches to fit each shape as needed. Make sure that your shapes are turned the same way with the flat edge at the bottom.
Let glue set.
Dab glue on both ends of the handle, and attach to the top inside of the basket cardstock. Let glue set.

Print a BOO Card for your basket.

BOO It Forward

Voila! You now have a spooktacular Halloween Candy Basket! Now, throw a party or BOO a friend and share your Halloween spirit.

Don’t forget you can get the Spider-Man Homecoming DVD & Blu-Ray on October 17th at Walmart.

Want to send some Halloween spirit to loved ones across the country? No problem, Create your own BOO Kit online and have it sent to them. Then, they can BOO It Forward too!

You can only find this product at Walmart!

Follow @snickers, @skittles, and @AmericanGreetings on Facebook.

BOO it forward w/ these DIY Halloween Candy Baskets or create your own BOO Kit online. #ad #BOOitForward

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Enjoy making the Halloween Candy Baskets!

You may like these other Halloween DIY craft ideas: Haunted Mirror – An Eerie Halloween DIY Decor and DIY Creepy Spider Candles.

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Origami Business Card / Gift Card Holder DIY

Learn how to make you very own Origami Business Card Holder! It’s a fun and easy project that actually has many uses, one of which is for gift cards. Enjoy. #Origami #BusinessCard #GiftCard #Holder #DIY

Origami Business Card / Gift Card Holder DIY

I am so excited to be going to the SoFab On The Road blog conference in LA this coming weekend. And, I have been in a frenzy trying to get everything polished up and looking good. Making sure I am well prepared for the conference is high priority, so that I can make the most of the opportunity.

One of the things I did to prepare was to create business cards for the blog. This was a fun project. I love designing graphics and stuff. But then, I thought, how will I carry these lovely new cards to the conference? I haven’t had a business card holder in years. Not wanting to have the cards get destroyed in my purse, I decided to make a simple Origami Business Card Holder. And now, I’m going to share that with you.

This Origami Business Card Holder will also make a perfect Gift Card holder … the holiday season is around the corner!

Make an Origami Business Card Holder great for gift cards too! #DIY #Origami #BusinessCard #Holder

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DIY Origami Business Card / Gift Card Holder

How-To

Trim the paper to the printed edge LEAVING the White corners. It should be roughly 8.5 inches x 10 inches.

Fold the white corners back towards the un-printed side of the paper.

Do this for all for corners.

Lightly fold the paper in half the long way. DO NOT crease the fold. You are strictly providing yourself a folding guide.

Open the paper, and place it print side down. Fold one edge to the center to meet your folding guide. Crease the fold.

Do the same for the other side, so they both meet in the middle. Crease the fold.

I didn’t want to mess up any of my new business cars, so I grabbed a plastic gift card to help me with these next steps.

Now, you have a long narrow folded piece of paper. One side is solid, while the other side is where the flaps meet in the middle. The flapped side, also has a “V” on each end.

Use your plastic gift card and insert it into one of the ends. Ideally, you want the card to fit down inside the paper and leave just a tiny edge of paper sticking out above the card.

With the gift card in place, you will fold that end of the paper over almost to the center. The “V” will be facing up. Crease the fold. You have created your first card pocket. Repeat steps 7, 8, and 9 for the other end of the paper.

You can see the small gap left in the center between the two folded over “V’s.”

Take the plastic card out, and use it to help you fold the paper in half with the “V’s” on the inside. The card will help to make the bending edge crisp.

Crease the fold.

Tips and Tricks

Because I will be using this as a business card holder, I want to be sure it has some strength to it, and will hold its shape well. You do not need to do these steps if you are using this as a gift card holder. The choice is yours.

I used small double-sided photo mounting tape squares that I use for scrapbooking. They work perfectly.

Open up the paper, and place 2 stickers on the un-printed side. Position these about 1/3 of the way up the card pocket from the card pocket fold. You want the open end of the card pocket (that nearest the center) to be left unstuck. This will hold the flaps in place. Stick them down.

Turn the paper over to the solid printed side. You will add 4 stickers (2 for each “V” flap). Make sure to put the stickers on the non-V side of the card pocket, so it will hold the card pocket securely.

Carefully stick the card pockets down, making sure to line up the edges.

You can place cards in just one pocket…

Or, you can place cards in both pockets. The tiny bit of space we left on the edge of the card pockets and in the center, as well as the loose top 2/3 of the card pockets will allow room to carry multiple cards. I can easily fit 10 cards in each pocket.

Fold it over to close your business card holder.

So, there you have it. A very simple and stylish origami card holder. Now all you need its some great paper to fold, right? I’ve got you covered! I have the lovely spring floral design pictured above, as well as a warm and wonderful autumn paper, and a Christmas paper too.

Download and enjoy!

Download: Spring Floral Origami Card Holder Paper

Download: Autumn Origami Card Holder Paper

Download: Christmas Origami Card Holder Paper

What other ways can you think of to use this fun DIY project?

Download FREE Printable Origami paper for DIY Card Holder. #printable #origami #paper #download

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Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Recipe

Remember when you were a kid, and your mom baked you cookies? Well, today, I’m baking up something tasty and delicious just for you. And, it’s a perfect treat with your favorite cup of coffee. As promised in my newsletter, Coffee With Lorelai, here is a fantastic Sugar Cookie Recipe.

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Recipe

A Delicious Heart-Shaped Treat

This recipe is so simple and can be used whether you are rolling out your sugar cookie dough, or pressing it into a cookie mold. For these heart-shaped sweeties, I used a beautiful cookie mold pan.

This pan is always fun to use any time of year, but for obvious reasons, it is especially nice at Valentine’s Day.

Here are a few TIPS for using a non-stick Cookie Mold Pan:

Do not over bake the cookies. The raised edges around the cookies will hold in heat while they cool.

Let the cookies cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Then, turn the pan over and give the bottom of each shape a gentle, yet forceful, smack to release the cookies.

Remember that the cookies will raise a little during baking. You can adjust the thickness of the final bake by adding more or less dough to the mold.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Here’s What You Need:

Butter, Sugar, Salt, Eggs, Vanilla extract, Almond extract, and Flour. Optional: Frosting or Cookie Glaze.

How-To:

Pre-heat oven to 375° F

Cream softened Butter, Sugar, and Salt until light and fluffy. (I use my new KitchenAid mixer on medium speed).
Add one Egg Yolk, beat slightly
Add one Whole Egg, Vanilla extract, and Almond extract, beat slightly. (If you don’t have almond extract, Rum extract is very tasty).
Add Flour, and beat on low until well mixed. Do not over beat. The dough will be sticky-ish.

Press dough into ungreased cookie molds. Fill each shape about half way.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are slightly browned

Let cool in pan for 15 minutes
Remove cookies from pan, and finish cooling on wire racks
When cookies are room temperature, you can Frost or Glaze.

If you are Rolling your Sugar Cookie Dough to use Cookie Cutters:

Wait to pre-heat your oven
Once Dough is mixed, Divide in half and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least one hour, or over night
Take sugar cookie dough out of freezer, and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes
Pre-heat oven to 375° F
Knead dough until smooth
Sprinkle work surface and rolling pin with flour
Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness for best results
Sprinkle flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking
Use Cookie Cutters to stamp out desired shapes
Place cookies on baking sheets covered in Parchment Paper
You can bake your cookies and they will hold their shape, but if you need them to be absolutely perfect, place prepared cookie sheets in the freezer for exactly 10 minutes to re-chill
Once re-chilled, take out of freezer and bake for 8 to 10 minutes
These cookies should not have browned edges
Now, you have the perfect Sugar Cookie

These cookies are great for sharing. We put a special package together to take to Luke’s dad for his 85th birthday this past week. He loved them!

The wrapping was simple. All it took was some wax paper and ribbon. I placed the cookies pretty side down on the wax paper, and folded the wax paper around the sugar cookies. Then, I turned the package over so the pretty side of the cookies were up, and tied my ribbon around the wax paper to hold it closed. It was a perfect old-fashioned wrapping for an old-fashioned style sugar cookie.

Now, I mentioned above that these incredible sugar cookies would be fantastic with your coffee. So, I want to know…

What is YOUR Favorite Coffee Drink?

My Favorite Coffee Drink is: ____________ #CoffeeWithLorelai

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Click this Tweet, replace the blank with your favorite coffee drink, and Click-To-Tweet.
Then, sign-up for the newsletter to get in on the fantastic contest/giveaway we are holding in Coffee With Lorelai.

Want a Printable Recipe? Well, here you go:

5 from 1 reviews

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

23 mins

from: Life With Lorelai

Type: Dessert

Ingredients:

1 Cup - Salted Butter (softened)
1 Cup - Sugar
1/2 teaspoon - Salt
1 Egg Yolk
1 large Whole Egg
1/2 teaspoon - Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon - Almond extract
2-1/2 Cups - All Purpose Flour

Optional: Frosting or Cookie Glaze.

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375° F
Cream softened Butter, Sugar, and Salt until light and fluffy. (I use my new KitchenAid mixer on medium speed).
Add one Egg Yolk, beat slightly
Add one Whole Egg, Vanilla extract, and Almond extract, beat slightly. (If you don't have almond extract, Rum extract is very tasty).
Add Flour, and beat on low until well mixed. Do not over beat. The dough will be sticky-ish.
Press dough into ungreased cookie molds. Fill each shape about half way.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are slightly browned
Let cool in pan for 15 minutes
Remove cookies from pan, and finish cooling on wire racks
When cookies are room temperature, you can Frost or Glaze.

If you are Rolling your Sugar Cookie Dough to use Cookie Cutters:
Wait to pre-heat your oven
Once Dough is mixed, Divide in half and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least one hour, or over night
Take sugar cookie dough out of freezer, and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes
Pre-heat oven to 375° F
Knead dough until smooth
Sprinkle work surface and rolling pin with flour
Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness for best results
Sprinkle flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking
Use Cookie Cutters to stamp out desired shapes
Place cookies on baking sheets covered in Parchment Paper
You can bake your cookies and they will hold their shape, but if you need them to be absolutely perfect, place prepared cookie sheets in the freezer for exactly 10 minutes to re-chill
Once re-chilled, take out of freezer and bake for 8 to 10 minutes
These cookies should not have browned edges

3.5.3208

Share the LOVE with these Heart-shaped Sugar Cookies! #Recipe #SugarCookies #Cookies

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I know your family and friends will love these adorable heart-shaped cookies. Share the Sugar Cookie recipe with everyone!

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~Lorelai

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Christmas Flowers

Look what’s blooming in my yard…

These beauties opened up on Christmas Day in my yard. Aren’t they gorgeous? I wanted to share them with you, and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

As stated last week, the Home Matters Linky Party is taking a two week break to enjoy the holidays with our families. We are planning a fresh new look for the party, and hope you will join us on January 9th when we return.

Returns January 9th…

I have lots of fun stuff planned for Life With Lorelai in 2015.
Take a moment to sign-up to Get the News so you don’t miss a thing!

Enjoy your holidays!

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Leave me a comment… I’d love to hear from you!

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~Lorelai

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Share using our Hashtag!

Leave me a comment… I’d love to hear from you!

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~Lorelai

Sign up today, and don't miss anything! Enjoy EXCLUSIVES, FREEBIES, and FUN.

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Contact Lorelai at Lorelai@LifeWithLorelai.com

Pumpkin Carving Design Tips & Tricks

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Pumpkin Carving Design Tips & Tricks

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I draw my own designs and create my own patterns. I love the whole process; Pumpkin Carving is so much fun. But sometimes, trying to get your design or pattern onto the pumpkin for carving can be tedious. Let’s face it, nobody likes to sit there poking the little holes through the pattern into your pumpkin just to remove the pattern and not be able to tell what the heck your design is supposed to be.

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Here is an easy tip for transferring your design pattern to your pumpkin!

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Saral Transfer Paper is the absolute easiest and best way to transfer your design to the pumpkin! I purchase mine by the roll for about $13 for 12 feet of paper from Art Supply Warehouse. Saral paper comes in many different colors. I use the blue paper because it shows up very nicely on the pumpkin.

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How To Transfer the Design:

Make a few copies of your pattern. This way you can use one to look at while carving, and you don’t destroy the only copy you have in case you or someone else would like to carve it again in the future.
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Cut lines around your pattern so the paper will lay better across the surface of the pumpkin.
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Cut Saral Transfer Paper to appropriate size for your design.
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Use Pins (about 1/2″ to 3/4″ long) to hold the pattern to the pumpkin. Push the pins through blackened areas of your pattern (these areas will be cut out of your pattern so you will not see the pin marks). If there are any diseased spots or things you want off your pumpkin place a black area of your pattern over it so it will be cut out.
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Tape the pattern in place with Masking Tape.
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Trace your design with a Medium Point Pen (it doesn’t matter if there is ink). A medium point will not poke through the pattern as easily as a fine point pen. Be careful with the ridges of the pumpkin, make sure you are getting your design transferred down inside the ridges.
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Once all lines have been traced, you can take the pattern off the pumpkin.
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Check your design to be sure you transferred every detail. Did you miss anything? No problem, pin your pattern back to the pumpkin using the same holes and finish tracing. (This is also great if you need to stop in the middle of the transfer and put your pumpkin back in the refrigerator. Take your pattern off and then just replace it.)
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Remove pattern from pumpkin.
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