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DIY Slightly Spooky Halloween Pumpkins

September 18, 2019 by girlinspired Leave a Comment

Take a Closer Look! Craft these DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins!

It’s TIIIIIIMMMEEEE!!!  Time to bust open the storage unit and start hauling out the Halloween decorations.  My favorite time of year to craft and decorate. Remember my Halloween Murder Mystery Party and my Witch Dinner Party? Yes, I love Halloween.  I started opening the bins and with an inspiring little trip to all the craft stores, found myself drawn to a different color scheme for my family room Halloween decor this year – PINK! What?  I didn’t even know it was going to happen until it did.  I brought home some cute little pink craft pumpkins, made myself a pumpkin spice latte, and fell down the crafting rabbit hole.  Now – if pink for Halloween isn’t your thing – you can use absolutely any color scheme and incorporate these same techniques.  No matter what you use you’re going to end up with the cutest DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins this world has ever seen. Not only that, but if you’re not really up for changing out your decor completely as Thanksgiving rolls around, I’ll show you how to tweak these just a tad for some beautiful DIY Thanksgiving pumpkins.  LOL. Ready to get crafting?

Supplies for slightly spooky Halloween pumpkin craft

Alrighty, let’s gather our supplies. I’ve included links (some affiliate) to the supplies I used for easy shopping.  You will need:

craft pumpkin
Antique wax and Dust of Ages
stippling brush and/or coarse paintbrush
spanish moss
faux roses or florals
miniature skeleton garland
Halloween picks – eyeballs, skulls, witch legs, whatever you’d like
pinecones or other bits you can collect on your morning Autumn stroll
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Let’s begin! This is totally optional, but the fake craft pumpkins are a little too shiny and plastic-y for my visual taste of authenticity (and yes, I do realize the irony in my need for authenticity in these fake pumpkins that are, in fact, pink) Nevemind that, I wanted to grunge the plastic up a bit.  I grabbed my Antique Wax and Dust of Ages powder and it was the perfect touch.

Use Antiqueing wax and dust of ages to give plastic craft pumpkins a weathered look

So easy to use, dip the tip of a stippling brush into the wax and then just smudge it around, working it into the cracks and crevices. Don’t forget that plastic stem! Stipple until your pumpkin is antiqued to your liking.

Use Antiqueing wax and dust of ages to give plastic craft pumpkins a weathered look

Now, we’re going to give it an even more aged, matte look with the Dust of Ages.  You can sprinkle a little on or just dip a fresh stippling brush into the pot.

Use Antiqueing wax and dust of ages to give plastic craft pumpkins a weathered look

And …. dust.  Spread the dust around, allowing it to settle into the cracks and crevices that you waxed so well.  Smudge until you have a nice finish.  Wipe the excess dust back into the container.

Use Spanish moss for the foundation for Halloween pumpkin crafts

Okay, let’s start building the toppings! Start with a bed of Spanish moss.  This gives it a real nice Fall base, but also lends itself well to a creepy vibe. Arrange the moss around the stem – enough that it will show under the rest of the toppings.

Crafting Halloween Pumpkins

Lift the moss here and there and secure to the top of the pumpkin with hot glue.  Not too much – you don’t want the moss to be flat and you don’t want the glue to show through the moss. Visible glue? Not authentic.

Crafting Halloween pumpkins with florals and spooks!

Next, we need some additional fluffery – choose whatever faux (or real dried) florals you like.  I love the very harvest-time look of this sprig.  Use floral wire snips to make the most of one larger floral spray and add bits here and there.  Secure at the base of the stem with hot glue.

Use non-traditional floral colors for a unique Halloween pumpkin craft!

Let’s start adding the florals.  If you have roses on a wire stem, cut the stem to a few inches in length and press it right into the top of the pumpkin, planning to space an odd number of large focal florals on the top (this size pumpkin lended itself to three main flowers, a large pumpkin might need 5 or 7, etc.)

Use non-traditional floral colors for a unique Halloween pumpkin craft!

These wire stemmed roses worked nice to be able to bend/maneuver the direction that the rose faced once it was poked into the pumpkin.  If you’e using just the flower head of a floral arrangement, you’ll need to hot glue the flower in place.  Try to spread the moss and other toppings slightly so you can get the glue into direct contact with the pumpkin.

Use non-traditional floral colors for a unique Halloween pumpkin craft!

Okay, here we go.  I have three main flowers here and IF I was going for a Pretty Pumpkin or a Thanksgiving pumpkin or an Autumn pumpkin, I’d glue this big peony on right here.  But friends, I’m going for a slightly spooky pumpkin, so….

Use non-traditional floral colors (and holiday picks!) for a unique Halloween pumpkin craft!

I swapped the big peony for an eyeball pick.  LOL.  Isn’t it fantastic?  The craft stores has ALL kinds of picks for alllll the holidays and I’m obsessed.  Use whatever you like! I am loving this eyeball.

Use non-traditional floral colors for a unique Halloween pumpkin craft!

Once you have your main toppers in place, it’s time for some filler! Use mini pinecones, seed pods, leaves, whatever you like.  I used some snippings from a couple other floral picks as well as these flower-shaped pinecones we collected on a neighborhood walk last Fall. Hot glue them in to create a full, balanced pumpkin topper.

You didn’t think I was going to spook out this pumpkin with JUST an eyeball, did you? No way.  I have a whole bunch of these little miniature skeletons that come as a garland.  I load them up into apothecary jars for decor and I also have a bag of broken bits and pieces…..PERFECT for pumpkin toppings! And if yours aren’t already broken, they snap apart with very little effort.

Dab a blob of hot glue onto a severed limb and wiggle it down into your floral arrangement.

Take a Closer Look! Craft these DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins!

Perfection!!!!

Take a Closer Look! Craft these DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins!

Take a Closer Look! Craft these DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins!

Take a Closer Look! Craft these DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins!

Take a Closer Look! Craft these DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins!

Take a Closer Look! Craft these DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkins!

So how’s that for making a DIY slightly spooky Halloween pumpkin to put on your mantle?  SO FUN!!  I’m obsessed.  Would love to see yours if you make one! Tag me on Instagram or Facebook….or in the comments.  Need more Halloween crafting fun?  Definitely make a Dia de los Muertos wreath, consider this Shriek to Chic Halloween Party Decor and check out some of these other amazing Halloween ideas! Happy Halloween crafting!!!

Need a festive Fall treat to snack on while you’re crafting up a storm?  Try our favorite pumpkin cinnamon rolls or these sinful gingerbread pumpkin ice cream sandwiches!

Filed Under: Crafting, DESIGN, Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Home Decorating Tagged With: Fall decor, Halloween, halloween decor, halloween pumpkins, home decor, pumpkin crafts, pumpkins

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

October 31, 2017 by girlinspired 1 Comment

*This post contains affiliate links.Halloween Dinner Party and House DecorIt’s my favorite time of the year!  When the air turns cool and crisp and we spend more time readying our homes to entertain holiday guests and gather by toasty fires and snuggle under warm layers.  Decorating for Halloween, in particular, has stolen my heart over the last few year.  I just can’t get enough.  Crafting, sewing, preparing fun and delicious foods has filled my October free moments.  So much so, that Halloween has now arrived and I have a slew of photos from our Halloween dinner party and house decor to share – I hope they provide inspiration for future years of spooky good fun!

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

My prior craft/sewing cubby organizer antique thing has moved out into our living room and holds all kinds of witchy concoctions and supplies.

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

An outdoor evening dinner party.  I gathered a variety of silver-plated serving platters and chafing dishes and decorated the table with a simple sequin table runner, taper candles, and simple bat-laden tree centerpieces.  This year’s theme was “Gathering of the Witches” and it was lots of fun.  Remember last year’s Murder Mystery Halloween Dinner Party?

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Adding hurricanes, candelabras, lights around the trees, and overhead string lights completely transformed the backyard into a beautiful, warm party space.

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

I found little black twiggy trees in the dollar section at Target and cut a bazillion small bats out of black cardstock using my Cricut Maker machine.  I hot glued the bats all over the branches and popped each tree into a silver-plated coffee/tea pot with a little spanish moss.  Perfect simple, classy, and festive centerpieces.

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

What do you do when your backyard is in upheaval and you have dirt and dead patches of weeds instead of a lawn for your outdoor party?  You turn it into a graveyard!

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween House Decor and Gathering of the Witches Party Decor

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

Can’t wait to see what kind of spooky tricks I can gather up for next year! Happy Halloween!

Sources:

Eyeball Decor and Gold Skeleton: grandinroad.com
Black Felt Top Hat
Silver-plate Serving Pieces: various antique stores
Black Sequin Table Runner
Waterproof LED Floating Candles
Grey and Black Faux Lilies and Black Roses

Filed Under: Crafting, Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Home Decorating, Parties Tagged With: autumn, dinner party, Halloween, halloween decor, halloween dinner party, halloween house decor, holiday decor, house decor

Pinwheel Quilt with the Cricut Maker

October 15, 2017 by girlinspired 2 Comments

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!HOW MANY YEARS HAVE I BEEN WAITING FOR CRICUT TO CUT FABRIC?  I know I’ve already said it, but it’s kind of like pinching myself to see if this is really real – I still can’t believe all my Cricut + fabric dreams have come true.  So excited to share how FAST and quite SIMPLE it can be to make even something so intricate as a pinwheel quilt when you have the Cricut Maker to help you along!!  Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!

I have been wanting to make a snuggly seasonal quilt for many years – the cooler weather in Autumn just makes snuggling up a must! I wanted to add a quilt to my home decor that looked a little Halloween-y, but not so specific that it couldn’t stay out throughout the season.  I pulled together some of my favorite fabrics from my collection (the foxes and the bicycles) and added a couple fun prints (the typeset and stripe) I picked up during my recent trip to Vermont.  The I added two neutrals – the ever-useful polka dot and this fabulous metallic medallion print from Jo-Ann’s Buttercream line.

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!Next, I went on to Cricut’s design space software and chose the perfect quilt pattern.  The Pinwheel Fun Baby Quilt was calling my name – it has that playful vibe I was looking for to incorporate a bit of a Halloween feel, and it was also challenging – I wouldn’t choose a pinwheel quilt to hand-cut just because – well, I might not ever feel ready to cut all those little pieces.  ENTER CRICUT!

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!Friends!  I had all the pieces of this quilt cut out in one evening of watching a movie or two.  Once you are in design space, you can print out the full instructions for cutting and assembly of the quilt top. Load the fabric onto the special fabric mat, pop the fabric rotary blade into the machine, and hit GO!  All that fabric, perfectly cut, without ever needing to measure or count a thing!  And because I wanted a quilt larger than the baby quilt size, I simply doubled the number of cuts and came out with twice the pieces to assemble.

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!Let’s talk about assembly – sure, it takes some time to assemble a quilt top.  I’ve made a quilt or two or three.  This quilt was a blast.  I was fresh and motivated since I didn’t just tick off a zillion hours cutting a zillion tiny pieces.  I stacked up my pieces and sewed up the pinwheels during another round of late night movies.  It took me three evenings total to cut and assemble the entire quilt top.

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!

Pinwheel Quilt with Cricut Maker - Huge Timesaver using the Maker to cut allll the pieces for this quilt!If you have ever wanted to make a quilt, but just can’t get yourself to begin, using Cricut Maker to cut out your pieces for you might be just the solution you need.  Now I just need to choose a backing fabric and quilt this pretty together!

More Things to Make with Cricut

DIY Graphic Tees with Cricut

Halloween Chalkboard Sign and Cricut Explore Giveaway!!

Holiday Cards for Crafters with Cricut

Movie Night Party Ideas and DIY Director's Clapboard with Cricut

Military Inspired Leather Accents

Burlap Table Numbers

Flower Burst Mini Cakes

Personalized Photo Albums

Filed Under: Fall, Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Home Decor, Sewing Tagged With: Autumn quilt, Cricut, Fall, Fall decor, Maker, pinwheel quilt, quilting, quilting tools, seasonal quilts, sewing tricks

Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner Party

October 26, 2016 by girlinspired 5 Comments

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!Every month, I get together with girlfriends from high school and we take turns hosting “Bunco,” except that we haven’t played the actual game of Bunco in about five years.  HOWEVER, we do always have a great night filled with good food, good drinks, and laughing until our sides ache.  I snagged the month of October this year and it was the perfect excuse to go all out with Halloween craziness.  I have never participated in a murder mystery dinner, but I thought there was no better time than now to throw one!  Want to see how it all came together?  Great! because I have a LOT of pictures to show you and a few affiliate links for products, too.Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

For the murder mystery game itself, I purchased a downloadable version online.  The full instructions for the party, including name tags, scripts, invitations, investigation sheets, and the full plot were included.  There was still a bit of prep work involved – I had to assign the roles to my guests, mail invitations, assemble name tags (I used these hang tags so that my guests didn’t have to pin or stick name tags to their nice clothing), print out and envelope all the “clue cards” for each guest for three rounds of the game, and coordinate the game as the night unfolded.  I was grateful to have the hard work done for me, although I think it was still challenging to manage the game along with playing bartender, chef, and hostess.

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Decorations?  Oh, the decorations.  You guys – I couldn’t stop.  I’m surprised my husband and children didn’t have me committed.  My mom commented to my daughter that I must have always wanted to live in a haunted mansion.  I probably could have carried on for months if the party date hadn’t stopped me. Many of my decorations have been collected over the years.  Old antique bottles were collected and labeled years ago; collections of dollar store rats, tarantulas, spiders, and millipedes are divvied out into apothecary jars that normally house seasonal decor.  This year, I added more black roses to my collection and popped sticky eyeballs (from Target) into their center (an idea I saw somewhere on the internet).  They make me extremely happy.  I purchased a bulk package of white tapered candles and popped them in every candlestick I could muster up from around the house.  I was able to find a few additional candlesticks at thrift stores, but not as many as I’d hoped.  I also dug into my box of pillar candles leftover from our wedding – still a use for them 12 years later – ha!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

“Spooky” fabric transforms all the spaces easily – I used it for tablecloths and over bits of furniture here and there. My girls stockpiled the mini pumpkins from Trader Joe’s so I gathered all of them in the foyer, along with my favorite DIY Halloween sign,

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

What do you do when you want to make the very stark hallway festive and also keep your guests from looking into your children’s messy rooms?  You staple up some caution tape and hang a flickering light.  So much fun, right??

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Let’s talk food.  I was a bit stumped as to what to serve for dinner.  Typically, our group sits down to dinner, but the murder mystery course of events dictates quite a lot of mingling in order to communicate the various clues to as many people as possible.  I served finger-ish foods so that people could grab and chat with their food.  Meh.  I don’t know how well this turned out.  It probably would have worked just as well to sit down around a table.

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

The menu included Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo and Fig-Prosciutto pizza.

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

We also did some freezer sweet potato fries and my yummy sun-dried tomato Bruschetta.

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

I delivered Round Two clue cards during dinner.  I just couldn’t resist dripping red wax on the envelopes.  I sealed the back with this fabulous spider wax stamp.  It’s all in the details, friends.

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Dessert and cocktails!  This is my favorite area.  I purchased (gasp!) store bought cake and stuck a few spiders on top.  I would have loved to bake something awesome, but a girl’s got to know her limits.  I knew my crowd and decided to give myself a break on dessert.  Wine bottles got the spooky label treatment – so easy to do and fun!  I found gorgeous black-stemmed champagne glasses at the antique mall and plastic “test tubes” at Michael’s.

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

halloween-murder-mystery-dinner-party-44

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Halloween drinks require two things, I’ve decided – beakers and dry ice.  Who can tell me this isn’t the most fun ever??

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

I served a “Poison Apple” cocktail – recipe here.  This was deeeelicious!  Yum!  Sour apple and orange with vanilla vodka and a splash of champagne – good stuff.  If you add dry ice to your drinks, you need only a dime size piece and be sure to tell your guests not to drink until the dry ice is completely dissolved.

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

The other cocktail was my favorite and made a great impression!  We adapted this recipe for Mister Hyde’s Potion.  It has a blackberry, herby flavor and looks so so Halloween chic!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

I tried to transfer all of my liquors and simple syrup concoctions into various old liquor bottles/decanters with spooky labels.  I love how it adds to the mood.  I added the Heidi Swapp lightbox to my party supplies recently and it is so versatile!  You can’t see the fun glow of “Welcome My Pretties,” with my flash pictures, but it was great!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

Had to share pictures of the crime scene.  My girlfriends are absolutely THE BEST!  They came in full masquerade costume and totally played along with all my wild ideas.  Have you ever thrown or attended a murder mystery party?  I think next time I might need to use a less involved script OR have a co-host.  It was a lot to manage all at the same time, but everyone still had SO MUCH FUN!!

Throw a fantastic Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner party - from decorations and food to spooky cocktails - so many ideas here!

 

Filed Under: Food and Recipes, Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Home Decorating, Parties

Dia de Los Muertos Wreath

October 3, 2016 by girlinspired 4 Comments

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!
Eeek!  It’s October, which means I can legitimately start decorating for Halloween fun without looking too crazy.  As my kids have gotten older, they have started really enjoying the spooky, creepy decor and it makes decorating for this season an absolute blast.  I was scouting the catalogs for new decor to purchase when I came across the most fabulous Dia de Los Muertos wreath.  Unfortunately, the wreath was sold out (except for a somewhat questionable listing on eBay for $1200,) so I decided to have a go at making my own version.  I don’t usually decorate for the Day of the Dead, but I just loved the vibrant colors and wanted to incorporate them in to my decor this year.

Dia de Los Muertos Wreath Supplies:

  • 5 small skull heads (found mine at Target)
  • silk flowers in vibrant orange, pink, and peach – 15-20 flowers minimum
  • black and white striped ribbon (wired would be great, too, but mine was wireless) – min. 3 yards
  • grapevine wreath
  • silk leaf sprays or garland (enough to fully go around the wreath)
  • hot glue
  • black matte spray paint
  • floral wire


Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

How to Make a Dia de Los Muertos Wreath
Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

First, spray paint your grapevine wreath matte black – cover as much as possible.  Spray paint the front and back of the leaf sprays/garland.  I was a little concerned that the spray paint wouldn’t work well, but it turned out great – the leaves even kept their pliability.  Weave the leaves into the wreath to form a base for the flowers.  Use hot glue to secure leaves where needed.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Evenly space the skulls around the wreath.  Leave a bit wider gap at the “top” for your big bow.  Hot glue the skulls onto the wreath, wedging them down into the leaves and vines so that they are secured face up and flat.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Separate your flowers from the stems.  Cut stems down to 1-2 inches.  Leaving a bit of stem made is really easy to secure the flowers into the wreath, but if you need to pull the flower heads from the stems completely for some final filler, you can do that too.  I cut the stems with an old pair of pruning clippers – a wire cutter would work, too.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Dry fit the wreath with the flowers.  Evenly space colors and sizes to create an eye-pleasing layout.  Wedge the short stems down into the wreath and hot glue in place.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Let’s make the bow!!  Take a long stream of ribbon – at least a few yards, more if you have it.  Form a circle about the size of the finished bow you want.  Add just a dot of hot glue to the end of the ribbon and secure it into the circle, as shown above.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Now start wrapping the ribbon around and around the circle until all the ribbon is circled up.  Dab a tiny dot of hot glue to secure the other end.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Now, pinch the ribbon circle in the center to form a figure 8 of sorts.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Cut two small triangles on either side of the exact center of your figure 8, as shown.  This will make the center of the bow a bit neater.  You can dab some FrayCheck into the cut triangles to prevent fraying and frizzing.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Twist a 7-inch piece of floral wire around the center of the ribbon and twist to secure tightly.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Now it’s time to fluff the bow.  Beginning on one side of the loops, pull the first loop out of the center to the right and twist it.

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Pull the next loop out of the center to the left and twist.  Continue fluffing the bow until it’s full and just how you like!

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Use the wire to secure the bow in place on the wreath!

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Hang that beauty up and soak in the vibrant fun!Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Looking for more Halloween crafting ideas?  Try these “Slightly Spooky” Halloween pumpkins – how can something so beautiful also be so spooky?  lol!  You might also love my DIY Mummy Heads.   

Halloween Crafts and Party Ideas

Halloween Chalkboard Sign and Cricut Explore Giveaway!!

Halloween Murder Mystery Dinner Party

Halloween Dinner Party and House Decor

5 DIY Halloween Cupcakes

55 Amazing Halloween Ideas

DIY Slightly Spooky Halloween Pumpkins

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Craft this vibrant and fun Dia de Los Muertos Wreath!

Filed Under: Crafting, Halloween, Holiday Inspiration Tagged With: dia de los muertos, dia de los muertos crafting, dia de los muertos wreath, fall wreath, halloween decor, home decor, wreath

Skull Spaghetti

October 26, 2015 by girlinspired 2 Comments

Homemade Spaghetti with a Skull Bun - Trick or Treat?

My kids are always asking for spaghetti!  I dislike that I have to stand over the simmering stove for hours and there’s always a splatter to clean up, so I don’t make it too often.  Last week, however, I gave the crockpot a try and served up some skull spaghetti for my family.  There were lots of giggles.  Have you used one of these cool skull baking pans yet?

Homemade Spaghetti with a Skull Bun - Trick or Treat?

You can use any bread recipe to fill the cavities in the pan and it bakes into the perfect skulls.  Have some fun with your family!  There are fronts and backs for the skulls, so I stood the two back to back on a plate and spooned the spaghetti down the middle.  The skull pan is available here:  Skull Baking/Cake Pan (affiliate link) and if you have Amazon Prime, you can get have it in time for this Halloween!  I have to confess that I didn’t love the bread recipe I tried this time, so I’m not sharing that, but you can even use a boxed bread mix – any recipe will work!

Homemade Spaghetti with a Skull Bun - Trick or Treat?I don’t have a nice, appetizing picture of the spaghetti, but it’s yummy for regular meals, too.  ðŸ˜‰

Homemade Spaghetti with a Skull Bun - Trick or Treat?

Skull Spaghetti Sauce

Tomato and ground beef spaghetti sauce perfect for serving with spaghetti noodles and turning in to a fun and creepy Halloween meal.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Keyword: halloween food ideas, spaghetti
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 240kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of lean ground beef
  • 2- 14.5 oz. cans of tomato sauce
  • 2- 8 oz. cans of tomato paste
  • 2- 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 c. red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 1 Tbs. dried basil
  • 1 Tbs. dried oregano
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp. granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Brown ground beef on the stovetop (you can also use ground turkey, ground sausage, or a combination).
  • Add salt and pepper to flavor the meat.
  • When meat is browned, add garlic, basil, and oregano and sauté 1-2 minutes longer.
  • Transfer meat and spice mixture to crock pot.
  • Add wine, tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves.
  • Note: the wine amount isn't exact - I typically just pour in the remainder of the my bottle from the night before - less than 1 cup is probably best.
  • Cook on low-medium heat for 6-8 hours.
  • Add sugar and adjust amount to taste.
  • Serve over cooked pasta.
  • Cool and separate remaining sauce into Ziplock freezer bags.
  • Freeze up to 60 days. Reheat on stovetop or in a microwave safe bowl.
Tried this recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @girlinspired!

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 1285mg | Potassium: 1672mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1747IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 7mg

Homemade Spaghetti with a Skull Bun - Trick or Treat?

Have fun!

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Filed Under: Food and Recipes, Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Main Course Tagged With: crock pot recipe, Halloween dinner, spaghetti recipe

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