How frightening! Halloween is right around the corner and who has loads of extra time to make the midweek holiday Spooktactular? Not you? You are not alone! Here at the Imperfect Women headquarters we are always brainstorming trying to come up with ways to make the holidays fun and stress free. While easy is a prerequisite we also want it to look like Martha Stewart handcrafted it herself. Now that’s a tall order. This year we have come up with three fun, easy ideas that are sure to delight the little ones all the while keeping Mom stress-free!
I am all about keeping things simple for Halloween. I’ll stay up all night making my special Truffles for Christmas, but for Halloween if I can buy all the ingredients at gas station convenience store, I am happy as a clam! These Gruesome Halloween Eyeballs certainly fit that criteria. Easy, fun, and the kids love them.
Supplies
1) Eye Balls (not too bloody) recently enucleated, or if you can’t find them, try Hostess Donettes Mini Powdered Donuts or Powdered Donut “Holes”. If you can’t find powdered donut holes buy the plain ones and shake them in a bag of powdered sugar.
2)Coagulated blood with clots. Or if you can’t find it, a can of Cherry Pie Filling.
3) Gummy Eye Candy (I found mine at Party City, I also have seen them online at Orientaltrading.com ). If you can’t find them, try using Gummy Lifesavers for the iris and stick a Skittle in the middle for the pupil.
4) Plastic forks (I like the ones that look like stainless steel forks but are really plastic).
Surgical Procedure
Place a cherry with a small amount of filling on the top of the mini donut. Use the eye candy to squish down on the cherry so it oozes down the sides of the donut. Dip plastic fork in the pie filling then stick into donut.
Serve to all the little ghosts and goblins at your next Halloween party!
Trick Labels for Treats!
I got the idea for this fun craft a bunch of years ago when my neighbor’s sweet-as-pie 5 year old twin boys asked me what I gave out for Halloween Treats. “Broccoli,” I replied matter of factly, “And for really special kids I might give a turnip or some cauliflower.” My off-the-cuff remark caused a week of speculation at my friend’s house. Could it be that Ms. Pie would actually give out veggies for a Halloween treat? No it couldn’t be, could it? After I got the ball rolling I couldn’t very well stop it, could I? I got to work on my computer and fashioned a realistic looking label. Using double sided tape (a glue stick would work well too) I stuck it to a plain brown paper bag.
When the kids came to the door I peered into their goodie bags and said, “Oh my, too much yucky candy, I have just the thing to remedy that!” And out came my bags of broccoli and turnips! Their mom later told me it was the first thing they hunted for in their bags when they returned home, and, of course, they were relieved to find candy and not broccoli in the bags! I wouldn’t recommend putting actual veggies in the bags, unless you would love to find the trees in your yard filled with pretty toilet paper in the morning. But I’m just sayin’.
You can download the labels here for the turnips and here for the Broccoli.
Just print, cut apart and stick to a bag. Fill with candy and you are good to go!
Nancy from Imperfect Women makes these great Milk Jug Ghosts. So fun and easy!
Items needed:
-Minimum of 3 gallon-sized milk jugs, cleaned and labels removed
-String of 50 white holiday lights (LEDs work best as they give off a whiter
light)
-Black marker
-Scissors
Using a black permanent marker, draw a ghost face on the milk jug. You may
want to go over it a second time so the details are very opaque in color.
Cut a 2-inch circle in the back (lower third, center) of each jug.
Stuff about 15 lights into each one, allowing about 10-12″ (or 5-10 lights)
in between each jug.
Plug in.
If you are using these outdoors, you may want to weigh them down with a
little gravel or sand.
These make great pathway lights.
Michele says
October 15, 2012 at 6:15 amI love the milk jug one. I did that last year.
Nickida says
October 15, 2012 at 6:27 amI love the milk jug idea. I think I have to save mines and give that one a try.
Shauna says
October 15, 2012 at 6:46 amI love those milk jugs and the eyeballs, so gross… lol
Shannon says
October 15, 2012 at 6:48 amI am soooo doing the eye ball thing. So funny about the brocolli. Love how you took it to the next level for them.
Tammy Lyne says
October 15, 2012 at 7:00 amWhat cute ideas, I adore the milk jugs 🙂
julieann r says
October 15, 2012 at 7:02 amCute and gross all at the same time!
Susan Bewley says
October 15, 2012 at 7:14 amWow, these crafts are so cute! Perfect for Halloween parties 🙂
Jessica P says
October 15, 2012 at 9:56 amI LOVE the Halloween Eyeballs! My mom is a nurse and looking for ideas for a Halloween themed baked sale at her hospital this weekend. This is PERFECT! I can’t wait to show her.
snickers says
October 15, 2012 at 10:10 amCute Pattypie, I love the label idea.
Lindsey "Puff" says
October 15, 2012 at 10:22 amI can’t wait for my girls to come home from school so we can make the milk jug ghosties.
Angela Kinder says
October 15, 2012 at 11:34 amI can’t try the Milk Jug Ghosts for Halloween, but I wonder if I could tweak them to work for Christmas!
PattyPie says
October 15, 2012 at 12:51 pmOh how fun for a nurse to bring eyeballs to a bake sale!
Angela if you figure out a way to turn the jugs into something for Christmas be sure to let us know. There’s got to be a snowman in the jug some where!
Snickers – I thought those veggie labels might interest you! Good clean Halloween fun!
Ann @ IW says
October 15, 2012 at 4:51 pmAngela if you make snowmen or something with milk jugs for Christmas, please share a picture with us!
Anya@IW says
October 15, 2012 at 8:58 pmWho wants to be a kid again and go live in the Pie Household? Me! 🙂
.
Seriously, awesome, original ideas. Those labels are genius. I’d love to see the looks on the kids faces when they first see them!
JennieIW says
October 15, 2012 at 9:28 pmI love that label idea! Super-cute and funny. Maybe just the thing for those sullen, costumeless 16-year-olds I get towards the end of the evening! 🙂
julieann r says
October 16, 2012 at 7:50 amLove the milk jug ghosts too.
Lily@IW says
October 16, 2012 at 9:15 amLove the labels! You are always such a hoot! Aaah, the true spirit of ToT! You’ve got me excited and I realize I need to get a hustle on.
Those eyeballs are great and sound delicious. Really cool.
jenn says
October 16, 2012 at 6:23 pmI love the eyeballs, and they will be on our family night project list
Crystal says
October 17, 2012 at 1:55 pmThose eyeballs are awesome!
KIM says
October 17, 2012 at 2:07 pmHow fun!! THose eyeballs are creepy and would probably scare my 2 year old. Love all of it. Thanks for sharing.
Erinn A says
October 18, 2012 at 6:53 amLove the Ghost milk Cartons!
Suzi Satterfield @MotherhoodLooms says
October 18, 2012 at 6:58 amLOVE the eyeballs. Pinning it!
Pam@IW says
October 18, 2012 at 7:33 amGreat post, Ms. Pie. I love all of these ideas, especially the veggie bags. Those are too cute and thank you for creating the labels for anyone who wants to use that idea.
I think a few kids in my neighborhood might just be getting a bag of broccoli for Halloween this year. 😉
jennifer becker says
November 10, 2012 at 7:59 amExtreme coaster..woohoo!
sarah p says
February 24, 2013 at 1:15 pmI love the little eyeballs…such a grotesquely cute idea! The milk jug ghosts are great, will robably be trying that out this halloween 🙂
Aisha Belisario says
August 7, 2013 at 11:06 amThis would be fun for my boys to make this halloween. I like the eyeballs idea for my husband to bring to work when they have a contest on the scariest food or something.
Denise Smith says
August 17, 2013 at 11:07 amlove these i will try these the kids would like to make these theis looks like a fun idea
Danielle Porter says
September 10, 2013 at 2:36 pmThe milkjug chosts are really cute and use stuff I already have! I’ve been scouring Pinterest for cute Halloween crafts and this is perfect!
Michelle Lewis says
October 17, 2013 at 3:34 amEwwwwwwww! Lol,they look gross but i’d love to try one
Megan says
October 17, 2013 at 6:35 amThose eyeballs are so cute!
Autum says
October 17, 2013 at 9:10 amI absolutely love the Gruesome eyeball treats, it looks like such fun to make! Definitely something I might just try for upcoming Halloween festivities. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing.
gigi n jimmy borden says
October 17, 2013 at 3:56 pmi love all of these ideas, thanks for sharing!
Rachel says
October 19, 2013 at 5:12 amI love these simple ideas. Im crafty but i can never think of stuff on my own. So thanks for giving me inspiration.
Marrah says
October 19, 2013 at 8:28 pmLOVE the milk jug idea!!! So stinkin cute. Will have to do that with my little guy this year!
Shirley Carr says
October 21, 2013 at 8:17 amThese are so cool! Thanks
Shirley Carr says
October 21, 2013 at 8:18 amThese are so cool! Thank you so much!
rachel says
October 21, 2013 at 9:40 amThose look perfect for the squeamish. Good job! I don’t know if I could bring myself to eat one though. ha!
lisa says
October 25, 2013 at 9:25 amCute ideas. If I used trick labels I’d probably end up with a broken window!
Helga says
October 26, 2013 at 7:26 amThise are fun and whimsical!
annette anderson says
October 26, 2013 at 2:58 pmI love the Eye Balls! These would be perfect for the school party!
Heather Stanley says
October 26, 2013 at 6:35 pmOMG! will be using the eyes for my son’s b-day party!! Thank you!!!
lala says
October 26, 2013 at 10:29 pmi love the bloody eyeballs idea! so cool
Delightful Ideas
Susan Broughton says
October 27, 2013 at 7:55 amThese are so inventive! The eyeballs are just gross enough and I love the milk jug light. Hope you have a great Halloween!
Rachelle Creech says
October 27, 2013 at 10:09 amI love the milk jug ghosts they’re awesome and so cool looking.
crystal smith says
October 28, 2013 at 5:13 amOMG I love the “trick bags for treats!” thats such a cute and clever idea 🙂 I so want to do that this year- i think the kids would really get a kick out of it…And those eyeballs look gross enough my sons would love them haha
Marlete L. says
October 28, 2013 at 6:14 pmI am so doing these with my daughter!! these are perfect for Halloween, not too scary 🙂
Danielle Porter says
October 28, 2013 at 7:42 pmThe ideas are soo cute! I love the trick labels!
heidi eaton says
November 26, 2013 at 6:42 amOh my god!!! I love the eye balls!!! What a great idea for a Halloween party.
diane welburn says
October 5, 2015 at 11:31 amLove the milk jug idea!! I am going to use them for our halloween decor
cylina williams says
October 15, 2015 at 12:35 pmSo many great ideas, I love crafts for Halloween!
Katherine Riley says
October 15, 2015 at 3:27 pmThese are some great ideas! I really like the milk carton ghosts